The Global Fund for Women is an international network of women and men committed to a world of equality and social justice. We advocate for and defend women’s human rights by making grants to support women’s groups around the world.
The Global Fund receives over 3,000 proposals a year and is able to award about 600 grants annually. Due to the large number of applications we receive, please allow seven to nine months to review your request. We accept applications throughout the year and award grants every three months.
We have three types of grants:
1. General Support Grants
These are flexible, small grants to cover general operating and project expenses.
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Your group must meet ALL the basic criteria (listed under “application requirements” of the grant application form) to be eligible for a grant.
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A group may only have one proposal of any type under consideration at a given time.
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Amount granted may be less than the amount requested if and when an award is made.
2. Travel Grants
These are small grants that allow members of an organization to attend conferences and events.
* Your group must meet all the basic criteria (listed under “application requirements” of the grant application form) to be eligible for a grant.
* A group may only have one proposal of any type under consideration at a given time.
* Amount granted may be less than the amount requested if and when an award is made.
* Applicatons for travel and event grants must be received at least 8 weeks before the beginning of the event. Funds for these kinds of grants are limited.
* Because travel grant funding is limited, priority will be given to former Global Fund for Women grantees that do not have access to other funding sources.
3. Organizing Meeting/Event Grants
These are small grants to support organizations planning a time-sensitive conference or event.
* Organizing Meeting/Event requests must be received no later than 8 weeks before the beginning of the event.
* Because our funding for such travel grants is so limited, priority will be given to former Global Fund for Women grantees that do not have access to other funding sources.
The Global Fund for Women supports women’s groups that advance the human rights of women and girls. GFW grants help strengthen and link women’s funds based outside the United States by providing flexible and timely grants ranging from $5,000 to $50,000 per year for operating and re-granting expenses. First-time grant awards generally range from $5,000 to $25,000 per year. We value local expertise and believe that women themselves know best how to determine their needs and propose solutions for lasting change.
APPLICATION CRITERIA
Please note that your Women’s Fund MUST meet all the following criteria to be eligible for a grant:
* It is based in a country outside the United States. We do not fund US based organizations.
* Its primary focus is to award grants to women’s human rights groups. o Its past or proposed activities include grantmaking and/or capacity-building for women’s rights groups.
* It is governed, directed, and led by women. Women must fill most or all of the leadership roles.
PRIORITIES:
The Global Fund seeks to strengthen and sustain local philanthropy of Women’s Funds by investing in the following priority areas:
* Providing general operating support to build grantmaking, fundraising, and organizational capacity of women’s funds.
* Promoting mutual learning exchanges among women’s funds.
The Global Fund receives over 3,500 proposals for general support, including the women’s funds, each year and awards about 600 grants annually. Unfortunately we do not have the resources to provide funding to all the Women’s Funds that meet our criteria. We do, however, give priority to Women’s Funds that might particularly benefit from our support. These include groups that:
* Are actively fundraising from local sources.
* Are located in a region or country that has extremely limited access to funding resources.
* Are making grants to groups working on issues that are difficult or controversial for women to raise in their communities, yet are critical to the realization of women’s human rights.
* Are making grants to women’s groups organized and led by women from particularly marginalized populations, including but not limited to: refugees, rural women, economically disadvantaged women, women with disabilities, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (LGBTQI) populations, sex workers, women affected by military occupation, women in conflict and post-conflict regions, girls and young women, and women from ethnic, religious, and cultural minorities.
* Actively include the perspectives of those served by or benefiting from the fund’s activities.
In addition, please note that the Global Fund does NOT fund the following:
* Individuals
* Government entities
* Groups based and working primarily or only in the US
* Women’s Funds in the Global North proposing projects with local partners
* Groups whose sole purpose is to generate income or to provide charity to individuals
* Groups headed and managed by men, without women in the majority of leadership positions
* Funds that support political parties or election campaigns
* Women’s branches, departments, or projects of mixed gender organizations
REVIEW PROCESS
You may submit a request in any language, by e-mail, fax, or post. We usually accept proposals all year, but grants are awarded only four times a year after approval by our international Board of Directors. After you submit a proposal, a notice of receipt will be sent within 3 weeks of its arrival at the Global Fund. You will receive a decision on your proposal or a request for additional information in approximately 2-3 months. Due to the large volume of requests we receive, final grant awards to women’s funds may not be made for up to 5 to 6 months. In addition, please note that the Global Fund is not able to award a grant to all the deserving funds that apply and that we are also often unable to award the total amount requested.
URGENT REQUESTS
The Global Fund encourages women’s funds to include their travel and conference budgets in the general support application. In RARE cases, the Global Fund accepts urgent requests related to a crisis of some kind, or for requests that pertain to organizing or attending a conference, or other time-bound event. Such requests will be considered outside of our normal grant cycle due to their time-sensitive nature. Applications must be submitted by organizations, not individuals, and must be received at least 8 weeks before the event. Funding for such requests is extremely limited and preference will be given to past Global Fund grantees.
Our Mailing Address:
The Global Fund for Women
222 Sutter Street, Suite 500
San Francisco, CA 94108 USA
Phone: (415) 248-4800
Fax (415) 248-4801
Moreinfo: http://www.globalfundforwomen.org/apply-for-a-grant/types-of-grant