UN Women Africa – Generation Equality Fund for Gender-Responsive Businesses

About this opportunity

UN Women awards $50,000–$1,000,000 grants to African NGOs and social enterprises advancing gender equality through economic empowerment, ending gender-based violence, and women's leadership. You must have at least two years of track record in gender work and a community partner willing to endorse you.

Who can apply

• Registered NGOs and civil society organisations in any African country
• Feminist movements and activist networks
• Social enterprises with a gender equality focus
• Organisations with at least two years of operational history
• Organisations with demonstrated track record in gender programming
• Organisations with established community partnerships

Not eligible

• Organisations with less than two years of operating history
• Organisations without evidence of gender equality work
• Organisations without community partnerships

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Documents you will need

• Project concept (outline of the idea, problem it solves, and intended outcomes)
• Detailed budget with line items
• Organisational profile including mission, structure, and history
• Proof of registration as an NGO or social enterprise
• At least one letter of endorsement from a community partner
• Evidence of two years' operational history (registration documents, annual reports, or financial statements)
• Details of past gender equality projects or programmes

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How to apply, step by step

1. Review the full guidelines on UN Women's Africa website to confirm current deadlines and application portal details, as this fund operates on a rolling basis
2. Gather your organisational documents: registration proof, financial statements for the past two years, and examples of previous gender equality work
3. Identify and approach a community partner (beneficiary group, local leader, or civil society organisation) willing to write an endorsement letter
4. Develop your project concept with clear problem definition, activities, outputs, timeline, and how it advances gender equality
5. Prepare a realistic budget showing how funds will be spent and matched with your project timeline
6. Submit all documents through UN Women's application portal before the deadline

How applications are selected

What reviewers look for

• UN Women funds catalytic projects—those with models and ideas that other organisations can copy and scale. If your project is one-off or site-specific only, it will score lower.
• Community endorsement matters more than organisational size. A small NGO with genuine, documented relationships to the women and girls it serves will be rated above a larger organisation with weak community ties.
• Demonstrate learning and adaptation from past gender work. Reviewers want to see what you learned from previous projects and how that shaped this proposal.
• Be explicit about which gender equality issue you are addressing: economic empowerment, ending gender-based violence, or expanding women's leadership. Vague proposals that try to do all three simultaneously typically score lower.
• Show how this grant fits into your organisation's longer-term strategy, not as a one-off project. Funders want to see that you will sustain and build on this work.

Frequently asked questions

Guide written from the official programme page on 17 October 2026. Funders change their rules, so confirm the details on the official page before you apply.

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