GENERAL GRANT CRITERIA
OVERVIEW
The Global Fund for Women invests in women's groups that advance the human rights of women and girls. We
strengthen women-led groups based outside the United States by providing grants ranging from $5,000 to $30,000 per
year for operating and project expenses. First-time grant awards generally range from $5,000 to $13,000 per year. We
value local expertise and believe that women themselves know best how to determine their needs and propose solutions
for lasting change.
We welcome proposals that may fall into, but are not limited to, the following broad thematic areas:
• Building Peace & Ending Gender-Based Violence
• Advancing Health and Sexual & Reproductive Rights
• Expanding Civic & Political Participation
• Ensuring Economic & Environmental Justice
• Increasing Access to Education
• Fostering Social Change Philanthropy
APPLICATION CRITERIA
Please note that your group MUST meet all the following criteria to be eligible for a
grant:
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It is based in a country outside the United States. We do not fund US based organizations.
Its primary focus is advancing women’s equality and human rights, with these goals clearly reflected in its activities.
It is a group of women working together. We do not accept requests from individuals.
It is governed, directed, and led by women. Women must fill all or most of the leadership roles.
Groups do not need to be registered non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to qualify for funding.
Priorities:
The Global Fund receives over 2,500 proposals each year and is able to award about 500 grants annually. Unfortunately
we do not have the resources to provide funding to all the groups that meet our criteria. We do, however, give priority
to women’s groups that might particularly benefit from our support. These include groups that:
• Do not have access to funds from larger donor agencies.
• Are located in a region or country that has limited access to funding resources.
• Are 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 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 group’s activities.
In addition, please note that the Global Fund does NOT fund the following:
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Individuals
Scholarships
Government entities
Groups without a strong women’s rights focus
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Groups based and working primarily or only in the US
International organizations 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
Political parties or election campaigns
Women’s branches/departments/projects of mixed gender organizations
Exceptions:
Women-focused projects within mixed-gender organizations may occasionally receive support from the Global Fund if
they work with particularly marginalized groups: for example, women within groups of people with disabilities or women
within LGBTQI organizations.
REVIEW PROCESS
We have application forms available in five languages: Arabic, English, French, Russian and Spanish and have capacity to
process applications in other languages. Online applications are preferred, but you may submit an application by e-mail,
fax, or post. Global Fund accepts proposals twice a year with defined deadlines as listed below.
Cycle One:
• Proposal Intake: beginning October 15 and closing December 31
• Application review and grant approval process completed by mid-May
• Applicants notified of award or decline by May 31
Cycle Two:
• Proposal Intake: beginning March 15 and closing June 30
• Application review and grant approval process completed by mid-November
• Applicants notified of award or decline by November 30
After you submit a proposal, a notice of receipt will be sent within 3 weeks of its arrival at the Global Fund. Please note
that the Global Fund is not able to award a grant to all the deserving groups that apply and that we are also
often unable to award the total amount requested.
URGENT REQUESTS
The Global Fund for Women 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. To apply for an urgent request please follow the directions at
http://www.globalfundforwomen.org/apply-for-a-grant/types-of-grant
E-mail application according to the following regions:
Asia Pacific:
Europe and Central Asia:
Latin America and the Caribbean:
Middle East and North Africa:
Sub-Saharan Africa:
asiapac@globalfundforwomen.org
eca@globalfundforwomen.org
americas@globalfundforwomen.org
mena@globalfundforwomen.org
ssafrica@globalfundforwomen.org
Global Fund for Women
222 Sutter Street, Suite 500, San Francisco, CA 94108, USA
Tel: +1 (415) 248-4800 Fax: +1 (415) 248-4801
www.globalfundforwomen.org
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COMMON APPLICATION FORM
APPLICATION CRITERIA
Please note that your group must meet the following criteria to be eligible to apply for a grant. Please answer
the following questions to determine your eligibility, by checking/marking the answer box for each question.
A
B
C
D
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Question
Are you a women’s organization or a group of women working together?
Is your group governed, directed and led by women?
Is your group’s work primarily focused on advancing women’s equality and
human rights, with this mission reflected in all of your activities?
Is your group managed, operating primarily and based in a country outside
of the United States?
Is your group politically independent from a political party or candidate(s),
and not a governmental entity?
Yes
No
Please complete the application only if you answered “Yes” to all of the questions.
CONTACT INFORMATION
1. What is the name of your group? If your group has recently changed its name, please provide us with
the former name and explain the reason for the name change.
2. Please provide current contact information (mailing address, physical location/address, telephone,
fax, e-mail, website) and, if used by your group, social media pages (Facebook page, Twitter Account,
YouTube channel etc.). For the mailing address, include the district, state, or province as applicable,
as well as the country. For fax and phone numbers, include country and city codes.
3. Please indicate where your group primarily works (i.e. districts, states, provinces, etc.). If you have
offices in several areas, please indicate their locations.
4. What is your preferred method of communication with us? (Post, E-mail, Fax, etc.)
5. Please share with us the name(s) and title(s) (e.g., Director, Coordinator, etc.) of all the leader(s) in
your group. If possible, please also identify the gender (male, female, transgender, other) for each
person.
6. Please provide the name and title of the primary contact person for this grant application, and
provide their email address and Skype ID if available.
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7. a. How did you learn of the Global Fund for Women’s grantmaking program?
b. Has your group ever applied to the Global Fund for Women before?
GROUP INFORMATION
1. Please tell us when and why was your group formed, and by whom.
2. What is the mission of your group, and how does it relate to the issues you seek to address?
3. Please describe the main activities of your group in two to three paragraphs, and explain how these
activities relate to advancing women’s human rights.
4. Please describe three major accomplishments of your group since it began. Please be as specific as
you can, using examples.
5. Describe the individuals who benefit from or participate in your organization’s activities, and the
communities that they come from (For example, are they ethnic, religious, or cultural minorities,
LBTQI, migrant workers, women with disabilities, adolescents, etc.?)
6. What are the problems/needs of women in your community that your group addresses?
7. a. What do you see as the root causes of these problems/needs of women in your community?
b. How do your activities address these root causes?
8. Currently, who are the most important partners/collaborating organizations in your work? Please list
any women’s groups in your country or community that you are currently collaborating with and
describe how you are working with them.
GOVERNANCE AND STRUCTURE
1. Please describe and indicate the numbers of your staff, board, advisors, volunteers, and members,
including their roles (i.e. organizational decision-making, day-to-day operations, etc.)
2. Are the women/girls who benefit from your group’s activities represented in the leadership or
decision-making of your group? If yes, please describe how and in which roles. If not, please describe
why.
GRANT REQUEST INFORMATION
1. Our grants range in size from US $5,000 to $30,000 per year. First time awards generally range from
US $5,000 to $13,000. Please tell us the total amount of money you are requesting from the Global
Fund and the currency that this request is in.
2. Please describe how you would use a grant from the Global Fund. We make grants that allow groups
to use funds for the purposes you believe are most important to your organization. These can include
administrative expenses such as rent, salaries, office and communication costs, as well as ongoing
program and project expenses.
3. Please provide a brief budget for your request, and indicate the currency you are using in this budget.
FINANCIAL INFORMATION
1. What is your fiscal period/year?
2. Please provide organizational financial statements for the most recently completed fiscal year. These
statements should indicate the currency in which they are prepared and should include:
a. A listing of total revenue, including all sources of funding, such as membership fees, members’
contributions, income-generating activities, individual donations, private donations, grants, etc.
b. A listing of total expenses, including all projects and all operating/administrative expenses.
Please list total figures as well as a breakdown by major categories of expenses.
3. Please estimate the percentage of funds awarded to your organization in the most recently completed
year:
a. Percentage restricted by donor(s) to use for specific projects/activities/expenses:
b. Percentage not restricted by donor (s) that can be used as your organization best sees fit:
CONFIDENTIALITY INFORMATION
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To foster networking, to raise funds, and to increase visibility about the important work being done by
women’s groups around the world, the Global Fund for Women shares information about our grantees (e.g.,
organization name, contact persons, activities, and/or photographs) with other grantees and foundations, and
in our print and electronic publications, such as our annual report, newsletters, and website. Please let us
know if for any reason your organization prefers to stay anonymous and does not want us to share
any part of this information or photographs with groups in your country or region, with other
foundations around the world, or in Global Fund for Women publications.
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