Getting financial support is arguably one of the most important and difficult challenge facing women's NGOs and grassroots. As competition for national, regional international grants increases, women's NGOs and grassroots are left behing because of the lack of accessibilty to information and resources. This is the reason why Make Every Woamn Count has gathered information of potential women's rights funders to help women's organisations and grassroots to increase their chances of securing funds in order to continue their work.

This is not a complete list of Women's rights funders, but a work in progress. Please note that by publishing this information MEWC is not endorsing any of these as possible funders, we are simply sharing information which could be useful to Women's rights NGOs and grassroots in Africa.

IMPORTANT: Please note that Make Every Woman Count does not provide funding but provides information about funders and how to write funding proposal.

Fund For Gender Equality (FGE)
UN Women’s Fund for Gender Equality helps change the lives of women all over the world. The Fund’s goal is to advance women’s economic and political empowerment through high-impact, multi-year grants of up to USD 5 million.Since its launch in 2009, the Fund has invested USD 37.5 million in multi-year grants to 40 programmes in 35 countries. To be approved, grants must meet the highest standards and are continually monitored for effectiveness.

The African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF)
Is a grant-making foundation which supports local, national and regional organisations in Africa working towards women’s empowerment. Through institutional capacity building and programme development, AWDF seeks to build a culture of learning and partnerships within the African women’s movement.

The African Development Bank (AfDB)
The African Development Bank mission is to help reduce poverty, improve living conditions for Africans and mobilize resources for the continent’s economic and social developmen. Combating poverty is at the heart of the continent’s efforts to attain sustainable economic growth. To this end, the Bank seeks to stimulate and mobilize internal and external resources to promote investments as well as provide its regional member countries with technical and financial assistance.

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. Our mission: Increase opportunities for people in developing countries to overcome hunger and poverty.

Department for International Development (DFID)
DFID was set up in 1997, it made fighting world poverty its top priority. Among its key objectives, DFID set out to make global development a national priority and promote it to audiences in the UK and overseas, while fostering a new ‘aid relationship’ with governments of developing countries.

Cordaid
Combines more than 90 years’ experience and expertise in emergency aid and structural poverty eradication. We are one of the biggest international development organisations with a network of almost a thousand partner organisations in 36 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

The Channel Foundation
Promotes leadership in women's human rights around the globe by supporting organizations engaged in combating gender inequality. Through grantmaking, advocacy, and collaboration with an international network of women's rights organizations and funders, we create opportunities in order to ensure that women's rights are respected, protected, and fulfilled.

The Economic Commission for Africa (ECA)
The Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) was established by the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations (UN) in 1958 as one of the UN's five regional commissions. ECA's mandate is to promote the economic and social development of its member States, foster intra-regional integration, and promote international cooperation for Africa's development.

European Union
The European Commission contributes billions of euros in aid to help developing countries stand on their own two feet. By tackling poverty, boosting local economies and strengthening governance in the weakest of nations, EU funds are helping millions of people across the globe. Support is provided carefully and in a way that secures the long-term future of developing countries which face the rigours of operating in an ever more complex and fast-paced global economy.

The Foundation for Women
Serves women living in dire poverty locally and globally by funding and creating microcredit programs that help generate sustainable income and create economic prosperity. The Foundation for Women is committed to helping women accomplish their dreams and fulfill their potential.

Ford Foundation
Supports efforts to fully implement laws and international commitments that address women's inequality and discrimination; and build effective women's networks and human rights organizations that attempt to prevent and remedy structural causes of gender inequality and discrimination

FRIDA | The Young Feminist Fund
FRIDA fund is a new initiative that funds and strengthens the participation and leadership of young feminist activists globally. The Fund is a collaborative effort between the Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID), The Fondo Centroamericano de Mujeres/Central American Women’s Fund (FCAM) and an experienced group of young feminist activists from different regions of the world.

The Global Fund for Women
Is a publicly supported, nonprofit grantmaking foundation that advances women's human rights by funding women-led organizations worldwide. We provide general operating support grants to organizations working at the local, regional and national levels to enable women and girls to reach their potential and live free of discrimination and violence.

Grameen Foundation
Helps the world’s poorest, especially women, improve their lives and escape poverty through access to microfinance and technology.With a footprint in 36 nations, Grameen Foundation is able to identify local needs and share best practices and lessons learned to enhance and expand local programs that move women from poverty to financial self-sufficiency.

Grantmakers Without Borders
A philanthropic network, is dedicated to increasing funding for international social justice and environmental sustainability and to improving the practice of international grantmaking.We advocate before policymakers on behalf of social change grantmakers, and we work to leverage the philanthropic sector to increase funding to the global South.

Hivos
Supports women’s organisations that champion the rights of women and strive to increase the degree of participation by women in decision-making processes. This means helping women to become less vulnerable, more independent and more empowered, including with regard to their own bodies and sexuality. Improving the position of women and their participation in decision-making processes are a recurring theme in all organisations and programmes supported by Hivos.

The International Development Centre
IDRC is a Canadian Crown corporation that works in close collaboration with researchers from the developing world in their search for the means to build healthier, more equitable, and more prosperous societies. IDRC funds research activities that are designed to directly benefit developing countries and their citizens.

Levi Strauss Foundation
Advances the human rights and well-being of underserved people touched by our business by taking courageous risks, supporting innovative community partnerships, and promoting the practice of good corporate citizenship. We focus our work on driving systemic change – both at the factory level and in the policymaking arena – that is required to make a difference in people’s lives.

M.A.C Aids Fund
The M.A.C Aids Fund was created in 1994, in a grass roots efforts to make a difference in the world with a community outreach for HIV/AIDS. The M .A.C AIDS Fund's mission is to serve people of all ages, all races and all sexes affected by HIV & AIDS. To partner with the bold, the visionary and the vrace who confront the epidemic in countries and communities where people are most neglected, off the radar and at high risk.

Mama Cash
Mobilises resources from individuals and institutions and makes grants to women and girls' human rights organisations and initiatives. Mama cash funds and supports local and regional women's funds so that they can build the capacities of emerging, grassroots, and established womens and girls' human rights organisations in their countries.

The McCormick Foundation
New Media Women Entrepreneurs project seeks to spotlight the creative assets of women and help address issues of opportunity and innovation, recruitment and retention for women in journalism. In addition to providing seed funding for new women-led news ideas.

The National Endowment for Democracy (NED)
The National Endowment for Democracy (NFD) is a private, nonprofit foundation dedicated to the growth and strengthening of democratic institutions around the world. Each year, with funding from the US Congress, NED supports more than 1,000 projects of non-governmental groups abroad who are working for democratic goals in more than 90 countries. Each year NED makes direct grants to hundreds of nongovernmental groups abroad working to ensure human rights, an independent media, the rule of law and to advance other democratic goals.

Oak Foundation
The programme's current priorities are to end existing patterns of violence that disrupt the lives of women and their children, and to prevent future violence. The Issues Affecting Women Programme commits its resources: to improve women's safety and well-being; strengthen their overall economic security and social and political position; and advance their rights at home and in the community.

The Rockefeller Foundation
To achieve our goal of the well-being of humanity through smart globalization, the Rockefeller Foundation funds a portfolio of initiatives that link and interlink to achieve meaningful and measurable impact. All our initiatives draw on the Foundation’s commitment to nurture innovation, pioneer new fields, expand access to and distribution of resources, empower beneficiaries to cultivate and spread progress in their countries, and, ultimately, generate sustainable impact on individuals, institutions, and communities.

United Nations Foundation
The United Nations Foundation links the UN’s work with others around the world, mobilizing the energy and expertise of business and non-governmental organizations to help the UN tackle issues including climate change, children’s health, peace and security, and poverty eradication. Our Women & Population Team works together with the UN and other partners to promote gender equality and empower women and girls, with particular focus on reproductive and sexual health and rights.

Urgent Action Fund-Africa
Is human rights and feminist Pan-African non- profit t organisation, established in 2001 in Nairobi, Kenya. UAF Africa invests in the transformation of the world in which women live, enabling them to have full and equal enjoyment of their human rights. The Fund is committed to enhancing women’s leadership to bring about justice, equity and to contribute to the creation of a society free of disruptive confl icts.

TrustAfrica
TrustAfrica seeks to strengthen African initiatives that address the most difficult challenges confronting the continent. TrustAfrica, first known as the Special Initiative for Africa, began in 2001 under the aegis of the Ford Foundation. Our premise was that Africans need a greater voice in the international donor community as well as philanthropic resources that Africans control.

The Women's Funding Network
Connects and strengthens women's funds worldwide. As a global network and a movement for social justice, Women's Funding Network accelerates women's leadership and invests in solving critical social issues -- from poverty to global security -- by bringing together the financial power, influence and voices of women's funds.

The Institute of Fundraising London 
Offers courses and information on fundraising techniques. The Institute of Fundraising is the professional membership body for UK fundraising. Its mission is to support fundraisers, through leadership, representation, standards-setting and education, and it champions and promotes fundraising as a career choice.

The Everyone Foundation
The everyone foundation is a charity dedicated to bringing people together to improve the world for everyone. It does this by exploring, promoting and celebrating our common humanity. They developed a toolkit for organizations interested in engagement and campaigning who can see that increasing feelings of connection and motivation might increase their impact. They undertook the "Women Reach Women Project" and are looking for ogranisation with similar obejectives, they also offer funding opportunities and partnerships.

The United Nations Democracy Fund
UNDEF was established by the UN Secretary-General in 2005 as a United Nations General Trust Fund to support democratization efforts around the world. UNDEF supports projects that strengthen the voice of civil society, promote human rights, and encourage the participation of all groups in democratic processes.

Africa Grantmakers Affinity Group
Dedicated to promoting increased and more effective funding in Africa through building and sharing knowledge, grantseekers can search by country and or thematic focus to find relevant funders.

Kiva Microfunds
A non-profit organization with a mission to connect people through lending to alleviate poverty, Kiva leverages the internet and a worldwide network of microfinance institutions in allowing individuals to lend as little as $25 to help create opportunity around the world.

International Fund for Agricultural Development 
Provides grants to  indigenous peoples’ organizations and communities, as well as organizations that work with them, for the purpose of funding projects, innovative approaches and partnerships that promote the development of indigenous peoples and help them fulfil their aspirations. Grants range from US$20,000 to US$50,000. Applicants must meet specific requirements and their proposals should respond to the needs of indigenous peoples in any of IFAD’s developing Member States.

Funds For NGOs 
A website that is regularly updated with the latest fundraising opportunities, funding possibilities, grant applications various other resources for NGOs and Fellowship opportunities.