Many women and women-led groups in Africa face barriers when trying to raise funds for community work, advocacy or entrepreneurship. The African Women for Change Network (AfNet) offers the Flexible Grant to help close this gap. It’s designed to allow women leaders to implement projects that reflect local needs, build leadership, and promote sustainable development. For many smaller or grassroots initiatives, this kind of grant means actual possibility—not just vision.
What You’ll Receive (Benefits)
- Up to USD 5,000 to fund your initiative.
- A flexible funding model, enabling you to decide how best to meet your community’s priorities.
- Support for capacity building (leadership, advocacy) and potential for strengthening future funding applications.
Who Can Apply (Eligibility)
The grant is open to a broad group of applicants who meet some basic criteria:
- Individual women leaders, social enterprises, nonprofit or grassroots organizations based in Africa.
- Your project must address themes such as women’s leadership and empowerment, gender equality, economic empowerment, community development, or related social innovation.
- Applicants must propose work that demonstrates clear intended impact, with some planning for implementation and measurable outcomes.
Deadline & Timeline
- The grant is ongoing/on a rolling basis — there is no fixed single deadline.
- Review and funding decisions will depend on the timing of your application. Because it’s rolling, applying earlier is advantageous.
Helpful Tips & Common Pitfalls
Here are insights to make your application stronger—drawn from observing successful proposals in similar grants:
- Be very concrete about what you will do with the money
- Budget line items (even approximate) help.
- Avoid vague claims. Instead of “empower women,” say “train 30 women in financial literacy in rural community X.”
- Show your leadership & credibility
- Include what you or your team already do; previous work, testimonials, local recognition help.
- If you have any governance structure, even informal (advisory), illustrate it.
- Align with local needs
- Projects grounded in local challenges (e.g. access to water, gender-based violence, digital inclusion) tend to resonate.
- Including voices from the community (e.g., partnering with local groups or beneficiaries) strengthens authenticity.
- Plan for measurement
- What will change, and how will you know? Any numbers you can provide—number of people reached, change in knowledge, etc.—make the proposal more robust.
- Even simple before/after surveys or beneficiary feedback loops are powerful.
- Keep documentation ready
- Most grant applications ask for proof of identity, examples of past work, sometimes financial statements or basic activity tracking. Having these on hand speeds up application.
- Avoid overpromising
- Affordable scale is better than fragile ambition. If $5,000 can comfortably deliver in your context, explain that well rather than painting a picture of expansive growth outside your capacity.
How to Apply
- Visit the AfNet Flexible Grant page (African Women for Change Network grants section).
- Complete the application form — be sure to cover all required sections: your project plan, expected outcomes, leadership credentials, and budget.
- Submit in English.
- Because there’s no fixed deadline, apply when your idea is ready. Earlier applications may get processed faster.
