2026 Call for Grant Application - Driving Change for Gender Equality in Nigeria

The Nigerian Women Trust Fund (NWTF) invites eligible organizations to apply for the 2026 Grant aimed at Strengthening Institutions, Women’s Voices, Rights, and Ending Violence Against Women and Girls in Nigeria.

About NWTF

The Nigerian Women’s Trust Fund (NWTF) is a non-profit organization dedicated to closing gender gaps in governance and advancing women’s leadership and political participation in Nigeria. Since 2011, NWTF has worked through four thematic areas: Fundraising & Grant-Making, Governance, Gender & Leadership, Research, Advocacy & Documentation, Organizational Effectiveness. NWTF has implemented national projects such as Create Her Space, She Should Contest, Start Early, Ascend! Young Women Leaders Project, Creating Spaces, EU–SDGN #OurVoteCountsNG, Towards Inclusive Governance in Nigeria (TIGN), and the Gender and Accountability Project and others. The Fund maintains a nonpartisan stance and promotes inclusion, equity, and the elimination of gender-based discrimination and violence.

About the Grant

The Nigerian Women Trust Fund (NWTF) is launching the sixth edition of its impactful project aimed at addressing gender-based violence and strengthening the capacity of women-led organizations across Nigeria. This initiative is strategically designed to empower organizations operating across all six geopolitical zones of the country. The primary focus is to support interventions that contribute to the eradication of gender-based violence while amplifying the voices, leadership, and institutional strength of women-led organizations. This comprehensive approach reaffirms NWTF’s commitment to promoting gender equality, advancing women’s rights, and fostering inclusive, sustainable change nationwide.

Objectives of the Grant

This 2026 grant will support projects that:  

- Strengthen the effectiveness of women-led and women-focused organizations through capacity building, mentorship, and institutional support.  

- Promote understanding and practice of women’s leadership and inclusion, and highlight their positive contributions to communities.  

- Drive advocacy for policy reforms and challenge harmful cultural norms that violate women’s rights.

Project Duration

4-Month implementation period (January–April 2026).

Grant Documents

Download all proposal templates and guidance documents: (https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1v8HfWMDv7-cMoaHVnfpds5X6JPW3qzLj?usp=sharing). Applicants must download and complete all required documents before submission.

Submission Deadline

12th December 2025. All applications must be submitted via: grants@womenfund.org.

Eligibility Criteria

Organizations must meet the following criteria:  

- Be gender-focused, with the majority of staff and board members being female.  

- Be a registered local NGO/CBO operating in Nigeria for a minimum of 2 years.  

- Demonstrate functional administrative, financial, and human resource systems.  

- Have clear organizational structures and capacity for effective project implementation.  

- Propose innovative, realistic projects with a well-defined target audience.  

NWTF strongly encourages applications from:  

- Women-led organizations  

- Organizations led by or serving Persons with Disabilities (PWDs)  

- Organizations located in hard-to-reach communities  

Note:Proposals related to political parties, campaigns, government agencies, scholarships, for-profit ventures, or religious conversion will not be considered.

For more details or inquiries, reach out to the NWTF team at the provided email. Join us in driving real change for gender equality—your application could be the catalyst for lasting impact!