WHO CAN APPLY

FREE FUND AIMS TO provide direct grants to:

Youth-led, women-led and other community-based organisations.

Women’s Funds whose focus includes adolescent girls and young women at a grassroots level.

GEOGRAPHIC FOCUS

In the first round of funding, FREE will fund projects in the following seven countries:

AFRICA

Nigeria

TANZANIA

UGANDA

Zimbabwe

BANGLADESH

NEPAL

PHILIPPINES

ASIA

Individual women (18+) with a proposal to increase economic opportunities for themselves or other adolescent girls and young women in their community.

GRANT PARAMETERS

FREE will fund proposals that prioritise the long-term economic resilience of adolescent girls and young women. In particular, it is envisioned that FREE will aim to support adolescent girls and young women to:

REGAIN EMPLOYMENT

Regain employment and be re-trained for new opportunities.

ensure FREEDOM FROM VIOLENCE

Ensure adolescent girls and young women have the right to live free from violence. This includes domestic violence, sexual and physical abuse, infanticide, early & forced marriage, female genital mutilation, and sexual exploitation and assault.

SET UP SMALL BUSINESSES

Set up/evolve micro and small businesses, including seed funding, training, or the adaptation of existing businesses to focus on new products or services.

EXPAND INFLUENCE

Expand young women’s and girls’ representation, voice, and decision-making influence in their communities or at the workplace.

DEVELOP SKILLS

Develop skills that will allow girls and women to earn a living and put these to use in the job market or through entrepreneurship, including boosting engagement with STEM subjects.

ACCESS HEALTH

Increase access to girl-friendly information and services about sexual and reproductive health and rights, including proper nutrition, family planning and mental health.

INCREASE FINANCIAL LitERACY & ENGAGEMENT

Ensure adolescent girls and young women can access financial information, products and services that cater to their specific needs.

CREATE ROLE MODELS & NETWORKs

Create role models and give adolescent girls and young women a support network.

ADDRESS UNPAID WORK

Address the disproportionate burden of unpaid work on girls and women, ensuring that they can attend school or other training opportunities, take part in paid work and participate in social and community-building activities.

tackle the lack of FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT

Ensure that adolescent girls and young women have the agency and independence to move freely and safely.

* Applications should cover 2 of the 10 parameters.

APPLICATION TIMELINE

1

applications open june 9 2021

2

Applications close July 7 2021

3

Shortlisted candidates will be selected

4

successful Applicants will be contacted
in October 2021

Eligibility criteria

FREE will invest in organisations and groups that are directly supporting and targeting the following participants:

All cis, trans, non-binary and all other underrepresented groups and communities such as black, indigenous, people of colour, LGBTIQ+, refugees, and migrant adolescent girls and women with or without disabilities, sex workers, aged between 12 to 35 years.

We anticipate a high number of applications to FREE, therefore we may decide to prioritise applications for funding. Therefore, priority will be given to underrepresented and traditionally excluded groups.

EITHER INDIVIDUAL WOMEN (18+) OR ORGANISATIONS can apply:

INDIVIDUAL Eligibility Questions

Individual women (18+) can apply for:

Up to $2,500
Up to $5,000

If INDIVIDUALS meet all of the following criteria, they can apply for A GRANT:

You must align with the mission and vision of FREE
Your project proposal must include and align with two of the Grant Parameters of FREE
You must have a demonstrable understanding of the challenges and barriers that adolescent girls and women face in your community
You must be able to connect virtually with the FREE team
You must provide the name of a host organisation*

* This is a registered youth-led, women-led, women’s fund, or community-based organisation or group that FREE can contact to learn more about you.

ORGANISATION & Group eligibility Questions

Registered youth-led, women-led, and other community-based organisations and Women’s Funds can apply for:

Up to $10,000
Up to $25,000
Up to $50,000

If Organisations meet all of the following criteria, they can apply for A GRANT:

Your organisation or group must align with the mission and vision of FREE
Your project proposal must include and align with two of the Grant Parameters of FREE
Your organisation or group must have at least 60% of women in leadership positions. Priority will be given to women-led organisations.
Your annual organisational income for 2020 must be within the following range: $20,000 to a maximum of $250,000. Priority will be given to grassroots organisations. (If you are unable to meet the 2020 minimum annual income, your 2019 income statement will also be accepted).
Your organisation or group can only apply for a grant that is 50% or less than your annual organisational income (e.g. if your organisation's annual income for 2020 was $20,000, then you are only eligible to apply for $10,000).
Your organisation or group must have experience working directly with adolescent girls and women, and can demonstrate a track record.