Equality Fund Offers Grants to Support Feminist Collaborations

Deadline: 16-Sep-2026

The Equality Fund Connect Grant supports collaborative efforts that strengthen relationships, infrastructure, and collective capacity among feminist and allied liberatory movements. The programme is designed to help movements build power together, strengthen collaboration, and work collectively toward shared goals. Connect is part of the Equality Fund’s broader vision of transforming the world by unlocking the potential of women, girls, and gender expansive people through global grantmaking, gender-lens investing, policy advocacy, and feminist philanthropy.

About the Equality Fund Connect Grant

The Connect programme is designed to resource the relationships, infrastructure, and collective capacity that enable feminist and allied liberatory movements to build power together. The initiative recognises that effective partnerships can take many forms and may respond to different challenges faced by movements. Rather than prescribing a single model of collaboration, the programme encourages applicants to identify and articulate what matters most to their movements as they work collectively toward shared goals. Purpose of Connect Grants Connect grants aim to strengthen the foundations that allow feminist and allied movements to collaborate effectively.

The funding focuses on:

- Building and strengthening relationships. - Developing movement infrastructure. - Increasing collective capacity. - Supporting collaboration among feminist actors and allies. - Enabling movements to build power together. - Advancing shared goals. - Responding collectively to diverse challenges. The programme recognises that strong movements depend not only on individual organisations but also on the relationships and infrastructure connecting them. Who Is the Connect Grant For? The funding opportunity is intended for collaborations that connect feminist actors and other allies. Eligible collaborations can bring together different actors working toward shared goals and can take different forms depending on the needs and priorities of the movement.

Applicants are encouraged to explain:

- Who is involved in the collaboration. - How participating groups or actors are connected. - What shared goals they are pursuing. - Why collaboration is important. - What relationships, infrastructure, or capacity need to be strengthened. - How the proposed work will help the movement build collective power. Funding Available The Connect grant opportunity has a total funding allocation of CAD $4 million per year. The programme expects to select approximately five to seven collaborations. The maximum total grant amount available is between: - CAD $500,000 per year, and - CAD $1,000,000 per year. The amount available to an individual collaboration will depend on the specifics of the proposal and the financial management experience of the lead organisation. Grant Duration Connect grants will have an initial duration of two years. There is also a possibility of extending the grants beyond the initial period. The selected collaborations are expected to begin their grants on February 1, 2027. Collaborative Approach A central feature of the Connect programme is its emphasis on collaboration. The programme recognises that feminist and allied liberatory movements may need different forms of partnership depending on their circumstances, challenges, and shared objectives. Collaborations should therefore clearly communicate what is most important to their movements and how the proposed partnership will strengthen their collective ability to work toward shared goals. What Can a Strong Collaboration Demonstrate? A strong proposal should clearly explain the value of collaboration and the movement-level need being addressed.

Applicants should consider demonstrating:

- A meaningful connection between feminist actors and allies. - Clearly identified shared goals. - Existing or proposed relationships that need strengthening. - Infrastructure needs that affect collective action. - Capacity-building needs within the collaboration. - The importance of collective power. - The broader movement-level value of the proposed work. - A clear understanding of how the collaboration will respond to relevant challenges. Role of the Lead Organisation The size of the grant available can depend partly on the financial management experience of the lead organisation. Collaborations should therefore ensure that their lead organisation has the appropriate experience and capacity to manage the proposed level of funding. The lead organisation can play an important role in coordinating the collaboration and supporting the effective management of grant resources. Who Is Not Eligible? The following are not eligible to receive funding through the Connect grant: - Political parties. - Government bodies. - For-profit organisations. - Individuals. However, these groups or individuals may participate in activities on their own accord. The funding opportunity is therefore focused on collaborations connecting feminist actors and other allies rather than direct funding for the excluded categories. Equality Fund’s Broader Vision Connect forms part of the Equality Fund’s broader effort to transform the world by unlocking the potential of women, girls, and gender expansive people. The Equality Fund pursues this vision through several approaches, including: - Global grantmaking. - Gender-lens investing. - Policy advocacy. - Feminist philanthropy. The Connect programme complements this broader vision by investing in the relationships, infrastructure, and collective capacity needed for movements to build power together. How to Prepare a Strong Connect Grant Proposal Applicants should focus on clearly explaining the collective need and the value that the collaboration will create.

Important preparation steps include:

- Define the collaboration: Clearly identify the feminist actors and allies involved.

- Explain the shared goals: Describe what the collaboration is collectively