Our Grants:

You will find the eligibility criteria for the Leading from the South (LFS) grants page indicated in the Call Guidelines document. Please note that the eligibility criteria for each of the three grant categories—Frontline Defenders, Amplifying Voices, and Promoting Regional Feminist Agendas—differ, so please read the guidelines carefully to ensure you are applying for the correct category. The FAQs also cover various aspects of eligibility: the section on eligibility explains all these aspects, so please make sure to read the entire section.

If you are a consortium or group of organisations making the application, the board and staff leadership and composition of the lead organisation should comply with the criteria set out under the respective grant category. Additionally, the board and staff of the other consortium members should be led by women, girls, trans, and/or intersex persons and be based in one of the 17 countries. If you are from an unregistered group, you may apply as part of a consortium. The lead applicant of the consortium must be registered and based in one of the 17 countries above. Please note that the audited statement of accounts or annual management financial report of all consortium members, including the lead organisation, are required documentation for consortium applications.

The call for proposals extends to 17 countries in Asia: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam. Applying organisations need to be registered, based in, and working in the countries mentioned above, as well as be able to receive foreign funds.

Yes, the Leading from the South programme is only open to organisations which are registered and possess the ability to receive foreign funds. However, if you are unregistered, you may apply as part of a consortium. The lead applicant of the consortium needs to be registered, able to receive foreign funding, and comply with the eligibility criteria.

Yes, national women’s, trans, and intersex funds, registered and working in the 17 mandated countries for a minimum of three years can apply under the LFS programme. They may only apply for the grant category Amplifying Voices and as part of a collaboration for an application for Promoting Regional Feminist Agendas. Such organisations may apply only for capacity building, knowledge building, and research activities under this programme. They cannot use LFS funds for sub-granting.

• Frontline Defender (FD)
  • This grant category is for organisations and networks led by women, girls, trans, and/or intersex persons working directly with communities on mobilisation and leadership building at the community and sub-national levels. Groups must be based in rural areas or small towns, or working with marginalised communities in urban areas. Ongoing programmes/interventions would be given a preference.
  • Duration: 2-3 years
  • Maximum Grant Amount: Euro 48,600

• Amplifying Voices (AV)
  • This grant category is for organisations and networks led by women, girls, trans, and/or intersex persons working on campaigns, knowledge, and capacity building, research, and evidence-based advocacy at the national and/or sub-regional levels.
  • Duration: 2-3 years
  • Maximum Grant Amount: Euro 206,600

• Promoting Regional Feminist Agenda (PRFA)
  • This grant category is for organisations and networks led by women, girls, trans, and/or intersex persons working at the macro level on capacity building of other feminist groups and activists, as well as undertaking knowledge building, evidence-based advocacy initiatives at the sub-regional, regional, and international levels. Priority will be given to groups working with international treaty bodies and regional intergovernmental organisations/or cooperation entities.
  • Duration: 2-3 years
  • Maximum Grant Amount: Euro 446,800

Please read the LFS Call Guidelines and within it, the description and the eligibility criteria for the three categories of grants under the LFS programme carefully. Your annual budget, as well as the levels at which you work, should determine under which category in LFS you can apply.

Under the LFS programme, an organisation can submit a maximum of two applications—one for itself; and a second either as part of a consortium application OR made on behalf of a partner or collaborating organisation. If additional applications are submitted by an organisation, they will not be considered. WFA will make a final decision on which application will be successful, in case both are selected.

• Laws, policies, and strategies blocked, adopted, or improved to promote women’s voice, agency, leadership, and representative participation in decision-making processes in the public, private, and civic spheres;
• Success of civil society organisations (CSOs) in creating spaces for CSO demands and positions on women’s voice, agency, leadership, and representative participation in decision-making processes in public, private, and civic spheres, through agenda-setting, influencing the debate, and/or movement building; and
• Strengthened capacity of organisations to advance women’s rights and gender equality. All applicants should prepare the programme design as per these guidelines. Please ensure that the results proposed reflect the above outcomes and themes. Please read the Call Guidelines, Section I carefully.

The focus of LFS grantmaking programme is to resource feminist activism led by womens, girls, trans and intersex rights groups in the Global South. The programme is not meant to support interventions that directly respond to COVID-19 pandemic. However, the design of the proposed work needs to be informed by the context within which the intervention(s) will be carried out and this would include the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the constituencies, other key stakeholders, and the organisation itself. Please also ensure that you have accounted for factors (both in programme design and budget ) that will enable you to continue your work and remain accessible during the pandemic, such as hybrid/online sessions, remote-work, phone-based community hotlines, high-speed internet connection, having an account to make online calls, and/or purchase of computer, etc.

Applications for the Leading from the South programme will be accepted via an online application portal. Please visit our website to access the call package, which includes the call guidelines, FAQs, checklist of required documents, online application form, and budget template.
Applicants under the Frontline Defenders category facing any challenges with accessing a strong/stable internet to complete the application online can write to us at applications@wf-asia.org with the subject ‘LFS – Internet Support’.

For now, online applications will be accepted in English. Applicants under the Frontline Defenders category who may need to apply in another language can write to us at applications@wf-asia.org with the subject ‘LFS – Language Support’. Please also mention the language in which you would like to apply.

Please note that an application will not be shortlisted for review if any of the required documents are missing or if submitted in the incorrect application format – such an application will be considered incomplete. Please write to us at least two weeks before the closing of the call, in case you have queries.

If any of the required documentation is in a language other than English, you will need to provide a translated and attested copy of the same document in English. If the audited report is in a language other than English, at the minimum, the Auditors’ opinion page, Balance Sheet, and Income Statement should be translated into English. The rest of the untranslated audit report will still need to be submitted.

Please refer to the call for grants page. We recommend that you submit the completed formats along with 9 supporting documents 2-3 days prior to the deadline, to avoid any problems that our system may encounter.

After the call deadline, the WFA team develops a database of all the applications received and creates a short list based on organisations who meet the technical criteria. The shortlisted applications are then reviewed on the basis of strategies and activities proposed, approach, criticality of intervention, context, leadership, and constituency being supported, amongst others. The WFA team contacts the shortlisted applicants via email or calls to clarify any additional questions. This is followed by financial and legal due diligence, as well as reference checks. The final shortlisted applications are then shared with WFA’s regional advisory committee for decision-making.

WFA works with a diverse group of activists, leaders, practitioners, and donors working in the Asia region as the Advisory Committee. The Committee reviews and scores the shortlisted applications and in consultation with WFA, selects the final grantees under the Leading from the South grantmaking programme.

From the deadline, it takes WFA six months to review and shortlist applications. This includes time for verification of all documents, response by applicants to additional queries, and interviews as may be needed.