In the year 2000, three women, Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi, Joana Foster and Hilda Tadria created a philanthropic organisation focused on making measurable change in African women’s lives.
Inspired by the aspirations of the African women’s movement, the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) was created as an independent resource for gender equality and development across the continent.
Today, AWDF’s grantmaking practices are built to support the initiatives of African women who may not have access to mainstream funding due to capacity, language, location, and marginalisation. In fact, the AWDF has served as a key donor to 60 percent of grantees who experienced serious challenges to sustainable funding.
We envision a world where freedom and dignity are achieved for all, and where gender justice is a reality for African women, girls and gender-diverse people.
Our mission is to fund, strengthen and uphold the organisations and movements led by African feminists, women, girls and gender-diverse people, in pursuit of gender justice and social transformation.
The African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) is a grantmaking foundation that supports local, national and regional women’s organisations working towards the empowerment of African women and the promotion and realisation of their rights .By specialising in grant-making and focused, tailored movement-building programmes, we work to strengthen and support the work of African women’s organisations. By amplifying and celebrating African women’s voices and achievements, AWDF supports efforts that combat harmful stereotypes, and promote African women as active agents of change.
Accountability & Integrity
We are accountable to ourselves, our team, our partners, philanthropy, and the wider feminist movements, and promote mutual trust and respect. We have integrity and stay true to who we are and what we’re set to do. We are not afraid of trying, making mistakes, learning (and unlearning) from them, and trying again.
Solidarity & Collective Care
No one can achieve gender justice alone. We are strong believers in the importance of collaboration and collective, shared power. We have compassion and deeply care for each other, striving to support the physical and mental wellbeing of every African woman and gender-diverse person, and shaping a world where their dignity is respected, their diversity is celebrated, and they are treated equally and fairly, no matter who they are.
Diversity & Meaningful Inclusion
We believe in non-discriminatory, diverse, proactive and meaningful inclusion, and we acknowledge and seek to understand the multi-layered and intersectional perspectives of the communities we work with. We approach our work through an intersectional lens, taking an inclusive approach and encouraging deeper analysis and collective action around how current power imbalances, mostly determined by patriarchal structures, are amplified and reinforced by other layers of power.
Learning & Adaptability
We listen deeply, intimately and carefully to the communities and individuals we support and collaborate with, and respect their knowledge, perspectives and diverse experiences. We seek to learn from them how to be the best versions of ourselves and advance towards our vision. We respond to their needs and challenges with agility and compassion, and strive to adapt and improve our approaches, whilst staying true to our core essence and values.
Courage
We are brave and dare to be bold, standing up for every African woman and gender-diverse person’s freedom and rights. We are willing to take risks, if that means we can get closer to our vision.
Joy
We believe joy is essential to promote curiosity, which in turn unlocks discovery, imagination, and boldness. To us, these are the vital ingredients and energies we need to bring positive change to our world, and to our Africa.
Creativity & Innovation
We create and promote spaces for creativity. Creativity opens our mind and allows us to see, narrate and solve problems through innovative approaches and solutions.
The African Women’s Development Fund
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