On Tuesday 1 December 2026, RFLD will join GivingTuesday with one goal. We want to raise US$1,000,000 to end violence against women in Africa.
Every gift reaches women-led organisations in our network. RFLD brings together 1,143 member organisations in more than 35 African countries. Many of them work in places where few funders ever reach. Your gift will reach them as grants, starting in January 2027.
Early gifts and pledges are open now. The giving season runs until 31 December 2026. Every gift made before then counts toward the goal, and so do monthly gifts.
What GivingTuesday is
GivingTuesday began in 2012 at the 92nd Street Y in New York, with the United Nations Foundation as a founding partner. The idea was simple. After the shopping days of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, people would set aside one day to give.
It falls on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving in the United States. In 2026, that is 1 December. Since 2019, GivingTuesday has been an independent nonprofit. It describes itself as a movement for radical generosity around the world, and it now has national movements in many countries. Learn more at givingtuesday.org.
For RFLD, GivingTuesday is a moment to bring African women’s organisations into a global conversation about generosity. It is also a chance to ask people who care about women’s rights to give directly to the groups doing the work.
Why this campaign matters now
Women’s rights organisations do some of the hardest work in the world on very little money. The data on this gap has been clear for years.
In its 2021 research brief Where is the Money for Feminist Organizing?, the Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID) found that women’s rights organisations received only 0.13% of total official development assistance (ODA) in 2017 and 2018. AWID also found that 48% of the Global South feminist organisations it surveyed had annual budgets under US$30,000.
More recent OECD data show the trend moving in the wrong direction. According to the OECD DAC Network on Gender Equality, bilateral aid to women’s rights organisations, movements and government institutions fell to US$631 million a year in 2021 and 2022, down from US$891 million in 2019 and 2020. Excluding government institutions, the figure was US$453 million, less than 1% of total ODA. Only 4% of bilateral aid went to programmes with gender equality as the principal objective.
In 2026, the OECD warned that ODA for gender equality is now declining after a decade of growth. When public funding shrinks, small local organisations have the least room to absorb the loss. Individual gifts help them keep services for survivors open while they look for longer-term support.
Rooted in African commitments
African states have already promised to end violence against women. The Maputo Protocol, the African Union’s treaty on the rights of women, sets out the rights to life, integrity and security of the person in Article 4. Article 5 commits states to eliminate harmful practices such as female genital mutilation. The Protocol has been ratified by 46 of the 55 member states of the African Union.
Laws on paper are a start. Women’s organisations turn them into protection that women can feel in their own lives. They accompany survivors to police stations and courts, and they document cases so they can bring evidence to national authorities and to the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, where RFLD holds Observer Status N°553.
Where your gift goes
The campaign covers six causes. Each has an indicative target. Together they add up to US$1,000,000.
Ending gender-based violence: US$250,000
Shelter and medical care for survivors of domestic and sexual violence, with legal support to seek justice. This cause also funds community prevention led by local women’s organisations.
Stopping harmful practices: US$200,000
Work to end female genital mutilation and child marriage. Our members work with community leaders, girls, health workers and lawmakers to change both attitudes and laws.
Protecting women defenders: US$200,000
Urgent Action grants of up to US$5,000 through the West African Feminist Fund (WAFF). Decisions are made within five business days.
Ending sex trafficking: US$150,000
Identifying and supporting survivors of trafficking. This cause also funds advocacy for stronger laws and better cross-border cooperation.
Ending sexual harassment: US$100,000
Safe ways to report harassment, with legal accompaniment for women who come forward. Members also push for clear policies in workplaces and schools.
Ending online violence: US$100,000
Digital security for women attacked online, with help to collect evidence and take legal action. Members also advocate for better laws on technology-facilitated violence.
You can choose a cause when you give. Gifts without a chosen cause go where the need is greatest.
What a gift can do
- US$50 provides secure communication and data for a defender under online attack.
- US$250 provides legal or psychosocial support for a defender and her family.
- US$1,000 covers a large share of an emergency response by a local women’s organisation.
- US$5,000 funds one full WAFF Urgent Action grant.
Why we give through local women’s organisations
Local women’s organisations know their communities and the risks women face there. They are often the first people a survivor calls. RFLD’s role is to get money to them quickly and safely.
The West African Feminist Fund shows how this works. WAFF is RFLD’s re-granting fund for feminist civil society in 15 West African countries. It offers four types of grants:
- Urgent Action grants of up to US$5,000, open all year, for legal defence, medical costs, emergency relocation, bail or responses to digital attacks.
- Capacity Building grants of up to US$20,000 for core costs such as salaries and financial systems.
- Advocacy grants of up to US$30,000 for evidence-based campaigns and coalition building.
- Vulnerable Groups Inclusion grants of up to US$30,000 for safe spaces and psychosocial support for groups that stigma keeps out of mainstream funding.
For Urgent Action requests, a country focal point verifies the threat within 6 to 12 hours. A Grant Committee decides by secure vote within five business days. Funds are disbursed within five business days of the decision. Every sub-grant is screened against international sanctions lists, and every grant includes technical assistance at no extra cost.
Reporting is designed for small groups. Applications and reports are accepted in French or English. Urgent Action grantees send a one-page impact summary and proof of spending. Groups with limited administrative capacity may report orally.
Who receives the grants
Grants go to organisations in RFLD’s network. Under WAFF, eligible groups include feminist civil society organisations, women-led organisations and groups that support Vulnerable Groups in the 15 eligible countries. Registration is preferred. Unregistered grassroots movements may be supported through fiscal sponsorship, case by case.
From January 2027, RFLD’s Africa Grant Portfolio is due to open to organisations in all 55 African Union member states. This will allow GivingTuesday gifts to reach women’s groups well beyond West Africa, in line with the six causes above. Calls for proposals are published on our Tenders and Grants page, and questions about grants can go to programs@rflgd.org.
RFLD already moves money to its members. Every grant we award is listed, organisation by organisation, on our sub-grantees page.
How your gift is used and reported
We want you to know exactly what happens to your money. Here is our commitment.
- Your gift becomes grants. Gifts to the campaign fund grants to member organisations across the six causes. Grants begin in January 2027.
- Your choice is respected. If you choose a cause, your gift supports that cause. If you do not, it goes where the need is greatest.
- Survivors and defenders stay safe. RFLD never names or shows defenders or survivors without their written consent. Our report will describe types of support and countries in aggregate.
- We report publicly. In early 2027, we will publish on the campaign page what your gifts funded.
- Our accounts are audited. RFLD is audited independently every year under the International Standards on Auditing. Our audits for 2024 and 2025 both received clean opinions and are published in full on our financials page.
In 2025, 79.8% of RFLD’s spending reached field programmes, according to our audited accounts. RFLD holds the Candid Seal of Transparency for 2025. It also holds an NGOsource equivalency determination, which helps US foundations and donor-advised funds make grants to RFLD. RFLD has Observer Status N°553 with the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
Questions about how a gift was used are always welcome. Write to finance@rflgd.org.
Key dates
- Now to 30 November 2026: early gifts and pledges.
- 1 December 2026: GivingTuesday. The progress bar on the campaign page is updated through the day.
- 1 to 31 December 2026: the giving season continues.
- January 2027: grants to member organisations begin.
- Early 2027: we publish our report on what your gifts funded.
How to give
- Online: give once or monthly by card on our donation page. Monthly support is the most useful gift we receive.
- Donors in the United States: for a tax-deductible gift, give through the American Friends Fund at Myriad USA, a US public charity, by card, PayPal, Venmo or cryptocurrency via Every.org, mentioning RFLD. RFLD’s NGOsource equivalency determination helps US foundations and donor-advised funds grant to us.
- Donor-advised funds: recommend a grant to RFLD through providers such as Fidelity Charitable, Schwab Charitable, Vanguard Charitable, ImpactAssets, National Philanthropic Trust or your community foundation.
- Workplace giving: give through Benevity or Bright Funds, or ask your employer to match your gift.
- Outside the United States: give online or by bank transfer, or through the Myriad Alliance in several countries. Ask our finance team what tax treatment applies to you.
- Bank transfer, stock, legacy gifts and gifts above US$10,000: contact finance@rflgd.org for details and a direct receipt.
More options are listed on our Ways to Give page.
Join us on 1 December
Violence against women is not inevitable. Across Africa, women’s organisations work every day to prevent it and to support survivors. They need steady funding to keep going.
Give early. Share the campaign with your friends and colleagues. On 1 December, help us reach US$1,000,000 for the women who lead this work every day.
RFLD was founded in 2013. Visit the GivingTuesday campaign page to give now.
References
- RFLD, GivingTuesday 2026 campaign page: https://rflgd.org/giving-tuesday/
- RFLD, Donate to RFLD: https://rflgd.org/donate-to-rfld/
- RFLD, Ways to Give: https://rflgd.org/ways-to-give/
- RFLD, West African Feminist Fund (WAFF): https://rflgd.org/waff-fund/
- RFLD, Sub-grantees: https://rflgd.org/rfld-subgrantees/
- GivingTuesday, About (United States): https://www.givingtuesday.org/united-states/about
- Wikipedia, GivingTuesday: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GivingTuesday
- AWID, Where is the Money for Feminist Organizing? Data Snapshots and a Call to Action (2021): https://awid.org/sites/default/files/2022-01/AWID_Research_WITM_Brief_ENG.pdf
- OECD DAC Network on Gender Equality, Latest data on ODA for gender equality and women’s empowerment, DCD/DAC/GEN(2024)1: https://one.oecd.org/document/DCD/DAC/GEN(2024)1/en/pdf
- OECD, ODA for gender equality is plummeting: How can we protect it? (March 2026): https://www.oecd.org/en/blogs/2026/03/oda-for-gender-equality-is-plummeting–How-can-we-protect-it.html
