Where funding meets
feminist movement.
RFLD regrants to grassroots feminist organisations across francophone West Africa through the WAFF Fund. Our criteria, process, and calls for proposals are below — and always open to the organisations our mission serves.
The WAFF Fund.
The West Africa Feminist Fund (WAFF) is RFLD's flagship regranting mechanism — built to close the persistent funding gap for grassroots feminist organising in francophone West Africa. It provides flexible support to registered women's rights organisations, feminist collectives, youth-led groups, and LGBTQI+ organisations in our region of focus.
WAFF funding supports institutional strengthening, programme delivery, and rapid advocacy by feminist organisations that are often excluded from institutional donor pipelines because of language, size, or political positioning. Calls for proposals are issued periodically. We announce them on this page and through our network channels.
Figures verified in the 2025 Annual Report. WAFF Fund criteria, past grantees, and application timelines are published at rflgd.org/waff-fund.
No open tenders at this time.
RFLD periodically issues calls for tenders for consultancy, research, technical services, and digital platform development. When an active call is open, it appears here with full terms of reference, submission deadline, and contact for questions.
To be notified when a new call is published, subscribe to updates via programs@rflgd.org or follow RFLD on LinkedIn.
Eligibility at a glance.
RFLD's grants and funding opportunities are built around the specific ecosystem we serve: francophone West African feminist movements. The eligibility criteria below apply to the WAFF Fund and to future calls for proposals we issue on behalf of partners.
Geographic
WAFF priority region.
- Benin
- Burkina Faso
- Côte d'Ivoire
- Guinea
- Mali
- Niger
- Senegal
- Togo
Organisational
We fund organisations grounded in feminist practice.
- Registered women's rights organisations
- Feminist collectives
- Youth-led feminist groups
- LGBTQI+ organisations operating in feminist frameworks
- Unregistered movements (on a case-by-case basis with fiscal host)
- Individual women human rights defenders (rare, need-based)
Thematic
Issue areas aligned with RFLD's mission.
- Sexual and reproductive health & rights (SRHR)
- Gender-based violence prevention & response
- Women's economic justice & empowerment
- Climate justice & environmental rights
- Digital rights & online safety
- Civic participation & political leadership
Priority focus areas.
Our grantmaking sits at the intersection of feminist practice, rights advocacy, and movement-building. The areas below are where RFLD's strategy concentrates resources.
Gender justice
Advancing women's rights, gender equity, and institutional reform across West Africa.
Civic space
Protecting the freedom of women-led associations to operate, organise, and speak publicly.
Economic justice
Women's economic autonomy, labour rights, and inclusive economic participation.
Climate justice
Environmental rights, climate adaptation, and resource governance for rural women.
Health rights
Sexual and reproductive health, access to care, and ending FGM and early marriage.
Civic participation
Democratic engagement, electoral participation, and political leadership by women.
The process.
When a call is open, applications follow this four-stage process. We're transparent about timelines because we know organisations plan around them.
How we evaluate applications.
RFLD uses a weighted scoring framework to make grant decisions transparent and consistent across applications. The weights below apply to most calls; specific calls may adjust them with the adjustment communicated in the call for proposals.
Documents required.
When a call is open, applications require the following documents. Specific calls may add requirements; these will always be listed in the call for proposals. Templates are available on request to programs@rflgd.org.
Standard application package
Prepare the following in either French or English. Partial applications are not reviewed.
- Official registration certificate (or fiscal host arrangement for unregistered movements)
- Most recent annual financial statement (audited where available; management accounts accepted for smaller organisations)
- Project proposal (using the RFLD template for the specific call)
- Detailed budget (Excel format, using the RFLD template)
- CVs of key project staff (including project lead and finance lead)
- Two letters of reference from partner organisations or former donors
- Safeguarding policy (or commitment to adopt one with RFLD support within the grant period)
Questions, interest, or nominations.
Whether you're considering applying, representing a partner who wants to support the WAFF Fund, or simply want to be notified when the next call opens — here are the right doors.