Managed by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the FemFocus 2026–2030 initiative provides substantial financial support—up to €27.4 million—to civil society organisations (CSOs) working to advance women’s entrepreneurship throughout Africa. The program focuses on building the personal capabilities of female entrepreneurs while simultaneously improving the systemic conditions that affect their businesses.
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Female entrepreneurs across Africa frequently encounter greater challenges than their male counterparts, including insufficient access to capital, participation in informal market systems, and limited cultural expectations.
FemFocus enables organisations to directly strengthen women’s entrepreneurial skills while tackling the institutional obstacles that hinder women’s business development. This represents both a financial resource and a purposeful mechanism for transformation.
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Eligibility Requirements
- Civil society organisations based in the Netherlands or in qualifying low- and middle-income nations.
- A minimum of five years’ demonstrated experience in building capacity and providing financial support to partner organisations in LMICs.
- Compliance with financial self-sufficiency standards and proven capability to administer substantial grant funding.
- Programs must cover at least two nations from this approved list of African countries: Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia, and Uganda (Government of the Netherlands).
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Submission Period
The application window runs from 16 October 2025 through 7 January 2026 (closing at 23:59 CEST).
Click HERE to apply.
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