A new funding opportunity is giving women’s rights organisations across Nigeria a chance to turn bold ideas into practical solutions — with up to ₦20 million available for each selected initiative.
ActionAid Nigeria has opened applications for its Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) 2026, a grant programme designed to support creative approaches that advance the rights of women and girls and tackle persistent gender inequality.
The call opened on September 23, 2026, and will support up to five innovative ideas. Each selected initiative can receive a grant of up to ₦20 million, with projects expected to run for between six months and one year.
The fund is supported by Global Affairs Canada (GAC) through the Renewed Women’s Voice and Leadership (RWVL) Project.
What makes the opportunity significant is its emphasis on innovation rather than simply funding familiar programmes. ActionAid Nigeria says applicants can propose new approaches to existing problems, adapt proven solutions, use technology, develop community-driven methods, build new partnerships or introduce innovative advocacy strategies.
The goal is to find ideas that can be tested, strengthened and potentially scaled to create wider systemic change.
The funding covers several major areas affecting women and girls, including violence against women and girls, the protection of women affected by conflict and displacement, women’s economic justice and empowerment, and women’s political participation and leadership.
But there is another important focus: women and girls who are often left furthest behind.
ActionAid Nigeria is particularly interested in innovative programmes supporting structurally excluded groups, including women and girls with disabilities, survivors of gender-based violence, female inmates, out-of-school girls, elderly women, women affected by conflict, women on the move or returning home, and women in politics.
Eligible applicants must be women-led women’s rights organisations or networks operating in Nigeria. Proposed interventions must demonstrate innovation, strategic value, measurable impact, potential for systemic change and the capacity to deliver results within the relatively short implementation period.
Applicants must submit the official SIF application template, organisational profile and relevant budget documents. Only one application is permitted per organisation.
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There is, however, a critical warning for prospective applicants: ActionAid Nigeria states that the use of AI tools such as ChatGPT to draft, structure or generate application narratives, project descriptions or advocacy goals is prohibited and can result in automatic disqualification. Applicants are therefore expected to develop these responses themselves using the prescribed application materials.
The deadline is October 12, 2026, at midnight.
Applications are to be submitted by email to RWVL.SIFGrant@actionaid.org, using the subject line “Strategic Innovation Fund September 2026.”
For women’s rights organisations with an idea capable of moving beyond a single project and influencing broader systems, the opportunity represents more than a grant. It is an invitation to test what could work differently — and potentially take that solution much further.
