For many women’s rights organisations, access to funding is not only about finding an opportunity. It is also about understanding what the funding is designed to support, who can apply, what makes an application eligible and how to develop an idea that responds to the priorities of the fund.
That was the focus of the recent webinar on funding opportunities under ActionAid Nigeria’s Renewed Women’s Voice and Leadership (RWVL) Project.
The session brought together women’s rights organisations and other interested participants to learn more about the different funding streams available under RWVL, including the Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) and Strategic Opportunity Fund (SOF).
Understanding the RWVL funding opportunities
The webinar provided an overview of the Renewed Women’s Voice and Leadership Project and its approach to strengthening women’s rights organisations and supporting interventions that advance the rights of women and girls in Nigeria.
Presenters walked participants through the different funding streams, their objectives, eligibility requirements, thematic priorities and application processes.
The Strategic Innovation Fund was discussed as an opportunity for women’s rights organisations to develop and test new ideas, approaches and solutions that can contribute to advancing gender equality and the rights of women and girls.
The Strategic Opportunity Fund, meanwhile, provides more responsive funding for specific strategic needs, including emergency interventions, critical interventions and support for Women Human Rights Defenders.
The webinar also provided an opportunity for participants to ask questions about eligibility, geographical coverage, partnerships, registration requirements, implementation areas and the types of interventions that may be considered.
The Strategic Innovation Fund is now open
Following the webinar, ActionAid Nigeria has now opened the Call for Expression of Interest for the Strategic Innovation Fund under the RWVL Project.
The fund is designed to support creative and innovative interventions that advance the rights of women and girls in Nigeria. It is open to women’s rights organisations and women’s rights networks that meet the stated eligibility requirements.
The current call seeks ideas that are innovative, strategic and impactful, particularly those that can contribute to systemic change and complement existing efforts to advance women’s rights.
Priority areas include interventions addressing violence against women and girls, women and girls in conflict or on the move, women’s economic justice and empowerment, and women’s political participation and leadership, including policy advocacy and influencing. The call also highlights the importance of reaching structurally excluded groups, including women and girls with disabilities, women and girls in conflict situations, returnees, female inmates, survivors of gender based violence, out of school girls, elderly women and women in politics.
Up to five innovative ideas will be supported in this round, with a grant ceiling of NGN 20 million per award. Projects are expected to be implemented within a period of six months to one year.
The call opened on 23 September 2026 and closes on 12 October 2026 at midnight. Applicants are required to use the prescribed application template and submit it alongside an organisational profile. Only one application will be considered per organisation.
Missed the webinar? You can still catch up
If you were unable to join the live session, or you attended but would like to revisit some of the presentations, the recording and presentation materials are available for reference.
Watch the webinar recording
Watch the RWVL Funding Opportunities Webinar Recording
Webinar recording passcode: x2d7Ur.v
Download the webinar presentation
Download the RWVL Funding Opportunities Presentation
Ready to explore the opportunity?
Women’s rights organisations interested in the Strategic Innovation Fund are encouraged to read the full Call for Expression of Interest carefully, review the eligibility and submission requirements, and use the official templates provided.
Read the full Strategic Innovation Fund Call and access the application templates
The deadline for submissions is 12 October 2026 at midnight.
For organisations working to advance the rights of women and girls, the opportunity is now open. The next step is to understand the requirements, develop your idea and submit using the official process.
