Equality Fund CONNECT Grant 2026: Up to CAD $1 Million Per Year for Feminist and Allied Movement Collaborations
The Equality Fund has opened applications for its CONNECT funding stream to strengthen collaboration among feminist, women’s rights, gender-expansive, and allied social justice movements worldwide. Selected collaborations can receive between CAD $500,000 and CAD $1 million per year for an initial two-year period.
Overview
The Equality Fund CONNECT funding stream is designed to resource cross-movement relationships, shared strategies, trust, infrastructure, and collective capacity. The program aims to support feminist and allied social justice movements working together toward gender equality, social justice, democracy, human rights, and broader systems change.
Key grant details include:
- Grant Size: CAD $500,000 to CAD $1 million per year per collaboration.
- Total Funding: Approximately CAD $4 million per year.
- Expected Grants: Between 5 and 7 collaborations.
- Initial Duration: Two years, with potential for additional years of support.
- Expected Start Date: February 1, 2027.
Eligibility
The funding opportunity targets collaborations rather than individual applicants. Eligible participants include feminist actors, women’s rights organizations, gender-expansive movements, and allied social justice groups. Political parties, government bodies, for-profit organizations, and individuals are not eligible to receive funding.
Collaborations must establish a lead structure using either one organization for both roles or two separate organizations:
- Programmatic Lead: Must be governed and led by local women, youth, girls, and/or non-binary people from the Global South and East; must have a primary mission focused on the rights of these communities; must operate from a feminist or women’s rights perspective; must be registered or operate in an ODA-eligible country (excluding Afghanistan); and must be able to complete documentation in English, French, or Spanish.
- Financial Lead: Must have valid legal registration, externally audited financial reports for the previous two fiscal years (or alternative documentation if managing at least CAD $325,000 in one of the previous two years), and the capacity to distribute and manage grant funds.
The Equality Fund prioritizes collaborations whose lead organization is based in the Global South or East.
How to Apply
The application process involves multiple stages starting with an initial Expression of Interest (EoI):
- Step 1: Complete the Eligibility Quiz: Applicants must first complete the eligibility quiz through the Equality Fund’s Community Portal to verify basic eligibility.
- Step 2: Submit the Expression of Interest: Eligible collaborations must submit their EoI through the Community Portal. Application templates are available in English, French, and Spanish.
Shortlisted applicants may later be invited to complete an Advanced Application stage.
Deadline
The Expression of Interest application period closes on September 16, 2026, at 17:00 EDT (UTC-4).