ACWW was founded in 1929 to help women in rural communities come together and change the world. Since then, we have invested more than £4 million in grassroots funding.
Our work is funded through the Rural Women in Action Fund; this comes from donations from members all over the world and partner-funding from like-minded organisations. This fund supports our projects, advocacy, and all other work.
ACWW considers proposals 3 times per year. We welcome applications for funding from small grass-roots organisations based in the Global South. Applications from women-led organisations supporting rural women and children are particularly encouraged.
The next call for applications will be for Climate Smart Agriculture proposals in January 2025.
Yes. The Rural Women in Action Fund is only available to members of ACWW. Apply for membership or renew your membership here
Your organisation must be registered in the country in which you are located. You will be asked to provide a registration certificate and registration number during the application processes.
Any organisation applying must have been registered in its home country for at least 2 years (with suitable registration for receiving foreign donations) and be able to provide all of the supporting documents required. ACWW prioritises organisations where at least 80% of those in decision-making positions are women.
You may be able to apply for funding in conjunction with another organisation.
Please contact us for more information.
The Rural Women in Action Fund has three funding areas:
Climate Smart Agriculture
Rural Womens Health
Education and Community Development
Please visit our main Projects page to learn more by clicking here
The Rural Women in Action Fund awards grants of up to £10,000. This is for core funding of the project. Additional funds may be provided in-kind through the Capacity Building Modules.
ACWW is committed to a sustainable approach to grant funding. For us, this is a commitment to strengthening rural communities by developing the capacities of the organisations we fund – by helping them build resources, capability, scope, and skills. During the application process you will be presented with a list of optional Capacity Building Modules that may be beneficial to your organisation. This can include options such as financial literacy training, certified rabies education, and administrative development.
If your application is successful, it can take around three months to receive the funds after the application deadline, so we recommend taking this into consideration when writing your funding proposal. We encourage a flexible approach to timelining in the activity plan.
You will be provided with a guidance document to help you complete your application. Application support webinars will also be hosted in the leadup to the submission deadline.
You can also contact the ACWW team and we will do our best to support you to submit your application. Please bear in mind that closer to the deadline we will be very busy so please try to contact us as soon as you can if you need any support.
No. This programme does not fund applications from individuals, as ACWW is committed to supporting women-led grassroots organisations.
The final decision on which applications are successful is made by ACWW's Board of Trustees. Members of our Community Transformation and Projects Working Group, made up of elected ACWW Board members, consider the applications and make recommendations to the full Board. A team of ACWW staff also offer advice to the Working Group.
All call outs and submission deadline dates will be published on our website, in our newsletters and shared on social media.
You may be able to reapply in following rounds, this depends on the reasons your application was not successful the first time. If you're thinking of applying again, please contact us.
Please contact the ACWW team and we will do our best to support you to submit your application. Please bear in mind that closer to the deadline we will be very busy so please try to contact us as soon as you can if you need any support.
Please be advised that ACWW have recently changed banks. If you send donations or membership dues via BACS transfer or direct debit, please contact us and we will gladly share the new details.