Up to $1M CONNECT Collaboration Grant

Organization: Equality Fund

Type: Grant

Location: Global

Deadline: September 16, 2026

Funding: Fully Funded

The Equality Fund is a Canadian feminist funder that has moved more than $125 million to over 1,800 organisations in more than 100 countries. CONNECT is its new grantmaking stream for collaborations that bring feminist organisations together with allied movements they have not historically worked alongside. This is a pilot round: five to seven collaborations will share CAD $4 million a year, and the first stage is a short Expression of Interest rather than a full proposal. **What you get:** - CAD $500,000 to $1,000,000 per year, the maximum total grant available, with the size depending on the proposal and on the financial management experience of the organisation handling the money - An initial two year grant with potential for additional years, expected to start on 1 February 2027 - A share of the CAD $4 million per year the Equality Fund will disburse to five to seven collaborations in this round - Flexible multi-year funding, alongside the accompaniment, learning exchanges and joint advocacy the Equality Fund extends to grantee partners **What you'll do:** - Connect feminist and women's rights organisations with allied social justice movements that have not historically worked together, and build power towards shared goals - Strengthen the relationships, infrastructure, trust, shared strategy and collective capacity that let those movements act together across issues, geographies and constituencies - Complete an eligibility quiz on the Equality Fund Community Portal, then submit an Expression of Interest through the same portal - If shortlisted, submit an Advanced Application covering context, priorities, strategies, budget and supporting documents, and take part in a reference and endorsement check **Key dates:** - Applications opened on 31 August 2026 - Expression of Interest closes on 16 September 2026 at 17:00 EDT (UTC-4) - Up to eighteen collaborations invited to the Advanced Application stage by 1 November 2026 - Invited collaborations have four weeks to complete the Advanced Application - Grants expected to start on 1 February 2027 **More information:** - Application Guidelines, with the full eligibility criteria and the two stage process: https://assets.equalityfund.ca/files/v49loltj/production/2da5e755f25f075fa94b3e280c4736b124918821.pdf - Expression of Interest template in English, to draft offline before submitting through the portal: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vA-e2UUErVZ087KR1fvxfPec0UJ88xws/edit - Guidelines and Expression of Interest templates are also published in French and Spanish on the announcement page - Eligibility quiz and Community Portal, where the Expression of Interest is submitted: https://equalityfund.my.site.com/fundseekerportal/s/eligibility-quiz - General enquiries: grants@equalityfund.ca. The Equality Fund says the volume of enquiries means it cannot advise on case specific situations - In exceptional circumstances the Equality Fund can accept an Expression of Interest by email, on request to grants@equalityfund.ca

Equality FundGrant

Up to $1M CONNECT Collaboration Grant

This one has closed

Archived

Opportunity type

Grant

Funding

Fully Funded

Location

Global

Deadline

Archived

About this opportunity

What you get:

CAD $500,000 to $1,000,000 per year, the maximum total grant available, with the size depending on the proposal and on the financial management experience of the organisation handling the money
An initial two year grant with potential for additional years, expected to start on 1 February 2027
A share of the CAD $4 million per year the Equality Fund will disburse to five to seven collaborations in this round
Flexible multi-year funding, alongside the accompaniment, learning exchanges and joint advocacy the Equality Fund extends to grantee partners

What you'll do:

Connect feminist and women's rights organisations with allied social justice movements that have not historically worked together, and build power towards shared goals
Strengthen the relationships, infrastructure, trust, shared strategy and collective capacity that let those movements act together across issues, geographies and constituencies
Complete an eligibility quiz on the Equality Fund Community Portal, then submit an Expression of Interest through the same portal
If shortlisted, submit an Advanced Application covering context, priorities, strategies, budget and supporting documents, and take part in a reference and endorsement check

Key dates:

Applications opened on 31 August 2026
Expression of Interest closes on 16 September 2026 at 17:00 EDT (UTC-4)
Up to eighteen collaborations invited to the Advanced Application stage by 1 November 2026
Invited collaborations have four weeks to complete the Advanced Application
Grants expected to start on 1 February 2027

More information:

Application Guidelines, with the full eligibility criteria and the two stage process: https://assets.equalityfund.ca/files/v49loltj/production/2da5e755f25f075fa94b3e280c4736b124918821.pdf
Expression of Interest template in English, to draft offline before submitting through the portal: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vA-e2UUErVZ087KR1fvxfPec0UJ88xws/edit
Guidelines and Expression of Interest templates are also published in French and Spanish on the announcement page
Eligibility quiz and Community Portal, where the Expression of Interest is submitted: https://equalityfund.my.site.com/fundseekerportal/s/eligibility-quiz
General enquiries: grants@equalityfund.ca. The Equality Fund says the volume of enquiries means it cannot advise on case specific situations
In exceptional circumstances the Equality Fund can accept an Expression of Interest by email, on request to grants@equalityfund.ca

Who can apply

The applicant is a collaboration of organisations. It must name a Lead Organisation, which can hold both the programmatic and financial roles, or it can name a separate Programmatic Lead and Financial Lead.
Programmatic Lead: primarily governed, led and directed by local women, youth, girls and/or non-binary people from the Global South and East, with those groups forming a majority of its leadership and its board or coordinating committee.
Programmatic Lead: promoting the rights of women, youth, girls and non-binary people is its primary mission and not only part of its programmes, and it works from a feminist or women's rights perspective for structural change.
Programmatic Lead: registered or operating in an ODA-eligible country, meaning the OECD DAC list of roughly 140 countries. Afghanistan is excluded, because Canadian sanctions prevent the Equality Fund granting there.
Financial Lead: holds a valid legal registration, has externally audited financial reports for the last two fiscal years, and managed an annual expenditure of at least CAD $325,000 in one of the last two fiscal years.
Where the financial lead does not strictly meet the institutional audit requirement, it may instead submit project audits or other audit related documents with a short written explanation, provided it still meets the CAD $325,000 expenditure test.
A fiscal sponsor is permitted but not required. A collaboration that names separate programmatic and financial leads may use a fiscal sponsor as its Financial Lead.
Political parties, government bodies, for-profit organisations and individuals are not eligible for funding, although they may take part in the collaboration's activities.
Existing Equality Fund grantee partners may join a collaboration but cannot be the lead organisation on a CONNECT application. Their participation does not count against the application.
The lead must be able to complete proposal documents, narrative and financial reports in English, French or Spanish, and to communicate verbally in one of those languages. The application does not have to be in English.
Diaspora-led organisations headquartered in a country that is not ODA-eligible may still be considered if they work exclusively in an ODA-eligible country.
The Equality Fund says it will prioritise collaborations whose lead organisation is based in the Global South or East. That is a stated priority rather than a bar.
Collaborations of non-profit organisations bringing feminist movements together with allied movements, led by a registered organisation primarily governed and led by local women, youth, girls or non-binary people from the Global South and East, and registered or operating in an ODA-eligible country.

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Good to know

+CAD $500,000 to $1,000,000 a year for an initial two years, with a possible extension, starting 1 February 2027
+Free to apply, confirmed across the full 8-page guidelines, the announcement page and the expression of interest template
+You may apply in English, French or Spanish
+A fiscal sponsor is permitted but not required
+A registered Canadian charity with a published charity number

Worth checking yourself

!Your organisation applies, and individuals are explicitly ineligible
!The lead organisation must be a legally registered non-profit, and the financial lead needs externally audited accounts for two fiscal years plus annual expenditure above CAD $325,000
!An unregistered youth collective can join a collaboration but cannot lead one
!The lead must be registered or operating in an aid-eligible country, with Afghanistan excluded
!Closes 16 September at 5pm Eastern

Sources checked

EQequalityfund.caApplyASassets.equalityfund.caOfficialDOdocs.google.comOfficialEQequalityfund.my.site.comOfficialEQequalityfund.caApplyEQequalityfund.caApplyEQequalityfund.caApply

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