Deadline: 21-Sep-22

African Visionary Fund is pleased to announce its Grant Cycle 3 for African-founded, African-based and African-led Organisations.

AVFund is sector-agnostic and highly focused on accelerating impact. AVFund therefore partners with grantees across sub-Saharan Africa in the areas of Health, Education, Human Rights, Livelihoods, Technology, and Emerging Sectors with the goal of having a balanced and diverse portfolio of locally-led organizations across sectors. AVFund evaluates all potential partners using criteria including Basic Eligibility, Characteristics of EarlyStage and Growth-Stage Organizations, and Factors of Organizational Resilience.

Application System

The new inclusive application system focuses on equity, ease of use, and overall reach. its design efforts foregrounded African Visionaries’ input, desires, and experiences.

• Equity:  The AVFund is committed to contributing to the equity-centered transformation of how African organizations are funded.
• Ease of Use:  AVFund is constantly evolving and re-designing its selection process to make it more efficient, seamless, and less cumbersome for applicants. 
• Reach:  Our online application system makes our grantmaking process more open and inclusive by reaching a broader pipeline of organizations outside our immediate networks.

Eligibility Criteria

• AVF invites you to apply to receive funding from the African Visionary Fund if your organization meets the following requirements:
  • African-founded, African-based and African-led 
  • Serves communities in Sub-Saharan Africa only
  • Registered in its country of operations
  • Growing Board: Transitioning from founding to governing board
  • Paid staff 
  • Perform external audits every year for the past two years
  • Basic financial management systems and processes in place
• Other factors for consideration:
  • Early-stage and growth-stage:
    • Annual budget between $200,000 – $1.2 M 
    • Minimum 3 years of operation
    • Clear and defined model and articulation of the “why”
    • Able to communicate and measure the impact of their work
  • organizational Resilience
    • Systems changes focus and understanding of the ecosystem
    • Leadership has lived experience of the problem the organization is trying to solve
    • Evidence of clear strategic direction
    • Community-driven: Deeply rooted and invested in served communities
    • Learning orientation: Leadership displays self-awareness and humility
    • Commitment to gender equity 

For more information, visit https://africanvisionary.org/updates/avfund-grant-cycle-3-is-now-open