Numun Fund SGS 3.0 Applications 2026: Up to USD 100,000 for Feminist Tech Organising in the Larger Majority World

Applications are now open for the Numun Fund Seed, Grow and Sustain 3.0 programme, commonly known as SGS 3.0. The programme will provide multi-year, core and flexible financial support to initiatives, collectives, groups and organisations advancing feminist technology activism across the Larger Majority World.

Through the third cycle of Seed, Grow and Sustain, Numun Fund plans to allocate a total of USD 1.75 million over two years. Selected groups can receive between USD 10,000 and USD 100,000, depending on their stage of development, organising experience and role within the feminist technology movement.

The opportunity is intended for collective, community-led organising rather than individual applicants, commercial technology companies or isolated technology projects. Feminist technology must be central to the applicant’s activism, advocacy, analysis or approach to social change.

The application deadline is Sunday, 6 September 2026 at 23:59 Anywhere on Earth, or UTC−12. Applicants should complete the eligibility assessment and submit their applications before the deadline through the official SGS 3.0 application page.

Numun Fund SGS 3.0: Key Information at a Glance

Programme detail	Information
Programme name	Seed, Grow and Sustain 3.0
Common abbreviation	SGS 3.0
Organising institution	Numun Fund
Total allocation	USD 1.75 million
Funding available per selected applicant	USD 10,000 to USD 100,000
Funding period	Two years
Funding levels	Seed, Grow and Sustain
Primary focus	Feminist technology activism and movement organising
Eligible applicant types	Initiatives, collectives, groups and organisations
Minimum group size	At least two people
Registration requirement	Registered, unregistered, formally organised and online-only initiatives may apply
Application language	English
Application method	Online eligibility check followed by a full application
Application deadline	Sunday, 6 September 2026 at 23:59 Anywhere on Earth
Expected status notification	January 2027
Official information	Numun Fund SGS 3.0

For applicants in Pakistan, the official deadline corresponds to Monday, 7 September 2026 at 4:59 p.m. Pakistan Standard Time. Applicants are nevertheless strongly advised to submit well before the final hours because the official closing time is expressed in the Anywhere on Earth time zone.

About Numun Fund

Numun Fund describes itself as a feminist technology fund grounded in and led by the movements it seeks to serve. Its central objective is to seed, resource and sustain an ecosystem of feminist activists who can define, imagine, shape and challenge technology according to the realities and priorities of their communities.

The word “Numun” means “seed” in Sumerian. The name reflects the fund’s recognition that art, science and technology have historically been shaped by communities in what Numun calls the Larger Majority World.

The fund was created as a response to two closely connected challenges:

1. Technology has become increasingly important to movement organising, political participation, community safety, economic inclusion and social justice.
2. Funding and decision-making power surrounding technology remain heavily concentrated in the Global North, while communities most affected by technological systems are frequently excluded from determining how those systems are designed and governed.

Numun Fund therefore seeks to move resources and decision-making power towards feminist activists and movements in historically under-resourced regions and communities.

What Is the Seed, Grow and Sustain 3.0 Programme?

Seed, Grow and Sustain is a multi-year, core and flexible funding programme for feminist technology organising. It is open to initiatives, collectives, groups and organisations working to transform the relationship between technology, power, rights and social justice.

SGS 3.0 is the third cycle of the programme. The first cycle was launched in 2022, and the latest call incorporates lessons collected through the earlier SGS 1.0 and SGS 2.0 cycles.

The programme recognises that feminist technology organising is an emerging and diverse field. Some groups may be exploring feminist technology for the first time, while others may have developed tested strategies, regional networks or long-standing roles within the wider movement. For this reason, SGS 3.0 offers three funding levels that correspond to different stages of organising.

SGS 3.0 Funding Levels

1. Seed: USD 10,000 to USD 20,000

Seed funding is intended to support emerging feminist technology collectives and initiatives. It may also support established activist groups that want to explore a feminist technology dimension within their existing work.

This level may be appropriate for groups that are:

• Developing a new or emerging feminist technology idea;
• Engaging with technology as a field of activism for the first time;
• Forming a new collective or community initiative;
• Testing an early strategy or organising model;
• Adding a feminist technology dimension to established social-justice work; or
• Building initial relationships, knowledge or community participation around a technology-related issue.

Seed funding recognises that new movements and ideas require resources before they can demonstrate large-scale results. Applicants do not need to present themselves as mature institutions if their work is genuinely at an emerging stage.

2. Grow: USD 20,000 to USD 50,000

Grow funding supports groups and initiatives that have been working together for at least two years, whether formally or informally.

This level is intended for organisations seeking to deepen or expand their:

• Networks and partnerships;
• Communities and constituencies;
• Organising strategies;
• Existing activities or programmes;
• Geographic reach;
• Advocacy efforts;
• Feminist technology knowledge; or
• Engagement with new communities.

A Grow applicant should be able to demonstrate that the group has already worked collectively and that it now has tested activities, strategies or relationships that can be expanded or strengthened.

Formal legal registration is not necessarily required. The important consideration is whether the group has been organising together for at least two years and has an established body of work that it wants to deepen or expand.

3. Sustain: USD 50,000 to USD 100,000

Sustain funding is intended for established anchors within the feminist technology movement.

Numun Fund uses the term “anchors” for organisations that lead and support local or regional processes alongside other feminist technology organisations, groups, collectives and activists.

Sustain funding is intended to help these groups:

• Continue and strengthen their core strategies;
• Respond to changing political, technological or social conditions;
• Adapt their organising to emerging challenges;
• Maintain their role within local or regional movements;
• Support networks of activists and organisations;
• Address internal organising requirements; and
• Develop strategies for long-term sustainability.

Applicants should choose the funding level that honestly reflects the maturity and purpose of their work. The preliminary eligibility assessment also recommends a funding level based on the applicant’s responses.

Who Can Apply for SGS 3.0?

SGS 3.0 supports collective organising led by communities whose realities, concerns and priorities are represented through the proposed work.

Applicants may include:

• Legally registered organisations;
• Unregistered groups;
• Formally organised collectives;
• Informal initiatives;
• Online-only initiatives and web-based projects;
• Emerging feminist technology collectives;
• Established feminist or women-led organisations;
• Women-led programmes operating within larger human-rights organisations;
• Feminist programmes within digital-rights organisations; and
• Experienced organisations serving as local or regional movement anchors.

Applicants can be new, emerging, established or experienced. The programme does not require every applicant to have the same institutional structure or level of development.

However, every applicant must consist of at least two people. Applications from individuals are not supported.

The official eligibility form asks whether the initiative is led by women in all their diversity. It explains this as women holding the majority of decision-making positions and occupying the principal leadership roles, whether those roles are held individually or shared.

The fund’s understanding of women includes, among others:

• Trans women;
• Cisgender women;
• Non-binary people;
• Young and older women;
• Women with disabilities;
• Migrant and refugee women;
• Queer people;
• Afro-descendant women; and
• Women belonging to religious, linguistic or ethnic minorities.

Feminist technology initiatives led by cisgender, heterosexual men are specifically listed among the forms of organising that the fund does not support.

Eligible Regions and Communities

SGS 3.0 prioritises organising and leadership located in the Larger Majority World. Numun Fund uses this concept in both a geographic and political sense to recognise the effects of colonialism, exploitation and historical inequality in the distribution of global resources.

Eligible regions and communities include:

• West, Central, East and Southern Africa;
• Southeast Asia;
• South Asia;
• East Asia;
• West Asia and North Africa;
• Arabic-speaking countries;
• Latin America;
• The Caribbean;
• Pacific Island countries and communities;
• Eastern Europe;
• Central Asia; and
• Indigenous and migrant communities based anywhere in the world.

Pakistan is included because it is located in South Asia. However, location alone does not establish eligibility. A Pakistan-based applicant would still need to satisfy the programme’s feminist technology, collective leadership, community connection and social-change requirements.

Groups based in North America, Western Europe, Australia or New Zealand are generally not prioritised. An exception may apply where the group is led by Indigenous or migrant communities.

Numun Fund also recognises that geographic and political identities do not always fit into simple regional categories. A group that believes it aligns with the fund’s stated politics and objectives but does not feel adequately represented by the listed regions may still apply. It should explain its circumstances and reasons in the additional-comments section.

Essential Eligibility Requirements

A competitive and eligible applicant should be able to demonstrate the following:

Feminist technology is central to the work

Technology cannot simply be an incidental tool used to manage an unrelated programme. It must be a key part of the initiative’s activism, advocacy, organising or approach to social change.

Gender and sexuality are central to the analysis

The eligibility assessment asks whether gender and sexuality are central to the applicant’s analysis of power, strategies and approach. Applicants should be able to explain how technological systems affect gendered power, rights, safety, participation or access.

The applicant works collectively

The programme funds groups and collective organising rather than individuals. A group must have at least two people.

Women hold substantive leadership

Leadership should not be symbolic. Women in all their diversity should hold the majority of decision-making roles and occupy the principal leadership positions.

The work is community-led

The initiative should be led by the communities whose realities and priorities it seeks to address or represent. Projects designed externally without meaningful community leadership are unlikely to align with the programme.

The primary objective is social change

The official eligibility check asks applicants to identify their primary strategy as social change rather than for-profit services, political or religious affiliation, or detached academic research.

The work reaches historically marginalised communities

Applicants should comprise, serve or connect with communities historically subjected to discrimination, oppression, exploitation or exclusion.

These may include:

• Indigenous communities;
• Women and girls;
• Afro-descendant communities;
• Migrants;
• Refugees;
• LBTQI+ communities;
• Young people;
• People with disabilities;
• Women living in rural communities;
• Sex workers;
• Marginalised ethnic communities;
• Marginalised religious communities; and
• Linguistic minorities.

What Does Feminist Technology Mean?

Numun Fund does not impose one universal definition of feminist technology. It recognises that every context and movement may understand and experience technology differently.

The central principle is the shifting of power.

A feminist approach treats technology as a site of activism where political, economic and social systems can be reproduced, challenged or transformed. It asks who designs technology, who controls it, who benefits from it, who is harmed by it and whose knowledge is excluded.

For SGS 3.0, feminist technology can be understood through four connected dimensions.

1. Analysis of Power

Feminist technology uses feminist analysis to examine power structures and systems of oppression within digital technologies and science.

This may include examining how technology interacts with:

• Patriarchy;
• Colonialism;
• Racism;
• Capitalism;
• Gender inequality;
• Economic exclusion;
• Surveillance;
• Data extraction; and
• Unequal access to knowledge and decision-making.

The work should not stop at identifying problems. It should propose alternatives, responses, strategies or solutions that shift power towards affected communities.

2. Community Leadership

Feminist technology centres communities that have historically been excluded, oppressed or discriminated against and that are often disproportionately affected by developments in science and technology.

This means communities should not be treated merely as research subjects, beneficiaries or end users. They should participate in defining the problem, determining priorities, shaping strategies and leading the work.

3. Technology, Rights and Social-Justice Issues

Eligible work may address a wide range of issues, including:

• Feminist digital safety;
• Bodily integrity and data privacy;
• Technology-facilitated gender-based violence;
• Freedom of expression online;
• Autonomous technology infrastructure for movement organising;
• Indigenous knowledge and the digital economy;
• Access to sexuality-related information and communities;
• Environmental justice and technology;
• Community-led engagement with the climate crisis and technology;
• Digital archives and memory projects;
• Gender and labour in the technology economy;
• Popular science education;
• Narrative power;
• Digital inclusion;
• Online organising spaces; and
• Majority World frameworks and alternative ways of imagining technology.

This list is illustrative rather than exhaustive. Applicants may present other feminist technology priorities that are grounded in the realities of their communities.

4. Strategies for Activism

The programme welcomes a wide range of organising strategies. These may include:

• Community-led research;
• Public campaigns;
• Technology design and development;
• Community building;
• Capacity development;
• Training;
• Knowledge sharing;
• Digital archiving;
• Artistic practices;
• Content creation;
• Policy advocacy;
• Convenings;
• Facilitation and holding spaces;
• Piloting alternative systems of social organising;
• Providing technology support to feminist activists; and
• Developing technology services connected directly to feminist movements.

Research, software development or technology services may therefore be eligible when they are directly connected to movement organising and community leadership. Their eligibility depends on purpose, leadership and connection to social change rather than the activity alone.

What SGS 3.0 Does Not Support

Applicants should review the exclusions carefully before starting the application.

Commercial technology providers

For-profit developers or application creators that merely provide services to non-profit organisations are not supported when they have no direct connection to movement organising.

Most Global North-based initiatives

Groups based in Western Europe, North America, Australia or New Zealand are generally not eligible unless they are led by Indigenous or migrant communities.

Global North-led projects without shared leadership

Projects led from the Global North without direct peer partnership or shared leadership with Indigenous or migrant communities do not align with the fund’s objective of strengthening leadership in the Larger Majority World.

Isolated technology initiatives

Developers and technology service providers are not eligible when they lack a direct relationship with feminist, women’s-rights, digital-rights or social-justice movements.

Cisgender heterosexual men-led organising

Feminist technology initiatives led by cisgender, heterosexual men are not supported. The programme aims to strengthen the leadership of women in all their diversity.

Political, governmental or religious dependence

Groups structurally dependent on political parties, government agencies or religious institutions are not supported.

Individual applications

The programme does not fund individuals. Applicants must demonstrate collective organising involving at least two people.

Detached academic research

Academic research that is not directly connected to movements or led by the communities it examines is not supported.

Research may still form part of an eligible strategy when it is movement-connected, community-led and directed towards feminist social change.

How to Apply for Numun Fund SGS 3.0

The application process has two main stages.

Step 1: Complete the Simple Eligibility Check

Applicants must first complete the SGS 3.0 Simple Eligibility Check.

The eligibility form asks about:

• The region where the applicant’s work is primarily based;
• Whether the group is part of an Indigenous, refugee or migrant community;
• Whether women hold the majority of leadership and decision-making roles;
• Whether information and communications technology or science is central to the activism;
• Whether gender and sexuality are central to the group’s analysis of power;
• Whether the primary strategy is social change;
• Whether the proposed work is new, expanding or part of an established core strategy; and
• The applicant’s likely Seed, Grow or Sustain level.

Only one submission of the eligibility check is permitted. Applicants should therefore discuss their responses internally and verify their information before submitting it.

If the assessment confirms eligibility, the applicant will be redirected to the full application form and given a recommended funding level.

Applicants should immediately save the full application form or its link after completing the eligibility check.

Step 2: Prepare the Full Application

The full application asks applicants to describe:

• Their activism;
• Their existing work;
• Their communities and relationships;
• Their approach to feminist technology;
• Their organising history;
• The change they seek to create; and
• Their vision for the future.

The application can be downloaded in plain-text format. This allows applicants with limited internet connectivity to work offline and supports people using screen readers.

Groups can draft their responses collectively before returning to the online form. Applicants do not need to create an account on a separate platform to submit the application.

The official SGS 3.0 application pack should be reviewed before submission.

Application Deadline

The final deadline is:

Sunday, 6 September 2026 at 23:59 Anywhere on Earth, UTC−12.

This deadline is equivalent to:

Monday, 7 September 2026 at 4:59 p.m. Pakistan Standard Time.

Applicants should not interpret the date only according to their local midnight. The Anywhere on Earth deadline is the controlling deadline published by Numun Fund.

Early submission is strongly recommended because applicants must complete the eligibility check before accessing the full application.

Selection Process and Timeline

The SGS 3.0 grantmaking process has been informed by the Grantmaking Design Circle, an advisory group comprising activists and practitioners from feminist technology, human rights, women’s funds, intersectional feminism and social-justice movements.

The selection process will also involve a community-led selection committee. This committee includes members of the Grantmaking Design Circle, organisations previously supported by Numun Fund, Numun Fund collaborators and activists from priority regions and movements.

The expected timeline is:

August 2026

• Applications are open through the online form.
• Multilingual question-and-answer webinars will be held.
• Applicants can complete the eligibility assessment and full application.

September 2026

• Applications will be screened by the Numun Fund team.
• Applications that align with the published eligibility and priority criteria will be longlisted.

October–November 2026

• Longlisted applications will be reviewed by the community-led selection committee.
• Selection will be guided by the programme’s priorities and feminist technology criteria.

December 2026

• References and recommendations will be requested.
• Due-diligence procedures will be undertaken.
• Numun Fund may contact the applicant’s communities, partners or wider “constellation” as part of due diligence.

January 2027

• Application-status notifications are expected to be issued.

Applicants should ensure that their named references, community partners and relevant collaborators understand the application and can credibly discuss the group’s work if contacted.

Application Language and Accessibility

English is currently the primary working language for the call and application process.

Numun Fund recognises that many applicants will not speak English as their first language. Applications will be read with this understanding, and applicants should prioritise clarity and authenticity rather than attempting to use unnecessarily complicated language.

The fund does not currently have the capacity to provide complete multilingual support throughout every stage of application, communication, review and due diligence.

However, it may provide limited support through:

• Translation tools such as DeepL;
• Interpretation during selected webinars;
• Arabic interpretation;
• French interpretation;
• Hindi interpretation;
• Mandarin interpretation;
• Portuguese interpretation;
• Spanish interpretation; and
• Other languages where interpreters can be arranged.

The downloadable plain-text application also supports screen readers and applicants with limited internet connectivity.

SGS 3.0 Information Webinars

Numun Fund has announced the following public online sessions:

• Wednesday, 19 August 2026, from 09:00 to 10:00 UTC, in English, with Portuguese, Hindi, French and Mandarin interpretation;
• Thursday, 20 August 2026, from 09:00 to 10:00 UTC, in Arabic, with English interpretation; and
• Thursday, 20 August 2026, from 14:00 to 15:00 UTC, in Spanish, with Portuguese, French and English interpretation.

Registration links are available through the official SGS 3.0 page.

The webinars will be treated as public spaces. Other participants may be able to see a person’s Zoom display name and profile photograph, and sessions may be recorded for internal documentation. Participants with security or privacy concerns should use a non-identifying display name and photograph.

SGS 3.0 Signal Question-and-Answer Group

A public SGS 3.0 Signal group will receive questions from Monday, 24 August to Wednesday, 26 August 2026.

The Signal session will be conducted in English. Participants should be aware that their display name and profile photograph may be visible to other members of the public group. Anyone who does not want to be identified should adjust their Signal profile before joining.

The official Signal-group link is available from the SGS 3.0 programme page.

How to Prepare a Strong SGS 3.0 Application

The following recommendations are based on the published eligibility criteria and are not additional official requirements.

1. Complete an internal eligibility review first

Because the eligibility check can only be submitted once, applicants should review every question collectively before entering their final responses.

2. Demonstrate that technology is central

Do not describe technology only as a communication tool used by the organisation. Explain how technology itself is connected to the power, rights, safety or social-justice issue being addressed.

3. Explain the feminist analysis clearly

Show how gender and sexuality influence the problem, who holds power and how the proposed work seeks to change that situation.

4. Provide evidence of community leadership

Identify who leads the group, who makes decisions and how affected communities determine the initiative’s priorities and strategies.

5. Select the correct funding level

An emerging initiative should not claim to be a movement anchor merely to request a larger amount. The requested level should correspond to the group’s experience, existing work and intended strategy.

6. Describe relationships, not only activities

Since the fund focuses on movement organising, applicants should explain their relationships with communities, activists, networks and partner organisations.

7. Prepare for due diligence

Discuss the application with references and community partners in advance. The selection process may involve direct engagement with the applicant’s wider community and organisational network.

8. Use clear and accessible English

Perfect English is not required. Applicants should use direct language, provide contextual explanations and avoid jargon that may obscure the importance of their work.

9. Submit before the deadline

Completing the eligibility check does not constitute a full application. Applicants must obtain, complete and submit the full application form before the deadline.

Where to Get Additional Support

Applicants should first review the official programme page, application pack and frequently asked questions.

Specific questions may be sent to grants@numun.fund using the subject line:

SGS 3.0: Question

Because Numun Fund operates with a small team, applicants should allow sufficient time for a response and should not wait until the final days before the deadline.

Conclusion

The Numun Fund Seed, Grow and Sustain 3.0 programme offers an important multi-year funding opportunity for women-led feminist technology groups across the Larger Majority World.

With a total allocation of USD 1.75 million and individual funding ranging from USD 10,000 to USD 100,000, the programme can support initiatives at different stages—from emerging collectives developing their first feminist technology strategies to established organisations sustaining local and regional movements.

The programme is not intended for individual applicants, conventional commercial technology providers or projects disconnected from feminist and social-justice movements. Strong applications will demonstrate collective leadership, community accountability, a clear feminist analysis of power and a meaningful connection between technology and social change.

Eligible groups should complete the one-time eligibility assessment carefully, select the funding level that accurately reflects their stage of organising and submit the full application by Sunday, 6 September 2026 at 23:59 Anywhere on Earth.

For more global opportunities, click HERE.