The Equality Fund has opened applications for its CONNECT funding stream, a major grant opportunity designed to strengthen collaboration among feminist, women’s rights, gender-expansive, and allied social justice movements around the world.

Through the 2026 CONNECT Expression of Interest (EoI), selected collaborations can receive between CAD $500,000 and CAD $1 million per year for an initial period of two years, with the possibility of additional years of support. The Equality Fund expects to distribute approximately CAD $4 million per year through this funding round and anticipates supporting between five and seven collaborations.

The CONNECT funding stream is particularly focused on organizations and movements that recognize that many of today’s challenges cannot be addressed by individual organizations or movements working independently. Instead, it seeks to support cross-movement relationships, shared strategies, trust, infrastructure, and collective capacity that can enable movements to work together toward gender equality, social justice, democracy, human rights, and broader systems change.

The Expression of Interest application period runs from August 31 to September 16, 2026, closing at 17:00 EDT (UTC-4).

Opportunity at a Glance

Detail	Information
Opportunity	Equality Fund CONNECT Funding Stream
Opportunity Type	Grant
Application Stage	Expression of Interest (EoI)
Grant Size	CAD $500,000–CAD $1,000,000 per year
Total Funding	Approximately CAD $4 million per year
Expected Number of Grants	5–7 collaborations
Initial Grant Duration	Two years
Potential Extension	Additional years may be possible
Expected Grant Start Date	February 1, 2027
EoI Opens	August 31, 2026
EoI Deadline	September 16, 2026
Closing Time	17:00 EDT (UTC-4)
Application Method	Equality Fund Community Portal
Languages	English, French, or Spanish
Priority	Collaborations with lead organizations based in the Global South or East

What Is the Equality Fund?

The Equality Fund is a global initiative focused on sustainably resourcing women’s rights organizations and feminist movements. Its work combines global grantmaking, gender-lens investing, policy advocacy, and feminist philanthropy to move resources toward people-powered movements, particularly across the Global South.

The organization was launched in 2019 and, according to the CONNECT guidelines, has since disbursed more than $125 million to over 1,800 organizations across more than 100 countries.

The Equality Fund works with governments, foundations, philanthropic organizations, feminist funds, grassroots organizations, and social movements to strengthen efforts toward gender equality and social transformation.

Its funding approach recognizes that organizations working directly within communities often have important knowledge about the problems affecting them and are therefore well positioned to develop locally relevant solutions.

The Equality Fund currently operates four major funding programs:

1. Catalyze – Provides resources to individual women’s rights and feminist organizations.
2. Activate – Provides resources to Feminist Funds.
3. Prepare, Respond & Care – Supports women’s rights and feminist organizations working in difficult crisis environments, including political, humanitarian, conflict, and post-conflict contexts.
4. CONNECT – Supports relationships, infrastructure, collaboration, and collective capacity that enable feminist and allied movements to build power together.

The CONNECT opportunity therefore represents a distinct approach to movement funding because it focuses not only on individual organizations but also on the relationships and infrastructure connecting different movements.

What Is the Equality Fund CONNECT Grant?

CONNECT is a pilot funding stream created to support collaborations between feminist movements and allied movements that want to work together toward shared goals.

The program is based on the idea that many of the major challenges facing communities today are interconnected.

Issues involving:

• Gender equality
• Human rights
• Democracy
• Social justice
• Political participation
• Economic inequality
• Discrimination
• Gender-based oppression
• Anti-rights movements
• Authoritarianism
• Social exclusion

often overlap and cannot be effectively addressed through isolated interventions.

The Equality Fund therefore wants to support collaborations that can bring together different actors and movements that may not have historically worked together but now recognize the value of building a common strategy.

CONNECT seeks to strengthen the relationships, trust, infrastructure, shared strategy, and collective capacity needed for such collaboration.

Why Was CONNECT Created?

According to the Equality Fund, anti-rights, anti-democracy, anti-gender, and authoritarian movements have become increasingly coordinated.

These developments affect multiple communities, issues, and movements simultaneously.

At the same time, philanthropic funding is often organized into separate thematic categories. While thematic funding can be useful, it can also create silos in which organizations working on related problems have limited opportunities to collaborate.

CONNECT attempts to address this problem by investing in cross-movement collaboration.

The underlying idea is that movements can achieve more when they understand their shared challenges and develop coordinated responses.

For example, a feminist organization may work primarily on gender equality while another organization focuses on democracy, human rights, environmental justice, racial justice, youth rights, or economic justice. CONNECT creates space for such movements to identify common interests and develop equitable ways of working together.

What Does CONNECT Aim to Fund?

CONNECT is intended to support the infrastructure that makes collective action possible.

This can include strengthening:

• Relationships between movements
• Trust between organizations
• Shared strategies
• Collaborative structures
• Movement infrastructure
• Collective leadership
• Cross-movement networks
• Joint advocacy capacity
• Organizational collaboration
• Communication and coordination
• Collective learning
• Shared approaches to addressing common threats

The emphasis is therefore not simply on funding individual projects in isolation.

Instead, CONNECT is interested in how movements work together and what they need to build stronger collective power.

The Equality Fund describes this as an investment in the infrastructure of collective action.

How Much Funding Is Available?

The CONNECT funding round has a significant funding envelope.

The Equality Fund expects to distribute approximately:

CAD $4 million per year

to approximately:

Five to seven collaborations.

Each successful collaboration may receive:

CAD $500,000 to CAD $1 million per year.

The precise grant amount will depend on factors including:

• The nature of the proposed collaboration
• The scope of the proposed work
• The needs identified by the collaboration
• The proposal itself
• The financial management experience of the organization managing the grant

This means applicants should not simply focus on requesting the maximum amount. The proposed budget should be connected to the actual needs and activities of the collaboration.

How Long Will the CONNECT Grants Last?

CONNECT grants will initially run for two years.

The expected start date for the grants is: February 1, 2027.

The guidelines also indicate that there may be potential for additional years of funding, although continued funding should not be assumed as automatic.

Applicants should therefore develop realistic strategies that demonstrate how the requested funding can contribute to meaningful and sustainable collective capacity.

Who Can Apply for the Equality Fund CONNECT Grant?

CONNECT is designed for collaborations, rather than individual applicants.

The Equality Fund is looking for collaborations that bring together:

• Feminist actors
• Women’s rights organizations
• Gender-expansive movements
• Allied social justice movements
• Other organizations or groups that can contribute to shared movement goals

The collaboration should demonstrate why working together is important and how the participating actors can collectively address challenges that individual movements may not be able to tackle alone.

Importantly, the Equality Fund recognizes that collaborations can take different forms.

There is no single model of collaboration that applicants must follow.

Different collaborations may have different:

• Structures
• Relationships
• Leadership models
• Geographical arrangements
• Movement partners
• Shared objectives
• Organizational roles

The application therefore uses open-ended questions intended to allow movement actors to explain what matters most in their particular context.

Who Is Not Eligible to Receive CONNECT Funding?

The guidelines clearly identify several categories that cannot receive funding.

The following are not eligible for funding:

• Political parties
• Government bodies
• For-profit organizations
• Individuals

These entities may nevertheless participate in or engage with activities associated with a collaboration on their own accord, but they cannot be the funded applicant organization.

This distinction is important for collaborations that involve multiple stakeholders.

A collaboration may work with government institutions, political actors, private-sector organizations, or individuals where appropriate, but the grant itself must be managed through eligible lead organization(s).

Lead Organization Requirements

For operational purposes, a CONNECT collaboration must have either:

Option 1: One Lead Organization

A single organization can serve as both:

• Programmatic Lead
• Financial Lead

This organization would assume both the programmatic and financial responsibilities associated with the grant.

Option 2: Two Separate Lead Organizations

A collaboration may instead identify:

• A Programmatic Lead, and
• A Financial Lead

In this arrangement, responsibilities are divided between the two organizations.

Responsibilities of the Programmatic Lead

The Programmatic Lead is responsible for:

• Submitting the application
• Signing the grant agreement alongside the Financial Lead
• Submitting financial and narrative reports on behalf of the collaboration

Responsibilities of the Financial Lead

The Financial Lead is responsible for:

• Signing the grant agreement alongside the Programmatic Lead
• Receiving and distributing funds
• Ensuring proper financial management
• Completing financial reporting
• Sharing financial reports with the Programmatic Lead

The Equality Fund states that it will prioritize collaborations whose lead organization is based in the Global South or East.

This is therefore an important consideration for organizations planning their application structure.

Eligibility Requirements for the Programmatic Lead

The Programmatic Lead must satisfy a number of requirements.

The organization must be primarily:

• Governed by local women, youth, girls, and/or non-binary people from the Global South and East
• Led and directed by people from these communities

Women, youth, girls, and/or non-binary people must also constitute a majority of the organization’s leadership and board or coordinating committee.

In addition, the organization’s primary mission must involve the promotion of the rights of:

• Women
• Youth
• Girls
• Non-binary people

This work must be central to the organization’s mission rather than simply being one component of a broader portfolio.

Feminist and Women’s Rights Focus

The Programmatic Lead must work from a feminist and/or women’s rights perspective and pursue structural change concerning issues affecting women, youth, girls, and/or non-binary people.

The organization should also demonstrate a commitment to:

• Feminist movement building
• Collaboration
• Women’s rights
• Gender equality
• Gender-expansive movements
• Intersectional approaches
• Structural change

The organization should be willing to collaborate with other:

• Women-led organizations
• Youth organizations
• Gender-expansive organizations
• Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) organizations
• Feminist organizations
• Allied social justice movements

Geographic Eligibility

The Programmatic Lead must be registered or operate in an ODA-eligible country, with the exception of Afghanistan.

The Equality Fund explains that much of its funding comes from bilateral donors whose funding requirements include restrictions concerning Official Development Assistance (ODA)-eligible countries.

As a result, the majority of resources supported through these funds must be invested in ODA-eligible countries.

There is a limited consideration for organizations led by diaspora women or gender-expansive people that are headquartered in a non-ODA-eligible country but work exclusively in an ODA-eligible country.

However, applicants in this situation should carefully review the official guidelines and assess whether their specific structure meets the requirements.

Important Afghanistan Restriction

Organizations in Afghanistan should note that the Equality Fund currently cannot provide CONNECT grants in Afghanistan because of Canadian sanctions and laws relating to financing terrorism.

The Equality Fund states that it continues to advocate with the Canadian government regarding the importance of supporting work outside strictly humanitarian assistance.

Language Requirements

The Programmatic Lead must have the ability to complete:

• Proposal documents
• Narrative reports
• Financial reports

in one of the following languages:

• English
• French
• Spanish

The organization must also be able to communicate verbally in at least one of these languages.

This means applicants do not necessarily need to operate primarily in English, provided they can meet the required communication and documentation requirements in English, French, or Spanish.

Requirements for the Financial Lead

The Financial Lead has a different set of eligibility requirements.

The organization must:

1. Have valid legal registration.
2. Have externally audited financial reports for the previous two fiscal years.
3. Have managed annual expenditure of at least CAD $325,000 in one of the previous two fiscal years.
4. Have the capacity to ensure that participating organizations can receive, manage, and report on CONNECT funds appropriately.

The financial management requirement is particularly important because CONNECT grants can be substantial.

Applicants should therefore select a Financial Lead capable of responsibly managing the funds and supporting participating organizations with financial reporting and compliance.

Financial Audit Documentation

At the Expression of Interest stage, the Financial Lead will be required to submit externally audited institutional financial reports covering the previous two fiscal years.

These documents are intended to help the Equality Fund verify whether the organization satisfies the financial eligibility requirements.

There is, however, a provision for organizations that do not strictly meet the institutional audit requirement.

If the organization:

• Managed or expended at least CAD $325,000 in one of the previous two fiscal years, and
• Has other audit-related documentation, such as project audits,

the Equality Fund may ask the organization to submit those documents along with a short explanation of why it does not have externally audited institutional financial reports.

This provides some flexibility while still allowing the Equality Fund to assess the organization’s financial management capacity.

Existing Equality Fund Grantees

Current Equality Fund grantee partners may participate in a CONNECT collaboration.

However, an existing Equality Fund grantee partner cannot serve as the lead organization of a CONNECT application.

Importantly, the participation of a current Equality Fund grantee partner will not negatively affect the consideration of the application.

This means existing grantees can potentially contribute to a broader collaborative effort without being the formal lead.

How to Apply for the Equality Fund CONNECT Grant

The CONNECT application process consists of multiple stages.

The Equality Fund has deliberately designed the process to reduce the amount of time organizations spend developing full proposals when they are unlikely to proceed to the next stage.

The process begins with an eligibility assessment.

Step 1: Complete the Eligibility Quiz

Before submitting an Expression of Interest, applicants should complete the Equality Fund’s eligibility quiz through its Community Portal.

The quiz is intended to help applicants determine whether their collaboration meets the basic eligibility requirements.

If the collaboration is eligible, applicants will be directed to the Community Portal login page.

Applicants who do not already have an account can select the “Sign-up” option.

After creating an account, applicants will receive an email containing a link to the Community Portal.

Applicants should bookmark the Community Portal for future access.

Step 2: Submit the Expression of Interest

Eligible collaborations must submit their Expression of Interest between:

August 31 and September 16, 2026

The application closes at:

17:00 EDT (UTC-4)

The EoI must be submitted through the Equality Fund’s Community Portal.

The Expression of Interest is intended to provide the Equality Fund with an understanding of the collaboration, including its:

• Vision
• Mission
• Context
• Work
• Cross-movement relationships
• Commitment to women’s rights
• Approach to gender equality
• Shared goals
• Collaborative work

Applicants should use this stage to communicate the core value of their collaboration rather than attempting to provide an unnecessarily elaborate full proposal.

Expression of Interest Templates

The Equality Fund provides Expression of Interest templates to help applicants prepare their responses.

Templates are available in:

• English
• French
• Spanish

The template can allow members of a collaboration to work together offline before transferring their final responses to the Community Portal.

This may be particularly useful for collaborations involving multiple organizations because it provides an opportunity to discuss and agree on responses before the final online submission.

What Happens After the Expression of Interest?

The CONNECT application process has a second stage known as the Advanced Application.

Only selected collaborations will be invited to proceed to this stage.

The Equality Fund expects to invite up to 18 collaborations to submit Advanced Applications.

These organizations will be asked to provide more detailed information concerning:

• Their context
• Collaborative priorities
• Strategies
• Proposed actions
• Budget
• Organizational documentation
• Financial management
• Partnership arrangements

Supporting documents may include:

• Registration documents
• Financial Management Manual
• Memorandum of Understanding
• Other relevant organizational documentation

The Advanced Application stage will therefore require considerably more detail than the initial Expression of Interest.

Advanced Application Timeline

Organizations shortlisted for the Advanced Application stage are expected to receive invitations by:

November 1, 2026.

Those invited will have:

Four weeks

to complete their Advanced Application.

The Equality Fund emphasizes that only organizations selected to proceed will receive an invitation.

Because of the expected volume of applications, the Equality Fund will not be able to provide individual status updates regarding Expression of Interest applications.

Reference and Endorsement Checks

The Advanced Application stage will also include reference and endorsement checks.

These checks may involve organizations, allies, and funders that have previously worked with the applicant.

This means organizations should ensure that their previous partnerships and relationships accurately reflect their organizational experience and credibility.

Applicants should also make sure that relevant partners and allies understand the collaboration and are prepared to confirm their relationship if contacted.

Final Grant Selection

Following the selection process, the Equality Fund expects to award approximately:

5–7 CONNECT grants.

Successful grants are expected to begin on:

February 1, 2027.

Given that up to 18 collaborations may be invited to submit Advanced Applications but only five to seven grants are expected to be awarded, applicants should recognize that advancing to the second stage will not guarantee funding.

How Will Applications Be Selected?

The Equality Fund uses a participatory selection process.

The selection of successful Expressions of Interest and Advanced Applications will be guided by a participatory advisory model.

The process will involve perspectives from:

• Activists
• Regional women’s funds
• Professionals
• Community representatives
• People with expertise in movement infrastructure

The objective is to ensure that funding decisions are informed by the realities, priorities, knowledge, and experiences of movements and communities.

This is consistent with the Equality Fund’s broader approach to trust-based and participatory grantmaking.

What Does Cross-Movement Collaboration Mean?

Cross-movement collaboration is central to CONNECT.

The concept involves building relationships with movements beyond traditional feminist circles so that different groups can create a united response to common challenges.

Rather than organizations working independently on separate issues, cross-movement collaboration encourages them to identify areas where their goals overlap.

For example, organizations working on gender equality may collaborate with movements focused on:

• Democracy
• Human rights
• Economic justice
• Youth empowerment
• Racial justice
• Indigenous rights
• Environmental justice
• Disability rights
• Social justice
• Political participation

The exact combination will depend on the context of each collaboration.

The important consideration is whether the organizations can demonstrate a meaningful shared purpose and a reason for working collectively.

What Is Movement Infrastructure?

Movement infrastructure refers broadly to the resources, people, skills, relationships, and systems that support an entire movement ecosystem.

This may involve:

• Organizations
• Networks
• Leaders
• Knowledge
• Skills
• Relationships
• Communication structures
• Collaborative platforms
• Shared resources
• Collective strategies

CONNECT recognizes that strong movements require more than individual organizations.

They also require strong relationships between organizations and communities.

Equality Fund’s Approach to Grantmaking

CONNECT is based on feminist, intersectional, trust-based, participatory, and non-extractive grantmaking principles.

The Equality Fund aims to build partnerships that extend beyond simply providing financial resources.

Its approach may include:

• Accompaniment
• Learning
• Exchanges
• Joint strategies
• Collective advocacy
• Resource mobilization
• Movement strengthening

The intention is to develop longer-term relationships with grantee partners rather than treating funding as a purely transactional arrangement.

Guidance on Using Artificial Intelligence in the Application

The Equality Fund explicitly addresses the use of artificial intelligence in the application process.

Applicants may use AI as a supportive tool, but the organization wants to see the applicant’s actual experiences, ideas, thinking, and understanding of its context.

The Equality Fund recommends that applicants:

1. Write their first draft themselves.
2. Use AI to refine ideas or polish communication if desired.
3. Ensure the final responses genuinely represent their own experience and thinking.

Applications will not be assessed primarily on writing quality.

Instead, the Equality Fund is interested in:

• Quality of ideas
• Strength of collaboration
• Understanding of context
• Movement experience
• Shared goals
• Proposed approach

Applicants whose first language is not English, French, or Spanish may also use AI for translation purposes.

This is an important distinction: AI can help improve clarity and language, but applicants should avoid submitting generic, AI-generated narratives that do not accurately reflect their organization’s actual work.

Sanctions Screening and Due Diligence

Organizations invited to the Advanced Application stage will undergo sanctions screening as part of the Equality Fund’s due-diligence process.

The Equality Fund uses software known as Sanctions.io for this purpose.

Screening may cover:

• The organization
• Key organizational contacts
• Grant agreement signatories
• Fiscal sponsor contacts, where applicable
• Senior management contacts, where necessary

The purpose is to safeguard against exposure to:

• Terrorism
• Human rights abuses
• Money laundering
• Fraud
• Other criminal activity

The Equality Fund notes that credible sanctions-screening flags are rare.

If a credible match is identified, the organization may be asked to provide identification documentation for the relevant individual so that the Equality Fund can determine whether the match is genuine.

Important Deadline for the CONNECT Grant

Organizations interested in this opportunity should pay close attention to the application deadline.

Expression of Interest Deadline

September 16, 2026 at 17:00 EDT (UTC-4)

The application period began on August 31, 2026.

Because the deadline is based on Eastern Daylight Time, organizations applying from other parts of the world should convert the closing time to their local time zone well in advance.

Applicants should also avoid waiting until the final hours to complete their submission, particularly where multiple organizations are involved in preparing a collaborative application.

Recommended Preparation Strategy for Applicants

Organizations considering applying should begin by examining their collaboration against the eligibility requirements.

1. Confirm that the collaboration is genuinely cross-movement

The application should demonstrate why different movements need to work together.

Applicants should avoid presenting a conventional single-organization project if the collaboration does not genuinely involve cross-movement work.

2. Identify the correct lead structure

Determine whether the collaboration will use:

• One organization as both Programmatic and Financial Lead, or
• Separate Programmatic and Financial Leads.

3. Verify Programmatic Lead eligibility

Review requirements concerning:

• Leadership
• Governance
• Mission
• Feminist perspective
• Women’s rights
• Movement building
• Geographic eligibility
• Language capacity

4. Verify Financial Lead eligibility

Check:

• Legal registration
• Audited financial reports
• Annual expenditure
• Financial management systems
• Ability to manage and report on grant funds

5. Gather financial documentation early

Because externally audited reports may be required, organizations should not wait until the deadline to locate financial documents.

6. Complete the eligibility quiz

The eligibility quiz should be completed before investing significant time in the EoI.

7. Develop the application collaboratively

Since CONNECT is designed around collaboration, participating organizations should have an opportunity to discuss and agree on the application’s key messages.

8. Keep the application authentic

The Equality Fund wants to understand the actual collaboration, its context, and the thinking of the people involved.

Applicants should therefore prioritize authentic experiences and concrete examples over generic development-sector language.

9. Use AI carefully

AI can be used to improve clarity, grammar, structure, or translation, but the core ideas should come from the applicant.

10. Submit before the deadline

Do not leave the submission until September 16, 2026, especially if several organizations need to approve the final application.

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Why the CONNECT Grant Could Be Significant for Feminist Movements

The CONNECT grant represents a different approach to movement funding because it focuses on the connections between movements.

Many organizations possess significant expertise within their own areas of work, but they may lack the resources, infrastructure, or relationships needed to coordinate effectively with other movements.

By supporting collaboration, CONNECT aims to help movements develop stronger collective responses to interconnected challenges.

The potential funding level is also significant. With grants ranging from CAD $500,000 to CAD $1 million per year, selected collaborations could have substantial resources to strengthen their collective infrastructure over the initial two-year grant period.

However, the program is highly competitive, with only approximately five to seven collaborations expected to receive grants.

Applicants should therefore focus on demonstrating a compelling reason why their collaboration is necessary, what shared challenge they are addressing, and how their collective work can strengthen broader movement power.

Visit HERE to learn more about the Equality Fund CONNECT Grant 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Equality Fund CONNECT Grant

What is the Equality Fund CONNECT opportunity?

CONNECT is a grantmaking stream of the Equality Fund that supports collaborations between feminist and allied movements working together toward shared goals related to gender equality, social justice, and broader systems change.

How much funding can a successful applicant receive?

Selected collaborations can receive between CAD $500,000 and CAD $1 million per year, depending on the proposal and the financial management experience of the organization responsible for managing the grant.

How many collaborations will receive funding?

The Equality Fund expects to award approximately five to seven grants in this funding round.

How long is the grant?

The initial grant period is two years, with the possibility of additional years.

When are grants expected to begin?

The expected grant start date is February 1, 2027.

Can an individual apply?

No. Individuals are not eligible to receive CONNECT funding.

Can a government organization apply?

No. Government bodies are not eligible to receive the funding.

Can a political party apply?

No. Political parties are not eligible for CONNECT funding.

Can a for-profit company apply?

No. For-profit organizations are not eligible for funding.

Can different organizations apply together?

Yes. CONNECT is specifically designed to support collaborations involving feminist actors and allied movements.

Can an existing Equality Fund grantee participate?

Yes. Existing Equality Fund grantee partners can participate in a collaboration, but they cannot serve as the lead organization for a CONNECT application.

Is there a geographic restriction?

Yes. The Programmatic Lead generally needs to be registered or operating in an ODA-eligible country, with Afghanistan excluded under the current restrictions.

Are organizations in the Global South prioritized?

Yes. The Equality Fund states that it will prioritize collaborations whose lead organization is based in the Global South or East.

What languages can applicants use?

The required application and reporting work can be completed in English, French, or Spanish, and the Programmatic Lead must be able to communicate verbally in one of these languages.

Can applicants use artificial intelligence?

Yes, but with limitations. The Equality Fund recommends that applicants write their own first draft and use AI primarily to refine ideas, improve communication, or translate content. The application should reflect the organization’s real experiences and ideas.

What is the first step in applying?

Eligible organizations should first complete the Equality Fund’s Eligibility Quiz through the Community Portal before submitting an Expression of Interest.

Equality Fund CONNECT Grant 2026: Key Takeaways

The CONNECT funding stream is particularly relevant to organizations and movements that recognize the importance of working beyond traditional organizational or thematic boundaries.

The most important points to remember are:

• It is a grant opportunity, not an individual scholarship or fellowship.
• It is designed for collaborations, rather than individual applicants.
• Approximately CAD $4 million per year will be distributed.
• Individual grants can range from CAD $500,000 to CAD $1 million per year.
• Grants will initially last two years.
• The expected grant start date is February 1, 2027.
• Approximately five to seven collaborations are expected to receive grants.
• Up to 18 collaborations may be invited to the Advanced Application stage.
• Political parties, government bodies, for-profit organizations, and individuals cannot receive funding.
• The Programmatic Lead must meet specific feminist, leadership, governance, mission, geographic, and language requirements.
• The Financial Lead must meet specific legal and financial-management requirements.
• The Equality Fund will prioritize lead organizations based in the Global South or East.
• Applicants must first complete an eligibility quiz.
• The Expression of Interest deadline is September 16, 2026 at 17:00 EDT (UTC-4).
• The application process has two principal stages: Expression of Interest and Advanced Application.
• AI may be used for refinement and translation, but applicants are expected to provide their own ideas and experiences.
• Successful applications will be assessed through a participatory selection process involving diverse movement and community perspectives.

Conclusion

The Equality Fund CONNECT Grant 2026 provides a major funding opportunity for feminist organizations, women’s rights movements, gender-expansive actors, and allied social justice movements seeking to strengthen collective action.

Rather than focusing exclusively on individual organizations or isolated projects, CONNECT seeks to invest in the relationships, trust, infrastructure, shared strategies, and collective capacity that allow different movements to work together effectively.

With potential funding of CAD $500,000 to CAD $1 million per year, an initial two-year grant period, and approximately CAD $4 million in annual funding available, the opportunity could provide significant support to eligible collaborations working toward gender equality and social justice.

However, the opportunity is highly competitive and has strict eligibility requirements. Potential applicants should carefully assess their collaboration, confirm the eligibility of their Programmatic and Financial Leads, complete the Equality Fund’s eligibility quiz, prepare their Expression of Interest collaboratively, and ensure that their submission accurately reflects their real experience and shared goals.

Organizations that meet the requirements should take particular note of the September 16, 2026 deadline at 17:00 EDT (UTC-4) and begin the application process as early as possible.

For more global Grant opportunity visit OFY HERE