COMO Foundation Grant Support 2026: Funding Opportunity for Nonprofits Empowering Women and Girls

The COMO Foundation Grant Support and Partnership Opportunity is designed for established nonprofit organisations that are deeply connected to the communities they serve and are working to address the underlying causes of gender inequity. Rather than focusing only on short-term interventions, COMO Foundation seeks partners whose programmes can contribute to the social, cultural and economic development of women and girls.

Nonprofit and charitable organisations working to improve the lives of women and girls can explore partnership and grant support opportunities through the COMO Foundation, a philanthropic organisation focused on creating tangible, measurable and lasting change.

Importantly, this is not presented as a grant programme with one annual application deadline. COMO Foundation accepts proposals throughout the year, allowing eligible organisations to submit an enquiry when they are ready to explore potential support.

Organisations considering an application should carefully assess their alignment with the Foundation’s approach before submitting an enquiry. COMO Foundation is particularly interested in organisations that are grounded in their communities, focused on women and girls, thoughtful about addressing root causes, committed to measuring meaningful outcomes, and ready for organisational or programme growth.

About COMO Foundation

COMO Foundation is part of the wider COMO Group and works with nonprofit partners that share its commitment to making a tangible and measurable difference.

Its partnership model places considerable importance on identifying organisations that have strong foundations already in place and the potential to increase their impact.

The Foundation does not simply describe its desired partners according to a particular type of programme. Instead, it identifies several organisational characteristics that prospective partners should demonstrate.

These characteristics include being:

• Grounded in the communities where they operate;
• Focused on advancing women and girls;
• Considered in how they identify and address the root causes of gender inequity; and
• Ready to grow, with appropriate programming and organisational fundamentals already established.

For nonprofit organisations whose missions align with these priorities, becoming a COMO Foundation partner could provide an opportunity to build a relationship with a foundation specifically interested in sustainable and measurable impact.

What Is the COMO Foundation Grant Support Opportunity?

COMO Foundation is continually interested in identifying potential new partners and welcomes enquiries concerning its work, partnerships and collaborations.

Prospective organisations can submit an enquiry through the Foundation’s online enquiry process after reviewing its approach and determining whether their organisation aligns with the characteristics COMO Foundation seeks.

The Foundation states that it accepts proposals throughout the year.

This rolling approach is particularly important for prospective applicants because organisations do not have to prepare around a single published annual deadline. Instead, eligible nonprofits can assess their organisational readiness, programme strategy and alignment with COMO Foundation before making an enquiry.

However, the year-round application process should not be interpreted as meaning that every nonprofit organisation is automatically suitable for support. COMO Foundation provides a relatively clear picture of the types of organisations it seeks to partner with.

What Types of Organisations Does COMO Foundation Support?

COMO Foundation describes four major characteristics shared by its partners: Grounded, Focused, Considered and Ready to Grow.

Prospective organisations should examine each characteristic carefully before submitting an enquiry.

1. Organisations Must Be Grounded in Their Communities

COMO Foundation seeks organisations that are genuinely connected to the communities in which they operate.

Its partners are expected to be part of the communities where they work rather than organisations operating without meaningful local roots.

Prospective partners should also have registered not-for-profit charitable status in the countries where they operate.

This means that organisational legitimacy and local presence are important aspects of the Foundation’s partnership approach.

An organisation considering an enquiry should therefore be prepared to demonstrate that it:

• Has recognised nonprofit or charitable status;
• Is appropriately registered in the country where it works;
• Has a meaningful presence in the community it serves; and
• Understands the local circumstances surrounding the challenges its programmes are designed to address.

This community-based approach can help organisations develop programmes informed by local realities, relationships and needs.

2. Organisations Must Focus on Women and Girls

The central thematic focus of COMO Foundation’s partnerships is the advancement of women and girls.

While partner organisations may use different strategies and programme models, the Foundation says they share a singular focus on developing women and girls:

• Socially;
• Culturally; and
• Economically.

This means prospective partners may differ considerably in how they pursue change, but their work should clearly contribute to improved opportunities, circumstances or outcomes for women and girls.

The enquiry form also asks organisations to identify their lead organisational focus. This indicates that prospective applicants should be able to clearly explain the principal area in which they work and how that work connects with their broader mission and vision.

3. Organisations Should Address the Root Causes of Gender Inequity

COMO Foundation is interested in more than programmes responding only to the immediate effects of inequality.

Its partners are expected to tackle the root causes of gender inequity.

This is an important consideration for organisations deciding whether they are a suitable fit.

Applicants should therefore consider whether their programmes address the deeper social, cultural, institutional or economic factors contributing to unequal outcomes for women and girls.

The Foundation also expects its partners to operate with a clear theory of change.

A theory of change generally explains how an organisation expects its activities and interventions to contribute to specific short-, medium- and long-term outcomes. It connects the problem an organisation is addressing with the activities it undertakes and the changes it ultimately seeks to achieve.

For prospective COMO Foundation partners, having a clear theory of change can demonstrate that the organisation understands:

1. The underlying challenge it seeks to address;
2. The factors contributing to that challenge;
3. The interventions required to create change;
4. The outcomes those interventions are intended to generate; and
5. How progress and impact can be assessed.

4. Organisations Should Measure Meaningful Results

Measurement is another important feature of COMO Foundation’s approach.

The Foundation says its partners measure the metrics that matter and review their work regularly.

Prospective applicants should therefore be able to demonstrate that their programmes are not only well intentioned but also supported by meaningful monitoring, evaluation or impact measurement practices.

Depending on the organisation and its programmes, this could involve tracking relevant programme outputs and outcomes and regularly examining whether activities are contributing to intended objectives.

The emphasis is on meaningful measurement rather than simply collecting data for its own sake.

Organisations should consequently think carefully about questions such as:

• What change is the programme intended to create?
• Which indicators best demonstrate whether that change is happening?
• How frequently are results reviewed?
• How does the organisation use evidence to improve its work?
• Can the organisation explain how its activities contribute to outcomes for women and girls?

An established monitoring and evaluation framework may help demonstrate that an organisation is prepared for a partnership focused on measurable impact.

5. Partners Should Be Ready to Grow

COMO Foundation also looks for growth-oriented organisations.

According to its partnership criteria, prospective partners should already have programming and organisational fundamentals in place.

This indicates that the Foundation’s partnership model is geared toward organisations that have progressed beyond an early idea or purely conceptual stage.

An organisation should therefore consider whether it has the systems, programmes, governance and operational foundations necessary to responsibly pursue further growth.

Typical Operating Budget

COMO Foundation states that its partners’ operating budgets typically range from US$250,000 to US$2 million.

The word “typically” is important because the Foundation presents this as a characteristic of its partners rather than, on the supplied page, an absolute eligibility threshold.

Prospective applicants should accurately disclose their financial information when completing the enquiry form.

The online enquiry form specifically asks applicants to provide their current annual operating costs in US dollars, meaning organisational scale forms part of the information COMO Foundation considers when reviewing potential partners.

Who Can Submit an Enquiry?

Based on COMO Foundation’s published partnership criteria, the opportunity is primarily relevant to registered nonprofit charitable organisations whose work is aligned with advancing women and girls.

Strong prospective partners should generally demonstrate the following characteristics:

• Registered not-for-profit or charitable status in the countries where they operate;
• A genuine connection to the communities in which they work;
• A clear organisational focus on the social, cultural and/or economic development of women and girls;
• Programmes that seek to address the root causes of gender inequity;
• A clear theory of change;
• Appropriate mechanisms for measuring meaningful outcomes;
• Regular programme review and learning;
• Established programming and organisational fundamentals;
• An orientation toward growth; and
• An organisational scale broadly aligned with COMO Foundation’s existing partnership profile.

The Foundation indicates that its partners typically have annual operating budgets ranging from US$250,000 to US$2 million.

What Information Is Required in the COMO Foundation Enquiry Form?

Organisations interested in becoming a COMO Foundation partner can begin the process through its online enquiry form.

Applicants should be prepared to provide substantial information about their organisation.

Organisation Details

The enquiry form requests information including:

• Organisation name;
• Current annual operating costs in US dollars;
• Country of registration;
• Year of registration;
• Organisation type;
• Lead organisational focus;
• Website address;
• Street address;
• City;
• ZIP or postal information, where applicable;
• Geographical focus of the organisation;
• Organisational vision; and
• Organisational mission.

These questions allow COMO Foundation to understand the applicant’s legal status, organisational maturity, geographical reach, scale and overall purpose.

Contact Information

Applicants must also provide information for an organisational contact person, including:

• Salutation;
• Designation;
• First name;
• Last name;
• Contact number;
• Skype ID, where applicable; and
• Email address.

Organisations should ideally ensure that the contact person submitting the enquiry is sufficiently familiar with the organisation’s programmes, strategy and funding needs to respond to potential follow-up questions.

Description of Requested Support

One of the most important parts of the enquiry is the brief description of requested support.

Organisations should use this section to communicate clearly what support they are seeking and why it is relevant to their work.

Although applicants should follow any instructions or length restrictions displayed on the live form, a strong description should generally be specific enough for the Foundation to understand:

• What the organisation wants to achieve;
• What challenge or need the requested support would address;
• How the request connects to the organisation’s existing work;
• How women and girls would benefit;
• How the proposed work relates to the root causes of gender inequity; and
• Why the organisation believes there is potential alignment with COMO Foundation.

Applicants should avoid vague descriptions that do not clearly establish the connection between their organisation, requested support and the Foundation’s partnership priorities.

Organisations Must Explain How They Heard About COMO Foundation

The enquiry form also asks prospective partners to explain how they learned about COMO Foundation.

One example presented on the form is a referral from another funder.

Applicants should select or provide the response that accurately reflects how they discovered the Foundation.

Privacy Policy Agreement

Before submitting the enquiry, applicants are required to agree that, by submitting the form, they abide by the privacy policy of the COMO Group.

Organisations should review the applicable privacy statement before providing organisational or personal contact information.

How to Apply for COMO Foundation Grant Support

The initial process for exploring a partnership with COMO Foundation is relatively straightforward, but organisations should prepare carefully before submitting their enquiry.

Step 1: Review COMO Foundation’s Approach

Before completing the enquiry form, prospective partners should review the Foundation’s approach and partnership criteria.

The Foundation itself encourages organisations to review its approach before directing questions through the enquiry form.

Step 2: Assess Your Organisation’s Alignment

Organisations should determine whether they meaningfully correspond with the four characteristics COMO Foundation identifies in its partners:

1. Grounded – locally connected and appropriately registered;
2. Focused – committed to developing women and girls socially, culturally and economically;
3. Considered – addressing root causes, operating with a clear theory of change and measuring meaningful results; and
4. Ready to Grow – possessing established programmes and organisational fundamentals and being positioned for growth.

An organisation that cannot clearly demonstrate these qualities should carefully assess whether the opportunity is appropriate before submitting an enquiry.

Step 3: Prepare Organisational Information

Applicants should gather the required organisational details in advance.

This should include registration information, operating costs, geographical focus, mission, vision, organisational type, website and contact details.

Having accurate information prepared can make the enquiry process more efficient.

Step 4: Define the Support You Are Requesting

Before completing the form, organisations should have a clear understanding of what they are requesting from COMO Foundation.

The request should connect directly to the organisation’s existing mission and work and should be explainable within the context of improving outcomes for women and girls.

Step 5: Complete the Online Enquiry Form

Once the organisation has assessed its suitability and prepared the required information, it can submit an enquiry through the official COMO Foundation enquiry form.

Applicants should ensure all required fields are completed accurately before submission.

Step 6: Ensure All Information Is Accurate

Before submitting, review:

• Organisation name and registration information;
• Annual operating costs;
• Contact information;
• Website and address details;
• Mission and vision statements;
• Geographical focus;
• Description of requested support; and
• Privacy policy acknowledgement.

Applicants should rely on the official COMO Foundation website for the most current application instructions and requirements.

Application Deadline for COMO Foundation Grant Support

There is no single published annual deadline for the opportunity described.

COMO Foundation accepts proposals throughout the year.

This means applications or partnership enquiries operate on a rolling basis rather than through one fixed closing date.

Organisations should nevertheless avoid interpreting the absence of a deadline as a reason to submit an incomplete enquiry. A prospective partner should first ensure that its organisational information, proposed request and alignment with the Foundation are clearly articulated.

Why Organisational Readiness Matters

One particularly notable aspect of COMO Foundation’s partnership criteria is its emphasis on organisations being ready to grow.

This suggests that organisational development is relevant alongside programme impact.

An organisation may have a compelling mission, but prospective partners should also consider whether they have sufficient organisational fundamentals to support responsible growth.

Those fundamentals may include established programmes, clear organisational objectives, appropriate systems for measuring results and an ability to regularly review programme performance.

This approach can help ensure that growth does not occur at the expense of programme quality or organisational sustainability.

The Importance of a Clear Theory of Change

COMO Foundation explicitly identifies a clear theory of change as a characteristic of its partners.

For prospective applicants, this should receive careful attention.

An organisation should be able to explain the relationship between the problem it is addressing and the change it wants to achieve.

For example, the organisation should understand:

• The root causes contributing to gender inequity in its operating context;
• The population or communities affected;
• The interventions it has chosen;
• Why those interventions are appropriate;
• The immediate and longer-term outcomes it expects;
• How it will determine whether progress is being made; and
• How learning will influence future programme decisions.

The stronger and clearer this relationship is, the easier it becomes to demonstrate that the organisation’s activities are intentionally designed around measurable change.

Focus on Sustainable Change for Women and Girls

At the heart of COMO Foundation’s partnership approach is the social, cultural and economic development of women and girls.

The Foundation’s focus on root causes means prospective partners should be able to look beyond immediate programme outputs and explain the broader change they are working toward.

An organisation’s strategy should therefore demonstrate how its work contributes to meaningful improvements for women and girls and how those improvements can be assessed.

Because COMO Foundation welcomes different approaches, organisations do not necessarily need to implement identical programme models. What matters is that the organisation’s central work and intended outcomes demonstrate clear alignment with the Foundation’s focus.

Important Points to Remember Before Applying

Prospective organisations should keep several important details in mind:

• COMO Foundation is continually looking for potential new partners.
• Proposals are accepted throughout the year.
• Partners must be part of the communities where they operate.
• Partners should have registered not-for-profit charitable status in the countries where they work.
• The central focus should be the social, cultural and economic development of women and girls.
• Organisations should address root causes of gender inequity.
• A clear theory of change is important.
• Organisations should measure meaningful metrics and regularly review their work.
• Prospective partners should already have programming and organisational fundamentals in place.
• Partners are expected to be growth-oriented.
• Partner operating budgets typically range from US$250,000 to US$2 million.
• Prospective applicants should review COMO Foundation’s approach before submitting an enquiry.
• The enquiry form requires organisational, financial, geographical and contact information, as well as a description of the support requested.

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Conclusion

The COMO Foundation Grant Support and Partnership Opportunity offers established nonprofit and charitable organisations working for the advancement of women and girls an avenue to explore potential philanthropic partnership and support.

The opportunity is particularly relevant to community-grounded organisations that are already implementing established programmes, understand the underlying causes of gender inequity and can clearly articulate how their work contributes to social, cultural and economic progress for women and girls.

COMO Foundation’s partnership criteria demonstrate a strong emphasis on thoughtful, measurable and sustainable impact. Prospective partners are expected to have a clear theory of change, measure meaningful outcomes, regularly review their work and possess the organisational fundamentals necessary to pursue growth.

Organisational scale is also relevant. COMO Foundation states that its partners’ operating budgets typically range from US$250,000 to US$2 million, although the published wording describes this as typical rather than explicitly presenting it as an absolute eligibility threshold.

There is no fixed annual application deadline stated for this opportunity. COMO Foundation accepts proposals throughout the year, providing eligible organisations with the flexibility to submit an enquiry when they are appropriately prepared.

Nonprofit organisations interested in this opportunity should begin by carefully reviewing COMO Foundation’s approach and partnership criteria. Those that can demonstrate strong alignment can then complete the official enquiry form with information about their organisation, mission, geographical focus, operating costs and the support they are seeking.

For organisations working to create meaningful and measurable improvements in the lives of women and girls, the COMO Foundation partnership pathway provides an opportunity to explore support from a foundation focused on addressing gender inequity and creating sustainable change.

Visit the OFY website for more Grant Opportunities.