The Government of the Netherlands has launched the FemFocus grant programme for 2026–2030, providing up to EUR 27.4 million per project to strengthen women’s entrepreneurship in Africa.
Administered by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the initiative will support civil society organisations working to expand access to finance, markets, skills, and networks for women-led businesses, while addressing social and institutional barriers to women’s economic participation.
According to the funding call, FemFocus adopts a dual-track approach that combines direct support for women entrepreneurs—such as access to markets, finance, networks, and skills—with broader efforts to influence policies, institutions, and norms that shape women’s economic inclusion.
Funding Scope and Timeline
The programme has a total budget of EUR 54.8 million, with individual grants ranging between EUR 18.26 million and EUR 27.42 million. Selected projects will run for 60 months and are expected to begin on 1 January 2026. Applications must be submitted by 7 January 2026 at 23:59 Central European Standard Time (CEST).
Projects must cover at least two eligible African countries. The approved country list includes Egypt, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Benin, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Uganda, Tunisia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, among others where the Netherlands has trade and economic interests.
Programme Objectives
FemFocus is designed around two core objectives. The first is to strengthen women’s entrepreneurship at the individual level by improving access to finance, skills development, and business ecosystems. The second focuses on tackling socio-cultural, institutional, and policy barriers that restrict women’s economic participation, with the aim of delivering long-term and sustainable change.
Eligibility Criteria
The funding opportunity is open to a single lead applicant per proposal, with consortia not permitted. However, local partners will be identified and engaged during the project’s inception phase.
Eligible applicants must be civil society organisations registered either in the Netherlands or in a low- or middle-income country listed by the OECD Development Assistance Committee (OECD-DAC). Organisations are required to demonstrate at least five years of experience in strengthening the capacity of in-country partners, as well as financing partners in low- and middle-income countries within the past decade.
Applicants must also show relevant experience working on women’s economic empowerment and entrepreneurship in the proposed target countries, alongside having an operational partner selection and monitoring system in place within the last five years.
Additional conditions include limits on senior leadership remuneration for EU-based organisations and a restriction allowing only one FemFocus grant per applicant across the overall framework.
Strengthening Women’s Economic Power
The FemFocus programme forms part of the Netherlands’ broader foreign policy commitment to gender equality and inclusive economic growth. By directing significant, long-term funding toward women’s entrepreneurship in Africa, the initiative aims to support women not only as business owners, but also as drivers of structural economic transformation.
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