The EmpowHER Fund is a new initiative designed to address the disproportionate burden of HIV among girls and young women in Southern Africa, who account for nearly 63% of new infections in the region. Adolescent girls and young women aged 15–24 face infection rates three times higher than their male peers due to intersecting factors such as income inequality, stigma, criminalisation, and restrictive social norms, which limit access to HIV prevention and healthcare services. Despite the availability of effective prevention methods like daily oral PrEP, the Dapivirine vaginal ring, injectable cabotegravir, and upcoming options such as Lenacapavir, Apretude, and the dual prevention pill, many young women are unable to access or consistently use them due to supply shortages, high costs, untrained providers, and restrictive policies. Recent funding cuts and a conservative political climate further threaten access, making urgent action necessary to expand choice, availability, and leadership opportunities for girls and women.
The EmpowHER Fund aims to close this gap by supporting organizations that accelerate access to HIV prevention options through advocacy, awareness-raising, and community-led initiatives. By fostering female leadership and collaboration with governments, health systems, and communities, the Fund seeks to ensure that all women and girls, in their diversity, can access and choose the HIV prevention method that best suits their needs.
The first Call for Proposals under the EmpowHER Fund has a total budget of €4,000,000 for the period 2026–2028, focusing on South Africa, Zambia, Kenya, Uganda, and Mozambique. Up to 20 applications will be awarded, with sub-granting allowed only if it strengthens collective impact. Eligible applicants include registered local community organizations, movements, or networks led by women, girls, or gender non-conforming individuals with proven experience in national or regional health or HIV advocacy. Collaborative consortia are encouraged, provided they demonstrate clear added value and maintain women- or girl-led leadership.
The Fund focuses on three main areas: advocacy to improve accessibility and availability of HIV prevention options, raising awareness and promoting demand and use of these options, and building collective leadership to achieve the Fund’s goals. Certain activities are considered out of scope, including large-scale health system improvements, procurement of products, and general advocacy unrelated to direct access or demand for HIV prevention.
Aidsfonds, together with the EmpowHER Fund Advisory Committee, ensures that communities play a central role in decision-making, with final grant decisions aiming for a balanced portfolio across countries, populations, budgets, and types of initiatives. The full Call for Proposals will be released in mid-November 2025, with expressions of interest due by December 1, 2025, full proposals invited in mid-December, and the final submission deadline in the first week of February 2026. Funding decisions will be announced in early March 2026, with implementation starting in April 2026.
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