Malala Fund has announced $4.8 million in new grants to support 21 organisations advancing girls’ education in Nigeria, Pakistan, Brazil, Ethiopia, and Tanzania. In alignment with the Fund’s 2025–2030 strategy, 66% of the funding, approximately $3.17 million, will go to young women-led organisations, significantly exceeding the original target. Malala Yousafzai, Co-Founder and Executive Chair of Malala Fund, emphasized the importance of supporting initiatives that reduce barriers for girls, including access to books, transportation, and opportunities for married girls and young mothers to continue their education.
The grants are awarded through Malala Fund’s Education Champion Network (ECN), which empowers civil society organisations to influence policy and implement systemic solutions addressing barriers to girls’ education. These initiatives target urgent threats such as child marriage, conflict, gender and racial discrimination, and shrinking education budgets, focusing on countries that together are home to 31 million out-of-school girls. Lena Alfi, CEO of Malala Fund, highlighted that investing in local partners and young women-led organisations ensures practical and sustainable solutions in challenging contexts.
Flexible, multi-year funding will enable grantees to direct resources toward policy advocacy, budget transparency, safe-school initiatives, re-entry programmes for young mothers, and elimination of hidden school costs. In Nigeria, projects will focus on gender-responsive budgeting, school re-entry for married and pregnant girls, and digital tools to track education spending. In Pakistan, funding will address hidden costs, restore flood-damaged schools, recruit female teachers, and strengthen accountability for gender-responsive budgets. In Brazil, grantees will advocate for gender- and race-responsive education policies, enforce menstrual dignity laws, and strengthen sexual health and anti-violence programmes. Ethiopia-focused grants will promote the Safe Schools Declaration, train educators on gender-based violence prevention, and provide psychosocial support in conflict-affected areas. In Tanzania, projects will advance school re-entry policies for young mothers, expand reporting of gender-based violence, and support legal reforms to set 18 as the minimum age of marriage.
Each country’s grants target local civil society organisations with deep understanding of barriers to girls’ education. In Brazil, organisations will address menstrual poverty, advocate for inclusive education, and implement student-led initiatives promoting gender and racial equity. Ethiopian partners will support policy adoption of the Safe Schools Declaration, provide safe spaces, and train officials on violence prevention. Nigerian grantees will develop tools for education budget transparency, re-enrol married and pregnant girls, and strengthen monitoring of school projects. In Pakistan, initiatives will restore infrastructure, reduce hidden costs, and ensure gender-responsive budget accountability. Tanzanian partners will advocate for child marriage prevention, implement re-entry policies for young mothers, and train teachers and community members on gender-sensitive practices.
Through these investments, Malala Fund aims to empower girls, young mothers, and local organisations to overcome systemic barriers, strengthen educational access, and drive sustainable change. By prioritising young women-led initiatives, the Fund seeks to amplify the voices of those closest to the challenges, ensuring that interventions are practical, locally relevant, and transformative in increasing enrolment, retention, and educational equity for girls across five countries.
