WHO CAN APPLY?

FREE GROW AIMS TO provide direct grants to:

Non-profit organisations, groups, associations, collectives, and networks with a focus on the rights of girls and women, and who have demonstrable experience working in flower, tea, and/or coffee communities in East Africa.

Anchor 1

GEOGRAPHIC FOCUS

During this first round of funding, FREE GROW will fund organisations in the following countries:

ethiopia

uganda

kenya

rwanda

tanzania

thematic areas

Safety, health and wellbeing

Promoting initiatives to improve the physical, mental, and reproductive health of women engaged in agricultural activities, including addressing gender-based violence, to ensure their overall wellbeing, safety, and productivity.

entrepreneurship and networks

Supporting women in agricultural value chains to grow in their entrepreneurial journey, including adopting sustainable agricultural practices. This also includes exploring alternative sources of income, and partnerships and networks (e.g. access to markets).

advocacy and awareness

Raising awareness and advocating for fair labour practices, decent wages, decent working conditions, and social protection mechanisms for women workers, farmers and entrepreneurs in agricultural sectors, ensuring their rights and dignity. This also includes male engagement and stakeholder engagement.

climate change & just transition

Building women's resilience to climate change impacts through the adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices, adaptive strategies, and resilience-building measures in agricultural focused communities.

financial inclusion

Promoting access to financial services, resources, and opportunities for women workers, farmers, and entrepreneurs in agricultural value chains, empowering them to manage their finances, invest in productive assets, and build economic security. This also includes saving groups.

land rights & land use

Increasing skills and knowledge on land usage and ownership, advocating for secure land tenure rights, and equitable access to resources for women in agricultural communities, enabling them to control and benefit from land resources, access credit, and participate fully in economic activities.

Applications should cover at least 1 of the 6 parameters.

Thematic parameters

Application timeline

APPLICATION TIMELINE

1

phase 1 applications open 10 july 2024

2

Applications close 26 july 2024

3

longlisted candidates will be invited for phase 2 in August 2024

4

full applications are scored by the regional peer panels and advisory committee

5

successful Applicants will be contacted
in october 2024

phase 1: applicants will answer eligibility questions and submit a short description of their proposal.

Phase 2: applicants will be longlisted by our panels and some will be invited to submit a full application.

What will be funded?

What will be funded by FREE grow?

FREE grow will invest in organisations and groups that are directly supporting and targeting the following participants:

Women and girls who live in floriculture, tea, and coffee communities in East Africa, with a specific focus on women who are economically engaged in these sectors as workers*, farmers* and/or entrepreneurs*. Particularly, women and girls from underrepresented and vulnerable groups. For example: migrant workers, young mothers, and people with disabilities.
- *Women workers in the floriculture, tea, and coffee sectors encompass a diverse group engaged in various roles, including but not limited to farm/agricultural workers, factory workers, and informal and migrant workers.
- *Women farmers: Women who own or manage smallholder farms/businesses in floriculture, tea, and coffee value chains.
- *Women entrepreneurs: Women who provide services to support women in floriculture, tea and coffee production.

Eligible Applicants

eligibility criteria

If groups meet all of the following criteria, they can apply for a grant:

Your non-profit organisation, group, association, collective, or network must be formally registered in Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, or Tanzania. Preference will be given to locally-led organisations.
Your organisation or group must consist of a minimum of 3 staff members. This excludes board members.
Your organisation, group, collective, or network must align with the mission and vision of FREE Grow.
- Vision: Through this fund, women are empowered to thrive in agricultural value chains through advancing gender equality practices and promoting economic and climate resilience.
- Mission: FREE Grow invests in local organisations that use intersectional approaches to advance gender equality in agricultural communities connected to global value chains.
Your organisation, group, collective, or network must have demonstrable experience working on women’s and girl’s rights / gender equality in floriculture, coffee or tea communities in East Africa.
Your project proposal must focus on the target group, and include and align with at least one of the Thematic Areas of FREE Grow.
Your organisation, group, collective, or network must have at least 60% of women in leadership* positions. This refers to the highest decision-making body, which includes both the board and the executive leadership team.
- *Applicants from Ethiopia and Rwanda that do not meet this criteria are still encouraged to apply.
Your annual organisational income for 2023 must be a minimum of GBP 15,000 and a maximum of GBP 200,000.

language accessibility

Core language: English
Supporting languages: Swahili and Kinyarwanda
- For any other language, as well as any other accessibility needs, please reach out the the FREE Fund team for support

grant sizes

seed

up to £20,000

Experience in gender equality / women’s empowerment OR experience working in tea, flower, coffee communities

AND

Minimum organisational annual income of 15,000 GBP

Experience in gender equality / women’s empowerment in tea, flower, coffee communities

AND

Minimum organisational annual income of 40,000 GBP