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The Girls First Fund is a fiscally sponsored program of Capital for Good USA, a 501(c)(3) public charity.  Donations to Capital for Good USA are tax deductible to the extent provided by applicable law.

We are currently funding community-based organizations and locally-focused national or sub-national organizations working in the following locations:

• Democratic Republic of the Congo (Haut-Katanga and/or Tanganyika provinces)
• Dominican Republic
• India (Jharkhand state)
• Nepal
• Niger
• Uganda

We define a community-based organization (CBO) as an organization that is engaged in the community, works from within the community, is accountable to the community, and is staffed by people from the community. CBOs focus on issues and concerns directly affecting the local level (neighborhood, city, district). They include both formal and informal organizations. CBOs are sometimes referred to as grassroots organizations or locally-led organizations.

We define a locally-focused national and sub-national organization as an organization with an existing deep presence in, local connection to, and contextual knowledge of the communities where the proposed work will take place. They believe in participatory engagement and work with local information, local connections, and learnings to guide programming direction and strategies. They avoid a top-down program design. The head office and organizational leadership is based in the country; they are not an affiliate/branch of an international organization. They must be able to demonstrate experience of work in and with the communities where the proposed work will take place to be eligible.

We do not currently grant to:

• Individuals
• INGOs
• NGOs that are an affiliate or branch of an INGO and/or where the head office or organizational leadership is located outside of the eligible country in which the work will take place (the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominican Republic, India, Nepal, Niger, or Uganda)
• Organizations with a known political affiliation, such as support from or to political groups
• For-profit entities
• Faith-based organizations which attempt to convert individuals or advocate for individuals to join or adopt a particular religious creed, ideology, belief, cause, or view in connection with programming or activities
• Research or educational institutions

• Advocacy: Work to ensure a robust legal and policy framework for preventing child marriage and supporting at-risk, married, and formerly married girls. This includes work with leaders to change systems and processes to reduce child marriage and increase gender equality.
• Economic Empowerment: Any activity working to financially enable a girl, family, or community either before or after marriage to decrease child marriage or increase gender equality.
• Girls’ Leadership: Any activity that works directly with girls by investing in girls, their participation in their society, and their agency over their own lives.
• Safe Abortion: Any activity that increases access to services, or information, about safe abortion or post-abortion care.
• Sexual and Reproductive Health & Rights (SRHR): Activities focused on increasing access to quality resources, education, information, and services across sectors related to sexual and reproductive health.
• Social and Behavior Change Communication (SBCC): Any activity working to change knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and norms related to child marriage, potentially engaging information, education, and communication materials.
• Youth Education: Any activity that is school based, or in place of school, to increase access to education.

Grants provided by the Girls First Fund range from $5,000 to $50,000 USD.

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