The Girls First Fund (GFF) Board is pleased to announce the appointment of Françoise Moudouthe as the Fund’s new Director, effective August 3, 2026.

A pan-African feminist with roots in Cameroon, Françoise brings over a decade of experience in supporting feminist movements and promoting community-led change. Most recently, she served as Chief Executive Officer of the African Women’s Development Fund, where she has led critical efforts to resource, strengthen and uphold women’s rights and feminist organizations and movements across Africa.

Early in her career, Françoise supported The Elders in setting up Girls Not Brides: The Global Partnership to End Child Marriage, and spearheaded its growth in Africa through coalition-building and regional advocacy initiatives. She later founded Eyala, a bilingual platform that amplifies the voices and lived experiences of African feminists and provides them with learning and solidarity spaces. Françoise serves on the Boards of the Equality Fund and Africa No Filter, and co-chairs the Board of Prospera, the International Network of Women's and Feminist Funds. She is a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader alumna and a 2024 Skoll Fellow.

“Supported by Russel Reynolds Associates, we led an extensive search for a leader who has the strategic expertise to scale Girls First Fund’s impact, a clear understanding of the complexities within philanthropy, and deep connections to the communities we collaborate with to end child marriage,” said Maitri Morarji, Girls First Fund’s Board Chair. “Françoise’s track record and her dedication to gender justice make her the ideal person to lead the Girls First Fund through our next chapter. The Board is confident that her leadership will significantly advance our capacity to support local, community-led and values-driven solutions.”

Françoise said, “I am honored to be joining the Girls First Fund as Director. The Fund’s commitment to resourcing and strengthening sustainable community-led change is critical, especially in the current global philanthropy landscape. I am excited to work alongside the GFF Board, our team, grantee partners and other collaborators in the sector to carry forward our mission and ensure that our resources continue to amplify local expertise and fuel the actions and solutions that are transforming lives every day.”

The Girls First Fund Board expresses profound appreciation to former Director Fanta Touré for her visionary leadership and impact. We also thank the interim co-leadership team – Lakshmi Moore, Malorie Tull and Sarah Jakiel – for their steady direction of the GFF team and support to our partners during the transition.

We look forward to welcoming Françoise to the Girls First Fund team in August.