About the Girls First Fund:
Around the world, millions of girls are married before the age of 18, putting their health and wellbeing at risk. The Girls First Fund champions community-led efforts to ensure that girls and young women can create their own futures. The fund brings together donors to support community-based organisations that are working on the front lines to stop the practice of child marriage and early unions.
Since its inaugural grants in 2019, the Girls First Fund has committed $30 million to grantee partners, established 177 active grantee partnerships in 15 countries, and directed 87% of its grants to women- and girl-led organisations. The fund is a fiscally sponsored programme of Capital for Good USA, a 501(c)(3) public charity.
Where They Fund — Nepal is 1 of Only 6 Countries:
The Girls First Fund currently funds community-based organisations in the following locations only: Democratic Republic of the Congo (Haut-Katanga and/or Tanganyika provinces only). Dominican Republic. India (Jharkhand state only). Nepal (no geographic restriction within the country — all of Nepal is eligible). Niger. Uganda.
Nepal is one of the fund's priority countries. Notably, while India is restricted to Jharkhand state, Nepal has NO state or district restriction — organisations working anywhere in Nepal are eligible. This makes Nepal one of the most broadly eligible countries in the fund's portfolio.
Grantmaking Principles — Exceptionally CBO-Friendly:
- Provide flexible, long-term support: Multi-year core support that gives organisations resources and peace of mind to implement lasting solutions. This is NOT typical project-based funding with rigid deliverables — it is unrestricted or loosely restricted support for the organisation's overall work.
- Fund historically neglected groups: Committed to reaching underfunded, new, and emerging groups, particularly girl- and women-led groups. 87% of grants go to women- and girl-led organisations.
- Share evidence: Success stories, learnings on what works, and honest examination of what does not work — to continuously improve impact.
- Reduce barriers: Creative ways to reduce barriers to funding for organisations working in marginalised communities without sophisticated systems and processes. This is explicitly designed for grassroots organisations that may not have the administrative capacity to navigate complex donor requirements.
- Keep girls and grantees at the centre: Girls and grantee-partners are involved in designing the fund's strategy. Their insights inform the grantmaking strategy.
- Support advocacy and movement building: Connect grantee-partners with national, regional, and international actors so they can influence policy, lead, shape, and participate in movements to end child marriage.
Who Can Apply:
- Community-Based Organisations (CBOs): Organisations that are engaged in the community, work from within the community, are accountable to the community, and are staffed by people from the community. Focus on issues and concerns directly affecting the local level (neighbourhood, city, district). Include both formal and informal organisations. Also referred to as grassroots or locally-led organisations.
- Locally-Focused National and Sub-National Organisations: Organisations with existing deep presence in, local connection to, and contextual knowledge of the communities where the proposed work will take place. Believe in participatory engagement and work with local information, connections, and learnings. Avoid top-down programme design. Head office and organisational leadership must be based in Nepal. Must NOT be an affiliate or branch of an international organisation. Must demonstrate experience of work in and with the target communities.
Who Cannot Apply:
Individuals. INGOs (international non-governmental organisations). NGOs that are affiliates or branches of an INGO and/or where head office or leadership is outside Nepal. Organisations with known political affiliation. For-profit entities. Faith-based organisations which attempt to convert individuals or advocate for joining a particular religious creed, ideology, belief, cause, or view in connection with programming. Research or educational institutions.
Seven Programming Areas Funded:
- Advocacy: Work to ensure a robust legal and policy framework for preventing child marriage and supporting at-risk, married, and formerly married girls. 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 society, and their agency over their own lives.
- Safe Abortion: Any activity that increases access to services, information, about safe abortion or post-abortion care. (This is notable — many funders exclude this area.)
- Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR): Activities focused on increasing access to quality resources, education, information, and services across sectors related to sexual and reproductive health.
- Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC): Any activity working to change knowledge, attitudes, behaviours, 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.
Grant Size:
Grants range from $5,000 to $50,000 USD. The fund provides flexible, multi-year core support — this is among the most grassroots-friendly grant structures available internationally. Small organisations that would not qualify for larger institutional donors can access meaningful funding through this fund.
Nepal Eligibility and Relevance:
Nepal is explicitly listed as one of the fund's 6 priority countries. Nepal's child marriage challenge is one of the most significant in South Asia and aligns perfectly with the fund's mission.
Nepal Child Marriage Context:
- Prevalence: Nepal has one of the highest rates of child marriage in Asia. Approximately 40% of girls are married before age 18 and 7% before age 15 in some regions. Despite legal prohibition (minimum age 20 for both boys and girls), enforcement is weak and the practice continues, particularly in rural areas.
- Geographic Concentration: The Terai (southern plains) has the highest prevalence — particularly Province 2 (Madhesh) and Lumbini Province. Far-western regions (Sudurpashchim Province) also have high rates. But child marriage occurs across all provinces and ecological zones. The fund's lack of geographic restriction within Nepal means organisations in any region can apply.
- Drivers: Poverty — families see marriage as reducing economic burden. Gender norms — girls' value measured by marriage. Caste and ethnicity — practices vary but are prevalent across groups. Limited educational access — girls who drop out of school are most at risk. Dowry practices — marrying girls young can reduce dowry costs. Social pressure — community expectations and peer influence. Lack of legal enforcement — cases rarely prosecuted. Climate and disaster — evidence that child marriage increases after natural disasters and economic shocks.
- Consequences: Early pregnancy and maternal health risks — Nepal's adolescent birth rate is among the highest in the region. Education interrupted or ended entirely. Domestic violence — married girls face higher rates of GBV. Economic dependence and limited lifetime earning potential. Mental health impacts — depression, anxiety, isolation. Intergenerational cycle — daughters of child brides more likely to be married young.
Nepal Organisations and Work Matching the Fund:
- Advocacy: Organisations advocating for stronger enforcement of Nepal's marriage laws. Groups working with local government (palikas) to pass and implement local-level child marriage prevention bylaws. Networks pushing for national policy reform and implementation of the National Strategy to End Child Marriage.
- Economic Empowerment: Organisations providing skills training, financial literacy, and livelihood support to at-risk girls and their families. Microfinance and savings groups that reduce economic pressure for early marriage. Income generation programmes for adolescent girls.
- Girls' Leadership: Girl-led clubs and networks that build agency, confidence, and peer support. Programmes empowering girls to negotiate their own futures. Youth-led campaigns against child marriage.
- SRHR: Organisations providing comprehensive sexuality education. Groups increasing access to family planning and reproductive health services for adolescents. Programmes addressing menstrual health and hygiene.
- Social and Behaviour Change: Community dialogue programmes with parents, families, and community leaders. Engaging men and boys as allies against child marriage. Using media, radio, street theatre, and social media to change norms. Religious and community leader engagement.
- Youth Education: Scholarship programmes keeping girls in school. Non-formal education and alternative learning for out-of-school girls. After-school support and mentoring programmes.
- Potential Nepal Applicants: Community-based organisations in Terai working on child marriage prevention. Girl-led organisations and youth groups. Women's cooperatives and self-help groups addressing dowry and marriage practices. Local NGOs running SRHR programmes for adolescents. Organisations working with Dalit, Madhesi, Tharu, and Janajati communities on gender norms. Community mediation and legal awareness organisations. Local education support organisations keeping girls in school. Community radio stations running behaviour change campaigns. Anti-GBV organisations linking domestic violence prevention to child marriage. Organisations working on disaster-responsive child marriage prevention. Any Nepal-based, Nepal-led CBO or local organisation working to end child marriage.
What Makes Nepal Organisations Strong Candidates:
- Nepal is one of only 6 eligible countries — limited competition compared to global funds.
- The fund explicitly seeks grassroots and underfunded organisations — many Nepal CBOs fit this profile perfectly.
- 87% of grants go to women- and girl-led groups — Nepal's women's organisations are strong. Multi-year core support means organisations get sustained funding, not one-off projects.
- The fund reduces barriers for organisations without sophisticated systems — ideal for small Nepal CBOs.
- No geographic restriction within Nepal — organisations in any region can apply.
KEY DETAILS
- Fund: Girls First Fund
- Status: NO FIXED PUBLIC DEADLINE — periodic grant rounds at fund's discretion
- No specific 2026 deadline published
- Apply portal: https://girlsfirstfund.org/apply-2/ (check periodically)
- JOIN MAILING LIST: https://girlsfirstfund.org/contact/
- Follow LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/girls-first-fund
- GRANTS: USD $5,000 to $50,000
— FLEXIBLE, MULTI-YEAR CORE support
— Not just project funding — supports the organisation overall
- NEPAL: EXPLICITLY LISTED — 1 of ONLY 6 COUNTRIES! 🇳🇵
— No geographic restriction within Nepal
— All regions eligible (Terai, hills, mountains)
- 6 ELIGIBLE COUNTRIES ONLY:
— DR Congo (specific provinces)
— Dominican Republic
— India (Jharkhand only)
— NEPAL (all regions) ✅
— Niger
— Uganda
- FOR: COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANISATIONS (CBOs)
— Grassroots, locally-led, community-staffed
— Locally-focused national/sub-national organisations
— Both FORMAL and INFORMAL organisations
— Head office must be IN NEPAL
— NOT INGO affiliates/branches
- CANNOT APPLY:
— Individuals
— INGOs or INGO branches
— Political organisations
— For-profit entities
— Faith-based conversion organisations
— Research/educational institutions
- FOCUS: ENDING CHILD MARRIAGE and early unions
- 7 PROGRAMMING AREAS:
ADVOCACY — legal/policy framework
ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT — financial enablement
GIRLS' LEADERSHIP — agency and participation
SAFE ABORTION — access to services/info
SRHR — sexual/reproductive health
SOCIAL/BEHAVIOUR CHANGE — norms, attitudes
YOUTH EDUCATION — school access
- FUND TRACK RECORD:
— $30M committed since 2019
— 177 active partnerships
— 87% to WOMEN- AND GIRL-LED organisations
— 15 countries reached
- GRANTMAKING PRINCIPLES — CBO-FRIENDLY:
— FLEXIBLE, long-term, multi-year core support
— Funding HISTORICALLY NEGLECTED groups
— REDUCING BARRIERS for grassroots orgs
— Girls and grantees at the CENTRE
— Supporting ADVOCACY and movement building
- NEPAL CHILD MARRIAGE CONTEXT:
— ~40% girls married before 18 (some regions)
— ~7% married before 15
— TERAI (Province 2/Madhesh) highest prevalence
— Far-western regions also high
— Poverty, gender norms, caste, limited education as drivers
— LEGAL but poorly enforced (minimum age 20)
— Increases after DISASTERS and economic shocks
— Early pregnancy, GBV, education loss as consequences
- POTENTIAL NEPAL APPLICANTS:
— Terai-based CBOs working on child marriage
— Girl-led organisations and youth groups
— Women's cooperatives addressing dowry/marriage
— Local SRHR organisations for adolescents
— Community organisations working with Dalit, Madhesi, Tharu, Janajati groups
— Community mediation and legal awareness groups
— Education support organisations keeping girls in school
— Community radio stations with behaviour change campaigns
— Anti-GBV organisations
— Any Nepal-based, Nepal-led CBO ending child marriage
- WHY NEPAL CBOs ARE STRONG CANDIDATES:
— 1 of only 6 ELIGIBLE COUNTRIES — limited competition
— Fund EXPLICITLY SEEKS grassroots and underfunded orgs
— 87% to WOMEN/GIRL-LED groups
— MULTI-YEAR core support = sustained funding
— BARRIERS REDUCED for orgs without sophisticated systems
— NO geographic restriction within Nepal
— Nepal's child marriage prevalence = clear need
- IMPORTANT NOTES:
— ⚠️ NO FIXED PUBLIC DEADLINE — fund operates through periodic rounds at its discretion
— JOIN MAILING LIST: https://girlsfirstfund.org/contact/
— Contact fund DIRECTLY to ask about Nepal round timing
— Check apply portal periodically: https://girlsfirstfund.org/apply-2/
— Follow on LinkedIn for announcements: https://www.linkedin.com/company/girls-first-fund
— "GFF Changemakers" programme (launched 2024) now covers 15 countries globally
— Even if not currently open, this is a HIGH-PRIORITY fund for Nepal CBOs
— When a round opens, Nepal organisations should be READY
— Prepare your organisation's story, impact data, and community connection
— This fund values AUTHENTICITY and COMMUNITY ROOTEDNESS over polished proposals
— Small, informal organisations ARE eligible — don't self-exclude
— SRHR and safe abortion are funded — Nepal orgs working in these areas take note
