The Malala Fund has unveiled a new $4.8 million grant package to support organisations advancing girl education in five countries, with nine Nigerian non-profits included among the beneficiaries. The funding is part of the fund’s 2025 to 2030 strategy and will support 21 organisations working in Nigeria, Pakistan, Brazil, Ethiopia, and Tanzania. According to the fund, 66 per cent of the total grant amount will go to groups led by young women, a move that it says more than triples its original target for youth-led funding. This focus is linked to the fund’s long-term plan to empower community-based organisations and boost global advocacy for girls education.
In Nigeria, the nine selected non-profits will receive a combined $1.7 million to expand programmes across Oyo, Kaduna, Kano, Adamawa, and Bauchi states. Their work centres on gender-responsive budgeting, school re-entry pathways for married girls and young mothers, and the use of digital tools to track education spending and identify infrastructure gaps. The Malala Fund explained that both Nigeria and Pakistan account for 15 per cent of all out-of-school girls worldwide, making them a priority in this funding round.
“Our partners are leading the fight for girls to learn,” said Malala Yousafzai, executive chair of the Malala Fund. The nine Nigerian beneficiaries include Aid for Rural Education Access Initiative working on gender-responsive budgeting and transparent spending in Oyo state, and the Anti Sexual Violence Lead Support Initiative providing mentors and trauma-informed support for pregnant and married girls returning to school in Kaduna state.
Black Girl’s Dream Initiative will launch EduTracka, an AI platform designed to track education spending across all 33 local governments in Oyo state. BudgIT Foundation will advocate for gender-responsive budgets and support communities across six states to re-enrol out-of-school girls. The Centre for Advocacy, Transparency and Accountability Initiative will strengthen its budget monitoring group in Adamawa state to influence the 2026 budget.
Isa Wali Empowerment Initiative will help girls affected by early marriage and pregnancy return to school through transitional safe space hubs in Kano state. Participatory Communication for Gender Development Initiative will push for school re-entry pathways in Kano, Borno, and Kaduna through mobile cinema and filmmaking. Teenage Education and Empowerment Network will advocate re-entry guidelines for married girls and young mothers in Kaduna state, while Women, Children, Youth Health and Education Initiative will enforce child marriage protections and promote school re-entry for young mothers in Bauchi state.
The Malala Fund stated that this new cohort of its Education Champion Network partners will also address global challenges such as conflict, shrinking public budgets, gender inequality, and racial discrimination. The organisation noted that it has awarded more than $73 million through over 560 grants across 27 countries since its creation.
Lena Alfi, CEO of the Malala Fund, said flexible and long-term funding remains crucial. “Our partners are closest to the challenges holding girls back and are delivering bold, practical, systemic solutions so girls can get the education they deserve,” she said.
