Get Up to $17,000 for Gender Equity Advocacy in South Africa: Rise Up Together Leadership and Advocacy Program 2026

There are leadership programs that hand you a certificate, a tote bag, and a vague sense of “networking happened.” And then there are programs that treat leadership the way it actually works in real life: you build skills, you sharpen a strategy, you gather allies, and then you go push something heavy—policy, budgets, services, public opinion—until it finally moves.

The Rise Up Together Leadership & Advocacy Program 2026 is firmly in the second category. It’s designed for people who are already in the work—organizers, advocates, program managers, storytellers, civic leaders—who want to win tangible improvements for women, girls, and gender-nonconforming people in South Africa. Not someday. Not after a decade of “pilot learning.” Soon.

If you’re based in Gauteng and/or KwaZulu-Natal, and your days are filled with the beautiful chaos of civil society—community meetings, WhatsApp threads, stakeholder wrangling, coalition politics—this opportunity is worth your full attention. The program includes an in-person Leadership and Advocacy Accelerator (April 13–18, 2026) with additional virtual sessions before and after. And once you complete it, you can apply for up to $17,000 in seed funding for a systems-change gender equity advocacy project. Translation: you’ll be trained, supported, and then potentially funded to go after the rules and resources that shape people’s lives.

This is a competitive opportunity. It should be. But if you’ve been waiting for a program that respects your lived expertise, speaks the language of power, and actually helps you build an advocacy “engine” you can run long after the workshop ends—here it is.

Key Details at a Glance

What This Opportunity Offers (And Why It Actually Matters)

Let’s start with the practical stuff: Rise Up Together covers all costs tied to participating in the Accelerator—transport, accommodation, meals, and materials. That’s not a small detail; it’s often the difference between “great opportunity” and “I’d love to, but my organization can’t float the travel.” Here, you’re not expected to magic up a budget line that doesn’t exist.

Then there’s the real prize: after completing the Accelerator, participants become eligible to apply for up to $17,000 in seed funding to launch an advocacy project aimed at systems change. Systems change means you’re not only helping individuals navigate a broken system—you’re trying to fix the system itself. Think policy reform, budget commitments, service delivery standards, accountability mechanisms, or changing the way institutions treat people.

Also important: this isn’t necessarily a one-and-done. Leaders may have the opportunity to apply for an additional round of funding to expand or strengthen their initial work. In other words, Rise Up Together is signaling, “We know advocacy doesn’t always fit neatly into one short funding cycle.” Refreshing.

And finally, the Accelerator format matters. A concentrated, in-person week (April 13–18, 2026), with virtual sessions before and after, tends to work like a pressure cooker in the best way: you arrive with a problem, you leave with a plan that has edges, timelines, and a theory of who needs to do what next.

Who Should Apply (Eligibility, Explained Like a Human Being)

This program is for civil society leaders ages 18–60 who are currently working in Gauteng and/or KwaZulu-Natal. Not “interested in moving there.” Not “planning a project there in the future.” You need to be rooted in the place and the work already.

They’re looking for people committed to gender equity across three priority areas: health, education, and economic opportunity for women, girls, and gender-nonconforming people. Your work can sit squarely in one of those lanes (say, maternal health access), or it can connect them (like school retention tied to economic vulnerability). What matters is that gender equity isn’t a decorative paragraph in your mission statement—it’s the engine.

A strong fit looks like someone who represents or works closely with marginalized groups: people from socially or economically marginalized communities, women and girls with disabilities, ethnic and/or religious minorities, and other historically disadvantaged populations. If your work is shaped by daily proximity to the communities most harmed by inequality, say so plainly. That’s not “extra context.” That’s your credibility.

Professionally, you should be working within a non-profit/CSO, media organization, or government organization at a coordination/management level with some decision-making power. That’s a key phrase: they want participants who can actually move something inside an organization—approve a pivot, lead a team, convene partners, direct a campaign, speak publicly with legitimacy.

One more practical requirement: you must be able to attend the in-person training April 13–18, 2026, plus virtual sessions around it, and you need support from your organization’s leadership to participate. (If you’ve ever tried doing advocacy training while your boss texts “Can you just jump on this urgent call?”—you know why this matters.)

A big, important funding note: to receive a grant, Rise Up Together requires the organization to be legally registered in-country and able to receive international funds. If your organization isn’t registered, you may still participate and pursue funding via a fiscal sponsor (a registered entity that can receive funds on your behalf). Also: government organizations are not eligible to receive grants through this program, even if government staff can potentially participate in training.

And yes, you need to be proficient in written and spoken English, since the program runs in English.

What Counts as a Systems-Change Advocacy Project (So You Do Not Aim Too Small)

“Systems change” can sound lofty until you picture it as plumbing. When the pipes are faulty, you can hand out buckets forever—or you can fix the pipe. Rise Up Together is interested in pipe-fixing.

Here are examples of the kinds of projects that often fit a systems-change frame:

• In health: pushing for clinic accountability on respectful maternity care; advocating for budget allocation for sexual and reproductive health services; improving referral systems for survivors of gender-based violence.
• In education: campaigning for policies that support pregnant learners and young mothers; addressing school-related gender-based violence reporting mechanisms; removing administrative barriers that quietly push girls out.
• In economic opportunity: advocating for equitable procurement practices; improving access to skills training tied to real jobs; addressing workplace discrimination enforcement, especially for informal or precarious workers.

Notice what these have in common: they identify a decision-maker (or set of institutions), a rule or resource that can change, and a strategy for pressure plus persuasion.

Insider Tips for a Winning Application (The Stuff People Learn the Hard Way)

Most applicants make one big mistake: they describe the problem beautifully and vaguely, then wave at a solution. This program rewards people who can name the target and describe the path. Here’s how to do that.

1) Write your application like an advocacy plan, not a biography

Your life story matters, but this isn’t an autobiography contest. Anchor everything in: what you’re trying to change, who can change it, and how you’ll influence them. If your application reads like a clear plan, reviewers relax. Relaxed reviewers fund people.

2) Pick one sharp “win” instead of five fuzzy ones

Advocacy beginners try to fix the entire country in one project. Don’t. Choose a win you can plausibly move in months, not decades—like a specific municipal budget line, a district-level service protocol, or a policy implementation gap you can document and pressure.

3) Prove you’re already in relationship with the community

Saying “we serve vulnerable communities” is not proof. Show the relationship: community advisory groups, co-designed priorities, ongoing forums, partner organizations, or demonstrated trust. If you’re part of the community you’re advocating with, say so directly and respectfully.

4) Make power visible

Use plain language: who has the authority, who influences them, who benefits from the status quo, and who is already pushing for change. Advocacy is politics with a purpose. If your application pretends politics doesn’t exist, it will feel naïve.

5) Treat “English proficiency” as a clarity requirement, not a grammar contest

You don’t need to write like a novelist. You do need to write so a tired reviewer can understand your plan on the first read. Short sentences. Concrete nouns. Fewer buzzwords, more specifics.

6) Plan for opposition (because it will show up)

If your project touches budgets, gender norms, or accountability, someone will resist. Name the likely resistance and your response: coalition partners, media strategy, legal pathways, community mobilization, or evidence briefs.

7) If you need a fiscal sponsor, line it up early

Do not wait until you’re “selected” to think about eligibility to receive funds. Identify a credible fiscal sponsor now, confirm they can receive international funds, and clarify how they’ll handle reporting and disbursements. That preparation signals seriousness.

Application Timeline (Working Backward From January 15, 2026)

A smart application isn’t rushed; it’s assembled. Here’s a realistic pacing plan.

By mid-December 2025, you want your core idea decided: the issue, the target, and the community base. This is when you should also confirm the practical constraints—whether you can attend April 13–18, 2026 in person, and whether your organization will formally support your participation.

In the last two weeks of December, draft your application narrative and have at least two people read it: one who understands gender equity work, and one who doesn’t. The second person is your secret weapon—if they can explain your plan back to you accurately, your application is probably clear enough for reviewers.

In the first week of January 2026, tighten the writing, confirm any organizational details (registration status, ability to receive international funds, fiscal sponsor if needed), and gather whatever supporting information the form asks for. Aim to submit by January 10–12. Online forms have a special talent for misbehaving close to deadlines.

Then keep your calendar clear around April 13–18, 2026. If you’re selected, you don’t want to be negotiating your own attendance like it’s an optional social event. Treat it as mission-critical—because it is.

Required Materials (What You Should Prepare Before You Open the Form)

Because this application is hosted through an online form, requirements may look simple on the surface. Don’t be fooled. You’ll want to prepare:

• A clear description of your role and organization, emphasizing your decision-making authority and current work in Gauteng and/or KwaZulu-Natal.
• A focused gender equity challenge connected to health, education, or economic opportunity, including who is most affected and what inequity looks like on the ground.
• A preliminary advocacy project idea that aims at systems change—who you want to influence, what you want to change, and what success would look like in practical terms.
• Confirmation of organizational support to participate in the in-person Accelerator and related virtual sessions.
• Proof points about community connection and partnerships, even if informal—coalitions, local allies, networks, or trusted structures.
• Funding eligibility information (registration status, ability to receive international funds, fiscal sponsor plan if relevant).

Write your answers in a separate document first. Online forms are not the place for first drafts.

What Makes an Application Stand Out (How Reviewers Likely Think)

Reviewers generally fund confidence—not arrogance, confidence. That comes from specificity.

Strong applications usually do three things well. First, they show the applicant is already doing the work and isn’t shopping for an identity. Second, they define a realistic advocacy target and explain how change happens step-by-step. Third, they demonstrate that the work is anchored in communities most affected, not parachuted in with good intentions and a clipboard.

Expect reviewers to weigh your leadership potential, your commitment to gender equity, and your ability to translate passion into an advocacy plan that can survive contact with reality. They’ll also look for feasibility: can you actually attend the Accelerator, and are you positioned to implement what you learn inside your organization or coalition?

Common Mistakes to Avoid (And How to Fix Them)

Mistake 1: Trying to be “everything”

If your application claims you’ll fix health, education, jobs, housing, and transport, it reads like panic. Choose one strong entry point and explain how it connects to broader equity outcomes.

Mistake 2: Describing suffering without describing power

It’s not enough to document harm. Advocacy is about who can change the conditions producing that harm. Always include the “who decides” piece.

Mistake 3: Confusing service delivery with advocacy

Services are vital. But this program’s funding pathway is built around advocacy for systems change. If your idea is primarily direct services, reframe it: what policy or budget change would make those services unnecessary—or massively easier to provide?

Mistake 4: Ignoring the grant eligibility realities

If your organization can’t receive international funds and you don’t have a fiscal sponsor plan, you may be setting yourself up for disappointment later. Solve the administrative puzzle early.

Mistake 5: Writing in slogans

Words like “empowerment” and “awareness” can mean something, but they’re not strategies by themselves. Swap slogans for actions: meetings with decision-makers, media briefings, budget submissions, legal petitions, coalition building, community accountability sessions.

Frequently Asked Questions

1) Is this a grant or a training program?

It’s both, in sequence. First comes the Leadership and Advocacy Accelerator (training). After completing it, participants become eligible to apply for up to $17,000 in seed funding for an advocacy project.

2) Do I have to pay anything to participate?

No. The program covers participation costs including transportation, lodging, food, and materials tied to the Accelerator.

3) Can I apply if I work outside Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal?

Based on the stated criteria, you should be currently working in Gauteng and/or KwaZulu-Natal. If your organization is national but your work is concentrated in one of those provinces, make that explicit.

4) What if my organization is not registered?

You may still be able to participate and pursue funding through a fiscal sponsor—a registered entity set up to receive international funds. Plan this early so you’re not scrambling later.

5) I work for a government organization. Can I still apply?

You may be eligible to participate in the program depending on role fit, but government organizations are not eligible to receive grants through this program. If seed funding is central to your plan, consider whether a civil society partner could carry the grant-funded project.

6) What kind of project is most competitive for the $17,000 seed funding?

Projects with a clear advocacy target, a feasible strategy, and measurable outcomes. Think policy adoption, budget allocation, implementation accountability, or institutional practice change—especially where marginalized groups are centered as partners, not afterthoughts.

7) Do I need to be fluent in English?

You need oral and written English proficiency to participate fully. Aim for clarity over perfection.

8) What if I cannot attend April 13–18, 2026 in person?

In-person attendance is part of the requirement. If your schedule is uncertain, solve that before applying—because selection without attendance capacity is a painful waste of momentum.

How to Apply (Do This While You Still Feel Motivated)

Treat your application like you’re already in the Accelerator: clear, grounded, strategic.

First, block time to draft your responses offline. Give yourself at least two writing sessions—one to get the ideas out, one to tighten and simplify. Second, confirm your organizational support and your ability to attend April 13–18, 2026 in person, plus the virtual sessions. Third, if you’ll need a fiscal sponsor to receive international funds, start that conversation now and document the arrangement.

When you’re ready, submit your application through the official form:

Ready to apply? Visit the official opportunity page here:
https://www.tfaforms.com/5191276?pid=a1F5x000005w18X

Aim to submit a few days before January 15, 2026. Not because you love deadlines—but because you deserve an application that isn’t written in a fog of last-minute stress.