15 Opportunities for Female Founders, Academics, Scientists, Researchers   and  Currently Open – June 27, 2026  – YOA

1. SheConnects Digital Accelerator – Africa 2026 (as much as $1,000,000)
The SheConnects Digital Accelerator – Africa helps excessive-affect organisations and partnerships working to enhance ladies and ladies’ significant participation within the digital world. The programme is designed for organisations with confirmed options that may strengthen ladies’s entry to digital instruments, on-line alternatives, livelihoods, companies and safer digital ecosystems throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. Selected initiatives could obtain massive-scale assist to broaden proof-backed approaches, strengthen studying throughout nations, and form extra inclusive digital programs. The OPPORTUNITY is appropriate for civil society organisations, mission-pushed corporations, educational establishments, consortia and partnerships that may show a robust public-profit mission and the capability to ship an 18-month programme. It is particularly related for organisations working on the intersection of gender, expertise, digital inclusion, livelihoods and programs change.
Click here to apply | Deadline: July 8

2. WECF Gender Just Climate Solutions Awards 2026 (€5,000 money prize)
The WECF Gender Just Climate Solutions Awards recognise grassroots, activist and civil society initiatives that place gender equality, ladies’s rights and inclusive management on the centre of local weather motion. The award helps sensible and transformative local weather options in areas reminiscent of water, renewable power, meals programs, digitalisation, waste discount, neighborhood studying and institutional change. Applicants could apply below technical local weather options, non-technical local weather options or transformative local weather initiatives. Winning tasks obtain a €5,000 money prize, tailor-made mentorship and totally funded journey for one consultant to attend the awards ceremony at COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye. This alternative is good for ladies-led, gender-various and neighborhood-based mostly initiatives within the Global South which might be already implementing local weather options and might present a transparent gender-simply method.
Click here to apply | Deadline: July 12

3. AWIEF Pitch n Grow Competition 2026
The AWIEF Pitch n Grow Competition is a flagship ladies entrepreneurship programme created to determine, develop and amplify promising ladies-led ventures throughout Africa. The 2026 version focuses on the theme ‘Deep Roots. Digital Futures,’ with particular consideration to deep expertise ventures which might be grounded in African realities and able to scaling past native markets. Participants profit from mentorship, coaching, visibility, media publicity, entry to entrepreneurial networks, journey assist for finalists and the chance to pitch on a world stage. Applicants should determine as ladies founders or co-founders, be residents, residents or registered operators in an African nation, and lead ventures serving or concentrating on African markets. This is a robust alternative for ladies entrepreneurs constructing bold, expertise-enabled companies with clear progress potential.
Click here to apply | Deadline: July 20

4. Gender Responsive Research for Optimized Women (GROW) Fellowship 2026
The Gender Responsive Research for Optimized Women (GROW) Fellowship is designed for African ladies professionals working in plant breeding, livestock breeding and associated crop enchancment programs. The fellowship strengthens the management pipeline of girls breeders by supporting their capability to steer gender-responsive analysis, affect scientific and coverage agendas, and change into extra seen leaders in agricultural innovation. Fellows take part in management and negotiation coaching, mentoring, peer studying, information boards {and professional} networking over a two-yr interval. Applicants must be ladies professionals from African nations, maintain not less than a grasp’s diploma in plant or livestock breeding, have a minimal of 5 years of related expertise, and be actively affiliated with a college, analysis establishment, personal firm or different crop enchancment organisation. This is a robust alternative for ladies shaping the way forward for meals programs and agricultural analysis in Africa.
Click here to apply | Deadline: July 24

5. WeXchange Women STEMpreneurs Competition 2026
The WeXchange Women STEMpreneurs Competition seeks modern ladies-led and girls-powered STEM startups throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. The competitors is designed for startups with not less than one lady founder, co-founder or C-suite chief, particularly these working in expertise-pushed sectors reminiscent of fintech, edtech, agtech, healthtech, biotech, cleantech, mobility, logistics, digital safety, tourism and SaaS. Selected entrepreneurs will pitch their corporations to traders and innovation leaders in the course of the GET Forum, obtain visibility and press assist, and join with enterprise capital networks. The alternative is especially appropriate for corporations which might be elevating capital or making ready to boost throughout the subsequent yr and might show market potential, scalability, traction and social or environmental affect. It is a strong platform for ladies entrepreneurs constructing excessive-progress STEM ventures.
Click here to apply | Deadline: June 30

6. AWS She Builds Mentorship Program 2026
The AWS She Builds Mentorship Program is a free 12-week mentorship expertise for ladies in expertise the world over. The programme is designed to assist ladies at totally different levels of their tech careers by matching them with AWS mentors who can present steerage aligned with their targets, expertise and placement. Participants achieve entry to structured skilled improvement, neighborhood studying, networking alternatives and occasions with senior AWS leaders. The programme is appropriate for ladies in search of confidence, route, technical publicity and stronger skilled networks in cloud, digital expertise and associated fields. Applicants solely have to create a free AWS Builder ID to start the application course of. This is a useful alternative for ladies who wish to develop in expertise, construct confidence and join with a world neighborhood of friends and mentors.
Click here to apply | Deadline: June 30

7. Women Who SPARK Awards 2026
The Women Who SPARK Awards have a good time ladies who show transformational management by braveness, authenticity, measurable affect and repair to their organisations and communities. The awards recognise ladies at totally different profession ranges, together with rising stars, mentors, innovators and leaders who persistently create worth and elevate others as they develop. Nominations could also be submitted by friends, colleagues or leaders who’ve witnessed the nominee’s contribution. Winners might be recognised throughout a gala held alongside the U2030 Annual SPARK Meeting in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This alternative is good for ladies professionals within the utilities, vendor, innovation and transformation ecosystem whose work deserves wider visibility. It can be helpful for organisations that wish to publicly recognise ladies who’re driving change, mentoring others and strengthening their sectors by sensible management.
Click here to apply | Deadline: June 30

8. Standard Chartered Women in Tech Incubator South Africa 2026
The Standard Chartered Women in Tech Incubator South Africa helps aspiring ladies entrepreneurs in STEM, expertise, engineering, manufacturing and innovation-associated fields. Delivered in partnership with WomHub, the programme supplies chosen contributors with structured incubation assist, management improvement, mentoring, networking alternatives, monetary teaching and entry to a neighborhood of girls constructing expertise-based mostly ventures. The programme additionally features a pitch competitors the place the highest 5 winners obtain $10,000 every, adopted by particular person mentoring and monetary teaching. Applicants must be aspiring ladies entrepreneurs based mostly in South Africa with modern tech-based mostly enterprise concepts or ventures prepared for progress. This is a robust alternative for ladies founders who want sensible enterprise assist, confidence, investor publicity and ecosystem connections to maneuver from thought to market or from early traction to stronger progress.
Click here to apply | Deadline: Unspecified

9. Rise Up Together Leadership & Advocacy Program in Kenya 2026
The Rise Up Together Leadership and Advocacy Program in Kenya will choose 25 civil society leaders for an intensive Leadership and Advocacy Accelerator centered on advancing gender fairness and justice. The 2026 cohort has a particular emphasis on schooling-centered advocacy, supporting leaders working to enhance instructional alternatives and outcomes in Kenyan communities. Participants will take part in an in-individual coaching from November 2-7, 2026, with extra digital classes earlier than and after the workshop. After the accelerator, leaders could apply for aggressive seed funding to launch advocacy methods. Eligible candidates should be not less than 18 years outdated, work in chosen Kenyan counties, maintain a coordination or administration position, and signify or work intently with marginalised communities, together with ladies and ladies with disabilities and different traditionally deprived teams. This is a sensible alternative for leaders able to affect coverage and programs for ladies’ schooling.
Click here to apply | Deadline: July 19

10. Women 4 Water – Swarovski Foundation Scholarships 2026/2027

The Women 4 Water – Swarovski Foundation Scholarships provide full scholarship assist for feminine candidates admitted to the one-yr MSc Programme in Water and Sustainable Development beginning in November 2026. The scholarship is designed to extend ladies’s management and experience within the water sector, particularly amongst professionals from low- and lower- or larger-center-revenue nations who’re dedicated to returning home and making use of their abilities after study. Applicants should have educational admission to the common MSc programme and will choose the Water Resources and Ecosystem Health observe, with explicit curiosity in areas reminiscent of environmental innovation, hydroinformatics, biodiversity, wetlands, aquatic ecosystems, local weather adaptation and nature-based mostly options. This is a superb alternative for ladies water professionals who need superior technical coaching and a stronger platform to contribute to sustainable water administration, biodiversity safety and local weather-resilient improvement.
Click here to apply | Deadline: Ongoing

11. Women of the Future Awards Southeast Asia 2026
The Women of the Future Awards Southeast Asia recognise excellent younger ladies aged 35 or below who’re making seen contributions throughout various sectors together with enterprise, public service, science, expertise, media, schooling, social enterprise, sustainability, sport and the humanities. The awards are designed to have a good time the inspirational leaders of tomorrow and join them to a strong regional and world neighborhood of girls who assist, mentor and amplify each other. Candidates should be residents or everlasting residents of one of many eligible Southeast Asian nations, and nominations could also be submitted by the candidate herself or by one other individual. Shortlisted candidates obtain regional visibility, entry to a robust management community and the chance to be recognised on the awards ceremony. This is a robust alternative for rising ladies leaders whose work, imaginative and prescient and achievements deserve broader recognition.
Click here to apply | Deadline: September 8

12. UNESCO-Al Fozan International Prize for the Promotion of Young Scientists in STEM 2026
The UNESCO-Al Fozan International Prize for the Promotion of Young Scientists in STEM recognises younger scientists whose work contributes to world socio-financial progress by science, expertise, engineering and arithmetic. Although open to eligible younger scientists broadly, the prize strongly encourages nominations of younger ladies scientists to advertise gender stability and encourage extra ladies and ladies to pursue careers in STEM. Each recipient receives USD 50,000, a medal and a diploma. Candidates should be below 40 on the application deadline and should have made recognised contributions in STEM analysis, STEM schooling, dissemination of analysis, creativity, innovation or worldwide and regional cooperation. This is a excessive-stage world recognition alternative for younger scientists whose work is already advancing information, schooling, cooperation and sensible options linked to the Sustainable Development Goals.
Click here to apply | Deadline: November 30

13. AFS Global STEM Changemakers Virtual Exchange Program 2026
The AFS Global STEM Changemakers Virtual Exchange Program is a totally digital scholarship alternative for younger individuals aged 15-20 who’re all for STEM, sustainability, intercultural studying and social affect. The programme brings collectively college students from totally different components of the world for a 12-week studying expertise centered on world competence, local weather motion, sustainability and drawback-fixing. Participants full interactive studying actions, have interaction with friends throughout cultures and develop capstone tasks proposing options to actual-world challenges, significantly round local weather change and power transition. The programme strongly encourages functions from younger ladies, underrepresented populations and college students with excessive monetary want. This is a robust alternative for ladies and younger ladies all for science, expertise, local weather management and world citizenship, particularly these in search of worldwide publicity with out having to journey.
Click here to apply | Deadline: August 2

14. Migration and Asylum Project (MAP) Catalyst for Change Fellowship 2026-2027
The Migration and Asylum Project Catalyst for Change Fellowship gives a 24-month alternative to realize educational, authorized and area expertise in migration, ladies’s rights, displacement safety and rule-of-regulation-based mostly social change. Fellows could also be positioned throughout MAP’s programmes, together with assist for survivors of sexual and gender-based mostly violence, authorized empowerment for migrant staff and direct help to displaced communities. The fellowship is appropriate for extremely motivated candidates who wish to use regulation, coverage, neighborhood engagement and analysis to strengthen safety for susceptible migrant and displaced populations. Fellows will work with shoppers, neighborhood networks, civil society companions, consultants and establishments whereas constructing sensible abilities in authorized help, casework, advocacy and rights-based mostly programming. This is a significant alternative for candidates all for ladies’s rights, compelled migration, justice and safety programs.
Click here to apply | Deadline: August 15

15. ARUA Early-career Research Fellowships 2026 (Cohort 2)
The ARUA Early-career Research Fellowships assist African early-profession researchers to conduct aggressive analysis inside ARUA Centres of Excellence and Africa-Europe Clusters of Research Excellence. The fellowship supplies a month-to-month stipend, lodging assist, journey assist and entry to established analysis environments the place fellows can publish, current and contribute to coverage-related information. The programme strongly encourages eligible ladies to apply and goals to award not less than 70% of the fellowships to feminine candidates. Applicants must be African nationals, maintain a PhD in a related self-discipline, be inside 5 years of finishing the doctorate, and be 35 or youthful on the time of application. Additional assist is on the market for eligible ladies who might have adjustment help reminiscent of childcare. This is a robust alternative for African ladies researchers constructing educational careers and worldwide analysis visibility.
Click here to apply | Deadline: July 15

For extra alternatives, go to Opportunity Desk