Indigenous African organisations working on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) now have a rare and dedicated funding window through the Ahaki Foundation LIRA Fund. Launched in 2025, the LIRA Fund (Litigation for Impact in Reproductive Justice in Africa) is designed to resource locally led strategic litigation that protects and expands access to reproductive health services, especially for adolescents, persons with disabilities, and other marginalised groups in restrictive policy environments.
By centring indigenous African leadership, the fund addresses a long-standing gap: most international SRHR funding bypasses local organisations or imposes foreign-framed agendas. The LIRA Fund deliberately channels flexible resources directly to community-rooted actors who best understand local laws, cultural dynamics, and systemic barriers.
Program Goal and Theory of Change
The LIRA Fund seeks to achieve systemic and sustainable improvements in reproductive justice by building the capacity of African organisations to use strategic, evidence-based litigation as a core tool for change.
Strategic litigation under this fund includes public interest cases that:
- Challenge unconstitutional restrictions on abortion, contraception, or comprehensive sexuality education
- Compel governments to fulfil positive obligations (e.g., provide youth-friendly services, remove user fees, ensure commodity security)
- Protect providers and activists from criminalisation or harassment
- Set precedents that liberalise laws or improve implementation of progressive judgments
Grantees are expected to combine litigation with complementary advocacy, community mobilisation, and evidence generation so that court victories translate into real-world policy and service-delivery change.
Funding Details
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Grant size | USD 5,000 to USD 50,000 per project |
| Project duration | Maximum 18 months |
| Eligible countries | Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Nigeria, Senegal, Uganda, Zimbabwe |
| Application deadline | 12 December 2025 |
| Expected decision date | February 2026 |
| Earliest start date | March 2026 |
Funds may be used for attorney fees, court costs, expert witnesses, research, community consultations, media advocacy, precedent dissemination workshops, accessibility accommodations for persons with disabilities, safety and security measures for litigants and lawyers, and reasonable organisational strengthening costs.
Eligibility Criteria
To qualify, an organisation must:
- Be legally registered in one of the nine target countries (or have a registered fiscal host in-country)
- Be indigenous African-led (majority African nationals in governance and senior management)
- Have demonstrated experience or clear potential in human rights advocacy or legal interventions (prior litigation experience is an advantage but not mandatory)
- Show a track record or credible plan of working with adolescents, persons with disabilities, rural women, LGBTIQ+ persons, sex workers, or other marginalised groups
- Commit to feminist, decolonial, and intersectional principles in its reproductive justice work
- Possess basic financial management and reporting systems (technical assistance is available for smaller organisations)
Individuals, government bodies, international NGOs, and for-profit entities are not eligible.
Priority Themes for 2025–2026 Cycle
Applications that address one or more of the following will receive preference:
- Adolescent access to contraception and safe abortion in highly restrictive settings
- Forced sterilisation or denial of reproductive health services to women and girls with disabilities
- Criminalisation of miscarriage or self-managed abortion
- Removal of third-party authorisation requirements (spousal, parental, judicial) for SRHR services
- Protection of SRHR defenders from SLAPP suits, arrest, or online violence
- Implementation of progressive regional and continental judgments (e.g., African Commission and African Court decisions)
Projects that include a strong regional learning or precedent-sharing component are particularly encouraged.
Why the LIRA Fund is Different
- 100% dedicated to indigenous African organisations (no international intermediaries)
- Explicitly funds litigation and legal advocacy (an area many donors avoid because of perceived risk)
- Allows up to 20% of the budget for institutional strengthening
- Provides non-financial support: monthly peer-learning clinics, access to pro bono senior counsel, security training, and media amplification
- Uses participatory grant-making: shortlisted applicants co-design final proposals with Ahaki staff and alumni grantees
Application Process (Step by Step)
- Register on the Ahaki portal at https://ahaki.fluxx.io
- Complete the eligibility quiz (5 minutes)
- Submit a short concept note (maximum 4 pages) covering:
- Problem statement and theory of change
- Proposed litigation or quasi-litigation strategy
- Target beneficiaries and intersectional approach
- Requested budget and 18-month timeline
- Organisational background (CVs of key team members encouraged)
- Selected applicants will be invited to submit a full proposal and budget (template provided)
- Virtual interviews and reference checks
- Final decision by an independent, majority-women selection panel
All applications are accepted in English or French. Interpretation support is available for concept-note stage for organisations working primarily in Portuguese, Swahili, or local languages.
About Afya na Haki (Ahaki)
Afya na Haki is a pan-African feminist institute registered in Uganda and operating across Eastern, Western, and Southern Africa since 2016. Ahaki generates context-specific evidence on health and human rights, trains the next generation of African reproductive justice lawyers, and incubates strategic litigation networks. Its alumni have won landmark cases at national supreme courts, the ECOWAS Court, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and the African Court.
The LIRA Fund is supported by a consortium of progressive donors who believe that African solutions, led by Africans, are the most likely to achieve lasting reproductive justice on the continent.
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FAQs
We have never filed a court case before. Can we still apply?
Yes. The fund welcomes emerging litigators. Many successful grantees in pilot phases were community-based organisations partnering with pro bono lawyers. Ahaki provides intensive legal mentoring.
Can we request funding only for research and advocacy without going to court?
Pre-litigation research and shadow reporting are eligible only if clearly tied to a planned case within the 18-month period. Pure advocacy projects should seek funding elsewhere.
Our country is not on the list of nine. Can we apply?
Not for this cycle. The nine countries were selected based on funding gaps and political opportunity. A second cohort of countries is planned for 2027.
Can two organisations apply together?
Yes. Joint applications and sub-granting arrangements are encouraged, especially when a smaller community group partners with a legal NGO.
Do you fund abortion-related litigation in countries where it is heavily criminalised?
Yes. The fund has supported successful challenges in Kenya, Malawi, and Benin leading to liberalised access.
What reporting is required?
One narrative and financial report at midpoint, one at the end, plus quarterly check-in calls. Reporting templates are simple and available in French.
Is there a second funding round after the grant ends?
Renewal is possible for up to three years for projects that deliver strong precedents and systemic change.