A new $15 million philanthropic fund launched in Kenya is set to support frontline organisations working to end female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), with African communities among those expected to benefit most from the new funding.
The Her Horizon Fund was launched at the Justice for Girls convening in Kenya, bringing together 150 movement leaders from 36 countries.
It aims to provide funding to organisations working with survivors and communities affected by FGM/C, with grantmaking expected to begin in 2027.
The fund was seeded with $14 million by the US-based Wallace Global Fund, which has worked on FGM/C since its inception, alongside $1.5 million from an anonymous donor.
It will be housed at Women Win, a Netherlands-based women’s fund.
More than 230 million women and girls globally have undergone FGM/C, including more than 144 million in Africa.
The practice can result in severe pain, excessive bleeding, infections, childbirth complications and long-term psychological trauma.
The fund’s launch comes as international development and humanitarian financing faces cuts, putting pressure on organisations working at community level, particularly survivor-led initiatives.
Wallace Global Fund says the initiative was developed through consultations with survivors, donors and movement actors.
Survivors and activists will continue to have a role in shaping the fund’s strategy and grantmaking.
The Her Horizon Fund ultimately aims to mobilise $100 million from philanthropic, bilateral and corporate donors.
Its backers say the goal is to strengthen frontline movements and help accelerate progress toward ending FGM/C within a generation.
This framing keeps Africa at the centre without implying the fund is exclusively African.
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