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Gender & AI Innovation Collective

We want to work with women’s rights organizations across Africa to explore how AI technology might help solve real problems in your communities and move toward greater gender equality.

The big idea: You know your community’s challenges better than anyone. We want to help you conceive and build AI tools that reflect your knowledge, priorities, and vision for justice.

Why This Matters

Women’s rights organizations across Africa understand the daily challenges their communities face – gender-based violence, economic barriers, healthcare gaps, education obstacles, and limited political participation. But many organizations don’t have access to the technical tools to build AI solutions that could help.

Right now, organizations often spend their limited resources building similar tools separately, which wastes time and money. Basic chatbots with pre-programmed answers can’t handle complex problems.

We want to change that. Together, let’s imagine how AI can be shaped by and for communities working toward gender equality.

What We Offer

Technical support and infrastructure to explore and build gender-focused AI tools, plus:

  • Community Learning in AI concepts and development

  • Expert mentorship throughout your project

  • A safe space to experiment and learn

  • Funding for prototyping and testing your solutions

  • A community of organizations doing similar work

  • Help turning your ideas into real, working tools

     

Our goal is to build your technical capacity so you can own and shape AI on your own terms.

Our Approach: Three Core Principles

  • Sharing knowledge equally – Everyone brings expertise to the table

  • Community control over technology – You decide how AI serves your needs

  • Creating innovations together – Collaborative development, not top-down solutions.

How It Works: Three Phases

We follow a structured path from idea to implementation:

Phase 1: Concept Papers (3 months) – Unfunded

Eight weeks of community learning modules on Feminist AI, Data, Models, Impact Assessments.
Think through your idea and write a short concept paper that explains your idea. You’ll get:
  • Required AI modules (mandatory for everyone)
  • Feedback from our peer mentors
  • Discussion with other organizations in the network
  • Your research shared at regional events
Note: This phase includes unpaid training to help refine your ideas. You must complete this training to be eligible for funding in later phases.

 

Phase 2: Prototypes (4-5 months) – Seed Grants Available

Build a working version of your idea with help from our AI engineers and Gender Fellow. They’ll handle the technical complexity while you focus on your solution. You’ll:
  • Learn to use our Feminist AI Sandbox (a safe development environment)
  • Create a minimum viable product (MVP)
  • Get hands-on technical and socio-technical support throughout
Over the course of the project we will fund 6 prototypes at CAD 7,500 per project, and 6 Localisations/ adaptations of existing prototypes for new contexts at CAD 3,000. Per project.

 

Phase 3: Pilots (6-8 months) – Seed Grants Available

Test your solution in the real world with ongoing support. You’ll:
  • Deploy your tool in your community
  • Gather feedback and refine it
  • Make sure it’s safe, effective, and actually helps
Over the course of the project we will fund 3 pilots at CAD 15,000 each.

The Feminist AI Innovation Sandbox

We’re building a secure, human rights-focused digital environment with open-source AI models and development tools. Think of it as:
For learning: A safe place to understand AI, experiment with basic programming, and build skills with mentorship
For building: A space to rapidly prototype, co-create with your community, share resources, and get technical support – while you maintain ownership
This challenges the cycle of technology dependency and helps bridge the gap between knowing what needs to change and having the tools to change it.

What We'll Create Together

Tangible results:
  • Working AI innovations that positively impact real community challenges
  • A model that other organizations can replicate
  • High-quality research on gender-responsive AI
 
Long-term impact:
  • The Gender & AI Innovation Collective continues beyond this project
  • Ongoing peer support network
  • Advancement of gender-responsive AI governance frameworks

Who's Behind This

 The A+ Alliance for Inclusive Algorithms – A global feminist coalition of practitioners, academics, and activists prototyping a better future for AI.
Co-led by:
  • Code for Africa (founded 2012) – Employs ~140 staff across 26 African countries, working in Arabic, English, and French with 13+ years of civic technology experience.
  • Women at the Table (founded 2015) – A feminist organization in Switzerland focused on systems change, with deep multilateral expertise
Supported by: Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO)
Our track record: Fast Company World Changing Idea (2020), WSIS Awards runner-up, Generation Equality Action Coalition leader, Paris Peace Forum official project (2021)

2025 Open Call to Women's Rights Organisations in Africa

Timeline: The project runs from February 2026 to June 2027 with three overlapping cohorts.

Who Can Apply

 Your organization must meet ALL of these:
✓ Be a civil society organization, interdisciplinary team, or activist organization in Africa
✓ Be either women-led OR primarily working on women’s rights
✓ Have a feminist or human rights mission
✓ Show commitment to community engagement and participatory design
Your work can focus on any area, including: Climate Justice, Labor Rights, Health Equity, Gender Equality, Digital Justice, Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence, Social Justice, Children’s Rights, Disability Rights, LGBTQIA+ Inclusion, Data Privacy, Civic Engagement, Peacebuilding, Media Literacy, or other intersecting issues.

How to Apply

Submit your application here: https://form.jotform.com/253072320205543
Deadline for Cohort 1: December 12th 2025;
You’ll need to answer (200 words max each):
  1. What impact has your organization made in your community?
  2. What change happened from that impact?
  3. What new or deeper change is needed to accomplish your mission?
  4. If you already have an idea for what to build or scale with AI, tell us here

 

You’ll need to upload:
  • Legal registration documents (or a Community Support Letter if unregistered)
  • Team overview
  • CVs of team members
  • Any additional documentation you want to share

 

You’ll also need to:
  • Confirm your commitment to the time required if accepted
  • Provide digital signature

Questions?

We’re here to support you through this process. 
This is about building something together that truly serves your community’s needs.

Stay updated with project news on the GAIC page on A+ Alliance website & on LinkedIn 
Please send your questions to: 
@sarah(at)codeforafrica.org