Spotlighting Remarkable Women and Girls

NEW OPPORTUNITIES YOU CAN EXPLORE NOW

By Francisca Sinjae

The door is open. Right now, this month, women and girls across the world have access to fully funded fellowships, global conferences, leadership academies, research grants, and accelerator programmes, many with deadlines closing in May 2026. From Kigali to Barcelona, Cape Town to Melbourne, the opportunities on these pages span every sector, every career stage, and every corner of the globe. Whether you are a founder, a scientist, a student, a politician in progress, or simply someone who has been waiting for the right moment, this is it. Read carefully. Apply boldly. Your name belongs on that list.

GRANTS & FUNDING

  1. UNESCO Prize for Girls’ & Women’s Education

UNESCO Honours individuals, institutions, and organisations making outstanding contributions to girls’ and women’s education globally.

Award: Up to $50,000 USD

Deadline: May 12th 2026
Apply here:
Call for nominations for 2025 UNESCO Prize for Girls’ and Women’s

  1. CARTIER WOMEN’S INITIATIVE 2027

UNESCO Honours individuals, institutions, and organisations making outstanding contributions to girls’ and women’s education globally.

Award: $30K–$100K USD

Deadline: June 16th 2026
Apply here:
https://www.cartierwomensinitiative.com/awards

FELLOWSHIPS & TRAINING

  1. UNDP African Academy for Women in Political Leadership
    UNDP, African Union Commission, AWLN & African School of Governance, Brand new inaugural programme selecting 30 African women for a fully funded 4-week blended learning experience combining virtual modules with a residential convening in Kigali. Covers political leadership, strategic communications, coalition-building, campaign financing, and ethical governance. 40% of cohort reserved for women aged 21–35.

Award: Fully funded — all costs covered
Deadline: May 15th 2026
Apply here:
https://www.cognitoforms.com/AfricanSchoolOfGovernance1/AfricanAcademyForWomenInPoliticalLeadership

  1. IWF Leadership Fellows Programme 2026–27
    Global International Women’s Forum For high-performing women building long-term leadership presence. Includes a 3-day leadership immersion and a powerful peer cohort with enduring professional and personal support.
    Award: Leadership programme + network
    Deadline: May 15th 2026
    Apply here:
    Leadership Fellows Program – International Women’s Forum

Leadership Programmes

  1. Women in Tech Global Conference 2026
    100,000+ women in tech from across the world. Virtual-first with satellite in-person events in the US, Canada, and Europe simultaneously. Four virtual summits covering technology leadership, startup innovation, career growth, and future impact. 10,000+ scholarships available for those who need financial support to attend.
    Award: Leadership programme + network
    Deadline: May 12- 15th 2026
    Apply here:
    Home 2026 – Women in Tech® Global

  2. Euro-Global Women’s Forum 2026
    Noveltics Conferences
    Theme: “Voices of Change: Women Driving Global Impact.” Dynamic panels, workshops, networking, and spotlight sessions on youth empowerment, women in STEM, and education. Open to women leaders, researchers, founders, students, and activists from all sectors
    Award: Leadership programme + network
    Deadline: May 18th- 19th 2026
    Apply here:
    Women’s Forum Conferences | International Women’s Forum | Spain | Europe | 2026
  1. IAEE Women’s Leadership Forum 2026
    International Association of Exhibitions & Events designed for women leading exhibitions, events, and global gatherings. Attendees discuss leadership strategy, revenue growth, and designing events that deliver measurable value. A gathering of the industry’s most senior women in events and hospitality.

Deadline: May 27th 2026
Apply here:
The Women’s Leadership Forum | Executive Education

Share:

Trending

Raising Women Magazine Issue 045 – June 2026

There is a difference between living and merely functioning.
Somewhere between the notifications, deadlines, responsibilities, ambitions, and endless demands of modern life, many of us have become exceptionally good at keeping going. We show up. We deliver. We carry. We cope. Yet beneath the appearance of productivity, an important question remains: are we truly well?
In this issue of Raising Women Magazine, we explore wellness not as a trend, but as a deeper conversation about humanity, health, purpose, and presence.
Our cover feature introduces Dr. Heidi Beilis, a pioneering physician helping to shape the future of healthcare through artificial intelligence. Her work reminds us that innovation is at its best when it serves people, particularly women whose lives may be transformed by earlier diagnoses and better outcomes.
Elsewhere, we explore grief, ambition, beauty, leadership, healthspan, rest, and the invisible burdens many women carry. We ask difficult questions about what it means to thrive, not simply survive.
As I wrote in this issue’s Find Her Light column, sometimes the rest we need is not sleep. Sometimes it is space. Sometimes it is perspective. Sometimes it is permission.
May these pages offer all three.

Raising Women Magazine Issue 044 – May 2026

There is something deeply revealing about the way a society treats its children. Not just in policy or parenting, but in the stories it tells them, the spaces it creates for them, and the kind of world it quietly prepares them to inherit. In this Children’s Day edition, Raising Women Magazine turns its attention to childhood itself, not as a sentimental phase of life, but as the foundation upon which identity, confidence, memory, and humanity are built.

Our cover star, Ms. Rachel, represents a refreshing reminder that gentleness still matters in an age of noise. Through patience, intentionality, and emotional safety, she has transformed songs and screen time into a global classroom for millions of children and families.

Across this issue, we explore the emotional architecture of childhood, from the girls who learn too early to shrink themselves, to the children quietly carrying adult burdens before they fully understand their own. We also interrogate modern parenting, digital culture, family, safety, and the futures young people are already shaping.

Because childhood is never just preparation for life.

In many ways, it is life itself.

The Family Tree Divide

What Women Are Given, and What They Build By Sipho Khumalo Two women walk into the same room. One is recognised before she speaks. The

Your guide to IVF and egg freezing in Korea

Empowering your family planning journey with curated fertility treatments at lower costs. Get our guide for Korea’s leading clinics, pricing and service breakdown.

Recommended News

Raising Women Magazine Issue 045 – June 2026

There is a difference between living and merely functioning.
Somewhere between the notifications, deadlines, responsibilities, ambitions, and endless demands of modern life, many of us have become exceptionally good at keeping going. We show up. We deliver. We carry. We cope. Yet beneath the appearance of productivity, an important question remains: are we truly well?
In this issue of Raising Women Magazine, we explore wellness not as a trend, but as a deeper conversation about humanity, health, purpose, and presence.
Our cover feature introduces Dr. Heidi Beilis, a pioneering physician helping to shape the future of healthcare through artificial intelligence. Her work reminds us that innovation is at its best when it serves people, particularly women whose lives may be transformed by earlier diagnoses and better outcomes.
Elsewhere, we explore grief, ambition, beauty, leadership, healthspan, rest, and the invisible burdens many women carry. We ask difficult questions about what it means to thrive, not simply survive.
As I wrote in this issue’s Find Her Light column, sometimes the rest we need is not sleep. Sometimes it is space. Sometimes it is perspective. Sometimes it is permission.
May these pages offer all three.

Raising Women Magazine Issue 044 – May 2026

There is something deeply revealing about the way a society treats its children. Not just in policy or parenting, but in the stories it tells them, the spaces it creates for them, and the kind of world it quietly prepares them to inherit. In this Children’s Day edition, Raising Women Magazine turns its attention to childhood itself, not as a sentimental phase of life, but as the foundation upon which identity, confidence, memory, and humanity are built.

Our cover star, Ms. Rachel, represents a refreshing reminder that gentleness still matters in an age of noise. Through patience, intentionality, and emotional safety, she has transformed songs and screen time into a global classroom for millions of children and families.

Across this issue, we explore the emotional architecture of childhood, from the girls who learn too early to shrink themselves, to the children quietly carrying adult burdens before they fully understand their own. We also interrogate modern parenting, digital culture, family, safety, and the futures young people are already shaping.

Because childhood is never just preparation for life.

In many ways, it is life itself.

The Family Tree Divide

What Women Are Given, and What They Build By Sipho Khumalo Two women walk into the same room. One is

First, Believe

By The Lulu They said the sky’s the limit But what if you’re still underground, still digging through the dirt