About Malala Fund
Malala Fund is working for a world where every girl can learn and choose her own future.
Focus Areas
Girls' educationSecondary educationAdvocacyPolicy changeEducation financingEducation in emergenciesGirls' rights and gender equalityCapacity building for local civil society
Who They Fund
Afghan girls and young womengirls affected by conflict (general)civilians in Gazaearthquake-affected communities in Afghanistanwomen and girls subject to gender-based discrimination/apartheid
About Malala Fund
The Malala Fund’s recent giving is marked by a sustained push to recognize gender apartheid in Afghanistan as a human rights issue, alongside emergency education support and humanitarian relief tied to conflict. In 2025, it awarded $450,000 to Atlantic Council US in Washington, DC for advocacy to recognize gender apartheid in Afghanistan, and $250,000 to Defaw Inc in Brentwood, CA for the same goal. Those grants sit within a broader pattern that also includes work on alternative learning for Afghan girls, education access for girls affected by conflict, and aid for civilians in Gaza. The foundation gives at a meaningful scale for a focused education-and-advocacy funder. Its annual grants total $2,323,000, and its recent awards are concentrated in six-figure amounts. The Malala Fund also uses targeted emergency grants when crises disrupt girls’ schooling, supporting alternative and digital learning responses in conflict and disaster settings. Its grantmaking is not limited to one country or one tactic. Recent awards show a mix of policy advocacy, issue amplification, direct relief, and support for organizations working on girls’ secondary education and gender equality.
What Malala Fund Funds
A core theme in the recent record is advocacy on gender apartheid in Afghanistan. The Malala Fund gave $239,000 to Civic Engagement Project Dba Institute for State Effectiveness in Washington, DC for advocacy to recognize gender apartheid in Afghanistan, and $135,000 to Players Philanthropy Fund in Towson, MD for the same purpose. It also supported issue amplification through $150,000 to Wartists (artlords) in Ashburn, VA. Education access for Afghan girls appears in a separate cluster of grants. In 2024, it awarded $150,000 to Too Young to Wed in Peekskill, NY and $130,000 to Learn Afghan Inc in Flagstaff, AZ for alternative learning for Afghan girls. In 2025, it gave $100,000 to International Network for Aid Relief and Assistance in New York, NY and $100,000 to Kids in Need of Development Education & Relief in Dallas, TX to support education of girls affected by conflict. The foundation also funded humanitarian assistance in Gaza, with $100,000 grants to Anera, Palestine Childrens Relief Fund, and Unrwa USA.
How Malala Fund Gives
The Malala Fund’s typical grant size is tightly clustered: p25 is $100,000, median is $100,000, and p75 is $107,500. That points to a program shaped around mid-six-figure and low-six-figure awards rather than very small grants. The recent list also shows repeat funding to the same organizations across years, including Atlantic Council US and Civic Engagement Project Dba Institute for State Effectiveness. It is a regular funder, not a DAF, and it does not fund individuals. Public application details were not provided for the active grant programs shown.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$1.5M
Total Assets
$54.5M
Total Revenue
$15.3M
Total Expenses
$23M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $100K and $108K, with a median of $100K.
25th Percentile
$100K
Median
$100K
75th Percentile
$108K
Geographic Reach
National8 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
LENA ALFI
Accepts unsolicited proposals
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