Our new strategic plan is designed to match girls’ determination and resilience, follow their lead, fund their work and unite people, organisations and governments around a shared agenda for girls’ secondary education.
In the eight years I’ve been at Malala Fund, I’ve witnessed many shifts — in politics, funding, leadership and global priorities. But one thing has never changed: the courage and conviction of our grantee partners, who are unwavering in their work to protect girls’ right to learn. They are the heart of our organisation. Whether building coalitions in rural communities, shaping national policy or leading global campaigns, they show us what’s possible when local leaders have the resources and power to lead.
Time and again, their example has kept me grounded — and inspired me to keep going when things got difficult.
So when we began shaping our new strategy two years ago, we started with them. We asked: what would it take to support more leaders like these — people working every day to build a world where every girl has the chance to learn, grow and shape her own future? When girls complete secondary school, it doesn’t just transform their lives — it strengthens families, communities and institutions. I’ve seen the difference these leaders make. Their courage, persistence and vision have guided every decision we’ve made.
That’s why today, I’m proud to share Malala Fund’s aim to distribute $50 million in grants to secure rights and resources for girls' education through our new 2025–2030 strategy — a bold effort to unlock more funding for education, protect the right to learn and drive long-term change where girls’ needs are greatest.
Over the next five years, we’re sharpening our work to change the systems that hold entire communities back — especially girls — and to provide support that lasts.
We’re expanding our grantmaking to reach more grassroots organisations — reserving at least 20% of our funding for groups led by girls and young women. We are sustaining flexible support for local organisations in Brazil, Tanzania and Ethiopia — backing their strategies, tactics and ability to shape policies that generate the most impact for girls in their communities and beyond.
We’re deepening our work in Nigeria and Pakistan, home to nearly 15% of the world’s out-of-school girls. We are advocating alongside our partners who are advancing bold reforms to bring more girls into school and keep them there.
Alongside our grantmaking, we’re tackling the structural barriers that too often go untouched through our global advocacy. We are standing firm in our advocacy for Afghan girls who have been banned from secondary school since 2021. Our strategy calls for codifying gender apartheid as a crime under international law — an effort to ensure Afghan girls and women can seek justice and to protect the rights of girls around the world.
We are also pushing for global financial reform that enables governments to prioritise resources for education — especially in lower-income countries where they are now spending more on debt repayments than on public schools.
Where crises threaten to disrupt education for girls, we’re funding organisations working on the frontlines to make sure they keep learning, including those delivering alternative learning programmes in Afghanistan.
This is a moment of deep uncertainty. In recent months, we’ve seen drastic shifts in foreign aid, rollbacks in rights and mounting pressure on public systems. From the humanitarian crisis in Sudan to earthquakes in Southeast Asia and the destruction of schools in Gaza, education is too often treated as an afterthought — something to return to only after stability is restored.
But we know the opposite is true.
Education — and especially girls’ education — is not a luxury or a side issue. It is what leads to economic recovery, better public health, environmental resilience and strong, inclusive democracies. And it is one of the most powerful tools we have to shape a future that holds promise for all of us — led by a thoughtful, equipped and confident young generation.
This strategy is our commitment to that future. It’s shaped by girls, driven by our partners and built to meet this moment — not the one we wish we had.
Thank you for standing with us in this work. I can’t wait to see what we build together next.
