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  • ✨ Happy December! Your Final 7 Grants & Fellowships of 2025 + Help Shape Our Content for 2026

✨ Happy December! Your Final 7 Grants & Fellowships of 2025 + Help Shape Our Content for 2026

Hello Innovators! 👋

Precious here from SASIE, your partner in tech entrepreneurship.

Happy New Month: Finish Strong and Look Ahead

Welcome to December! In this final month of 2025, we wish you success, peace, and productivity. This is the last call for major funding, accelerator, and mentorship programmes this year. Do not let the momentum you have built throughout the year fade away. Scroll up and review the six opportunities listed below, and submit your applications!

We believe every ambitious woman has the power to redefine her path. December is not just an ending; it's a launchpad. Take a moment to reflect on your achievements, plan for 2026, and commit to ending this year on a strong, positive note.

Help Us Serve You Better in 2026

We need your insight to ensure the No Ordinary Woman newsletter continues to be your most valuable resource. If you could take a minute of your time and evaluate our content for 2025, we would greatly appreciate it.

What new content or resources would you love to see in 2026? Your insights are the fuel that drives us, so please reply directly to this email with your thoughts on how we can improve to help you meet your needs and achieve your most ambitious goals next year!

  • REMWACON 2025 (Remote Worker Annual Virtual Conference)

  • SparkUp Initiative Fellowship 2026 for Women-led Organizations

  • Become a Tony Elumelu Foundation Mentor (TEF)

  • NWTF 2026 Grant for Women-Led Projects in Africa

  • Youth Social Entrepreneurship Program (YSEP) – Second Cohort

REMWACON 2025 (Remote Worker Annual Virtual Conference)

REMWACON 2025 is a virtual, one-day conference organized by Ritetrac Consulting to arm professionals with key strategies, tools, and insights that will ensure success in the global remote work industry. It usually hosts a lineup of expert speakers on career development, personal branding, and leveraging technology for job hunting and productivity.

What You'll Get

  • Access to various expert-led sessions on strategies for remote working.

  • Tips to make your career profile stand out for remote work:

  • Guidance on using AI tools for reviewing CVs and applying for jobs, with related programs implied.

  • Networking opportunities with professionals, consultants, and thought leaders in the remote industry.

  • How to identify high-demand freelance and remote career paths.

Who can Apply?

  • Professionals seeking to shift into a remote career.

  • Remote opportunities that allow for career growth and work-life balance.

  • Aspiring freelancers and entrepreneurs interested in monetizing transferable skills.

  • Anyone committed to mastering the tools and techniques of the digital work economy.

Date December 11, 2025

Time: 9:30 am – 5:30 pm West African Time

SparkUp Initiative Fellowship 2026 for Women-led Organizations

The SparkUp Initiative Fellowship is a transformative, global capacity-building program to strengthen women-led organizations by equipping them with the knowledge, tools, and confidence to succeed in fundraising. It supports women-led organizations across all sectors serving education, health, gender equity, and environmental justice.

What You'll Get

  • Learn how to create a robust, tailored fundraising strategy.

  • Develop and enhance high-impact projects and plans for fundraising.

  • Acquire practical skills in grant writing for international foundations and public institutions.

  • Learn about innovative ways of crowdfunding and digital fundraising.

  • Get personalized mentorship and peer-to-peer learning with the other fellows.

  • Join a community of dynamic women leaders supportive of one another.

Deadline: December 20, 2025

Become a Tony Elumelu Foundation Mentor (TEF)

The Tony Elumelu Foundation is looking for inspiring leaders, industry experts, and professionals across the globe to be part of the Global TEF Mentors Guild. The network will shape and support Africa's most promising entrepreneurs from the 54 African countries by mentoring them through the formative years of their business ideas into resilient and impactful entities.

What You'll Get

  • Make a measurable impact in the expansion of employment, sustainability, and development in Africa.

  • Support entrepreneurs driving the process of innovation and economic growth.

  • Share your knowledge in the industry that will help new businesses overcome various challenges.

  • Build meaningful connections within a global network of leaders and changemakers.

  • Contribute to TEF's mission to empower thousands of entrepreneurs every year across Africa.

  • Mentorship includes:

    Virtual one-on-one or group sessions.

    Mentoring on business model development, growth planning and pitching.

    Regular check-ins throughout the program cycle.

Deadline: Continuous/Rolling Application

NWTF 2026 Grant for Women-Led Projects in Africa

The NWTF 2026 Grant is a dedicated program designed to equip women innovators, social change leaders, and entrepreneurs throughout Africa. This program takes place from January to April 2026. It provides financial support, along with capacity building, to enhance women-led development projects, community initiatives, non-profit organizations, or enterprise-focused solutions.

What You'll Get

  • Financial Support for project implementation.

  • Four months of structured guidance and supervision.

  • Access to proposal templates, frameworks, and reporting tools.

  • Capacity strengthening for women-led, impact-driven initiatives.

  • Visibility and recognition within the wider development ecosystem.

Who Can Apply?

  • Lead or co-lead a women-focused or women-led project.

  • Be able to commit to the full project period of January–April 2026.

  • Demonstrate a clear problem, solution, and measurable impact.

  • Submit all required documents using the official templates only.

Deadline: December 12, 2025

Youth Social Entrepreneurship Program (YSEP) – Second Cohort

The Vanguard Economics Foundation will launch the second cohort of the Youth Social Entrepreneurship Program (YSEP), a year-long program from January 27 through December 31, 2026. The program is designed for young entrepreneurs across Rwanda and equips them with the necessary skills, mentorship, and networks to grow sustainable and profitable micro and small businesses.

What You'll Get

  • Intensive Learning: Two intensive in-person learning modules led by a business leader with more than 40 years of experience will cover financial management, tax, sales, and digital marketing.

  • Strategic Planning: Biannual business planning and monitoring support, including co-development of six-month plans; dedicated guidance from Vanguard Economics.

  • Mentorship & Coaching: Be matched with seasoned mentors and receive regular coaching to help you in your business journey.

  • Networking: Quarterly in-person networking events with investors, regulators, other business leaders, mentors and program alumni.

  • Certification & Pitching: Get an official program certification and join a final investment pitching ceremony to potential partners and investors.

  • Increased Profitability: Advanced financial management, marketing, and pricing model tactics will be taught to enhance revenue.

Who Can Apply?

  • Must be the Founder or decision-maker of the business.

  • Must be below 35 years of age.

  • The business must be an MSME, that is, Micro, Small, or Medium Enterprise, having less than 50 staff.

  • The business must have been in operation for at least one year. 

  • The business shall be registered with the Rwanda Development Board.

Deadline: Friday, December 19, 2025!

ICYMI

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