Wallace Global Fund Launches $14 Million Initiative to End FGM/C

The fund, established by the U.S.-based Wallace Global Fund, represents the largest known philanthropic commitment of its kind. With an additional $1.5 million secured from an anonymous donor, the organization plans to aggregate $100 million from international donors to reach a critical tipping point in ending the practice within a generation. Grantmaking operations are scheduled to commence in 2027, with the fund housed at the Netherlands-based organization Women Win.

For decades, funding for frontline anti-FGM/C work has struggled to gain traction despite the practice affecting over 230 million women and girls globally. According to H. Scott Wallace, co-chair of the Wallace Global Fund, the project honors a legacy of advocacy started by his mother, Gordie Wallace, nearly 50 years ago. By prioritizing the expertise of local activists and survivors in its strategic design, the fund seeks to bypass the traditional aid bottlenecks that have historically plagued development assistance. Ifrah Ahmed, founder of the Ifrah Foundation, noted that the resource is essential for activists who already possess the localized strategies necessary to dismantle the practice in regions where it remains nearly universal.