What WAAW Foundation does

WAAW Foundation (Working to Advance STEM Education for African Women), founded in 2007 and registered as a US 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN: 20-8576703), is a pan-African STEM education organization headquartered operationally in Abuja, Nigeria, with a lean paid staff of 1–10 employees supplemented by a large volunteer base. Its mission is to increase the participation of African women in STEM through scholarships, outreach, mentorship, and educator training. The foundation's product surface is a portfolio of 13 programs: an annual Undergraduate Scholarship ($500 per recipient, 50 scholars selected each cycle), a College to Secondary Outreach & Mentoring program, a College STEM Chapter network of 57 chapters across 24 African countries, an annual Fellows Summit, STEM Teacher Training workshops, a STEM In A Bag Kit, an Adopt A School program, a She Hacks Africa coding Bootcamp, a STEM Camp, a Global Youth Scholars Program, a Scholarship Mentorship Program, an Alumni Learning Series, and a European Business University of Luxembourg certificate partnership. Programs are delivered primarily through university-based STEM chapters, with scholars required to set up chapters and conduct outreach, creating a self-replicating distribution model.

The revenue model is donations-based and entirely non-commercial. WAAW accepts tax-deductible charitable contributions from individual donors, corporate sponsors, and institutional partners (named partners include Collins Aerospace, Micron, Herbal Goodness, Vemoye Foundation UK, Black Sisters in STEM, African Science Academy Ghana, and Edo State Ministry of Digital Economy). Beneficiary-facing pricing is zero — scholarships, outreach, and training are provided at no cost; sponsor-facing pricing is structured as unit-based donation goals ($500 per scholar-equivalent, $1,000 per chapter, $7,500 per educator). Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven: digital channels (website, blog, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, email newsletters) drive top-of-funnel awareness, while annual summits, teacher training workshops, and chapter-led outreach sessions drive mid- and bottom-funnel engagement. No revenue or audited financials are disclosed.

The organization operates in 29 African countries with documented presence in Nigeria, Rwanda, Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, Cameroon, Zimbabwe, Senegal, Sudan, Egypt, DRC, Uganda, Somalia, and South Sudan. Documented outcomes include 1,512 women in the active network, 4,292+ students reached in Q1 2026 across 37 outreach sessions, 3,245+ girls inspired through outreach, and a near-doubling of self-reported STEM interest among outreach participants (1,135 pre-session to 2,159 post-session). Named alumni outcomes include a First Class Honours graduate now at Huawei, Nigeria Maritime University's Most Outstanding Female Cadet, and a PhD-bound best graduating student from Nigeria.

Name

WAAW Foundation

Legal name

WAAW Foundation

Website

https://waawfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

WAAW Foundation is a pan-African 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded in 2007 and headquartered in Abuja, Nigeria, that delivers STEM scholarships, college-to-school outreach, teacher training, and mentorship to African women and girls across 29 African countries via a network of 57 university STEM chapters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

STEM Education Nonprofit Programs

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (6117)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

College Access, Scholarships & Student Success Nonprofits (BPAGADAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Foundation/NGO & Philanthropic Scholarships (EDAIAOAH), Degree-Level Scholarships (Undergrad/Masters/PhD/Postdoc) (EDAIAOAE), Workforce Readiness, Career Pathways & Youth Employment Nonprofits (BPAGADAF)

Keywords

• STEM education programs
• Scholarship programs
• Women in STEM
• Teacher training
• STEM outreach

Headquarters

HQ city

Lagos

HQ country

Nigeria

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: WAAW Foundation operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN: 20-8576703) funded entirely through donations. All donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. The foundation receives support from individual donors, corporate sponsors, and institutional funders.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

WAAW Foundation provides scholarships, college-to-secondary STEM outreach and mentoring, annual Fellows Summits, STEM teacher training, STEM In A Bag Kits, She Hacks Africa coding bootcamps, STEM Camps, and a Global Youth Scholars Program to African women and girls. All programs are delivered at no cost to beneficiaries and are supported by a pan-African network of 57 university STEM chapters across 24-29 African countries.

Product overview

WAAW Foundation operates as a pan-African nonprofit organization offering a unified portfolio of STEM education programs rather than a technology product platform. The core offering consists of interconnected programs including the Scholarship Program (providing annual financial support to African women in STEM), College to Secondary Outreach & Mentoring (deploying fellows into schools), Fellows Summit Experience (annual leadership summit), STEM Teacher Training (educator professional development), STEM In A Bag Kit (portable educational resources), Adopt A School Program, She Hacks Africa Bootcamp, STEM Camp, Global Youth Scholars Program, Scholarship Mentorship Program, STEM College Chapter Program (57 university chapters across 24 countries), WAAW Alumni Learning Series (webinar-based alumni support), and a partner program with European Business University for certificate courses. These programs work together to create a pipeline from secondary school inspiration through university education to career mentorship, with scholarship recipients required to return to their communities to establish STEM chapters and run outreach sessions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Scholarship Program Provides annual scholarships ($500 per scholar) to African women pursuing STEM courses at tertiary institutions, covering tuition, schooling expenses, accommodation, and miscellaneous expenses. Scholars are required to set up STEM Chapters and conduct secondary school outreach.
• College to Secondary Outreach & Mentoring Program

Quantifiable outcome

• STEM interest doubled: Only 1,135 girls reported genuine interest in pursuing STEM before sessions; after outreach sessions, that number nearly doubled to 2,159
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• The Cirble GroupminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2026Partner for February 2026 Fellows Meet-Up themed 'Vision to Impact: Redefining STEM by Closing the Gender Gap', facilitated by Liz Joseph through storytelling on resilience and growth.
• ScholarWakaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Partnership to deliver 3-session Scholarship Application Workshop as part of WAAW Alumni Learning Series, equipping participants with skills to compete for global scholarship opportunities.
• European Business University of LuxembourgcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 March 2023Educational partnership offering certificate courses in Leadership, IT/Software Development, and Education/Teacher Training to WAAW scholars at discounted rates with scholarship opportunities.
• NICIScoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partner institution supporting the 2023 Fellows Cape Town Summit and collaborative efforts in STEM education advancement.
• Vemoye Foundation UKcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023UK-based foundation partnering with WAAW to offer scholarships and support for African women in STEM across the continent.
• Collins Aerospace UKcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Aerospace technology company providing scholarships, mentoring, and internship opportunities for WAAW college fellows.
• Black Sisters in STEMcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Organization providing mentorship opportunities and support for Black women pursuing STEM education and careers.
• African Science Academy, GhanacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Ghanaian science academy partnering to provide scholarships, mentoring, and educational opportunities for WAAW scholars.
• Edo State Ministry of Digital EconomycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Government ministry partnership offering digital economy programs and support for STEM education initiatives in Edo State, Nigeria.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• African Leadership Academy:

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/waawfoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/2135817
• Instagraminstagram.com/waawfoundation
• Xx.com/WAAW_Foundation

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about WAAW Foundation