Gender Links

What Gender Links does

Gender Links is a Southern African non-governmental organisation founded in 2001 and headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa. Its mandate is advancing gender equality and justice across the SADC region through advocacy, research, movement building, grants management, and capacity-building programmes rather than commercial technology products. The organisation directly serves women and girls, LGBTIQ communities, women's rights organisations, and SADC governments and local councils; core programmes cover sexual and reproductive health and rights, ending violence against women, economic and climate justice, women's political participation, and gender and the media.

The operational portfolio is delivered through country offices in ten SADC countries (South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mauritius, Lesotho, Botswana, Madagascar, Zambia, Tanzania, Seychelles, Namibia), with additional reach in 15 countries through partners. Core "products" are programmatic: gender integration consulting, gender policy and strategy development, gender training (including the GL Academy), strategic communications support, the annual SADC Gender Protocol Barometer research output, and conference facilities at GL Cottages. Key branded initiatives include the 50/50 Campaign (engaged with 432 councils), the Southern Africa Gender Protocol Alliance, the Voice and Choice Southern Africa Fund (SRHR focus), the Marang Southern Africa LGBTIQ Fund, the Women's Voice and Leadership South Africa Fund, and the Women of the South Speak Out (WOSSO) knowledge platform. Over 25 years the organisation has hosted 8,000+ events across 32 countries and reached 300,000+ people.

The revenue model is non-commercial grant dependency: all services are funded by donor contributions rather than priced sales. The organisation reports cumulative inflows of $75 million over 25 years, of which $14 million has been sub-granted to 120 women's rights organisations. The donor base is diversified across bilateral agencies (Global Affairs Canada, FCDO, SIDA, European Union), foundations (African Women Development Fund, Kaleidoscope Trust UK, Irene M Staehelin Foundation), corporate sponsors (HSBC Mauritius, NSIF Mauritius), and challenge funds (Amplify Change). Recent named grants include EUR 1,000,000 from the EU for the Marang Fund (2022) and GBP 1,500,000 from Amplify Change for Voice and Choice (2022-2025). There is no technology platform, no AI/ML capability, and no pricing model; the underlying "infrastructure" is the regional office network, the partner ecosystem, and the 25-year content library.

Name

Gender Links

Legal name

Gender Links

Website

https://genderlinks.org.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Gender Links is a Johannesburg-headquartered Southern African NGO founded in 2001 that advances gender equality through advocacy, research, training, and grants management, operating in 10 SADC countries and serving women, LGBTIQ communities, women's rights organisations, and SADC governments via donor-funded programmes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Gender Equality Services

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Social Assistance (624), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment (BPAGABAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Gender Equality & Women’s Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAD), LGBTQ+ Rights & Advocacy Organizations (BPAGAFAE), Education Partnerships for Equity, Inclusion & Gender (EDADALAF)

Keywords

• Gender equality advocacy
• Women's rights programs
• Gender policy consulting
• Nonprofit grants management
• Gender training services

Headquarters

HQ city

Johannesburg

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Grants and Bilateral Funding: Gender Links operates primarily through grants and funding from bilateral donors. The organization maintains a diversified funding portfolio significantly buoyed by bilateral donors. Major sponsors include Global Affairs Canada, FCDO, Swedish International Development Agency, African Women Development Fund, HSBC Mauritius, NSIF Mauritius, Kaleidoscope Trust UK, CFI Media Development (France), and Irene M Staehelin Foundation.

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Gender Links is a Southern African non-governmental organization that advances gender equality and women's empowerment through advocacy, research, gender training, gender integration consulting, and grants management. Its core programmatic focus areas are sexual and reproductive health and rights, ending violence against women, economic and climate justice, women's political participation, and gender and the media. It also convenes the Southern African Gender Protocol Alliance, runs the 50/50 Campaign with 432 councils, and manages grant funds including the Voice and Choice Southern Africa Fund and Marang Southern Africa LGBTIQ Fund.

Product overview

Gender Links operates as a Southern African non-governmental organization offering a portfolio of programs, services, and initiatives rather than a unified software product. The organization provides gender integration consulting services, research (including an annual barometer), gender training, strategic communications, and conference facilities. Key initiatives include the Southern Africa Gender Protocol Alliance (a regional advocacy coalition), the 50/50 Campaign for women's political representation, the #PushForward4Equality campaign, and the annual #VoiceandChoice Summit. Additional offerings include the GL Academy for educational programs, Stories of Change and "I" Stories content platforms documenting impact, and GL Cottages for event hosting. The organization also manages grant funds including the Voice and Choice Southern Africa Fund and Marang Southern Africa LGBTIQ Fund.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Marang Southern Africa LGBTIQ Fund: EU funded initiative to strengthen LGBTIQ organisations in Botswana, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mauritius, and Namibia
• Voice and Choice Southern Africa Fund (VCSAF)
• Women's Voice and Leadership South Africa Fund (WVLSA)
• Southern Africa Gender Protocol Alliance
• Women of the South Speak Out (WOSSO)
• GL Cottages and Conferencing
• GL Academy
• GL Services
• 50/50 Campaign

Products and services

• Gender Integration Support Advisory and consulting services helping organisations integrate gender perspectives into their policies, programmes, and operations; for governments, institutions, and NGOs.
• Gender Policies and Strategies Development of gender-responsive policies and strategic frameworks for governments, institutions, and organisations.
• Research (SADC Gender Barometer and other studies) Gender-focused research, including the annual SADC Gender Barometer measuring progress on gender equality across Southern Africa.
• Gender Training (GL Academy) Capacity building and training programmes on gender equality, gender mainstreaming, and related topics delivered through the GL Academy.
• Strategic Communications Communications support for gender advocacy campaigns and awareness initiatives.
• GL Cottages and Conferencing Conference facilities and accommodation services for gender-related events, summits, and meetings.
• Voice and Choice Southern Africa Fund (VCSAF) Grant-making fund supporting innovative civil society initiatives to strengthen sexual and reproductive health and rights across the Southern African region.
• Marang Southern Africa LGBTIQ Fund EU-funded grant initiative offering approximately 20 small grants of around €50,000 each to LGBTIQ organisations in five Southern African countries.
• Women's Voice and Leadership South Africa Fund (WVLSA) Fund supporting women's rights organisations in South Africa through sub-grants and capacity building.

Quantifiable outcome

• $75 million raised in 25 years
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Southern African Gender Protocol AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAn alliance that Gender Links leads, advocating for gender equality aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals. The alliance works toward the adoption and implementation of the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development and produces an annual barometer.
• BONELA (Botswana Network on Ethics, Law and HIV/AIDS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating partner in the Marang Southern Africa LGBTIQ Fund. BONELA is a Botswana-based organisation working on ethics, law, and HIV/AIDS issues, with a focus on vulnerable populations including LGBTQIA+ communities.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• CREA: International feminist organization focused on sexual and reproductive health and rights, gender justice, and movement building across the Global South. Overlaps with Gender Links' SRHR programming and LGBTIQ+ funding, though CREA is more research and advocacy-led.
• International Women's Development Agency (IWDA): Australian feminist organization that funds and partners with women's rights organizations in the Asia-Pacific and Africa, including SRHR. Comparable as a regrantor and capacity-builder for feminist movements in the Global South.
• African Women's Development Fund (AWDF): Pan-African grantmaking foundation that funds women's rights organizations across Africa, including in SADC. Directly comparable to Gender Links as both a regional regrantor and a programmatic NGO working on women's rights and movement building.
• Urgent Action Fund for Women's Human Rights: Global feminist fund that provides rapid-response grants to women and LGBTIQ+ human rights defenders. Comparable rapid regranting model and feminist funding focus to Gender Links' specialized funds, though operating globally rather than regionally.
• Mama Cash: International feminist fund that regrants to women's, girls', and LGBTIQ+ rights organizations globally, including in Southern Africa. Closely comparable regranting model, feminist funding lens, and sub-grantee portfolio structure to Gender Links' funds.
• FRIDA - The Young Feminist Fund: Global fund led by and for young feminists that provides small grants to groups in the Global South. Overlaps with Gender Links' regranting work (Marang, VCSAF) on supporting smaller, locally rooted women's and LGBTIQ+ organizations.

Broad incumbents

• UN Women: UN entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women globally, with regional presence in Southern Africa. Overlaps directly with Gender Links' mission on women's rights, policy advocacy, and SRHR, but operates at a far larger scale as a UN-mandated body.
• Open Society Foundations - Africa: Global philanthropic foundation with significant funding for women's rights, LGBTIQ+ rights, and democratic governance in Africa. Comparable as a major donor and thematic peer for Gender Links' sub-grantees and programmatic areas.
• Hivos: International development organization with a long-standing gender equality, LGBTIQ+, and SRHR portfolio across Africa, including Southern Africa. Overlaps with Gender Links' thematic scope and bilateral-donor funding model, but operates at broader geographic scale.

Regional players

• Southern Africa Litigation Centre: Regional legal organization supporting human rights, including women's and LGBTIQ+ rights, through strategic litigation in SADC. Operates in the same geography and overlapping thematic areas as Gender Links' advocacy work.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/GenderLinks
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/GMDCSADC
• Facebookfacebook.com/GenderLinks
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gender-links

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Gender Links