Michelle Obama Gives $2.5M to Empower Girls Worldwide

Written By Lexx Thornton

In celebration of International Day of the Girl, former First Lady and founder of The Obama Foundation’s Girls Opportunity Alliance, Michelle Obama, announced a significant new commitment to support organizations dedicated to educating and empowering adolescent girls worldwide.

The Girls Opportunity Alliance will provide a total of $2.5 million to 54 organizations across 28 countries. This funding supports grassroots groups that offer essential services like scholarships, mentorship, and after-school programming, helping girls break down barriers and achieve their potential. These organizations join the 11 Chicago-based groups that received $500,000 earlier this year.

In a video released for the occasion, Michelle Obama paid tribute to the girls and the leaders who champion them. “Today, I’m celebrating the promise, talent, and determination inherent to every girl in our world,” she said. “I’m also celebrating the extraordinary leaders in our Girls Opportunity Alliance Network who are helping to break down the barriers that girls still face.”

Valerie Jarrett, CEO of The Obama Foundation, added, “I believe every girl has the power to not only make a difference, but be a mighty force for good… The Girls Opportunity Alliance is proud to support these organizations around the world who are empowering and educating young women and girls to achieve their dreams, and become changemakers.”

The new funding will allow these organizations to expand their reach and programming, with examples including:

Amani Initiative (Uganda): Will grow its Dream Achievers Program to support girls at high risk of dropping out due to challenges like child marriage and teen pregnancy, providing them with life skills, mentorship, and educational materials.
Generation Girl (Indonesia): Will host four one-week STEM bootcamps, combining technical workshops and leadership sessions with mentorship from inspiring women in STEM, aiming to reach 1,000 adolescent girls, including those in remote areas through hybrid programs.
Fundación Niñas de Luz (Colombia): Will run weekly workshops for 100 adolescent girls from underserved communities, offering academic support in math and reading, financial literacy, artistic expression, and mental health support.
Jharkhand Vikas Parishad (JVP) (India): Will implement an Adolescent Girls’ Empowerment Program in a high-risk district, providing vocational skills training, educational support, and connections to economic opportunities for 800 girls.
Girls With Roots (Trinidad and Tobago): Will expand its girl-led Girls Meet Program to help 200 students build confidence, develop leadership skills, and gain exposure to educational and career paths.

In addition to funding, leaders from these groups gain access to the Girls Opportunity Alliance Network, a global community of over 4,000 leaders. This network provides a vital platform for exchanging ideas, information, and resources, and offers capacity-building opportunities to strengthen their work on girls’ education and empowerment.

To date, the Alliance has supported more than 205 projects led by grassroots organizations across 46 countries, impacting hundreds of thousands of girls.