WA Women's Foundation: Collective Grants
THIS YEAR’S PRIORITIES
Our 2024 funding priorities in the thematic areas of Arts & Community Culture, Housing & Hunger, and Law, Justice, & Incarceration:
Expanding Access to Arts in Schools: Investing in the integration of arts in school settings and expanding access to arts for students in grades K-12.
We are interested in learning more about the benefits of and barriers to arts education in WA state, as well as the impact of expanded access to arts in a K-12 school setting.
Mental Health & Housing: Investing in culturally relevant mental health and addiction recovery services for people who lack stable housing, including organizations with counseling staff and/or those working with a network of external providers.
We are interested in learning more about the systemic intersections of housing instability and mental health including addiction.
Re-Entry Support: Investing in the specific types of support that individuals leaving incarceration need to thrive.
We are interested in learning more about the unique challenges individuals leaving incarceration face, and how re-entry support can assist them holistically in this transition, in turn improving their experience and reducing recidivism.
In 2024, the Collective and Women & Girls grants will be awarded to organizations working within these priority areas.
ADVOCACY GRANT
In response to feedback from nonprofits and WaWF members, the Advocacy Grant program is on hiatus for the 2024 grant cycle. This decision is not made lightly, and importantly should not be interpreted as a lack of commitment to advocacy. In fact, it’s quite the opposite! We are committed to deepening our understanding of advocacy, and what our role should be in supporting advocacy work. To that end, we will be bringing together a taskforce to wrestle with our understanding of advocacy and our role within it.
If you’re interested in advocacy work and would like to be part of this discussion, please reach out to Aviva Stampfer, our Grants & Programs Director, to be notified about opportunities for deeper engagement.
WOMEN & GIRLS GRANT
At WA Women’s Foundation, one of our cherished values is to elevate and amplify the power of all who identify as women. Supported by the WFA Fund for Women, we offer the Women & Girls Grant to organizations and programs focused on women and girls within the year’s chosen priorities. Organizations may opt into consideration for our Women & Girls Grant while applying for the Collective Grant on the LOI form.
Three grants of $15,000 will be made each year through the Women & Girls Grant.
MINIMUM ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
Tax Exempt Status. Organization must currently qualify as tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) or 7871 of the Internal Revenue Code or be fiscally sponsored by another tax-exempt organization.
Connection to Washington. Organization must operate programs or provide services within the state of Washington.
WA Women’s Foundation does not fund endowments, pass-through scholarships or out-of-state projects of Washington-based organizations.
GRANT CRITERIA
Our funding is unrestricted and our grants should be used wherever they are most needed except that we do not fund endowments, pass-through scholarships, or out-of-state projects of Washington-based organizations.
We are most interested in understanding community needs and how your organization is addressing those needs through the delivery of services to those directly impacted by inequity.
We seek to support and collectively invest in organizations that are reflective of and embedded in the communities they serve, draw on the strengths and assets of these communities, and are accountable to these communities in order to achieve the long-term goals of increasing equity and reducing disparities.
This year, we invite Letters of Inquiry from organizations that meet all the following criteria:
Is focused on providing services to people affected by inequity due to race and/or gender identity;
Is accountable to the people being served. “Accountable” can mean one or more of the following:
– Ensures that people being served are visibly leading;
– Develops leadership of the people being served;
– Engages the people being served in ongoing decision-making, planning and assessment; and/or
– Draws on the strengths, assets, and lived experience of the people being served.Is addressing systemic racial and/or gender inequities in one of this year’s priority areas.
Can demonstrate how they reduce disparities and/or achieve more equitable outcomes.
We encourage you to review the Frequently Asked Questions below as well as our definitions document before completing your Letter of Inquiry. For more information on the Letter of Inquiry, please click the button below.
Please contact Aviva Stampfer, Grants & Programs Director, at aviva@wawomensfdn.org if you have questions about eligibility criteria or the application process