Funding Opportunities
As one of the country’s premiere women’s foundations, our grantmaking primarily takes four forms:
Leadership Awards
A signature program of The Women’s Foundation, the Leadership Awards recognize local nonprofits demonstrating innovation or measurable success in their service of women and girls. At the heart of this grassroots program is a commitment to rewarding outstanding—but undiscovered—organizations positively impacting women and girls, and engaging the donor community in substantive grantmaking and philanthropic learning.
The awards nomination process is currently open and is requesting nominations for eligible organizations:
- 501(c)3 non-profits with a Board of Directors in place, in operation for at least two years and with an annual budget of less than $500,000.
- Primarily serving women and/or girls in the areas of health and/or safety.
- Located in Washington, D.C., Northern Virginia, or in Montgomery or Prince George’s Counties.
Download the overview on health and safety.
View a list of past Leadership Awardees.
The Leadership Awards program is not currently accepting nominations. Contact Nicole Cozier at 202.347.7737 x203 or ncozier@wawf.org for additional information.
Stepping Stones
In response to the findings in A Portrait of Women & Girls in the Washington Metropolitan Area, The Women’s Foundation created Stepping Stones to help build the economic security and financial independence of low-income, women-headed families. Stepping Stones is the first multi-year initiative of its kind for our region and will be the major focus of our grants and programs for several years. Grantmaking funds are already up and running:
- Financial Education and Wealth Creation Fund
- Jobs Fund
- Strategic Opportunity and Partnership Fund
- Early Care and Education Funders Collaborative
To complement our grantmaking efforts, Stepping Stones also has community education, advocacy, and leadership development components. Learning and evaluation and technical assistance are also core components. To learn more about how Stepping Stones is changing lives and empowering local women, check out the 2007 Stepping Stones Report! Please click here to read more about Stepping Stones. And don’t forget to download the audio and presentations from the 2008 Stepping Stones Research Briefing!
Giving Circles
Washington Area Women’s Foundation’s Giving Circles provide creative and exciting opportunities to engage women in meaningful philanthropy in the region, while cultivating new leaders for The Women’s Foundation and our community. Giving Circles provide a vehicle for like-minded women to pool their money, uncover specific community needs, and decide as a group where to make grants. Each Giving Circle determines both how and where they will make their grants. We currently have two Giving Circles: Rainmakers and the African American Women’s Giving Circle.
Open Door Capacity Fund
The Open Door Capacity Fund helps our Grantee Partners build their organizational capacity and strengthen their work and infrastructure.
The Open Door Capacity Fund is not currently accepting proposals. Contact Jennifer Lockwood-Shabat at 202.347.7737 x206 or jlockwoodshabat@wawf.org for additional information.