The Boston Women’s Fund currently uses a Letter of Intent format. After reviewing each letter of intent, a number of organizations will be asked to submit a full proposal by the April 4, 2008 deadline.

Click here to download the Letter of Intent form that explains the timelines and other important information. You may submit this letter of intent any time between today and March 14, 2008.

All current and potential grantees must adhere to this requirement. We will not consider any proposals that are submitted without the advance approval of the Boston Women's Fund.

If you have any questions, please contact Catherine Joseph, Director of Grant Program, at 617-725-0035 x3002 or email: Catherine@bostonwomensfund.org.

Grant Guidelines: The Basics

The Boston Women’s Fund is a community-based foundation operating in the Greater Boston area. Our vision for society includes the full participation of women excluded because of their race, class, age, ability or sexual orientation. We raise money from hundreds of donors in order to provide grants, support, and assistance to innovative women’s and girls’ projects working for racial, social and economic justice. The organizations we support work on critical issues such as welfare reform, health care, violence prevention, reproductive freedom, homelessness, workplace equity, and economic development. Through grants and public education, we help donors make a difference in the lives of women and girls in Greater Boston.

The Funding Cycle Timeline

Deadline for Letter of Intent is MARCH 14.
Potential applicants submit letter of intent by March 14.
Proposal submission materials will be sent to selected applicants by March 21.

Deadline for Grant Proposals is APRIL 4.
The deadline for submission of all selected proposals is April 4.
If a deadline falls on a weekend or a holiday, then the proposals are due the following business day.

Grant Award Notification
Grant notification will be made by June 30.

Size of Grants Awarded

Grants are awarded in amounts up to $15,000.

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Application Review Process

Proposals are reviewed by an Allocations Committee and may be followed by an interview or site visit. Not all applicants receive a site visit and this does not indicate whether an applicant will be successful. The Committee is composed of a diverse group of women and girls who are themselves actively involved with community organizations. The committee’s function is to evaluate proposals within the context of the Boston Women’s Fund’s priorities and to make funding recommendations to the Board of Directors.

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The Funding Priorities

The Boston Women’s Fund supports start-up and on-going women’s/girls’ organizations or projects that address social and economic injustice. Our focus is on women with the least access to resources, who have been excluded from full participation in society because of their race, class, age, ability, sexual orientation or religion. Women and girls organizing on their own behalf are a priority for the Fund. For the Boston Women’s Fund, organizing is a collective action to challenge the status quo, demand changes in policy and practice, and educate communities about root causes and just solutions. The Boston Women’s Fund recognizes that there are a variety of stages and strategies that lead to community organizing. Therefore, we support strategies that build community, especially among women, encourage collaborations with other organizations, increase skills and/or access to resources and produce leadership from the constituency being most directly affected. The Fund is interested in developing the longevity of an organization and will support general operational expenses as well as specific projects or campaigns.

1. Below is a map, which outlines the geographic areas eligible for funding from the Boston Women’s Fund. Organizations located within Greater Boston (areas 1 & 2) are given priority for funding. Organizations located in Area 3 and Lowell, Lawrence, and Worcester will be considered for funding as they are cities and towns that resemble the economic and social needs of the city of Boston and are its close geographic neighbors.

click here for an enlarged version of the map

2. We support ideas and fund projects that promote equality for women and girls, by redefining and reframing social issues, cause shifts in individual and/or community behavior, build critical mass to engage more people in womenÕs social issues, change institutional policies and practices, or maintain earlier progress in the face of opposition (holding the line).

3. Organizations/projects must be directed and run by and for women/girls. Mixed-gender organizations can receive funding for projects directed and run by women if the organizational board is at least 50 percent women.

4. The composition of the policy-making body of the organization, group, or project must be reflective of the groups most affected—reflective in terms of race, age, class, and sexual preference—and be organized in a nondiscriminatory manner.

5. Organizations must have a 501(c)3, federal tax exempt status, or a fiscal agent with that status.

6. Priority will be given to organizations, groups, and projects that are focused on women and girls organizing on their own behalf to make long-term, structural changes to unjust practices and policies. Organizations/projects that focus on skill-building, community education, community building, and access to resources are also eligible for funding if run by women/girls with the least access to resources and if they demonstrate an awareness of the need for long-term just solutions.

7. For Adult programs, priority will be given to groups with organizational budgets under $350,000. Organizations that somewhat exceed this amount and are working with low-/ no-income women or girls are also considered a priority. Organizations with budgets that greatly exceed (more than double) the budget cap should be explicit in explaining why funding is needed specifically from BWF given our priority to smaller organizations.

7a. For Youth/Girls programs, we are waiving all organizational budget restrictions but project budgets must not exceed $200,000. In waiving this restriction, we are adamant that the project contain a girl-centered focus plus have a social change component.

8. Generally, the Boston Women’s Fund does not support groups with substantial, on-going support or links to established institutions such as universities, government, the United Way or religious institutions. We do not fund one-time events such as conferences, research, films, or fine arts that are not in some way connected to an ongoing organizing effort, nor do we fund capital campaigns. Individuals are not eligible for funding.

9. The Fund supports organizations that can describe outcomes of their social change work within the context of at least one of the five indicators of social change. (see below)

Five Indicators of Social Change
The Fund believes that social change is most recognizable when certain changes can be observed, such as:

1) Shifts in definition or reframing of issues: The issue is defined differently in the community or larger society.

2) Shifts in individual or community behavior: People are behaving differently in the community or larger community.

3) Shifts in critical mass or engagement: People in the community or larger society are more engaged.

4) Shifts in Institutions/Policy: Organizational, local, regional, or state policies or practices have changed.

5) Maintaining Current Position/Holding the Line: Earlier progress on issues has been maintained, despite opposition.

10. Organizations previously funded by the Boston Women’s Fund must attach a report of how that grant was spent in order to be considered for additional grants.

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Click here to download a PDF version of the BWF Letter of Intent Form and the Grant Application form.