BWF GRANTS
OUR UNIQUE
APPROACH.
#IAMBWF
Boston Women's Fund is a role model in participatory and trust-based philanthropy. From our inception in 1984, we have relied on a diverse, all-volunteer Allocations Committee made up of community members to review and assess grant funding proposals.
Our constant giving priority is our people — BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, low-income, youth, elderly, immigrant, refugee, and disabled women, girls, and gender-expansive individuals.
BWF has always trusted in, listened to, and been inspired by the work of our grantee partners.
THE BOSTON WOMEN’S FUND INVESTS WHERE TRADITIONAL PHILANTHROPY DOES NOT.
GRANT MAKING STRATEGIES.
BWF grants amplify the voices of women, girls, and gender-expansive individuals who work tirelessly for racial, economic, social, and gender justice. Change begins in the community, frequently led by efforts of inspirational women, girls, and gender expansive people who know the solutions to their problems yet lack the resources to solve them.
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We believe achieving racial, economic, social, and gender justice through philanthropy involves the following approach to support grassroots organizations:
Movement Building Grants
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BWF supports community-led grassroots organizations that build collective power to advance racial, economic, social, and gender justice through our unrestricted (general-operating) Movement Building Grants.
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All BWF grantees are engaged in some form of ​movement building: action for change that starts with a shared vision focused on systems change where a collective addresses concerns and creates opportunities that no person, organization, or institution can alone.
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There is no application process for Movement Building Grant awards. The Boston Women's Fund uses nominations from the public to identify organizations creating solutions to issues impacting their communities. Our Allocations Committee, built of community members, then interviews organization leaders and community members to compile information about each organization. Using a consensus model, the committee decides which organizations receive funding.
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Boston Women’s Fund’s grant cycle is currently closed. There is no open request for organization nominations at this time. Join our mailing list to be the first to know when our grant cycle opens!
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Well-Being Grants
Boston Women’s Fund knows that our leaders’ well-being is critical to sustaining our communities’ well-being. This was a key finding in BWF’s recent report, Carrying the Weight, Leading the Change, published in partnership with UMass Boston’s Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy. We found that:
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“Grassroots organizations’ leaders incur physical, mental, and relational costs. To navigate persistent underfunding and continued community needs, these leaders step up to fill in the gaps. Many experience burnout as their physical and mental health suffers, personal relationships are affected, and professional capacities are depleted.”
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BWF piloted Well-Being Grant awards in our 2026 grant cycle with this understanding. Each of our grantee partners received a restricted Well-Being Grant to support the healing, recovery, and well-being of their leadership and staff as they see fit.
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Boston Women’s Fund’s grant cycle is currently closed. This Well-Being Grant is a part of a pilot program that BWF is still building. Join our mailing list to stay in the know about potential future Well-Being Grant opportunities!
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Youth-Centered Grants
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Boston Women’s Fund knows that youth leadership is central to advancing racial, economic, social, and gender justice. We are committed to centering youth voices in our grantmaking practices.
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Youth-Centered Grants support organizations or coalitions led by women, girls, and gender-expansive individuals providing training, support, and meaningful leadership opportunities for youth ages 24 and under to direct transformative social change! Like our standard Allocations Committee, participants in BWF’s Youth Advisory Council accept nominations from the public to determine which organizations in Greater Boston will be considered for this grant award. They then use a consensus model to select a grant recipient.
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Boston Women’s Fund’s grant cycle is currently closed. There is no open request for youth-centered organization nominations at this time. Join our mailing list to be the first to know when our grant cycle opens!
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