top of page
Printing Machine

LATEST
NEWS

Search

BOSTON WOMEN’S FUND GRANTS OVER $475K TO GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATIONS LED BY AND FOR WOMEN AND GENDER-EXPANSIVE LEADERS

  • Jul 23, 2025
  • 2 min read

Through a community-led process free of grant applications, BWF funnels philanthropic power to marginalized communities and removes funding barriers for nonprofits.


BOSTON —  July 23, 2025 —  Boston Women’s Fund (BWF), a foundation committed to creating a world where power, access, and opportunity are accessible to all, today announced over $475,700 in grants to grassroots organizations led by women, girls and gender-expansive individuals across Greater Boston. All 19 grant recipients were nominated by the public and selected by a community-led allocations committee, disrupting the standard philanthropic practice of top-down grantmaking and enabling communities to direct the flow of philanthropic dollars.


At a time when many philanthropic institutions are shifting funding priorities, community-led grantmaking offers an opportunity for marginalized communities to gain the resources needed to address their most pressing challenges.


“When people are empowered to influence the flow of philanthropic funds where they live, everyone wins,” said Natanja Craig Oquendo, BWF’s Chief Executive Officer. “We are committed to supporting communities that have been persistently overlooked, and we let them tell us what issues are impacting them most and who’s showing up for them — not the other way around. Boston Women’s Fund couldn’t be more honored to support another round of life-changing grassroots work in Greater Boston this year.”


BWF eliminated grant applications and instead holds conversations with publicly nominated organizations. For new grantees, a community committee then reviews the information and selects grantees using a consensus model. Fifteen of BWF’s grantee partners are receiving funding from the organization for the second consecutive year or more. The fund uses multi-year support as a pathway to sustaining grassroots organizations, many of whom have faced steep funding cuts this year.


BWF has granted approximately $8.4 million in 420 grant awards to date.



The following organizations have been selected as BWF’s 2025 grantee partners:

Abilities Dance

Asian American Women's Political Initiative

Asian Women For Health

Association Of Haitian Women In Boston 

Birth Equity & Justice MA

Dominican Development Center

Essex County Community Organization 

For Black Girls Inc.

Grimes King Foundation For The Elderly

Love Your Magic

Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition

Matahari Women’s Worker Center 

Melanin Mass Moms

Propa City Community Outreach

Sisters Unchained

Small House

Somali Parents Advocacy Center for Education 

Stories Inspiring Movements

Women Encouraging Empowerment



About Boston Women’s Fund

Boston Women’s Fund (BWF) is an intermediary foundation investing in women, girls, and gender-expansive individuals leading grassroots organizations working toward racial, economic, social, and gender justice. BWF envisions a world where power, opportunity, and access exist for those persistently marginalized, regardless of gender identity or gender expression. BWF predominantly supports leaders of color from communities persistently excluded from philanthropy. Founded in 1984 by progressive women, BWF was the first women’s foundation in Massachusetts. BWF has granted approximately $8.4 million in 420 grant awards to date. To learn more, visit www.bostonwomensfund.org.



Contact: Aisha Woodruff aisha@bostonwomensfund.org

Building Intersectionality Through Movement: A Conversation with Ellice Patterson of Abilities Dance Boston

  • Jul 22, 2025
  • 2 min read

We recently had the pleasure of speaking with Ellice Patterson, Founder and Executive & Artistic Director of Abilities Dance Boston (ADB), about their latest production, Intersections v4, and the deeper mission driving their work: using dance as a vehicle for visibility, advocacy, and systemic change.


As a company that centers disabled and BIPOC artists, ADB continues to push boundaries around who gets to be seen, heard, and celebrated in the arts. Their fourth installment of the Intersections series honored five Black trans and queer honorees whose lives and advocacy have made a lasting impact: Finn Gardiner, Aubrey Smalls, Harmony Matthews, T.S. Banks, and Tom Wiggins. Through original choreography by Ellice and music by ADB’s Director of Music & Operations, Andrew Choe, the production brought these stories to life in deeply moving and imaginative ways.


But Intersections v4 was more than a performance — it was a call to action. Partnering with fellow BWF grantee Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition and the Disability Policy Consortium, ADB grounded each performance in current legislation impacting queer and disabled communities. It became not just a space for art, but a space for mobilization.


In our conversation, Ellice shared what makes Intersections so much more than a stage production:

“These are real relationships, these are real connections that are built, it's not just an extractive relationship where we take their story, have a show and call it a day. But think about how we can continue to support them, support their work, continue to really build this advocacy movement beyond just the stage, but into our communities, into how we understand one another, into our policies, and how that can continue to lead to overall change that then leads to radical joy and a revolution overall.”

This ethos is central to Abilities Dance Boston. From choosing honorees with intention to connecting each narrative to real-time legislation, ADB’s work reflects a deep commitment to community, dignity, and long-term change.


At a time when many institutions are backing away from equity commitments, Abilities Dance Boston continues to move forward with clarity and compassion. Their work reminds us that liberation doesn’t live in the abstract — it’s built, moment by moment, relationship by relationship, movement by movement.


To learn more about Intersections v4  check out our interview below. And to support the transformative work ADB is doing year-round, visit @abilitiesdanceboston.



Showing Up for Massachusetts’ Transgender Community: An Interview with MTPC

  • Jul 17, 2025
  • 1 min read

Recently, we sat down with Tre’Andre Carmel Valentine, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Trans Political Coalition (MTPC), for a conversation about what it takes to build true infrastructure for trans liberation.


In our interview, Tre’Andre shares how MTPC’s programming supports trans people across Massachusetts, from leadership development and identity documentation assistance to policy advocacy and community engagement. We also talk about how folks can show up right now to advance MTPC’s legislative priorities, and why joy, care, and celebration remain central to the work — even in the face of increasing political hostility.


At a time when trans communities are under attack across the country, MTPC continues to build power with intention — centering those most impacted, and creating spaces rooted in resilience and collective care.


"Every act of solidarity helps push back against the tidal wave of anti-trans policies we are seeing nationally. And Massachusetts has the opportunity to lead by example. And we need everyone in this fight with us." —Tre’Andre Carmel Valentine

Don’t miss this important conversation. Check out Part 1 and Part 2 of our interview with Tre’Andre to learn more about how advocacy, joy, community and justice all go hand in hand!



bottom of page