Grant Making

Our grantmaking priorities provide a unique funding niche for the Women's Fund and partner relationships with grant partners. We are a social change grantmaker seeking to create progress toward our vision of an equitable community for everyone. What is social change?

2009-2010 Grants Cycle

Individual donors and national funding partners helped propel the Women's Fund to its most impactful grantmaking to date. The Women's Fund, the African American Women's Fund Project, Latinas en Acción , the Lesbian Fund, and participants in the Reproductive Justice learning circle together gave a record 46 grants totaling $287,344.50 to 32 local non-profit agencies for gender-responsive programs that enable social change for women and girls in 2010.

The latest grants include:

View the entire list of 2009-2010 grants here.

Our funding priorities

Economic Justice

The creation of fair economic policies that work for everyone, that enable employment to be a way out of poverty rather than another form of poverty, that provide an adequate safety net, that guarantee workers a voice, and that allow workers to be good employees and good members of their families and communities. A just economy is one that protects and sustains the dignity of humans while benefiting the health, natural resources and cultures of the larger community. A current example of economic justice work is:

  • 9to5 Poverty Network Initiative - $10,000 for helping low-income women make progress towards economic self-sufficiency by engaging them in organizing and advocacy efforts on their own behalf.

Social Justice

Working for a just redistribution of power and resources, by changing the circumstances, systems and attitudes that create inequalities and prevent people from participating fully in society. Current grant partners working in the area of social justice include:

  • Voces de la Frontera - $10,000 for engaging women and men in immigration issues including American born women and other communities of color through education and organizing strategies.
  • Milwaukee Muslim Women's Coalition - $23,800 to assist female Somali Bantu youth to recognize and incorporate into their daily lives nationally recognized standards for healthy living and healthy relationships, in order to help them successfully assimilate and thrive in American society.
  • Benedict Center - $10,000 to offer real opportunities for change to women in conflict with the law while advocating for fundamental systemic change in the criminal justice system.
  • Diverse & Resilient - $1,500 to engage African American lesbian and bisexual women in health awareness projects that move women from friendship and social network connectedness to community organizing.
  • The Healing Center - $2,500 to offer sexual abuse and assault survivors and their loved ones opportunities for healing through support, advocacy and community education.

Leadership Development

Encouraging new leaders and existing leaders among women and girls through knowledge/skill acquisition and practice in ways that help them use their power to effect social change and promote the value of equity, social justice, self-knowledge, personal empowerment, collaboration, citizenship, and service. Current grant partners working in the area of social justice include:

  • CORE/El Centro - $10,000 for Proyecto Salud, which trains and mentors community health promoters in developing the self-understanding and confidence to organize and work on solutions to community health issues.
  • White House Project - $10,000 for the Go Vote! Go Run! Go Lead! political leadership training conducted by the White House Project in Milwaukee.
  • Wisconsin Apprentice Organizer's Project - $10,000 for the Apprenticeship Organizers Project 2009, changing the culture of organizing by enabling community organizers to develop skills that allow them to build power in their diverse communities and create coalitions across purposes and issues.
  • Cardinal Stritch University - $2,500 for scholarships for African American women to participate in program designed to clarify who they are as leaders and to strengthen their leadership acumen.