The grantmaking philosophy of the Women’s Fund of Mississippi is to effect social change through efforts that address the roots of a social problem and/or explore new approaches to solving an issue. We are interested in funding efforts that go beyond providing direct service to efforts that create lasting change in our communities and our state and offer our Grant Application Overview & Guidelines for your review. Our grantmaking priorities are based on the strategic goals of the Women’s Fund of Mississippi (WFM). All successful applicants must be able to affirm the philosophy and priorities of WFM in women's economic security or one or more focus areas.

Eligibility

WFM will make grants to programs/initiatives that serve women and girls in Mississippi and also supports organizations conducting social change advocacy efforts in women's economic security and/or with the specific focus areas. Eligible applicants must be non-profit organizations, working primarily in the State of Mississippi, that are federally determined as 501(c)(3) entities as described in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and not classified as a private foundation under Section 509(a).

The Women’s Fund of Mississippi does NOT support the following:

  • Individuals and scholarships
  • Grants for long-term operational costs
  • Religious or evangelical activities
  • For-profit organizations
  • Organizations outside of the United States
  • Organizations with a focus outside of Mississippi
  • Organizations lacking a focus on women and girls
  • Organizations lacking diversity in their Board and Staff will be less competitive
  • Direct service projects will be less competitive

Step 1: Prepare & Submit Concept Brief

  • Review case studies of previous grant recipients.
  • Download and save the 4-page Concept Brief form. It is important to save the form to your hard drive and reopen in Adobe Acrobat in order to submit your form electronically.
  • As soon as possible, contact us (601-326-0701) to brainstorm your project concept, as we have found greater success with those applicants who sought feedback before formally submitting Concept Briefs.
  • Follow instructions in generating and submitting the 4-page form (cover sheet plus parts A, B, and C).

Step 2: Wait for Request for Proposal

  • Applicants with accepted Concept Briefs will receive a Request for Proposal outlining requirements.
  • Applicants are encouraged to further discuss details of their project with WFM staff before formally submitting a Proposal.

Step 3: Prepare & Submit Proposal

  • Proposals include a 6-8 page narrative regarding your organization, the purpose of your grant application, evaluation methodology, budget, and other support materials.
  • Completed Proposals must be submitted in a set of 8 duplicate copies.
  • Proposals fulfilling more than one WFM Priority Area, must provide an additional set of 8 duplicate copies for each applicable Area.

Step 4: Wait for Funding Decisions

  • Applicants with accepted Proposals will be notified.

Dates to Remember

Concept Briefs are accepted June 14 - August 20
BY FAX:
601-326-0702
or BY MAIL OR HAND-DELIVERY:
Women’s Fund of Mississippi
Attn: Jamie Holcomb
120 N. Congress St., Suite 903
Jackson, MS 39201
BY EMAIL:
jamie@womensfundms.org

Requests for Proposals are sent out to select applicants September 1

Full Proposals are due October 1
BY MAIL OR HAND-DELIVERY:
Attn: Jamie Holcomb
Women’s Fund of Mississippi
120 N. Congress St., Suite 903
Jackson, MS 39201

Applicants with accepted Proposals will be notified by November 15