Grants

The Women’s Fund of Mississippi is the only grantmaking organization in Mississippi entirely dedicated to funding programs that improve the lives of women and girls statewide. The Women’s Fund seeks to fund programs that specifically target the most vulnerable women and girls.

The overall goal of Women’s Fund grantmaking is economic self sufficiency for women and girls in Mississippi. Due to the long-term negative health and economic impacts associated with teen pregnancy, the Women’s Fund focuses its grantmaking on the prevention of teen pregnancy in order to increase economic self sufficiency for women and girls.  The Fund believes that young women who have access to opportunity and a vision for a positive future, along with access to preventive health care services and high quality sex education, are less likely to have an unintended teen pregnancy. Our Focus Areas reflect these research-based prevention strategies.

Application Process:

  1. Prepare & Submit Concept Brief
  2. Wait for Request for Proposal
  3. Prepare & Submit Proposal
  4. Wait for Funding Decisions

Areas of Focus:

Overall Goal: Increase Economic Security of Women and Girls by Preventing Teen Pregnancy

  • Focus Area #1: Access to Evidence-Based, Medically Accurate, Comprehensive Sex Education
  • Focus Area #2: Access to Youth-Friendly Health Services
  • Focus Area #3: Access to Opportunity: Leadership Development and Training for Young Women*
  • Focus Area #4: Access to Opportunity: Job Training and Wrap Around Support Services for Low Income Women*
  • Focus Area #5: Access to Opportunity: Asset Development and Financial Education for Low Income Women*

Guidelines and Our Investment

The guidelines for Women’ Funds grants vary by the focus area. Please read this section carefully to understand these differences.

For Focus Areas #1 and #2

An average one-year grant award is between $12,000 and $15,000. The Women’s Fund considers support for advocacy activities, program specific activities, and operating costs.  Grants are awarded in December 2012 for work in 2013.

**For the Walmart Foundation Pathways to Opportunity Initiative (Focus Areas #3-#5)

Grants may be used for program and/or general operating costs. These grants will not fund advocacy activities. Unlike the other focus areas, these are two year grants and the average grant award ranges from $20,000 to $40,000 over two years. For example: if a grantee is selected to receive $40,000 over two years, the grantee will receive $20,000 in December 2012 and the second grant award of $20,000 in December 2013. Grantees will be required to complete an evaluation that shows progress toward program goals in order to receive the second grant award.

Your Investment

The Women’s Fund of Mississippi is seeking to work in partnership with its grantees to promote women and girl’s success across Mississippi. We expect that the investment of our grant funds will be matched by the recipients’ investment of time, and other resources.

Grantees will be required to submit at least five photos and write one blog post (500 words) about their grant-funded project. Grantees will also be required to complete interim and final evaluation reports. Women’s Fund staff will periodically conduct site visits and arrange for regular phone conversations.

We encourage you to contact us with questions about our grantmaking process and to review the information on the Grantmaking section of the website. We also encourage potential grantees to brainstorm their project proposals with Fund staff before beginning the application process. Email Jamie Bardwell to make sure you are on our grantmaking email distribution list. Our next grant cycle starts in June 2012.