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Funding Opportunities

Investing in Organizations, Leaders, and Movements

The Women’s Foundation has grant opportunities for organizations working in the impact areas of leadership & community power, safety, holistic well-being & reproductive justice, and economic justice.

Open Grants

There are currently no open grant applications.

If you have any issues accessing the grant portal, please email Hannah Elias, Grants Manager, at hannah@wfmn.org. For program/grant proposal questions, please email LaCora Bradford Kesti, Vice President of Community Impact, at lacora@wfmn.org. 

Recent & Upcoming Grants

  • Community Response, We Thrive, and sponsorship grantmaking are invitation-only.

For general grant inquiries and questions, please contact LaCora Bradford Kesti, Vice President of Community Impact, at 612-236-1842 or lacora@wfmn.org.

View past grant programs: MN Girls Are Not for Sale | Pathways to Prosperity (P2P)

Community Response Fund

Through the Community Response Fund, the Women’s Foundation responds quickly with grants to organizations and programs that ensure women’s safe and healthy lives. Applications are invitation only. For more information and eligibility, please contact Erika or LaCora through their community office hour times: Schedule a 1:1 Connect Meeting.

Fund for Safety

The Fund for Safety resources innovation to end gender-based violence, a continuum that includes sex trafficking, domestic violence, rape, sexual assault, and sexual harassment. For more information about this program, view the informational webinar or contact Erika Idrovo-Cuesta at erika@wfmn.org or 612-236-1814.

girlsBEST (Building Economic Success Together)

Since 2002, girlsBEST has supported girl-led programs in Minnesota that increase the readiness of girls (ages 12-18) to achieve economic well-being. For more information about this program, contact Erika Idrovo-Cuesta at erika@wfmn.org or 612-236-1814.

Holistic Well-Being & Reproductive Justice

As we build power with community partners leading the fight for reproductive justice, we are resourcing programs that increase access and expand health equity, healing justice, and reproductive justice for Minnesotans pushed to the margins.

Ripley Memorial Foundation

The mission of the Ripley Memorial Foundation is to honor the legacy of Dr. Martha Ripley by funding programs that foster and enhance the health and well-being of women. Our funding focus is programming that promotes access to women’s health education and services built on cultural and community strengths. For more information about this program, contact Erika Idrovo-Cuesta at erika@wfmn.org or 612-236-1814.

We Thrive

Through We Thrive, the Women’s Foundation funds schools and education programs that teach workforce development, and entrepreneurship as pathways to wealth-building for low-income women, Black, Indigenous, and women of color, and women and gender-expansive people in greater Minnesota. With community investments, We Thrive will increase access to education in high-wage jobs with benefits and support pathways to entrepreneurship. For more information about this program, contact Erika Idrovo-Cuesta at erika@wfmn.org or 612-236-1814.

Young Women’s Initiative of Minnesota

With the close of the first phase of Young Women’s Initiative programming (2016-2023), WFM is transitioning our grantmaking to Investing in the Field organizations to create additional cohort opportunities for the Young Women’s Cabinet in Greater Minnesota.

The Young Women’s Cabinet is appointed by the Office of the Governor and Lt. Governor and is open to young women and gender-expansive leaders (ages 16-24) from eight Minnesota communities. The Innovators program provides direct investments to young leaders (ages 16-24) and supports their projects and professional development with in-person convenings. Learn more about new opportunities to apply to the Innovator program and the Cabinet. For questions about these programs, contact Janet Jimenez at janett@wfmn.org or 612-236-1825.

How to Apply for Grants

If we have an open grant opportunity, read the grant guidelines to see if you are eligible to apply. Applications must be submitted through our online portal, Spectrum. If you’re a new applicant, you will need to set up an account first.

Resources for completing a W-9 form:

We also fund groups that have fiscal sponsorship. Learn more about it.

Sponsorships

Did you know that WFM makes sponsorship grants between $1,000 and $5,000 every year? Tell us about your event or project!

Connect With Us

The Community Impact team holds community office hours for organizations, programs, and individuals to connect and learn more about our work.

Grantee-Partners

We fund community-led programs to build power and pathways to safety, leadership, holistic well-being, and economic justice.

Our Statewide Impact

Meet Our Grantee-Partners

Discover more about Women’s Foundation grantee-partners, statewide. Each year, the Women’s Foundation invests in and with communities so leaders and organizations can do their best work as part of an ecosystem that is transforming futures for women, girls, and gender-expansive people.

Join us for Community Connect!

Community Connect is an informal biannual gathering for grantee-partners, community organization leaders, and staff to connect virtually and learn more about the work of the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota.

The next virtual convening will be January 23, 2025.

Community Connect is a biannual opportunity to network, share research, and resources, and deepen our connections between listening and grantmaking, policy, and narrative change. Our 2022 Summer of Convening with grantee-partners supported our visioning around narrative change and co-creating a culture of healing and holistic well-being. See the graphic harvest summarizing the series.

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Explore Our Grantee Stories