A Fund for Women Grantmaking Process
Organizations interested in applying for a grant from AFFW must first submit a Letter of Inquiry. The AFFW Advisory Committee and MCF staff review these letters to ensure organizations are eligible to apply and that the requests fit within AFFW’s mission and focus. Organizations with approved Letters of Inquiry will be invited to submit a full grant application for consideration.
A Fund for Women Grantmaking Criteria
A Fund for Women is interested in projects from Dane County nonprofit organizations that focus on women’s economic empowerment and increasing opportunities for education and family sustaining jobs by serving underserved women and people who identify as women who experience systemic injustice; people with disabilities; those living in poverty or unstable economic conditions; and those hurt by poverty-wage jobs with weak benefits and low or volatile hours.
Organizations eligible for funding are working to:
- Are 501(c)3 organizations located in Dane County.
- Increase accessibility of postsecondary education.
- Provide opportunities for women to develop financial literacy skills including but not limited to personal money management, investment skills, and small business development opportunities.
- Reduce barriers for women trying to access educational and employment goals by providing accessible and affordable housing, child care, health care, or reliable transportation.
- Advocate for policy changes that support A Fund for Women’s vision and mission.
Initiatives eligible for funding may include but are not limited to: workforce development, education programs (not individual scholarships), advocacy, mentorship programs, and support services. Organizations whose work and missions align with that of AFFW may also request unrestricted grants to support their general operations. Multi-year grants will be considered at the discretion of the Advisory Committee.
Submit Grant Application
Organizations with approved Letters of Inquiry will be invited to submit a full grant application for consideration.
Deadline for applications is June 25, 2025 by 4:30 p.m.
The AFFW Advisory Committee will review the grant applications and forward recommendations to MCF’s Board of Governors, which makes the final decision on funding at its August meeting. Grants will be announced in September.
Recent Grants From a Fund for Women
In 2024, A Fund for Women awarded $138,000 in grants to 10 organizations that provide programs and support to empower people who identify as women and girls and strengthen their opportunities for success.
Centro Hispano
$20,000 for Cultivating Wealth. Expanding on its successful Latinas in Savings program, Centro’s Cultivating Wealth program will teach financial skills to girls and young women from middle school through college. Promoting financial literacy with younger participants not only provides them with the skills they need, but also benefits family members and others in the community as they share their knowledge.
Domestic Abuse Intervention Services
$5,000 for general operations to help cover the government funding gap for services. As the population of Dane County has grown, so has the need for culturally appropriate services to support survivors of domestic abuse. At the same time, government funding has become more unpredictable. This grant will allow DAIS to maintain its critical services for the community.
Foundation for Dane County Parks
$25,000 for Women in Natural Resource Management. Continuing its work to provide career pathways for women in conservation, the Women in Natural Resource Management program will provide training for more than 100 women in areas such as land restoration and tree management. Building on strong partnerships with organizations such as Operation Fresh Start, Centro Hispano, the Boys & Girls Clubs and the city’s community centers, this program aims to specifically reach women experiencing un/underemployment.
Friends of the UW Odyssey Project
$15,000 to provide wraparound support for Odyssey families. As the UW Odyssey project works to address inequities in Dane County by empowering low-income students through education, they provide more than tutoring. Because these students live near the poverty line, the program offers them support with housing, transportation, food and childcare to prevent these obstacles from becoming insurmountable barriers to staying in school.
Literacy Network
$10,000 for Community English. Serving a community primarily composed of English language learners, the Literacy Network’s Community English program supports ESL learners whose goals include supporting their children’s education and opening doors to new economic and social opportunities. This grant will help provide services to at least 175 women as they advance their language skills.
OutReach LGBTQ+ Community Center
$15,000 for Transform – Transgender Women’s Employment Program. This grant continues AFFW’s support of the Transform program, allowing OutReach to continue building this supportive resource for transgender women looking for employment in Madison and Dane County. The program offers mentorship, career readiness training and financial management skills, providing holistic support for a population that faces regular discrimination in the workforce.
Road Home Dane County
$8,000 for the Women’s Employment and Education Fund. The Fund supports people who identify as women in the Road Home’s housing programs who as they work to obtain or maintain employment. By defraying the costs of childcare, car repairs or gas, bus passes, or education and training fees, this program strives to eliminate barriers that might otherwise derail participants’ progress toward stable housing and employment.
Roots4Change Cooperative
$15,000 to create a Spanish-language curriculum for a community-based doula training. The immigrant-led Roots4Change Cooperative is working to fill a gap in training related to care for immigrant women immediately before, during and after childbirth. The training these women are developing will combine practical and theoretical learning with an understanding of the needs and traditions of Latina immigrants.
YWCA Madison
$15,000 for the Third Street housing program. The YWCA’s Third Street program provides affordable housing and support for single mothers in their last trimester of pregnancy or who have children under the age of five. This grant will support the Direct Assistance program, which supports the program’s participants as they move toward economic stability for themselves and their families.
Wisconsin Early Childhood Association
$10,000 to support the organization’s advocacy efforts to improve childcare funding in Wisconsin. Early childhood education and care is the foundation for thriving children and families, but has seen only limited public investment for decades. WECA is leading a statewide advocacy effort to increase public funding to improve and transform Wisconsin’s early childhood education system.
