2026 General Grant Cycle is a grant from The Women's Fund of Essex County that funds Essex County nonprofit organizations addressing systemic social inequities impacting women and girls. All 2026 cycle grants are multi-year awards of ,000 each over three years, distributed through a competitive process to programs focused on economic empowerment, equitable healthcare access, equity and social justice, or other gender-specific needs.

The fund prioritizes organizations with annual operating budgets under million and has granted . 4 million to 328 programs over 23 years. Funded organizations are eligible for consideration only every three years; applicants must address racial or gender-based disparities faced by women and girls in Essex County.

How to Apply for a Grant | The Women's Fund of Essex County The Women’s Fund of Essex County (TWF) raises funds specifically to award grants to non-profit organizations focused on gender-specific programs and services for at-risk women and girls and those who identify as women and girls of Essex County.

Our grants are awarded annually to results-oriented organizations that have demonstrated success in positively impacting the lives of women and girls, addressing issues of systemic inequality. Our grants provide an essential infusion of funding to maximize the success and impact of the programs or services.

By pooling the gifts of The Women’s Fund donors, we can increase the breadth and depth of each donor’s contribution across a broad range of issues and solutions specific to Essex County. Over the past 23 years, The Women's Fund of Essex County has granted $4. 4 million to support 328 programs designed to positively impact the lives of women and girls.

All grants in the 2026 grant cycle for The Women’s Fund of Essex County will be multi-year grants of $30,000 each over 3-years. Grants will be awarded through a competitive grant process to Essex County non-profit organizations that address issues of systemic social inequities specific to women and girls.

3-year grants allow organizations to secure multi-year support for programs that address longer-term issues to improve lives for women and girls. If awarded, funded programs are eligible for consideration only every three years. Funding must address racial or gender-based disparities faced by women and girls in Essex County.

Funding must focus on gender-specific needs, provide solutions to problems for women and girls, and allow these unique needs to set the pace and determine the content and delivery of programs and services. The application must address at least one of the following areas to be considered eligible for funding. The Women’s Fund will prioritize applications from organizations with annual operating budgets under $5.

0 million. Programs/services which directly encourage, train or facilitate the economic empowerment of women and girls. (Includes apprenticeships, basic skills training, education, financial management, workforce development etc.) Programs/services which support equitable access to healthcare, nutritious food and meal preparation, promote, protect, and restore health and well-being- physical, emotional, psychological, social.

Equity and Social Justice Programs/services which seek at the intersection of equity and gender to meet women and girls where they are, by providing resources that will allow them to thrive. (Examples include but are not limited to supporting access to housing, English language programming, and programs that address the root causes of racial inequity).

Programs/services which provide opportunities to reduce disparities in academic performance due to systemic or other barriers. Programs/services which provide opportunities to develop leadership skills that help to build confidence, ownership of their careers, resiliency, and advancement into new roles.

The Women’s Fund is limited to non-sectarian programming for Essex County women and girls of all religious, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds. Programs sponsored by religious organizations are eligible if enrolment is open to all qualified women and girls and the program is free of mandatory sectarian religious instruction.

Generally, grants will not be awarded: To agencies with pending 501(c)3 status For debt or deficit reduction For sectarian or religious purposes For endowment or capital campaigns For research or feasibility studies We support non-profit organizations serving the residents of Essex County, MA. We prefer the organization be based in Essex County, but it is not a requirement. Either way, the grant funds must be spent within the County.

Organizations receiving a multi-year grant as part of The Women’s Fund 2025 grant cycle are eligible to apply for funding again but only if applying for a different program. The application is completely electronic. Organizations can create and save application drafts and make changes any time prior to submission.

We archive all submitted applications, allowing grant writers to view their grant history with The Women’s Fund at any time. To begin the application process, click on the following link. The Women’s Fund Grants Allocation Committee will carefully review applications beginning in late-January and will schedule any necessary follow-up conference calls or in-person visits with qualifying non-profit organizations in February and March.

The Committee will then make final funding decisions and present their recommendations for final approval by The Women’s Fund Advisory Board. As part of their review process, the Grants Allocation Committee takes into consideration the size of the organization’s budget as well as the depth and breadth of the potential for impact of a grant from The Women’s Fund.

The Committee also considers the sustainability of the program being proposed. Grant Awards will be announced by May 15, 2026. Grant winners will be required to submit a brief report on the use of the grant via an online reporting portal as follows.

There will be interim reports due each year in April with a final report due at the end of the 3-year grant period. This information is useful to The Women’s Fund for our fundraising efforts as we look to expand our capacity to aid organizations assisting women and girls across the county.