Career & Financial Empowerment Programs (via 2024 Grant Cycle)

Career & Financial Empowerment Programs (via 2024 Grant Cycle) is sponsored by Women's Foundation of Massachusetts. The Women's Foundation of Massachusetts funds programs focused on leadership & mentoring, education, and career & financial empowerment for women and girls across the Commonwealth.

Women’s Foundation of Massachusetts Awards $3. 7 Million to Strengthen Opportunities for Women and Girls Across the Commonwealth | The Women’s Foundation of Massachusetts 2026 Marks Our Largest-Ever Grantmaking Year: $3. 7 Million Goes Toward Empowering Women and Girls Women’s Foundation of Massachusetts Awards $3.

7 Million to Strengthen Opportunities for Women and Girls Across the Commonwealth Women’s Foundation of Massachusetts Awarded Multi-Year Grant Through Cummings Foundation’s $35 Million Grant Program $325K in Grants Awarded to Invest in Financial Literacy Programs in Central & Western Massachusetts Women’s Foundation of Boston Unveils New Name, Women’s Foundation of Massachusetts, Reflecting Ongoing Statewide Commitment and Impact $2.

8M in Grants Awarded to Advance Women’s and Girls’ Economic Empowerment in Massachusetts New Study on the State of Women and Girls in Massachusetts Women’s Foundation of Boston Announces 2024 Catalyst Grant Recipients 2026 Grant Cycle Reflects Continued Investment in High-Impact Programs Across the Commonwealth Boston, MA – May 19, 2026 – The Women’s Foundation of Massachusetts, a nonprofit public charity that funds and accelerates economically empowering programs for women and girls in Massachusetts, announced $3.

7 million in funding to strengthen opportunities for women and girls across the Commonwealth, including $3. 2 million in new grants to 13 nonprofit organizations, $321,000 in grant extensions to 4 longtime grantee partners, and $150,000 to support a comprehensive capacity-building partnership. For its 2026 grant cycle, the Women’s Foundation of Massachusetts announced $3.

2 million in new grants to 13 nonprofit organizations working to strengthen opportunities for women and girls across the state. Through these investments, the Foundation continues to support high-impact programs focused on education, leadership and mentoring, and career and financial empowerment.

“These organizations are doing critical, on-the-ground work to ensure women and girls have access to the skills, networks, and opportunities they need to succeed,” said Christina Gordon, Co-Founder and CEO of the Women’s Foundation of Massachusetts. “We are proud to partner with them to strengthen the ecosystem of organizations serving women and girls across Massachusetts. ” This year’s grant recipients are: Dream Big!

. Dream Big! helps girls and young women from low-income situations achieve their dreams by providing them with the sports equipment, sports attire, athletic footwear, program fees, and college showcase scholarships needed to enable them to participate in sports and physical activities.

This three-year grant will fund the purchase and implementation of warehouse management software and the hiring of a part-time distribution center manager. Esperanza Academy . Esperanza Academy is a tuition-free, independent, lottery-based middle school for girls from low-income communities in Lawrence.

This one-time grant will fund the purchase of STEM equipment to outfit Esperanza’s STEM learning spaces in their new school building. Girl Scouts of Eastern MA (GSEMA). GSEMA builds girls of courage, confidence, and character, providing positive outcomes in Life Skills/Leadership, STEM, Entrepreneurship, Financial Literacy, and the Outdoors.

This three-year grant will help fund STEM ON-THE-GO, a mobile learning center that will bring the wonders of science, technology, engineering, and math directly to Girl Scout troops and summer camps in underserved communities across Eastern MA, who would not otherwise have access to this programming. Girls Inc. of Worcester (GIW). GIW works to inspire all girls to be strong (healthy), smart (educated), and bold (independent).

This three-year, grant will fund Project Accelerate , a financial and career empowerment program supporting young women from high school through early college, positively impacting college persistence, reducing financial vulnerability, and strengthening workforce readiness. Girls on the Run Greater Boston (GOTRGB).

GOTRGB inspires girls to be joyful, healthy and confident, using a research-based curriculum which creatively integrates running. This three-year grant will fund the expansion of their successful after-school program in more low-income school districts in Boston, Brockton, Quincy, and Cape Cod. Girls on the Run Rhode Island (GOTRRI).

GOTRRI inspires girls to be joyful, healthy and confident, using a research-based curriculum which creatively integrates running. This five-year grant will support hiring a program manager to deepen their expansion in Bristol County, MA. Girls on the Run Western MA .

Girls on the Run Western MA inspires girls to be joyful, healthy, and confident using a fun, experience-based curriculum that creatively integrates running. This five-year grant will be used to expand their reach to rural sites in Berkshire, Franklin, Hampshire, and Hampden counties. Girls on the Run Worcester County (GOTRWC).

GOTRWC uses a fun, experience-based curriculum that creatively integrates running to inspire girls to be joyful, healthy and confident. This three-year grant will increase programming to six new high-need sites in Worcester County. Mother Caroline Academy (MCA).

MCA is the only tuition-free independent school for girls in grades three through eight in the City of Boston serving traditionally under-resourced neighborhoods. This three-year grant will fund a full-time foreign language teacher who will facilitate instruction to all grades, increasing their competitiveness for high school placement and ultimately leading to improved college and career outcomes. Mujeres Unidas Avanzando (MUA).

MUA provides low-income Latina and other women English Language Learners the tools to empower themselves through mentoring, education, and job training. This three-year grant will fund an additional Clinical Medical Assistant (CMA) training program moving women into family-sustaining healthcare careers with clear pathways for advancement. Technovation .

Technovation is a global nonprofit that empowers girls to become tech entrepreneurs by learning to build mobile apps and AI solutions that address real-world problems. This two-year grant will fund their expansion in Massachusetts through a 12-week technology program for middle and high school girls. The Care Center (TCC).

TCC is an innovative educational program in Holyoke, MA, which offers a Hi-Set program, part-time college courses, and an associate degree program (Bard Microcollege Holyoke), all with extensive wrap-around services, to young mothers who have had their education interrupted. This three-year grant will support hiring a Graduate Transition Specialist to support students as they progress to and through college and onto careers. WE CAN .

WE CAN empowers and supports Cape Cod women to build pathways to stability and self-sufficiency. This three-year grant will fund the expansion of programming and geographic reach to the Upper Cape towns including Bourne, Falmouth, Mashpee and Sandwich.

Four highly successful 2023 grants, originally scheduled to sunset in July, have been awarded extensions following strong performance and measurable impact for organizations and participants alike. After meeting with each organization this spring, WFMA staff and the 2026 Grant Cycle Committee expressed confidence in their leadership, financial health, and long-term sustainability.

The recommended extensions will help sustain critical work amid growing competition for philanthropic support. The Women’s Foundation of Massachusetts believes these programs represent some of the strongest and most impactful work serving women and girls across the Commonwealth, making continued investment both strategic and necessary. The 4 extension recipients are: Esperanza Academy .

Two-year extension to fund a second science teacher. Esperanza has focused on improving and growing their STEM education, building STEM confidence and proficiency, and preparing their students for rigorous high school science. Over the course of this grant, they have seen consistent academic growth across grade levels.

Girls on the Run Worcester County (GOTRWC). Two-year extension to fund two teams in low-income communities in Worcester. GOTRWC has been a WFMA grantee for five years and delivers critical programming in low-income communities where few, if any, other afterschool options exist.

Mother Caroline Academy (MCA). One-year extension to fund a coding teacher, a part-time makerspace teacher, and the costs associated with a week-long career camp at Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH). Over the course of the grant, all participants have gained foundational skills such as writing lines of code and developing their own games.

Students in grades 6–8 have explored the engineering design process through makerspace activities, while 7th and 8th graders who attended BCH were introduced to medical careers and returned with increased interest in pursuing those fields. Mujeres Unidas Avanzando (MUA). Two-year extension to fund the fourth section of their Clinical Medical Assistant (CMA) educational training program.

MUA has offered CMA training since 2020 and currently has a waitlist of nearly 200 women for their five 2026–2027 CMA sections. Programming includes a 320-hour training from August through January, consisting of four modules covering healthcare systems, phlebotomy, cardiology, and core clinical competencies, including patient communication and medication administration.

Additionally, the Women’s Foundation of Massachusetts is sponsoring a Women & Girls Track within the Social Innovation Forum’s Accelerator Program. The Accelerator Program provides selected Social Innovators with the support and resources needed to deepen and expand their impact across Eastern Massachusetts.

Over the course of this two-year program, participants receive in-depth consulting, executive coaching, presentation advising, access to unrestricted grants, and additional capacity-building support. These resources help organizations raise their visibility, strengthen networks, and connect with philanthropic and in-kind partners to amplify the impact of their work.

Through this sponsorship, the Foundation will provide capacity-building funding to one Massachusetts nonprofit serving women and girls through economically empowering programming. The announcement comes as new research from the Women’s Foundation of Massachusetts and the Wellesley Centers for Women highlights both progress and persistent gaps facing women and girls across the Commonwealth.

Despite Massachusetts’ strong reputation for education and economic opportunity, the data found that girls graduate high school and enroll in college at higher rates than boys, yet enter the workforce earning approximately $5,000 less while carrying about $5,000 more in debt than men, while participation in physical activity also declines during adolescence, limiting opportunities to build confidence and support long-term well-being.

At the same time, programs that provide consistent mentoring and leadership development help girls build confidence, strengthen connections, and see new possibilities for their futures. “Massachusetts leads in many ways, but the data makes clear that women and girls are not experiencing opportunity equally,” said Patti Satterthwaite, President of the Women’s Foundation of Massachusetts.

“When girls succeed in school, but still face barriers entering the workforce, it underscores the importance of investing in programs that support their confidence, leadership, and long-term success. ” The Women’s Foundation of Massachusetts focuses its grantmaking on programs that deliver measurable outcomes in education, leadership and mentoring, and career and financial empowerment.

Since its inception, the Foundation has invested $15. 9 million in nonprofits across the state, impacting more than 30,000 women and girls. With only about 1.

3% of philanthropic giving in Massachusetts directed to women- and girls-serving organizations, these investments play a critical role in strengthening the broader ecosystem supporting women and girls statewide. About the Women’s Foundation of Massachusetts The Women’s Foundation of Massachusetts is a nonprofit organization dedicated to economically empowering women and girls across the Commonwealth.

Through strategic, data-informed grantmaking, the Foundation invests in high-impact programs in education, leadership and mentoring, and career and financial empowerment. Learn more at wfma. org .