Change the Cycle

Change the Cycle is sponsored by The Women's Fund, an Affiliate of the Community Foundation of Lorain County. The Change the Cycle initiative is dedicated to breaking cycles of poverty, violence, and inequality faced by women, enabling them to lead fulfilling lives.

## **WOMEN’S FUND****GRANT CYCLE** ### **Grantmaking Priorities and Objectives** The annual grant cycle of the Women’s Fund of Randolph County seeks applications for programs that provide services for women and/or children that will enhance their futures, especially programs that demonstrate **_innovation_**and**_creativity_** in providing new solutions to unresolved community needs.

Nonprofits are encouraged to partner for existing program enhancement and/or new program development. Success should be measured by the ability of program participants to receive services that provide them a picture of a better life beyond today.

Program area examples include, but are not limited to: ##### **Family Crisis Prevention**Family Support, Financial Literacy, Parenting Enhancement ##### **Women in Crisis**Domestic Abuse, Teen Pregnancy, Divorce, Death of a Spouse ##### **Education**High School Completion, Postsecondary Education Readiness ##### **Youth**Leadership, Community-Appropriate Behavior, Life Skills * Applying organizations MUST have administrative offices located in Randolph County**.

** * Only ONE application per EIN will be considered during each grant cycle. * Capital projects will NOT be considered for funding. * No grants will be made solely to individuals and grants will not be made to organizations for the purpose of providing scholarships to individuals.

* No grants will be made specifically for sectarian religious purposes but can be made to religious organizations for general community programs. * Applying organizations must operate without illegal discrimination on the basis of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, national origin, or disability.

The Women’s Fund of Randolph County, held by the Community Foundation of Randolph County, Inc. (CFRC), supports projects and programs of organizations they have a charitable purpose and are consistent with the mission of the CFRC. Generally, the determination of whether an organization’s activities are charitable or not is made by the IRS in assigning a tax-exempt status.

Organizations with a 501[c][3] not-for-profit status are engaged in charitable activities. The Women’s Fund may also make grants to non-501[c][3] organizations when the grant is for a charitable purpose.

### **2025 Process and Timetable** ~~**Grant application due**~~~~**Friday, February 14, 2025 by 2:00pm**~~ ~~Grant recipients notified to prepare for event presentation~~~~By Friday, March 21, 2025~~ ~~Recipients will be recognized at the Women’s Fund of Randolph County Brunch and Membership Drive~~~~Saturday, August 16, 2025~~ Final Grant Report (with digital photos) due At completion of project (or by first Friday in February 2026) ### **2026 Process and Timetable** **Grant application due (via GOapply)*****Friday, February 13, 2026 by 2:00pm** Grant recipients notified to prepare for event presentation By Friday, March 20, 2026 Recipients will be recognized at the Women’s Fund of Randolph County Brunch & Auction Saturday, August 15, 2026 (tentative) Final Grant Report (with digital photos) due At completion of project (or by first Friday in February 2027) ##### *_Instructions for the GOapply application process can be found here.

_ If you wish to confirm whether your project meets the criteria for consideration, please contact: Ashley Stephen, Community Grants & Operations Manager Community Foundation of Randolph County, Inc. astephen@randolphcountyfoundation. org