Background
Women of color contribute immensely to the health, well-being, and advancement of our communities. They mobilize grassroots movements that create real change, they are thought leaders who shape our understanding of gender and race, and they are uniquely positioned to lead us into a better future because of their lived experiences. At the same time, women of color face greater disparities in health outcomes, pay, wealth, access to capital, and more.
As the only community foundation in our state focused on Colorado women and their families, it is up to us to change that. From the purpose, goals, creation, and management of the fund, we are committed to rejecting the problematic philanthropic norms that cause women of color to receive just .5% of all philanthropic dollars.
Read More
Meet Our 2021 Rural Grantees | Meet Our 2021 Front Range Grantees
Blog: Learning from Our History: Investing in Women and Girls of Color
Blog: Reflections on the Inaugural Year of the Women & Girls of Color Fund
WGCF Grant Opportunities
Our framework and priorities for the Women & Girls of Color Fund are based on your feedback. The fund focuses on organizations led by women or girls of color executive directors that are committed to building economic power and dismantling oppressive systems through direct service or community organizing.
The Women & Girls of Color Fund has two grant cycles per year:
- January - April 2022: Rural focus
- June - September 2022: Front Range focus (Larimer, Boulder, Broomfield, Jefferson, Denver, Arapahoe, Douglas, Adams, and El Paso counties)
Grantees must be fiscally sponsored or have a 501c3 by the time grants are distributed. If your initiative does not have a fiscal sponsor or 501c3 but your work aligns with our funding priorities, please reach out to WFCO Donor Relations Manager Camisha Lashbrook at camishal@wfco.org.
Thank You to Our First Funders
In addition to our own seed investment of $50,000 for the first three years, generous grants from The Colorado Health Foundation, Ford Foundation, Chambers Initiative, Margulf Foundation, and Xcel Energy as well as gifts from a diverse group of individual donors are helping this fund come to life.
The Ford Foundation is supporting the launch of our Women and Girls of Color Fund by offering $50,000 in matching dollars. Make your donation to the Women & Girls of Color Fund today.
Help Us Meet Our Match
Thirty percent of the balance of new gifts into the fund will be designated to support WFCO’s general operations as an investment in our education, research, and philanthropy as well as public policy that also advance the goals and intent of the fund. The split will be assessed once per year.
Our Funding Priorities
Our funding priorities are grounded in increasing investments in Colorado women and girls of color, their leadership, their futures, and their economic security.
| Led by Women and Girls of Color |
Focused on Women and Girls of Color |
Colorado-based and Colorado-focused |
| Women of color have the experience and community knowledge to best lead our communities into an equitable future. Grantee organizations will be led by women of color executive directors. |
Women and girls of color receive just .5% of all foundation funding. Programs we fund will have a focus on the power and potential of women and girls of color. |
Colorado is a large and diverse state. Grantees will take a range of approaches to advancing the economic security of women and girls of color based on their specific communities' needs. |
| Liberatory Leadership |
Advancing Economic Security |
Those Most Underfunded |
| Grantees will not only reject systems of racism, classism, homophobia, and patriarchy, they will also demonstrate radical practices of liberatory leadership such as self care and collective leadership, which undermine white supremacy culture. |
In alignment with The Women's Foundation of Colorado's mission, the fund will support programs that advance the economic security of women and girls of color. |
Following principles of intersectionality, the Women & Girls of Color Fund will prioritize those communities marginalized by multiple systems of oppression and most underfunded. |
WGCF Frequently Asked Questions
Must organizations share WFCO’s commitment to gender, racial, and economic equity to be considered for funding?
Yes, WFCO will consider organizations’ commitment to gender, racial, and economic equity and how that commitment is demonstrated in their programs, board, staff, policy, and practices.
Who is eligible to apply?
Applicants must meet all criteria.
501(c)(3) charitable organizations; tax-exempt educational institutions; tax-exempt state, tribal, local government entities; or initiatives working with a fiscal sponsor. Organizations without nonprofit status who are interested in this fund should contact Camisha Lashbrook, donor relations manager, at CamishaL@wfco.org.
- Organization headquartered in rural Colorado (regardless of service area) (See our list of counties and zip codes) for funding in the January - April cycle.
- Organizations based in Front Range counties and statewide organizations are eligible for funding in the June - September cycle.
- Organizations whose executive director or CEO is a woman of color, girl of color, or nonbinary person of color.
Examples of exceptions that will be considered:
- After school programs or extra-curricular activities at K-12 schools led by women of color, girls of color, or nonbinary people of color
- Projects or departments at institutions of higher education that are led by women of color, girls of color, or nonbinary people of color
- Community organizing or direct service organizations that advance economic security for or build the economic power of women of color, girls of color, and/or nonbinary people of color along the continuum from birth through adulthood. (Excludes research- and public policy-exclusive organizations). Examples: Early childhood education & child care; job training; entrepreneurship; financial education; self-esteem; trauma and healing; health; food insecurity; safety; reproductive justice; legal services; housing; leadership development; refugee and immigrant rights/services; grassroots advocacy
Contact Camisha Lashbrook at CamishaL@wfco.org if you aren’t sure whether your organization/group/initiative qualifies..
What are your funding priorities?
Our funding priorities are grounded in increasing investments in Colorado women and girls of color, their leadership, their futures, and their economic security.
- Led by women and girls of color: Women of color have the experience and community knowledge to best lead our communities into an equitable future. Grantee organizations will be led by women of color executive directors.
- Focused on women and girls of color: Women and girls of color receive just .5% of all foundation funding. Programs we fund will have a focus on the power and potential of women and girls of color.
- Colorado-based and Colorado-focused: Colorado is a large and diverse state. Grantees will take a range of approaches to advancing the economic security of women and girls of color based on their specific communities' needs.
- Liberatory leadership: Grantees will not only reject systems of racism, classism, homophobia, and patriarchy, they will also demonstrate radical practices of liberatory leadership such as self care and collective leadership, which undermine white supremacy culture.
- Advancing economic security: In alignment with The Women's Foundation of Colorado's mission, the fund will support programs that advance the economic security of women and girls of color.
- Those most underfunded: Following principles of intersectionality, the Women & Girls of Color Fund will prioritize those communities marginalized by multiple systems of oppression and most underfunded.
Can an organization apply for funding if they currently receive funding from WFCO or received funding from WFCO in the past?
Can an organization apply for a grant from the Women & Girls of Color Fund if they are also applying for a grant from WINcome or have received previous funding from WFCO?
Does an organization have to be based in Colorado?
Women & Girls of Color Fund grants will be made to organizations based in Colorado to serve and improve opportunities for women and girls of color in Colorado.
What does the application process look like?
You can find the application questions now in a PDF or Word document to prepare. Applicants will first be asked a series of eligibility questions. If your organization is eligible, you will be directed to the application. You do not need to complete your application in one sitting. You will need to submit the Google Form and come back via the link that will be automatically sent to your email or you can download the questions in advance to compile your responses before beginning to fill out the online application. There are no word minimums or maximums. Please feel free to copy and paste from other grant applications, collateral, or your website. After you’ve submitted your application, you will receivve a Calendly link to schedule a 30-minute conversation with our staff/advisory council and your executive director. We will take that time to get to know each other, answer any of your questions, and talk in more detail about your application responses.
What is the timeline for the application process?
What does the review process look like?
After WFCO staff complete legal due diligence, we will compile each organization’s application and notes from follow-up conversations for our advisory council’s review. The advisory council members will independently evaluate organizations in alignment with our funding priorities and goals. Finally, council members will meet as a group to discuss the applications and make final decisions on who to fund and grant amounts. To ensure a well-diversified group of grantee partners and meet our goal of funding those most underfunded, the advisory council will also take into consideration factors such as populations served, counties served, type of services offered, size of organizations, and more.
Is this a multi-year grant?
Although they are not multi-year grants, grantee partners may reapply each year.
What size are the grants and what can funding be used for?
All grants from the Women & Girls of Color Fund are unrestricted. Grantee partners can use funds as startup funds, for operating expenses, to fund a new program, to supplement their work in areas traditionally difficult to fund (cash stipends, for example), to deepen their commitment to or work toward liberatory leadership, prevent staff burnout, uplift the leadership of women of color within their organizations or their community, or anything else necessary to achieve their mission.
Grants will range from $10,000 to $20,000 depending on how many organizations are selected for funding. Applicants do not need to submit an application for a specific amount. Organizations will also receive a $750 for staff appreciation or professional or personal development.
How many grantees will be funded?
We expect 10-15 grants will be awarded each cycle.
Will organizations of all budget sizes be considered for funding? Will new and more established organizations be considered for funding? Can an organization use a fiscal sponsor?
Yes, organizations of all sizes, as well as new organizations and those that have operated for many years will be considered. An organization can use a fiscal sponsor.
What are reporting expectations of grantees?
WFCO staff and the Women & Girls of Color Fund advisory council will schedule a virtual site visit with grantee partners in April after grants are distributed. Mid-year and end-of-year reporting will each consist of an hour-long conversation with WFCO staff: How did this grant impact your work, share a story from a constituent, and updated demographic breakdowns.
How will WFCO support our grantee partners?
The Women’s Foundation will take a holistic approach in supporting our grantee partners. In addition to funding, we hope to offer time and space for grantees to gather to discuss topics of their choosing, offer capacity building, make community connections, etc.
How can I learn more?