WFSA Grant Making FAQ

The Women’s Foundation of Southern Arizona defines this as making grants to programs that focus on long-term solutions to societal problems; that is to say the Foundation funds efforts that produce lasting & sustainable results. The Women’s Foundation recognizes and values direct service work aimed at addressing immediate needs and will consider supporting that work when clear evidence of the social change it brings about has been demonstrated by the applicant.

Click here to view a simple two-part questionnaire provided by the Women’s Funding Network to see if your organization is a social change organization.

Click to view definitions and examples of the five indicators of social change.

Click to view a framework for Social Change provided by the Women’s Funding Network.

Applicants must be a 501(c)(3) organization in good standing or a grassroots organization conducting charitable work in Southern Arizona.

When programs are focused on social change, the Women’s Foundation believes that small and large grants alike can have powerful effects. Since its inception, the Foundation has awarded well over 180 grants up to $15,000 totaling more than $1.2 million dollars. The Foundation provides funding for:

• Project-specific support
• Planning or start-up support
• Research
• Capacity-building

To be considered, a grant proposal must fall into one of the three categories, Health, Safety and Well-being for Women and Girls, Economic Justice for Women and Girls, or Social Justice and Human Rights. The list of projects below is for illustrative purposes, and is not intended to be exhaustive.

Health, Safety & Well-being for Women & Girls	Economic Justice for Women & Girls	Social Justice and Human Rights
Increase access to affordable health care Healthy choices about reproductive rights Violence against women and girls Unhealthy body images and eating disorders Education re: sexual health Involve women and girls in sports Reduce sexual harassment in the workplace Prevent cardiovascular disease in women	Financial literacy Create economic opportunities for women and girls Adequate income and retirement benefits for older women Equal pay and a living wage Access to career and educational opportunities Family-friendly work environments Accessible and affordable childcare and transportation services for employed women Affordable, accessible, and quality housing (both transitional and permanent) Examine the root causes of poverty for women Employment skills	Asylum programs LBT issues Immigration issues Increasing women’s involvement in the political process Older women’s issues

The Foundation does not provide funds for:

• individuals
• campaigns to elect candidates to public office
• capital fund drives
• debt reduction
• endowments
• fund-raising events or one-time conferences
• scholarships, fellowships and tuition reimbursement
• programs inconsistent with federal, state and local non-discrimination statutes regarding equal employment opportunity
• programs that promote religious activities
• programs outside of southern Arizona
• individual classrooms or schools

The Foundation defines Southern Arizona as:
Pima, Cochise and Santa Cruz counties.

The Women’s Foundation recognizes significant need among commonly overlooked populations. We strive to ensure that our grants fund a broad spectrum of populations including:

• Girls
• Women of color
• Older women
• Women and girls with disabilities
• Lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons
• Low-income women and girls
• Women and girls outside Metropolitan Tucson
• Immigrant, undocumented, and refugee women and girls
• Incarcerated women

The Women’s Foundation of Southern Arizona uses proven methodologies to identify and assess program merit based upon priorities set by the Board of Trustees and criteria developed by the Grants Policy and Process Committee.
The Foundation’s process is designed to facilitate “effective decision making by committee” which means:

• grants committees are representative of Southern Arizona communities
• decisions are ultimately aligned with the Foundation’s mission
• the strength of individual perspectives thrives vs. “group think”
• knowledge of applicants, programs and program impact is gained and shared
• all perspectives are accounted for, resulting in a collective decision

Click here to see an illustration of the Foundation’s methodology and approach..

The purpose of evaluation and reporting is to help grant recipients reach their stated goals. Evaluation also helps the Women’s Foundation assess the quality of its grant-making.
Organizations receiving funding from the Foundation are required to participate in the following evaluation and report process:

• Attend training for Making the Case® a social change evaluation tool.
• Use the tool to document program progress following an agreed-upon schedule; typically quarterly and annually.
• Informal phone calls with Foundation staff during grant year, if requested.
• An informal meeting with Foundation staff and board members during grant year, if requested.

The Women’s Foundation considers organizations for funding on a year-to-year basis. Proposals must be submitted each time a grant is requested. Previous funding does not guarantee continued funding. An agency cannot apply for funding unless all reports required in previous award contracts have been received according to schedule agreed upon.
In an effort to make resources available to new organizations applying to the Foundation, organizations that have been funded by the Foundation for the last three years are required to abstain from applying for one year, after which an organization will again be eligible for funding.