Women's Foundation of Alabama
The Women’s Foundation of Alabama is a public charity based in Birmingham that supports efforts to advance women’s economic opportunity across Alabama. Its work includes grantmaking to community organizations, workforce and child care initiatives, research, and policy advocacy.
Women's Foundation of Alabama at a glance
In short: Women's Foundation of Alabama gave $2.0M across 57 grants in 2024 (avg $35K), mostly in Alabama. 52% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $1,987,835
- +85.4% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 57
- +62.9% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $34,874
- +13.8% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $25,000
- Total assets
- $11,682,938
- +8.8% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 52% first-time grantees (24 of 46, 2024)
- Primary geography
- Alabama (100% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2024; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Women's Foundation of Alabama
- Review Cycle
- The Fall 2025 brief proposal deadline was August 29, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. CST.
- Deadline
- The Fall 2025 brief proposal deadline was August 29, 2025, at 11:59 p.m.
- Contact
Mailing address: 2213 1St Avenue South, Birmingham, AL 35233
Phone: (205) 326-4454
Website: https://wfalabama.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
3 open opportunities from Women's Foundation of Alabama
Girls at the Center Initiative
Women's Foundation of Alabama
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Deadline not published
Student-Parent Success Model (Community College Partnership)
Women's Foundation of Alabama
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Deadline not published
Women's Foundation of Alabama: Competitive Grantmaking
Women's Foundation of Alabama
Amount
Up to US $50,000
Deadline
Deadline not published
Who Women's Foundation of Alabama funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Jefferson State Community College ($209K across 5 grants). Together the top 10 received $780K.
Organizations only. It also paid 6 grants to individuals ($412,795), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
155 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 113 grants of 155 (73%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s competitive grantmaking serves local, community-based organizations across Alabama. All 2024 grant dollars listed in the filing went to recipients in Alabama. Under the Good Jobs Challenge, the foundation makes grants to organizations in central Alabama.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 57 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Women's Foundation of Alabama open to new grantees?
52%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 24 of 46 grantees (52%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $39K; repeat grants $48K. How we count
Medians: $25K first-time, $32K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2020–2024). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $475K (2021) to $2.0M (2024). In 2024 it made 57 grants totaling $2.0M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Gadsden State Community College Gadsden, AL | Women in Welding - Gadsden State (Skills Training) | $75,000 |
| East Lake Initiative Birmingham, AL | Family-Centered Coaching for JSCC Phlebotomy Training Program | $75,000 |
| 6 grants to individuals Recipients not named | — | $412,795 |
| Community Care Development Network Birmingham, AL | Inspire Education Academy | $66,075 |
| Bevill State Community College Jasper, AL | Enhancing economic opportunities for underserved women with a career in healthcare | $62,000 |
| Lawson State Community College Birmingham, AL | Pharmacy tech training program for low-income women - lawson state | $51,709 |
| Wallace State Community College - Selma Selma, AL | Families forward 2024 (women in trucking class a cdl truck driving program) | $50,000 |
| Birmingham Corps Birmingham, AL | Birmingham Corps Health Pathways | $50,000 |
| Alabama Goodwill Industries Birmingham, AL | Goodwill Workforce Development | $50,000 |
| Jefferson State Community College Birmingham, AL | Surgical Tech | $49,710 |
Ready to take the next step with Women's Foundation of Alabama?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $11,682,938 | $6,048,717 | $4,198,811 | $1,987,835 | 57 | $422,288 |
| 2023 | $10,742,173 | $5,522,283 | $3,046,873 | $1,072,468 | 35 | $58,722 |
| 2022 | $5,835,347 | $1,934,001 | $2,117,252 | $682,725 | 17 | $73,966 |
| 2021 | $6,816,261 | $4,344,648 | $2,029,468 | $474,902 | 13 | $154,720 |
| 2020 | $4,115,322 | $2,618,037 | $1,733,285 | $767,217 | 33 | $11,684 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s mission is to accelerate economic opportunity for women through community-driven work. Its vision is a society where power and possibility are not limited by gender, race, or place.
Its competitive grantmaking supports local, community-based organizations working to advance economic opportunity for women and girls and address barriers to employment. The Fall 2025 cycle’s focus areas were Women + Work, Women + Leadership, and Women + Wellbeing — Financial Wellbeing. Examples of supported work include workforce training, coaching, child care, and wraparound services.
The foundation also supports initiatives such as its 2-Gen community college model, which combines career training with services such as child care, transportation, and coaching. Its Advancing Alabama Childcare Accelerator provides training, coaching, and funding to support child care business owners.
The grantees include colleges and community organizations. For example, an individual recipient Community College’s foundation says it supports the college through student scholarships, professional development, and college-community partnerships. Birmingham Corps describes its mission as advancing fair workforce opportunities and social change by recruiting, training, and retaining people in Birmingham. These are grantee missions, not the foundation’s.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation reported 57 grants totaling $1,987,835. Individual grants ranged from $10,000 to $75,000, with a median of $25,000. The largest awards included $75,000 each to an individual recipient Community College for a women-in-welding program, East Lake Initiative for family-centered coaching connected to a phlebotomy training program, and an individual recipient Community College for a community college grant.
Other 2024 awards included $66,075 to Community Care Development Network for Inspire Education Academy, $62,795 to an individual recipient Community College for child care home training, $51,709 to an individual recipient Community College for pharmacy technician training for low-income women, and $50,000 to Birmingham Corps for Health Pathways.
The foundation’s Fall 2025 competitive cycle offered nine awards of $50,000 each, totaling $450,000 according to the cycle overview; a separate foundation announcement described the awards as totaling $500,000. The cycle is closed. It used a two-stage process: brief proposal followed by full proposal for applicants advancing, with site visits and final decisions announced in December. The foundation says its competitive cycle accepts proposals from local, community-based organizations across Alabama.
The foundation also accepts applications for certain initiatives throughout the year as funding is available. These include the Advancing Alabama Childcare Accelerator, which supports child care business owners, and Good Jobs Challenge sub-awards for organizations in central Alabama providing job training and success coaching.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists the following officers and directors:
- Lajuana Tucker Bradford — Chair
- Elizabeth Cole Goodrich — Vice Chair
- Maye Head Frei — Treasurer
- Brooke Coleman — Secretary
- Tiffany Johnson Cole — Director
- Paige Daniel — Director
- Jessica M Friedman — Director
- Dawn Helms Sharff — Immediate Past Chair
- Rina Hurst — Director
- Angela Jarrett — Director
Women's Foundation of Alabama is led by Melanie Bridgeforth, President & CEO on every filing since 2020; 2 of 24 officers listed in 2024 are compensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Melanie Bridgeforth
President & CEO
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$123K (2020) → $214K (2024)
Lajuana Tucker Bradford
Chair
Secretary → Vice Chair, 2023
Vice Chair → Chair, 2024
On filings since 2020
4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Guin Robinson
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Nancy Watts
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Quentin Riggins
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Hampton Stephens
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jessica M. Friedman
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Tiffany Johnson Cole
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Angela Jarrett
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Brooke Reid
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Mary Pat Lawrence
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Paige Daniel
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Rina Hurst
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Carroll Phelps
Director
New on the 2024 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Cathy De La Garza
Director
New on the 2024 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Christy Taylor
Director
New on the 2024 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Elizabeth Dotts Fleming
Director
New on the 2024 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Libby Lassiter
Director
New on the 2024 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Lisa Howard
Director
New on the 2024 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Lashundra Pinkard
COO
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$110K (2023) → $115K (2024)
Dawn Helms Sharff
Immediate Past Chair
Vice Chair → Chair, 2023
Chair → Immediate Past Chair, 2024
On filings since 2020
4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Brooke Coleman
Secretary
Director → Secretary, 2023
On filings since 2021
4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Elizabeth Cole Goodrich
Vice Chair
Director → Vice Chair, 2024
On filings since 2021
4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Maye Head Frei
Treasurer
Director → Treasurer, 2022
On filings since 2021
4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (17)
- Former: Brantley Fry (2020–2023) — Immediate Past Chair
- Former: Britney Summerville (2021–2023) — Director
- Former: Cathy Randall (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Cindi Vice (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Nancy E. Dunlap (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Rosanne Crocker (2020–2022) — Immediate Past Chair
- Former: Dawn Rock (2021–2022) — Director
- Former: Leslie H. Carlisle (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Tracey Morant Adams (2020–2021) — Immediate Past Chair
- Former: Annie Bayer Goldberg (2021) — Director
- Former: Bisakha Pia Sen (2020) — Director
- Former: Emily Branum (2020) — Director
- Former: Kathy Phillips (2020) — Director
- Former: Lindsey Allison (2020) — Director
- Former: Mary Ann Smith-Janas (2020) — Advocacy Chair
- Former: Maye Head (2020) — Director
- Former: Wendy Hoomes (2020) — Grants & Allocation Chai
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2024 filing was $214K, to Melanie Bridgeforth (President/ CEO). 2 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Women's Foundation of Alabama
How much does Women's Foundation of Alabama give each year?
Women's Foundation of Alabama gave $2.0M across 57 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. In 2023 it gave $1.1M across 35 grants.
What is Women's Foundation of Alabama's typical grant size?
Women's Foundation of Alabama's median grant in 2024 was $25,000, and its average grant was $34,874, across 57 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Women's Foundation of Alabama that year got $39K on average.
Where does Women's Foundation of Alabama give grants?
Women's Foundation of Alabama gives mostly in Alabama: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Birmingham, AL (19 grants), Bessemer, AL (6 grants), Montgomery, AL (5 grants) and Decatur, AL (2 grants).
Does Women's Foundation of Alabama give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 57 grants with a stated purpose on Women's Foundation of Alabama's 2024 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Childcare Accelerator Grant" (9 grants).
Who are Women's Foundation of Alabama's largest grantees?
Women's Foundation of Alabama's largest 2024 grantees include Jefferson State Community College ($208,591 across 5 grants), East Lake Initiative ($100,000 across 2 grants) and Gadsden State Community College ($75,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. It also paid 6 grants to individuals ($412,795), which are not listed by name. Together they received 19% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Women's Foundation of Alabama?
Women's Foundation of Alabama reported $11.7M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $6.0M.
What does Women's Foundation of Alabama fund?
The foundation’s mission is to accelerate economic opportunity for women through community-driven work. Its vision is a society where power and possibility are not limited by gender, race, or place. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Women's Foundation of Alabama?
Women's Foundation of Alabama has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Check wfalabama.org for current guidelines, or contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is Women's Foundation of Alabama's EIN?
Women's Foundation of Alabama's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 45-0952468. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS September 27, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 14, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 15, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 14, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Women's Foundation of Alabama's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Women's Foundation of Alabama funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 4, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/women-s-foundation-of-alabama-morg_3da8ecb2cd344a2eb78faaa2ec33d55f
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_450952468_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Women's Foundation of Alabama funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/women-s-foundation-of-alabama-morg_3da8ecb2cd344a2eb78faaa2ec33d55f},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-04. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Women's Foundation of Alabama's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
Women's Foundation of Alabama down — hundreds of funders to go?