Womenstrong International
WomenStrong International is a private foundation based in Chevy Chase, Maryland. It supports local, women-led organizations working to improve the lives of women and girls, and describes its approach as centering local feminist leaders and strengthening their capacity to create change in their communities.
Womenstrong International at a glance
In short: Womenstrong International gave $1.1M across 39 grants in 2025 (avg $29K), top state California. 24% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $1,137,000
- +67.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 39
- +44.4% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $29,154
- +15.6% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $20,000
- Total assets
- $3,114,457
- +93.2% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 24% first-time grantees (6 of 25, 2025)
- Primary geography
- California (5% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Womenstrong International
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
WomenStrong does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Its website says there are no open grant opportunities at present and that it has periodically invited organizations to share information, followed by exploratory conversations to assess fit. A climate and environmental justice expression-of-interest call announced in October 2024 described plans to seek potential grantees beginning November 1, 2024; that is a past cycle.
- Contact
Mailing address: 9 East Melrose Street, Chevy Chase, MD 20815
Phone: (301) 907-0227
Website: https://womenstrong.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Womenstrong International funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Amal Foundation ($70K across 2 grants). Together the top 10 received $662K.
Grant Size Distribution
135 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 99 grants of 135 (73%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
WomenStrong says it has no geographical limits on where it funds. Its 2025 grants included recipients in the United States and organizations working in countries including El Salvador, Zambia, Cambodia, Uganda, the Philippines, and Nepal.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 39 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Womenstrong International open to new grantees?
24%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 6 of 25 grantees (24%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $70K; repeat grants $38K. How we count
Medians: $70K first-time, $40K repeat.
- 76% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+17%). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2025). 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 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $681K (2024) to $1.1M (2020). In 2025 it made 39 grants totaling $1.1M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Amal Foundation | To provide funding for amal foundation for participation in the learning lab and to take advantage of the capacity strengthening support | $50,000 |
| Black Girl Rising | To provide funding for black girl rising for participation in the learning lab and to take advantage of the capacity strengthening support | $50,000 |
| Climalab | To provide funding for climalab for participation in the learning lab and to take advantage of the capacity strengthening support | $50,000 |
| Fundacion BARRANQUILLA20 | To provide funding for fundacion barranquilla+20 for participation in the learning lab and to take advantage of the capacity strengthening support | $50,000 |
| Green Girls Platform | To provide funding for green girls platform for participation in the learning lab and to take advantage of the capacity strengthening support | $50,000 |
| Power Shift Nepal | To provide funding for power shift nepal for participation in the learning lab and to take advantage of the capacity strengthening support | $50,000 |
| Asociacion Mujeres Transformando | To provide funding for asociacion mujeres transformando for support of women's economic security and opportunity in el salvador. | $40,000 |
| Copper Rose Zambia | To provide funding for copper rose zambia for support of women's and adolescent girls' health | $40,000 |
| Gender and Development Cambodia | To provide funding for gender and development cambodia to prevent violence against women and girls. | $40,000 |
| Girl up Initiative Uganda Goleta, CA | To provide funding for girl up initiative uganda for support of girls' education and empowerment. | $40,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Womenstrong International?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $3,114,457 | $5,133,970 | $3,713,805 | $1,137,000 | 39 | $3,611,433 | $9,978 |
| 2024 | $1,612,034 | $3,160,282 | $3,211,149 | $681,000 | 27 | $3,003,478 | $719 |
| 2023 | $1,462,027 | $4,189,398 | $3,665,698 | $1,057,265 | 33 | $3,559,915 | $498 |
| 2022 | $841,307 | $2,859,963 | $2,634,778 | $971,852 | 18 | $3,141,264 | $10,488 |
| 2021 | $1,142,163 | $3,913,090 | $3,297,134 | $1,059,581 | 18 | $2,895,062 | $2 |
| 2020 | $129,676 | $2,396,726 | $2,806,974 | $1,148,440 | 18 | — | $4 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
WomenStrong’s mission is to center the work of local feminist leaders and amplify their capacity to drive meaningful change in their communities, with the aim of building a world where all women and girls can thrive.
Its stated areas of work include women’s and girls’ health, girls’ education, preventing violence against women and girls, and economic opportunity and security for women and girls. Its website also describes work on climate and environmental justice. WomenStrong supports women-led organizations and states that its support includes women, girls, trans, and nonbinary people.
The organizations it has supported reflect varied approaches to these issues. For example, Girl Up Initiative Uganda describes its mission as building a movement of girls and young women through leadership, sexual and reproductive health education, and skills development. Sahar Education says it partners with Afghanistan-based organizations to create educational opportunities for girls. Women’s Justice Initiative says it works to improve the lives of Indigenous Guatemalan women and girls through education, legal services, and gender-based violence prevention.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, WomenStrong reported 39 grants totaling $1,137,000. Grants ranged from $15,000 to $50,000, with a median award of $20,000. The largest listed grants included $50,000 each for Amal Foundation, Black Girls Rising, ClimaLab, Fundación Barranquilla+20, Green Girls Platform, and Power Shift Nepal. Other listed awards of $40,000 included grants to Asociación Mujeres Transformando, Copper Rose Zambia, Gender and Development Cambodia, Girl Up Initiative Uganda, Mali Health, and Roots of Health.
The filing describes several awards as supporting participation in WomenStrong’s Learning Lab and capacity-strengthening support. Other listed purposes include women’s economic security in El Salvador, women’s and adolescent girls’ health, preventing violence against women and girls, and girls’ education and empowerment. Girl Up Initiative Uganda also received two separate 2025 grants of $40,000 and $22,000; Mujeres Aliadas received $25,000.
WomenStrong describes its grants as unrestricted and says its support is designed to strengthen partners’ organizational and technical capacity. The types of organizations it has supported are women-led, led by nationals based in their countries of operation, registered as nonprofits there, supported by more than one donor, and governed locally by a body led by women and representative of the communities served. It also describes partners as having annual budgets under $1 million and being willing to take part in peer learning and WomenStrong events.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Dr. Chisina Kapungu as executive director and Dr. Susan M. Blaustein as chair and president. It lists Tiffany Green, Stephen Kass, Catherine Lee, Dr. Joyce Malombe, Dr. Howard C. Mandel, Dr. Geeta Mehta, Heather Goldberg Mendelow, and Cynthia Nimmo as directors.
Womenstrong International is led by Chisina Kapungu, Executive Director on the 2025 filing; 1 of 15 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Chisina Kapungu
Executive Director
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$245K (2025)
Susan M. Blaustein
Chair & President
Executive Director → Chair & President, 2025
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Catherine Lee
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Geeta Mehta
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Pamela Schutz
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Peggy Shepard
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Stephen Kass
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Heather Goldberg Mendelow
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Howard C. Mandel
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Robin Smalley
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Cynthia Nimmo
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Joyce Malombe
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Andine Sutarjardi
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Helen Yang
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Tiffany Green
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (5)
- Former: Nicky Leroux (2024) — Director
- Former: Yasmine Ergas (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Beth Horowitz MD (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: George C. Biddle (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Howie Mandel (2021) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $245K, to Dr Chisina Kapungu (Executive Director).
Frequently asked questions about Womenstrong International
How much does Womenstrong International give each year?
Womenstrong International gave $1.1M across 39 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $681K across 27 grants.
What is Womenstrong International's typical grant size?
Womenstrong International's median grant in 2025 was $20,000, and its average grant was $29,154, across 39 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Womenstrong International that year got $70K on average.
Where does Womenstrong International give grants?
Womenstrong International's top state is California, with 5% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest state was North Carolina (5%). The most frequent recipient cities were Goleta, CA (2 grants) and Durham, NC (2 grants).
Does Womenstrong International give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 39 grants with a stated purpose on Womenstrong International's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Capacity Strengthening - Partner Support Grants" (14 grants).
Who are Womenstrong International's largest grantees?
Womenstrong International's largest 2025 grantees include Amal Foundation ($70,000 across 2 grants), Black Girl Rising ($70,000 across 2 grants) and Climalab ($70,000 across 2 grants), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 18% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Womenstrong International?
Womenstrong International reported $3.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Its revenue that year was $5.1M.
What does Womenstrong International fund?
WomenStrong’s mission is to center the work of local feminist leaders and amplify their capacity to drive meaningful change in their communities, with the aim of building a world where all women and girls can thrive. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Womenstrong International?
WomenStrong does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Womenstrong International's EIN?
Womenstrong International's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 47-1707504. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Womenstrong International accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 17, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 11, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 9, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS June 6, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 14, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS June 12, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Womenstrong International funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/womenstrong-international-morg_7af30c061f3746958d2d3bf6813f1f72
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_471707504_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Womenstrong International funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/womenstrong-international-morg_7af30c061f3746958d2d3bf6813f1f72},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-24. 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 Womenstrong International'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.
Womenstrong International down — hundreds of funders to go?