Women and Girls of Color Fund: Rural Cycle Grant

The Women and Girls of Color Fund: Rural Cycle aims to empower women and girls of color in Colorado by addressing systemic disparities they face in health, wealth, and access to resources. By focusing on organizations led by women of color, the fund prioritizes initiatives that build economic power and promote community organizing. This fund not only seeks to increase financial support but also strives to dismantle oppressive structures, ensuring that marginalized communities receive the necessary resources to thrive.

Background
Women of color contribute immensely to the health, well-being, and advancement of our communities. At the same time, women of color face greater disparities in health outcomes, pay, wealth, access to capital, and more.
Two leading philanthropic organizations – Echoing Green and Bridgespan – found in a recent research report that “racial inequity is built into philanthropic norms.” Black- and Latino-led organizations face significant disparities in revenue, assets, and acquired funding. Gender only compounds these disparities, despite the monumental achievements of grassroots, women-of-color-led initiatives.
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.
WGCF Grants
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: Rural focus and Front Range focus (Larimer, Boulder, Broomfield, Jefferson, Denver, Arapahoe, Douglas, Adams, and El Paso counties)
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.

Eligibility

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 the donor relations manager.)Organizations headquartered in rural Colorado (regardless of service area) (See our list of counties and zip codes here)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 colorProjects or departments at institutions of higher education that are led by women of color, girls of color, or nonbinary people of colorCommunity 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 include: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