Seed and Early-stage Grants for Women’s Organizations and Initiatives
Seed and Early-stage Grants for Womens Organizations and Initiatives
Seed and Early-stage Grants for Womens Organizations and Initiatives;
Spark is seeking applications to provide seed, early-stage grants to grassroots women’s organizations and initiatives working to advance gender equality and the rights of women and girls in their communities (globally and in their US chapter regions: New York Metro and San Francisco Bay Area).
Spark advances gender equality by engaging the next generation in accessible forms of philanthropy.
Funding Information for Seed and Early-stage Grants for Womens Organizations and Initiatives The average grant amount is $3,000-5,000 USD, and is determined at the end of yearly grantmaking cycle.
Priorities
In addition to meeting the criteria below, organizations with the following characteristics may be given priority.
Belief in the Leader: As with most startup endeavors, Spark shows favorable consideration to strong, passionate, persevering leaders with qualities that make them believe they will make their initiative a reality.
Entrepreneurial Spirit: Spark believes in funding organizations that are “taking a chance” to improve their local communities.
First/Early Funder: Spark takes pride in being an early funder and being the “spark” for an organization to achieve long term success.
Beyond the Dollar: Spark wants to give more that just money, but have organizations tap into their pool of diverse talent.
Eligibility Criteria for Seed and Early-stage Grants for Womens Organizations and Initiatives
Applicants are eligible to apply, if their organization:
Addresses root causes: Spark supports organizations engaged in addressing the root causes of challenges that women and girls face, which can include but are not limited to gender norms, poverty, education, economic opportunities, and access to health resources.
Meets an unmet need: Spark looks for organizations that provide a service that is not currently available to women in that geographical area.
Employs norm shifting and innovative solutions: Spark prioritize organizations that use creativity to improve lives while challenging traditional norms and approaches.
Has leadership comprised primarily of local women: Spark specifically select organizations with leadership comprised of at least 50% of women from the community served.
Has a budget under $150K: Spark wants to make a difference with their $3-5K grant, therefore, they support only organizations with an annual operating budget under $150,000 USD.
When are applications accepted?
- Applications are accepted within 3 cycles: Spring Cycle deadline – March 1, Summer Cycle deadline – June 1, Fall cycle deadline – September 1.
- In addition to grant funding, we support grantees with pro bono professional services.
- Typical requests from grantees include accounting, legal, marketing and web development support.
- We source these services from our network of young professional members.
For more information and application details, see; Seed and Early-stage Grants for Womens Organizations and Initiatives