Women's Fund Grants

About our 2023 grant opportunity

Austin Community Foundation believes that maintaining the economic security of women and children is essential to closing the opportunity gap in Central Texas, and we know we cannot do this without addressing the racial wealth and health divide faced by women of color.

This grants cycle, the Women’s Fund will be awarding funding to organizations and programs providing direct services and systems-level changes in the following strategy areas:

• Housing: Support access to affordable housing for women that include a network of support and/or opportunities for long-term wealth building.
• Child Care: Expand access to safe, quality, culturally competent and affordable child care that is conveniently located for families with low incomes.
• Education: Provide access to an ecosystem of support – academic, emotional, and financial – for women pursuing educational dreams.
• Unintended Pregnancy Prevention: Increase access to consumable, unbiased pregnancy prevention resources.
• Women’s Health: Reduce health disparities faced by women of color.

In each strategy area, five grants will be distributed as follows:

• Winning Finalist: $55,000 total; a multi-year grant over two years – $35,000 in 2023 and $20,000 in 2024
• Runner-up Finalist: $30,000 in 2023
• Semifinalist: $15,000 in 2023

In total, $500,000 in unrestricted, general operating support will be awarded to 15 different nonprofit organizations. 

Eligibility Considerations

• All applicants must be tax-exempt organizations or units of government serving the six county Central Texas region which includes: Travis, Williamson, Hays, Bastrop, Burnet, and Caldwell Counties.
• Organizations must be tax-exempt under Sections 501(c)3 or 170(b)(1)(a)(vi) of the Internal Revenue Code, and/or be a unit of government.
• Proposals will be considered from organizations that engage in non-lobbying advocacy work. Organizations doing systems change level work such as educating the public about issues, community organizing, policy research and other non-lobbying advocacy activities may apply.
• Proposals will be considered from religious organization that engage in non-religious programming. Religious organizations will need to demonstrate that their work aligning with the Women’s Fund strategies is secular in nature and does not discriminate against any employees or clients based on religion.

In general, the Women’s Fund does not award grants for:

• endowment funds
• fundraising activities or events
• individuals
• political lobbying or legislative activities
• religious organizations for religious purposes
• scholarships
• umbrella funding organizations that intend to distribute funds at their own discretion

If you believe your organization is a good fit for our grant opportunity, please submit an application through our grant portal (opening June 1, 2023).

All applications are due 5 p.m. CT on Monday, July 31, 2023.