The Ms. Foundation is launching a multi-year programmatic strategy to strengthen the financial sustainability and leadership development capacity of organizations led by women and girls of color in the U.S. South.

The Ms. Foundation program team has been in deep learning and listening with southern leaders. While the need for more support of WCOG in the South is great, so too is the opportunity for strategic investment. Southern states have high and fast-growing populations of WGOC. The presence or emergence of regressive legislation in these states has the ability to influence the policy environments in other states. The South is home to current and former Ms. grantees whose expertise they can build upon. It is a place where other existing and potential funders can partner in this work to increase investment in WGOC.

Women and Girls of Color are pivotal frontline leaders and organizers in the powerful social change movements that have paved the way for a more equitable and just democracy. They have led nearly every impactful grassroots movement in United States history. They are the primary constituency most impacted by inequity and live at the intersection of multiple systems of oppression including white supremacy, patriarchy, colonization, and unbridled capitalism. And yet, their work is under-resourced.

Given these facts and findings, they are pivoting grantmaking to address these funding disparities and capitalize on opportunities to move forward a WGOC-led agenda in 14 states in the South: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. They will seek to assemble a balanced portfolio of rural, urban, emerging, and established organizations. By advocating for greater investment within the philanthropic community, they seek to influence philanthropy to increase giving to WCOG by a significant margin. They will support organizations led by WGOC, track that support, and explicitly name it, and will encourage other funders to engage in these practices as well.

Funding Information

• The initial grantmaking of $1,000,000 will support WGOC-led groups in the U.S. South across the spectrum of organizing and supporting the communities.
• Organizations are invited to apply for up to $50,000 per year for up to two years.

Eligibility Criteria

• The Ms. Foundation for Women welcomes requests for general operating support from groups working in the United States, Puerto Rico and U.S. territories. Applicants must meet the following criteria to be considered for this funding opportunity.
  • Applicant organizations should be led by Women and Girls of Color (i.e. 75-100% of the financial decision-makers for the organization must be Women and Girls of Color).
  • Applicant must be doing work focused in one or more of the 14 states listed in the “Overview” section of this RFP.
  • They seek applicants that use movement building and organizing strategies to improve the lived experience of Women and Girls of Color.
  • Applicant must be a 501(c)(3) organization or fiscally sponsored by a 501(c)(3) organization.
  • The Budget cap for organizations is $10 million.

For more information, visit Ms. Foundation for Women.