The Chicago Foundation for Women (CFW) has launched the COVID-19 Community Response Grants Program to provide modest short term funding to organizations that are community-based and are in the position to rapidly move resources into the communities that have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

CFW believes that these organizations will understand the needs of women, girls, transgender, and gender non-binary people of color and their families because they have deep relationships within the community. Community organizations, particularly those that include leadership from the community or are women of color-led are best positioned to identify current needs but also to shift as needs change during this fast-moving crisis.

Grants will fall into two categories:

• Relief/services to address immediate or on-going needs or short term emergency advocacy activities due to the COVID-19 pandemic, or
• capacity-building support to stabilize organizations that directly serve communities. These grants are time-limited and flexible to support organizations as circumstances change and new needs and challenges are identified.

Funding Information

Grants will be up to $7,500.

Priority Communities

• Women, girls, transgender, and gender non-binary people of color, frontline workers, single-parent headed households, immigrants, and domestic workers.
• Frontline organizations, grassroots organizations, and/or women of color-led organizations that serve women, girls, transgender, and gender non-binary people of color with budgets below $4 million.

Eligibility Criteria

• Be a 501c3 or have a fiscal agent with a 501c3
• Provide services in the Chicagoland area (collar counties and in some cases statewide)
• Organizational Budget under $4 million
• Serve one or more priority communities
• Be able to affirm CFW’s Guiding Principles:
  • Chicago Foundation for Women is committed to supporting basic rights and equity of women, girls, transgender, and gender non-binary people. They consider work both in terms of the outcome as well as the process. It is not just what they are doing, but how they are doing it. The Guiding Principles provide a framework for sharing CFW's values with the wider community, connecting its work across all issue areas and change strategies.
  • The organization supports Chicago Foundation for Women's Guiding Principles of:
    • The importance of a gender lens in projects and organizations, meaning it is designed to benefit women, girls, transgender, and/or gender non-binary people.
    • A woman's right to reproductive justice.
    • Organizational board and staff members strive to reflect the diversity of communities served.
    • Increasing accessibility to persons with disabilities.
    • Providing a respectful environment for LGBTQ people.

For more information, visit CFW.