Grant Guidelines

B A C K G R O U N D

What is the Women’s Fund of the Capital Region?

The Women’s Fund of the Capital Region is a groundbreaking collaboration of the Community Foundation for the Capital Region and the United Way of the Greater Capital Region created to promote women’s financial stability and independence and opportunities for girls. The Women’s Fund promotes the independence, growth, and self-determination of women and girls by supporting projects that create systemic change and move women and girls toward financial stability and independence.

What challenges do women face as they work toward financial stability and independence?

• Gender discrimination
• Barriers to securing high paying jobs
• Difficulty finding affordable, reliable transportation
• Limited access to affordable, high-quality child care
• Domestic violence
• Scattered and fragmented support services

What supports do girls need as they strive to become self-sufficient women?

• Opportunities to develop new skills and competencies
• Encouragement to explore career opportunities and problem-solve
• Exposure to non-traditional education and career options
• Opportunities to see and learn from women in leadership positions

Why is financial stability and independence so important for women?
Families and communities are stronger when women are financially stable and independent by allowing them to make positive and informed decisions about their families and their futures. Women who are financially stable and independent are significantly more likely:

• To be in safe, healthy relationships
• To provide quality care for their families
• To participate to their fullest ability in the workforce, and
• To contribute their time, talent, and resources to their communities.

F U N D I N G   P R I O R I T I E S

What are the funding priorities?
The Women’s Fund of the Capital Region supports programs and initiatives that directly address the challenges faced by women and girls as presented in the background section of this grant application. The Women’s Fund places high priority on encouraging organizations to work collaboratively to overcome these challenges. Through effective collaboration, organizations can develop cohesive and comprehensive responses to one of the Fund’s two priorities:

• Women often simultaneously face multiple barriers to financial stability and independence. To successfully navigate through these barriers, women need multi-faceted guidance and support. Consequently, the Fund encourages grant requests from organizations willing to work collaboratively with other partners to overcome these multiple challenges. Specifically, the Women’s Fund is most interested in funding initiatives that:
  • Promote sustained financial stability and independence for women
  • Provide multi-faceted guidance and support to women working toward the goal of financial stability and independence

• Girls receive many messages early in their lives that make it more difficult for them to achieve financial stability and independence as women. The Women’s Fund seeks to help at-risk girls and puts priority on long-term projects or those that include long-term follow-up. Consequently, the Women’s Fund solicits grant applications that:
  • Help girls have a positive sense of self
  • Help girls develop and use valuable new skills and competencies
  • Provide opportunities for girls to experience and understand the full range of opportunities available to them
  The Women’s Fund encourages applications that include collaboration among partners.

What are the funding requirements?
The grant funds must be exclusively expended for women and girls within Albany, Rensselaer, Schoharie, Schenectady and/or Saratoga counties. To be considered for funding, the project must:

1. Serve women and/or girls living in Albany, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, and/or Schoharie counties.

• For women’s financial stability and independence applications, priority will be given to those applicants that work collaboratively with other organizations to address multiple barriers to self-sufficiency.

2. Have 501(c)(3) federal tax-exempt status. A copy of the tax-exempt certificate should be included with the application.

• Collaborative partners for the project may include for-profit organizations, governmental agencies, educational institutions, and the faith community (among others). Funds provided by the Women’s Fund of the Capital Region may not be paid to for-profit organizations.

3. Attach one (1) original and 23 copies of the grant application.

4. Type or print the application neatly in ink.

5. Submit one copy of their most recent audited financial statements.

6. Mail the completed application packet to the attention of:
The Women’s Fund of the Capital Region
Jackie Mahoney, Director of Grantmaking
The Community Foundation for the Capital Region
Six Tower Place
Albany, NY 12203

D E C I S I O N   M A K I N G

What is the funding cycle?
Deadline for grant proposals is January 22, 2008. Funding decisions will be mailed by March 12, 2008.

What is the maximum size of a grant award?
Grants are awarded in amounts ranging from $5,000 to $50,000.

What is the application review process?
Proposals are reviewed by the Grants Committee and may be followed by an interview, site visit, or request for additional information. Not all applicants will receive a site visit and this does not indicate whether an applicant will be successful. The Committee is composed of a diverse group of women with leadership experience in the not-for-profit, education, and business communities. The Committee’s role is to review and evaluate proposals in the context of the funding priorities and to make funding recommendations to the Women’s Fund Steering Committee. All decisions made by the Steering Committee are final.

Can applications be submitted by fax or email?
No application can be accepted by fax or email.

Can our organization apply for multiple years of funding?
Only one funding request per agency per year will be considered, although applicants may re-apply to the Women’s Fund in the future.

Will a progress report be required if an award is made?
Yes; progress-reporting requirements will be included in the grant notification letter.

F R E Q U E N T L Y   A S K E D   Q U E S T I O N S

Do you grant money to individuals?
No, we do not grant money to individuals for any purpose.

Do you fund for-profit efforts?
No. We award funds to 501 (c)(3) organizations only. However, the Women’s Fund encourages grant applicants to work collaboratively with partners from all community sectors, including business, educational institutions, faith community, and governmental agencies.

What is financial stability and independence?
The Self-Sufficiency Standard (SSS) developed by Wider Opportunities for Women is the measurement used by the Fund to determine the amount of income necessary for women to be financially stable and independent. The SSS measures the amount of income necessary for a family to meet its basic needs—without public or private assistance. The SSS incorporates realistic costs for housing, food, transportation, health expenses, and taxes. For more information on the Self-Sufficiency Standard, visit www.sensesny.org.

Do you have a page limit or a required font size?
Yes. The narrative can be no longer than five (5) pages and typed in a font size 12 or larger.

Will my proposal submission be acknowledged?
Yes. We will acknowledge receipt of your proposal by email and indicate if any additional information is required to complete your application.

When will final decisions be made?
You will receive notification of the funding decision by U.S. Mail by March 12, 2008.

What if my mailed proposal reaches your office after the deadline but is postmarked on deadline day?
Proposals must be physically in the Community Foundation for the Capital Region office by 3:00 p.m. on the deadline day.

Can I speak with a representative about my proposal idea before I submit it?
Grant applicants are encouraged to email questions about their proposals to the Women’s Fund grant coordinator, Jackie Mahoney, at jmahoney@cfcr.org. Please include the words “Women’s Fund question” in the subject line of your email. She will either respond directly to the question, or refer it to the appropriate Women’s Fund representative. Please allow 2-3 days for response to questions.

Can I speak with a representative about my denied application?
Yes. You can contact the Women’s Fund grant coordinator, Jackie Mahoney, at jmahoney@cfcr.org or 518-446-9638 to set up an appointment.

A P P L I C A T I O N   F O R M S

If you are planning to apply for a grant from the Women's Fund of the Capital Region, download the application materials here:

Deadline for grant proposals is January 22, 2008. Funding decisions will be mailed by March 12, 2008.

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