Direct Services Grant
Meeting Immediate Needs While Building Long-Term Opportunity
About This Grant
Many women and girls face urgent challenges requiring immediate support. This grant invests in organizations delivering direct services that improve lives and create pathways to long-term stability for women and girls in Washington State. This is a multi-year, unrestricted grant, with a commitment of $50,000/year for three years. A Direct Service grantee will be selected each year by a committee made up of WaWF members.
Eligibility Requirements
- Tax Exempt Status. Organization must currently qualify as tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) or 7871 of the Internal Revenue Code or be fiscally sponsored by another tax-exempt organization.
- Connected to Washington. Organization must operate within Washington State and provide programs or direct services within the state of Washington.
Grant Criteria
We support organizations and social change efforts that advocate to improve the lives of women, girls, and/or gender-expansive people most impacted by inequity. Applicants should be intentional in their efforts to improve the lives of women, girls, and/or gender-expansive people, accountable to the communities they serve, and demonstrably show they can make lasting progress toward equity and reducing disparities. We invite applications from organizations that meet all of our grant criteria below.
Intentional
Organization or program is explicitly focused and intentional on advocating for those women/girls most impacted by inequities
Accountable
Organization or program is accountable to women/girls most impacted by inequities.
Accountability in action can look like one or more of the following:
- Leadership: Ensures that women/girls are visibly leading and/or develops leadership of women/girls
- Co-Creation: Actively engages women/girls in ongoing and shared decision- making, planning, and assessment
- Connection: Draws on the strengths, assets, and lived experience of women/girls.
Demonstrable
Organization or program can demonstrate how their work reduces disparities and/or achieves more equitable outcome.
2026 Direct Service Application CLOSED
Apply through the JustFund(opens in new tab) common application and answer the three additional questions we have added. Deadline for consideration for the Direct Services grant is the 2nd Wednesday in March. Awards announced on or around the 1st Wednesday in June.