Listening to and centering the needs of survivors is critical to addressing gender-based violence, and we have learned through listening and research that many survivors desire options outside the traditional criminal legal system for healing, repair, accountability and prevention. The aim of this micro funding is to allow those who are deeply rooted in their communities to experiment with and grow these options in ways that make the most sense for them.

Only nonprofit organizations with a 501(c)3 exempt status or organizations who are fiscally sponsored by an organization with 501(c)3 exempt status are eligible for this round of funding. Women’s Fund is especially interested in engaging with organizations who do not yet have a funding relationship with us, though current grantees are also welcome to apply.

Small and grassroots organizations are encouraged to apply. Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) led organizations, organizations led by LGBTQIA2S+ individuals, multi-lingual agencies, refugee, immigrant, and asylum-seeking led organizations, and/or organizations led and/or staffed by people directly impacted by gender-based violence are also encouraged to apply.

While the funding is intended to support healing and repair for survivors of gender-based violence, we recognize that whether or not to identify as a survivor is personal to each individual. We are asking applicants to center the needs of survivors of gender-based violence in their project design, but are not asking them to verify that all participants or beneficiaries have lived experience.

Funding will start at $1,000 and can possibly go up to $10,000. At this point, it is one-time funding.

Apply online between May 1 and May 31. Please note that one of the questions within the application requires you to upload a budget document for this funding in PDF, DOC, DOCX, PNG, JPG, or JPEG format. If you have a preferred budget format, please feel free to use it. If you would prefer to have a template, you can use the one we have created. Download here.

Your budget helps us better understand the financial needs of the work you’re proposing, which will help us distribute the funds we have available for this work to multiple organizations. Especially with new, more experimental work, we understand your financial needs may shift and what you submit may represent an estimate. We will not ask you to track your expenses.

You are expected to attend a kick–off meeting with other funded organizations, start working on your proposed project during the grant period, and attend a close out meeting in early 2027. The closeout meeting will include a process where organizations reflect on their work and surface learnings, which will be documented and used as final project reporting instead of a written document. While we expect projects to start within six months of receiving funding, all funding does not need to spent by the close out meeting.

The Women’s Fund has available resources and educational materials that we are happy to share with you as we learn together. We are truly considering this a pilot project and will lean on shared learning for future iterations of this work and how we will grow it collectively.

Funding decisions will be made and all applicants will be informed of their funding status by June 16. An upfront, one-time payment via check for the awarded amount will be made once organizations review and sign a funding agreement provided by the Women’s Fund.

Projects should center the needs of survivors of gender-based violence, but it’s not necessary to verify that all project participants identify as a survivor. We do not want to provide too many examples upfront as we truly want to provide as much flexibility as possible. That said, we know some ideas can be useful as a starting point or possible inspiration. In that spirit, here are some examples of projects we have read or heard about: 

• Art & Expression workshop to process trauma and foster self-expression 

• Community garden 

• Indigenous-led peacemaking circles 

• Financial wellbeing workshop to foster financial independence 

• Transportation, food, room rental for group 

• Nourishing community meals – shared meals paired with discussion or support circles 

• Mindfulness & wellness programs – yoga, meditation, guided breathing, or movement therapy to support emotional regulation and stress reduction 

• Restorative storytelling & narrative healing – survivors create personal narratives or participate in structured storytelling 

• Skill-building & empowerment workshops – public speaking workshop, digital literacy, creative skills, to grow confidence and economic independence 

• Native Language & Cultural Revitalization Workshop – learning or practicing ancestral language, storytelling, etc. to foster community support, connection to heritage and tradition 

• Restorative justice circle process 

• Training for staff to build expertise in facilitating a circle process 

• Training, professional development, and policy adjustment to allow for developing reconciliation and dialogue between those who have experienced harm and those who have caused harm