WCA Foundation Spring 2023 Grant Round
The WCA Foundation, a Signature Fund of the Minneapolis Foundation, is pleased to announce its Spring 2023 grant round.
The WCA Foundation is a volunteer-led grantmaking organization whose mission is “Women changing the lives of women.” Its members, all local women, are committed to learning about and responding to the most urgent needs of women in communities across the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area. They contribute their time, talent, and care to advance the foundation’s mission and engage in participatory grantmaking during two grant rounds a year.
For more information about the WCA Foundation’s vision and recently adopted Strategic Framework, please click here.
What We Will Fund
The WCA Foundation funds women-focused organizations, initiatives, and projects that provide direct services to address basic needs related to education, economic stability, shelter, safety, and health.
The WCA Foundation will consider both general operating and project requests. It will award roughly $450,000 to 15 to 20 organizations, with grants ranging from $10,000 to $30,000.
The WCA Foundation has supported a diverse range of organizations in recent years. More information about previous grant rounds and grant partners is available here: Spring 2022, Fall 2021, and Fall 2020.
Eligibility
This funding opportunity is open to 501(c)(3) nonprofits based in the Twin Cities seven-county metro area. Additional considerations include:
- The organization or project must provide direct services to women ages 18 or older.
- The organization or project must have a physical location in the Twin Cities seven-county metro area.
- Organizations may only submit one request per funding cycle.
- Organizations that submitted requests that were denied during the last grant cycle (Fall 2022) may submit applications for consideration this cycle. There is no waiting period to reapply.
- Previous grantee partners are eligible to request funding if it has been twelve months or more since the submission date of their last funded proposal.
Application Process
We will begin accepting applications at 1 p.m. on March 23, 2023. All applications must be submitted online by 4 p.m. on May 4, 2023. We do not accept late applications or submissions via email.
WCA Foundation members will conduct an initial review of grant proposals, and all applicants will be notified of their proposal status by August 4, 2023. Those chosen to advance in the application process will be contacted by September 12, 2023, to schedule a site visit and notified of funding decisions by December 5, 2023.
If you are applying for a grant from WCA Foundation for the first time, you will need to set up an account in the Minneapolis Foundation’s online portal, GranteeView.
Before starting your application, please review the Spring 2023 Funding Eligibility & Exclusions and Application Preview. This will help your organization decide whether your request aligns with the WCA Foundation’s funding criteria. We will also host an information session at 12 p.m. on March 30.
Information Session
Learn more by watching our 2023 Grant Round Information Session. Watch >>
Further Assistance
Please email Julia Ruther at jruther@mplsfoundation.org if you have questions about the guidelines, the content of your proposal, or the timeline for this grant round.
If you have technical questions or need support with our online application portal, please contact our Grants Administration team at grantsupport@mplsfoundation.org or 612-672-8665.