2026 Grant Recipients
2026 Grant Recipients
2026 GRANTS
$390,000
Three Year Grants
Amirah Inc. – All of Essex County “Expansion of Amirah Client Service Program”
Backyard Growers – Gloucester “Women Rooted in Community: Expanding Access to Engaging & Thriving Gardens”
Bellesini Academy – Lawrence “Expansion of Girls’ 11th Month July Summer Program”
Catie’s Closet Inc. – Lawrence “Expansion of Catie’s Closet Program Gateway to Confidence Lawrence”
Ellie Fund Inc – All of Essex County “Expansion of Equitable Pathways to Breast Cancer Care”
Essex County Community Organization – All of Essex County “ECCO Immigrant Women’s Care & Support Network”
Gloucester Education Foundation – Gloucester “Gender Equity in STEM Club at Gloucester High School”
Healing Abuse Working for Change (HAWC) – All of Essex County “HAWC Survivor Financial Stability Coaching Pilot”
Link House, Inc. – Salisbury “WISH Salisbury”
Love Your Magic, Inc. – Lawrence, Lynn “Love Your Magic’s Be Well Retreats in Lynn and Lawrence”
North Shore Community Development Coalition Inc. – Beverly, Lynn, Peabody, Salem, Saugus “Young Women’s Empowerment Group”
Notre Dame Education Center at Lawrence – Greater Lawrence (Andover, Lawrence, Methuen, North Andover), Haverhill, Lawrence, Methuen “Nursing Assistant and Home Health Aide Training Programs”
Youth Development Organization – Lawrence “YDO’s Make HERS Programming”
Other Years' Recipients: 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | Previous Years
The Resilient Girls Project
The Women's Fund of Essex County has embarked on a new and unique initiative to address the crisis in mental health and wellbeing of adolescent girls. Our Resilient Girls Project has funded five nonprofits for three years in an intensive effort to find solutions to the crisis of building resilience in girls. Each of the give grant recipients proposed programs designed to build competence, confidence, connection, contribution, coping, and control --- the seven qualities research has tied to resilience. The supportive cohort of five will meet regularly to share successes and challenges, as well as hear from experts in the field. The Wellesley Centers for Women will help us evaluate the programs and publish results at the end of three years.
In a first for TWF, the Cummings Foundation agreed to fund 85% of this project. We are enormously proud and grateful for the trust Cummings Foundation has in us.
TWF Resilient Girls Project Cohort Members: Julie DiFilippo of Bellesini Academy, Stephanie McArdle of Beyond Soccer, Cindy Roy Gonzalez and Steph Gendron of Girls on the Run Greater Boston, Emilie Wilk of New American Association of MA, and Saronjini Schutt and Nissa Bisguier of The NAN Project.
Grant Process
Grant Process
We are pleased to announce that the Women’s Fund of Essex County’s 2027 grant cycle will be opening on November 16 and closing on January 11. We will once again be giving 3-year grants (amount TBA). Our website reflects new changes to the scope and priorities of the fund, which have been thoughtfully developed by their committee in response to community needs. If you would like to learn more about these changes, please consider joining one of their information sessions on the following dates:
Information Sessions
Wednesday Dec 2 at 1:30 p.m. Registration
Tuesday Dec 8 at 10:30 a.m. Registration
The Women’s Fund of Essex County (TWF) recognizes that the sustained well-being of women and girls in Massachusetts is inextricably linked to economic independence; including the financial resources and autonomy necessary to make informed choices, access opportunities, achieve economic security, and advance gender equity. The Women’s Fund focuses its philanthropic capital on addressing the specific obstacles that limit economic independence for women and girls in Essex County.
We believe three essential priorities: Education and Career, Health & Well-Being, and Economic Empowerment all contribute to the development of economic independence for women and girls. The Women’s Fund raises funds to award grants to nonprofit organizations providing gender-sensitive[1] programs for women and girls in Essex County. Grantmaking is focused on initiatives that align with TWF’s three funding priorities and address barriers to economic independence.
[1] A “gender sensitive” program recognizes, takes into account, and meets the needs of women and girls in the design and implementation of their program.
Please join us for an Information Session on our updated funding priorities.
Grant Guidelines
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With the overarching goal of supporting the long-term economic independence of Essex County women and girls, each program applying for a grant must address at least one of the following priorities to be considered eligible for consideration: (1) Education and Career; (2) Health and Well-being, and (3) Economic Empowerment.
1. Education and Career Pathways[1]
These are programs that directly support and can lead to outcomes such as: high school and college completion, participating in advanced and/or STEM coursework, career pathway enrollment, and/or college/career preparation.
Examples of gender-sensitive programs that align with the Education and Career funding priority include:
Career exploration and counseling
Girls’ empowerment experiences
Enriching out-of-school time activities
Job-based youth summer opportunities
School internships
GED programs
Basic literacy programs
English language learning programs
Tutoring programs
Role models and mentors
2. Health and Well-being Pathways
These are programs that directly support and can lead to outcomes such as: physical health, mental health, affirming relationships, informed choice and decision-making, and substance free living.
Examples of gender-sensitive programs that align with the Health and Well-being Pathways funding priority include:
Gender-sensitive health care and sex education
Active movement and wellness activities
Health education and access programs
Health navigation support services
Community-based counseling and support services
Social and emotional learning activities
3. Economic Empowerment Pathways
These are programs that directly support and can lead to outcomes such as: financial self-sufficiency, ongoing workforce advancement opportunities, development of technical and soft skills, job preparedness, and teen labor force participation.
Examples of gender-sensitive programs that align with the Economic Empowerment Pathways funding priority include:
Financial literacy programs
Career counseling programs
Job-change counseling
Entrepreneurship opportunities
Occupational exposure
Role models and mentors
Job training opportunities
Apprenticeships
Summer job programs
Leadership Development programs
[1] The term “Pathways” in these guidelines refers to programs that directly link to outcomes that can put women and girls on a course to achieving economic security; an education/career progression; or the health/well-being necessary to achieving her goals.
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We support non-profit organizations serving the residents of Essex County, MA. We prefer the organization to be based in Essex County, but it is not a requirement. Either way, grant funds must be spent within the County.
2026 Grantee Organizations receiving a multi-year grant as part of The Women’s Fund 2026 grant cycle are eligible to apply for funding again but only if applying for a different program.
The Grants Allocation Committee takes into consideration the size of the organization’s budget as well as the depth and breadth of the potential for impact of a grant from The Women’s Fund.
The Committee also considers the sustainability of the program being proposed.
Grants will not be awarded:
To individuals
To agencies with pending 501(c)3 status
For debt or deficit reduction
For political purposes
For sectarian or religious purposes. Programs sponsored by religious organizations are eligible, provided that enrollment is open to all and the program does not include mandatory religious instruction, worship, or other sectarian activities
For capital campaigns for buildings, land acquisition, or endowment
For research or feasibility studies
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The application is only available on-line. Organizations can create and save application drafts and make changes any time prior to submission. We archive all submitted applications, allowing grant writers to view their grant history with The Women’s Fund at any time.
To begin the application process, click on the following link.
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The Women’s Fund Grants Allocation Committee will carefully review applications beginning in late January and will schedule any necessary follow-up conference calls or in-person visits with qualifying non-profit organizations in February and March. The Committee will then make final funding decisions and present their recommendations for final approval by The Women’s Fund Advisory Board.
Grant Awards will be announced by April 30, 2027.
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Grant winners will be required to submit a brief report on the use of the grant via an online reporting portal. There will be interim reports due each year in April with a final report due at the end of the 3-year grant period. We also request that The Women’s Fund logo be displayed on a grant winner’s website and be featured in any press release or any social media platform related to the grant.
About The Women’s Fund of Essex County
The Women’s Fund of Essex County invests in non-profit organizations focused on gender-sensitive programs for women and girls of Essex County. Multi-year grants are awarded annually to results-oriented organizations that have demonstrated success in positively impacting the lives of women and girls. By pooling the gifts of The Women’s Fund’s generous donors, we increase the breadth and depth of each donor’s contribution to women and girls in Essex County.
The Women’s Fund of Essex County has invested more than $5 million in Essex County organizations offering programs for women and girls since 2003.