Guidelines and Application Process
Thank you for voting!
In October, WGF launched the first-ever online voting initiative to engage our community in our grantmaking process and the selection of the 2009 grantees. In the online vote, we asked the community to tell us which of the Top 10 proposed projects, selected by the Grantmaking Committee from a pool of 31 applications, would increase rights of women and girls in the region. The response from the community was overwhelming and more than 2,600 votes were cast during the online vote. For a list of 2009 grantees, please see here.
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2009 GRANT APPLICATION PROCESS
The focus of this year’s Request for Proposals, released in August, was to support projects that utilize community organizing and policy advocacy tactics to improve women and girls’ rights in Southwest PA. WGF plans to invest at least $50,000 in grant awards this December and YOUR VOTE will help us determine which of these fantastic agencies will receive a grant award.
TO VOTE, community members were encouraged to Vote online, review the Top 10 proposals and select the proposal they believe will be the most effective in increasing rights for women and girls in the region.
The online vote closed on Monday, November 16, 2009 at 5 p.m. The number of votes earned will not determine the grant award winners. After the end of the voting period, the WGF Grantmaking Committee with review voting results, along with detailed grant proposals from the applicants, and after careful review of all of this information, will recommend $50,000 of grant awards to the WGF Board of Directors for approval and release at their December board meeting. Your vote matters!!!
If you have any questions pertaining to the content, guidelines and timeline of the RFP, please contact Adriana Dobrzycka, Program Officer, at adriana@wgfpa.org or call 412-434-4883
2009 REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP) GUIDELINES
To view the full 2009 Request for Proposals (RFP), please follow this link.
Eligible Applicants: Organizations must be 501 (c) (3) non-profit organizations, located and working in the Southwest Pennsylvania region (Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Lawrence, Mercer, Washington and Westmoreland Counties). Funding will not be provided to religious organizations for religious purposes, or to those actively working to limit women’s reproductive or other civil rights.
Uses of Funds: Grants may be used for direct lobbying support, grassroots advocacy efforts, and community organizing initiatives focused on a specific legislative or policy change/enforcement goal. Proposed initiatives should:
- Have as a goal the passage of new public policy, or increased enforcement of existing public policies, aimed at increasing women and girls’ rights in Southwest Pennsylvania; or
- Identify specific advocacy strategies and coalition partners; or
- Clearly articulate a strategic effort to mobilize diverse stakeholders and engage women and girls directly in advocacy efforts that will achieve long-term systems-level change.
Grant Funding: Grant requests should not exceed $10,000. Because we expect a tremendous number of proposals, if your advocacy effort can realistically be supported with less than $10,000, we encourage applicants not to apply for the maximum amount so that the grant pool can support as many organizations and efforts as possible.
TIMELINE AND PROPOSAL REVIEW PROCESS
August 2009: Request for Proposals (RFP) is released and WGF holds conference call information sessions to provide technical assistance and answer any questions agencies may have about the RFP.
October 1, 2009: Proposals are due. To submit your grant application materials, please mail one copy of your proposal by end of business day on October 1, 2009 to:
Adriana Dobrzycka
Women and Girls Foundation (WGF)
425 6th Ave, Suite 1860
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
All proposals received in response to the RFP will be reviewed and evaluated by the WGF Grantmaking Committee composed of WGF Board Members and community members. The Grantmaking Committee will select the Top 10 proposals. Each Top 10 proposal will be awarded $1,000 to recognize the quality of the proposal. Checks will be released by December 31, 2009.
October 16, 2009: Top 10 proposals are selected.
October 28 to November16, 2009: A profile for each of the Top 10 proposals is posted on the WGF website. Each profile includes the agency name, a brief description of the proposed project, as well as a link to the agency website. The Top 10 agencies are invited to participate in a media training session to learn how to mobilize community support for their proposed projects through social media and online outreach.
December 18, 2009: Winning grant awardees are announced. Grant agreements and award letters are mailed out. Grant checks will be sent upon the receipt of signed grant agreement.
Questions? If you have any questions about the RFP and the application process, please contact Adriana Dobrzycka, Program Officer, The Women and Girls Foundation, at adriana@wgfpa.org or call at 412 434 4883.
Last Updated: June 2010
