About the Fund – Coming Soon!
The 2025 Rapid Response General Operating Fund (2025 RRGOF) is a pooled fund that will quickly distribute funds to organizations impacted by our current socio-political landscape.
Once launched, grantees will receive up to $10,000 of general operating support – flexible, unrestricted funding that can be used wherever it is needed most. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis and decisions will be made within 10 business days of receiving a complete application.
Priority will be given to organizations serving communities disproportionately impacted by our current socio-political landscape (including, but not limited to, immigrants and refugees, LGBTQIA+ community, and those seeking reproductive healthcare), and/or organizations anticipating a significant decrease in funding.
Our goal is to raise $300,000 by May 1, 2025, and launch the Fund in early June 2025.
The benefit of a pooled fund is that it combines resources from multiple donors, allowing for greater immediate impact, flexibility, and support for grantees. All funds raised will go directly into grants.
WOMEN’S WAY has committed $100,000 to the Fund. Read below to see how YOU can get involved!
Background
Since 2017, WOMEN’S WAY has had a strong track record of rapid response funding, launching the Immediate Response Action Fund (IRAF) to support partners navigating navigating urgent and unanticipated challenges. IRAF provides emergency funding to organizations primarily serving women, girls, and the gender-expansive community. Our streamlined process ensures grant decisions within 10 business days—no other foundation in the region responds this quickly. Since its inception, IRAF has awarded over $610,000 to 67 organizations, impacting more than 202,000 women, girls, and gender-expansive individuals.
In response to COVID-19, WOMEN’S WAY launched the Rapid Response General Operating Fund, providing two-year grants of up to $20,000 per year to organizations serving disproportionately impacted communities, such as low-wage workers, formerly incarcerated individuals, immigrants and refugees, and survivors of intimate partner violence. The first year of funding addressed immediate needs; the second year focused on economic stability.
Within six weeks, we distributed $135,000 to 12 organizations—10 of which were led by women of color, and 8 with budgets under $500,000. Click here for a RRGOF Report.
Help Build the Fund
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Together we can make a difference. Whether you represent a foundation or are an individual looking to take action, we need you!
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Help us spread the word – share this initiative with your network.
Know funders or corporate partners aligned with this work? Introduce us!
QUESTIONS? Please contact Diane Cornman-Levy, Chief Disruptor, at dcornmanlevy@womensway.org if you are interested in investing in the 2025 Rapid Response General Operating Fund.
