The Women's and Girls' Fund marks 20th anniversary with historic grant cycle

Call for Submission of Letters of Intent by Oct. 14: $100,000 will be awarded to education, training programs and projects for Kern County women and girls in 2025.

The Women’s and Girls’ Fund (WGF), a Leadership Initiative of Kern Community Foundation, is celebrating its 20th anniversary by announcing its largest grant cycle, with at least $100,000 available for 2025. Organizations interested in applying should have a 501(c)(3) nonprofit designation or a fiscal sponsor. All organizations seeking funds must have a presence in Kern County, benefit women and/or girls in Kern County and meet Kern Community Foundation’s eligibility guidelines.

The application process begins with the submission of a Letter of Intent (LOI) to apply for funding by the hard deadline of 5 p.m. on Oct. 14.

Applicants are encouraged to:

• Learn about The Women’s and Girls’ Fund by visiting the WGF page on Kern Community Foundation’s website, http://www.kernfoundation.org/WGF/.

• Once there, click on the “Grantmaking” link to review The Women’s and Girls’ Fund’s Grantmaking Policy, which outlines qualifying criteria and the focus for 2021-25 Grants: Education.

• Submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) to apply for funding via Kern Community Foundation’s Online Grants Platform, which can be accessed through kernfoundation.org/grants. The LOI must be submitted by the hard deadline of 5 p.m. Monday, Oct. 14, 2024.

Following evaluation of LOI’s by the WGF’s Grants Allocation Committee, a number of agencies will be invited in early November to submit full grant applications.

Grantees who received WGF grants in Spring of 2024 may not apply for WGF 2025 funding. Any previous awardees of WGF or other grants from the Foundation that have outstanding follow-up reports must complete those reports before they can apply for WGF funding.

Agencies must also comply with Kern Community Foundation’s eligibility guidelines, which include:

• Being registered with Kern Community Foundation through the same Online Grants Platform that can be accessed via http://www.kernfoundation.org/grants/; and

• Having a Silver or higher transparency rating on http://www.GuideStar.org/, the world’s largest database on nonprofits.

About The Women’s and Girls’ Fund

Launched in 2005, The Women’s and Girls’ Fund is celebrating 20 years of supporting programs that address issues affecting women and girls in Kern County. Guided by a Vision Committee and Community Advisors, with assets managed by Kern Community Foundation, the Fund has awarded 55 competitive grants totaling $748,436 since 2008. This year’s $100,000 grant cycle marks a significant milestone in the Fund’s history.

About Kern Community Foundation

Kern Community Foundation is a vibrant nonprofit enterprise with a powerfully simple mission: “Growing Community. Growing Philanthropy.” For 25 years, the Foundation has been in business to serve as a charitable resource for local donors and corporations, and to generate capital that provides philanthropic solutions to help make Kern County a better place to live, work, and visit. Since its establishment in 1999, we have been home to almost 200 charitable funds, with assets over $40 million. We have awarded close to $30 million in grants and scholarships. For more information about Kern Community Foundation visit http://www.kernfoundation.org/.