Grants
• Who May Apply
• What We Fund
• The Funding Process/Guidelines
Application Downloads
•   Application Form (Word .doc format)
•   Application Form (PDF format)

Who May Apply

A professional who has a working relationship with a woman needing support may submit a grant application for funding support. This professional must be associated with an agency, an organization, or an educational or medical institution. An active file of agencies and representatives is kept by the Foundation. Inquiries regarding permission to submit a grant application should be sent to vwf98660@gmail.com.

The Foundation does not accept applications directly from women in need. They must be referred.

What We Fund

The Foundation offers financial support to women of all ages who are faced with emergency situations that are one-time in nature. We do not offer continuing support. There must be evidence of a plan to ensure that the recipient will not need similar support in the immediate future.

Past funding requests have paid for college tuition, book fees, job training fees, clothing, utility payments, rent payments, car repairs and insurance, storage fees, transportation fees to escape abusive situations, dental and medical bills, etc. We do not provide payment for traffic fines or student loans

There are no set rules on what the Foundation does, or does not, fund. Each case is evaluated on its own needs and extenuating circumstances. The amount of assistance can also vary, from as little as $15 to as much as several thousand dollars.

The Funding Process/Guidelines

• The contact person submitting the grant application must interview the woman in need of support and clearly substantiate that the need is acute and one-time in nature. The Foundation does not offer ongoing funding, nor do we help an individual more than once. There must be clear evidence that the individual will not be in the same situation next month. Be sure to include information on the client's present and future employment status on the application form.

The referring agency must have an established working relationship with the client. Do not submit an application for a woman with whom your agency has had only brief contact. Check to be sure the client has not received funding from VWF through another agency.

Is there a spouse or other male present? Only in rare cases do we offer assistance to a woman who has an employable spouse.

• Submit ALL necessary information with the initial application. This includes financial information that helps determine the need. If the request is for car repairs, provide specific information on the car and several bids for repair. Attach any copies of past due bills, estimates, landlord agreements, bank documentation, etc. that are pertinent to the request.

Include specific mailing instructions of businesses, apartment managers, and all account numbers that apply. The recipient is not the woman in need. Payment is made directly to a doctor’s office, apartment manager, car repair shop, etc.

You may also want to include a statement written by the woman herself describing her situation and need. That statement may be handwritten.

• Exhaust all other possible sources of funding before you submit the application to the Vancouver Women’s Foundation. You will definitely be asked if you have done so. We are to be the absolute last resource you seek.

• Download the application form from this website or submit a word process form. All applications must be typed.

• All requests are reviewed by the Foundation’s Grants Committee consisting of five members. The contact person at the referring agency will be notified of the funding decision. There will be no contact between the woman in need and the committee.

• If the funding is granted please have the client send a thank-you note to the Vancouver Women’s Foundation, 610 Esther St. Suite 201, Vancouver, WA 98660. These notes are shared with our members and are vital to our success in attracting donors. Future funding to clients of agencies not adhering to this request will be suspended.