Contact
Brooklyn, NY 11201
Ph. 212/742-2300
Fx. 212/742-1653
http://www.ms.foundation.org [1]
info@ms.foundation.org [2]
[3]
The Ms. Foundation for Women is the leading national social justice foundation committed to building women’s power to ignite change. Every day, it helps over 150 grassroots organizations across the US fight for changes like good paying jobs, reproductive health, ending violence against women and girls, and the inclusion of women at decision-making tables.
By investing in social justice trailblazers—especially women from low-income communities and communities of color most affected by injustice—it works for a nation in which power and possibility are not limited by gender, race, class, or any other factor. The Ms. Foundation delivers funding, leadership development and capacity building and communications support to create change that benefits women, families and communities. Since 1973, the Ms. Foundation has invested over $54 million and influenced other funders to support solutions from the ground up. ms.foundation.org [7]
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Employment Opportunities
Principal Staff
Executive Office:Anika Rahman, President and Chief Executive Officer
Susan Wefald, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
Beatrice Abreu, Executive Assistant to President and CEO, Sara K. Gould
Lulu Roller, Human Relations Generalist
Wendell Snipes, Operations Assistant
Development:
Ina Clark, Vice President, Development
Sandra Perez, Senior Development Officer
Adriana Londono, Director of Major Gifts
Leslie Mackrell, Senior Corporate and Foundation Relations Officer
Sunny Daly, Corporate and Foundation Relations Manager
Walid Haddad, Development Database Administrator
Irene Xanthoudakis, Writer/Researcher
Makeba Barrett, Development Assistant
Communications:
Barbara Becker, Interim Vice President, Communications
Irene Schneeweis, Senior Communications Manager
Rob Johnston, Manager of Online Communications and Marketing
Kasia Gladki, Communications Associate
Program:
Patricia Eng, Vice President, Program
Monique Hoeflinger, Senior Program Officer
Sangeeta Budhiraja, Program Officer
A. Caroline Hotaling, Program Officer
Ellen Liu, Program Officer
Mitsuko Ogawa, Grants Administrator
Natalie Sullivan, Program Associate
Elaine Hin, Program Associate
Brenna Lynch, Program Associate
Finance:
Michelle Holder, Director of Finance
Marlene Martinez, Accounting Manager
Areas of Expertise:
Advancing Women's Leadership [8], Domestic and Workplace Violence [9], Awareness & Education [10], Employment & Unemployment [11], Leadership in Civil Society [12], HIV/AIDS [13], Diversity & Inclusion [14], Inclusion [15], Entrepreneurship & Small Business Development [16], Legal Issues [17], Population & Reproductive Rights [18], Reproductive Health [19], Sexuality & Gender [20], Philanthropy and Social Entrepreneurship [21], Women's Movements [22], Equality, Diversity & Inclusion [23], Women's & Girls' Leadership [24]Member Experts:
Projects & Campaigns
The Ms. Foundation for Women is dedicated to building women's collective power to ignite change. We seek opportunities to both proactively and reactively inform public policy, and obtain policy wins at the local, state, tribal and national level, with the ultimate goal of transforming the systems that govern women's lives.
We also aim to change the language, beliefs and behaviors that continue to hold women's oppression in place-particularly at the intersection of race, class and gender-and to shift public debate on key issues so that the perspectives of, and impact on, low income women and women of color are visible and addressed.
We support both cross-issue organizing and organizing within four broad areas of impact:
Women's Health
Reproductive Justice organizing and advocacy
Sexuality education organizing and advocacy
Women and HIV/AIDS policy advocacy and organizational capacity building
Access to health care coverage
Ending Violence
Community-based strategies to prevent child sexual abuse and violence against women and LGBTQ people
Strategies to engage men and boys in ending violence
Public education and media literacy
Youth-driven strategies
Economic Security
Organizing for better wages and working conditions, especially in female dominated sectors
Paid leave (including paid sick days and paid family leave)
Affordable, accessible quality child care
Access to health care coverage
Building Democracy
Building the infrastructure of organizations working for a progressive vision of democracy
Amplifying the voices of women of color, with a special emphasis on the Gulf South
Voter/civic engagement
Just immigration and refugee policies
Criminal Justice reform
Media Justice
Examples of funding initiatives across these broad and interconnected issue areas include:
Katrina Women's Response Fund: The Ms. Foundation responded immediately to the destruction and massive displacement caused by Hurricane Katrina by creating the Katrina Women's Response Fund. The Fund provides strategic support to meet the immediate needs of women of color and low-income women in the Gulf Coast region and ensure that their leadership and priorities are central in both short and long-term recovery and rebuilding efforts. By making grants to organizations throughout the region, the Katrina Women's Response Fund invests in the crucial infrastructure that promotes the health, safety, and economic well-being of women, their families and communities.
The Women and AIDS Fund: The Ms. Foundation for Women created the Women and AIDS Fund (WAF)to support organizations that advocate for policies and services that meet the needs of women with HIV/AIDS. WAF remains the only national fund that supports advocacy and self-determination by and for women living with this disease. By providing grants, technical assistance and networking opportunities to community-based organizations led by and for women who are HIV-positive, we contribute to the development of model approaches for women's HIV/AIDS advocacy that can be shared across the country. Our work has also helped create a national network of HIV-positive infected and affected women, called the National Women and AIDS Collective (NWAC), who strive to influence the ways in which policies are determined at the federal level.
The Reproductive Rights Coalition and Organizing Fund: The Ms. Foundation for Women's Reproductive Rights Coalition and Organizing Fund (RRCOF) has been a strong, responsive resource for state reproductive rights organizations across the United States since 1989. RRCOF provides grantmaking, technical assistance, and networking activities to strengthen state-level infrastructures and build critical, broad-based support for reproductive rights. RRCOF aims to increase the capacity of state and local reproductive rights organizations so that they can: 1) expand and mobilize their base of support; 2) reach a broader and more diverse audience; 3) frame reproductive rights and health in a broader health and social justice context; and 4) more effectively advocate for positive - and avert restrictive - reproductive health policies and programs.
Join our movement for social justice and help to bring the experience and solutions of women and girls to the challenging issues that impact women and their communities most. Learn more about how you can show your support.
Support Us [25]
Events and Opportunities [26]
[27]The Gloria Awards: A National Salute to Women of Vision [28]
Follow Us on Twitter [29]
Become a Fan on Facebook [4]
Sign up for Email Alerts [30]
Reports & Resources
Stir It UP: Lessons in Community Organizing and Advocacy. Written by activist and trainer Rinku Sen, this publication examines the work of economic justice organizations funded by the Ms. Foundation and applies the lessons they learned to other community organizations. Sen also provides models and tools that any organization can use to successfully create social change and influence public policy.
Raise the Floor: Wages and Policies that Work for All of Us . Most Americans believe a job should keep you out of poverty, not keep you in it. Raise The Floor shows us how we can translate that belief into reality by raising the minimum wage. In addition to telling workers' stories, presenting original data, and proposing comprehensive policies, Raise The Floor spotlights businesses large and small that demonstrate how good wages are good business-in good economic times and bad.
Kitchen Table Entrepreneurs: How Eleven Women Escaped Poverty and Became Their Own Bosses. This publication tells the inspirational stories of eleven low-income women who have marshaled the creative energy, confidence, and capital necessary to start their own small businesses. These women, who have used their entrepreneurial skills as a route out of poverty, give an American face to an economic empowerment tool that has enjoyed great success in developing countries.
Ms. Foundation. 2009. Creating Connections, Igniting Change: Annual Report 2007-2008.
Ms. Foundation. 2009. Building Momentum to Sustain Social Change: Evaluation of the Katrina Women's Response Fund.
Center News
Opportunities, Grants & Fellowships
Grants
Learn more about Creating Connections: Strategies for Stronger Movements [37]
- How do I find out about the foundation's grantmaking cycles?From time to time, the Ms. Foundation will issue an open Request for Proposals inviting all those interested and eligible to submit proposals. There are other times when we request proposals by invitation only, in order to more specifically focus our grantmaking. All open invitations will be posted on our website for public access. We will also announce open invitations by email. Sign up for email [30] updates. ¶ The Foundation only processes solicited proposals and we are unable to respond to unsolicited proposals that are submitted.
- Who is eligible to apply?The Ms. Foundation makes grants to nonprofit organizations (IRS determination of 501(c)(3) status) based in and working in the U.S., Puerto Rico, and U.S. territories. The foundation does not fund individuals, scholarships, capital or endowment requests, fundraising events, university-based research, or government agencies.
- How do I apply?When responding to either an open request for proposal or a closed invitation, we will provide detailed instructions for completing the application process. The Ms. Foundation processes all grants through an online application system which typically consists of filling out our online application form and uploading a single PDF document that contains the actual proposal.
- Can we apply for funding in more than one area?Organizations may submit only one application for each Request for Proposal (RFP) issued. In the event that multiple areas are covered under one RFP, we welcome proposals that make connections across issues, but groups are still limited to one application. ¶ Current grantee groups are limited to one grant per year from the Foundation. Groups that already receive funding are not eligible to apply under an open RFP process until their grant cycle has ended.
- What portion of grants are awarded to first-time applicants?There is no specific percentage of grants that we award to first time applicants, but we are always interested in strong proposals from new organizations, particularly from geographic areas that have more limited access to resources. That being said, only a small percentage of proposals are typically funded under an open RFP process due to the high volume of applications and the limited amount of funds available.
- What are the requirements my organization must meet if our proposal is accepted for funding?Once an organization is selected for funding, the terms of the grant agreement include meeting the stated objectives in your original proposal, completing an interim and year end report, and participating with an external evaluator to learn about the impact of the grant. Grant checks are mailed upon receipt of an original countersigned grant agreement letter.
- Does the Ms. Foundation provide general support grants? How should we choose between general support and project support? What is preferable for Ms. and most likely to be successful? What does the Ms. Foundation look for in "General Support" applications?The Ms. Foundation typically provides two types of grants: project specific or general support. Organizations can apply for a specific project or can instead apply for a grant that supports the organization's total efforts across all areas of that organization's work. While the Ms. Foundation is looking for concrete outcomes across all its grants, we do not prioritize one type over the other, but rather this is a decision that your organization needs to make based on its own situation and needs. If your organization applies for general support, you will need to provide clear information about the overall work of the organization and how it relates to the focus area you are applying to.
- What if I can't submit my application by the stated deadline? Can I get an extension?The Ms. Foundation has tight timeframes because our goal is to distribute grant funds as quickly and efficiently as possible. To do this, we must strictly enforce our application deadlines. It is imperative that applicants follow all instructions in submitting a proposal and a contact person be available during the review period to answer any questions regarding their application. ¶ With open requests for proposals, we expect large numbers of online applications. In order to avoid bottlenecks with the on-line system, we strongly encourage applicants to submit application materials well in advance of the deadline date. Please do not wait until the last minute to submit your application. The online application system automatically shuts down at a designated time, so this may mean that your application may not come through if you have not completely uploaded all documents by that time. We cannot accept applications that are delayed as a result of technical complications or other unforeseen complications. We strongly advise you to observe the application deadlines. ¶ For those submitting renewal applications, it is your responsibility to take note of and adhere to submission deadlines. Renewal proposals are generally due on or soon after the deadline for submitting progress reports (that date is generally found in your grant agreement letter).
- What is the Ms. Foundation's process for reviewing proposals?The proposal will be evaluated by a team of Ms. Foundation staff. Please bear in mind that we receive hundreds of proposals from eligible organizations, each doing very important work and bringing unique perspectives. We appreciate the time and effort that goes into putting a proposal together, and we always wish that we had more money to fund more groups. But, inevitably, we need to make hard choices, and so we want you to know that if your group is not selected, it is not because your group doesn't fit the guidelines or because it is not worthy. We evaluate the proposals as a pool, providing us with a docket or set of organizations whose work compliments one another across a variety of factors such as geography and scope of work.
- How quickly will my full application be evaluated?All open RFP processes typically provide a date by which grants are announced. The full application review process usually takes about two months (but the Foundation reserves the right to change this as needed for any program).
- Does the foundation provide feedback on proposals that are not selected for funding?Due to the high volume of grant proposals we receive, it is not possible for us to respond to requests for feedback from individual applicants. However, under certain circumstances, we may reach out to groups to provide specific feedback if we feel it would be useful for future applications.