Funding Futures: Meet Our 2026 Grantees
The Women’s Fund of East Tennessee (WFET) proudly announces the recipients of both Sustainability Fund grants and the new 2026-‘28 Strong Women Strong Futures (SWSF) Network grants to-date in 2026. “The addition of a new tier of grant funding through the Sustainability Fund has extended our reach and impact far beyond the SWSF Network funding. In this new era of granting for the Women’s Fund, we are thrilled to be able to make a difference among like-minded non-profits across the 25 counties of East Tennessee we serve. Through the hard work of our team and the generosity of our donors, we have been able to more than double our granting, creating lasting change for an additional 30 non-profits over the last two years” explains Julie Sharpe, Executive Director of the Women’s Fund.
The Sustainability Fund was designed in late 2024 to complement the SWSF Network funding, expanding impact by creating opportunities for more women and girls in East Tennessee to pursue post-secondary education. Sustainability Grant recipients receive funding to impact program expenses, staffing, travel, materials, and general or emergent operational needs. WFET believes the most efficient path to change is to foster partnerships with similarly focused non-profit organizations to share expertise and collectively identify opportunities for collaboration, innovation, and action in these communities. Adding this additional level of funding, while continuing the network’s focus, strengthens the ability to achieve these goals far into the future.
The SWSF Network was established and funded by WFET in 2018. After completing extensive research in the region to better understand the barriers to post-secondary education, WFET worked to develop tools and resources to reach the low-income women and girls in their service area of East Tennessee. “The Women’s Fund believes that when you invest in a woman, you invest in a family, a community, and, ultimately, a region.” The Women’s Fund has never been better positioned to accomplish its vision of every woman self-sustaining.
New 2026 Spring Sustainability Grant Award winners were announced in March at the WFET 15th Annual Luncheon, including: Boys & Girls Club of Elizabethton/Carter County, Community Coalition Against Human Trafficking, Communities in Schools of Appalachian Highlands, Compassion Counseling, Family Promise of Knoxville, Hola Lakeway, and The Restoration House of East Tennessee. The second round of 2026 Sustainability Grants will be awarded this fall.
The Strong Women Strong Futures Grant Award winners for the 2026-‘28 two-year cycle include: Boys & Girls Club of Greater Kingsport, Boys & Girls Club of the Smoky Mountains, Centro Hispano de East TN, Communities In Schools of Appalachian Highlands, First TN Development District Foundation, Girl Talk, Girls Inc, Hola Lakeway, Street Hope, and The Restoration House of East Tennessee.
The Women’s Fund was founded in 2011 with the mission to serve as a catalyst to transform the lives of women and girls in East Tennessee. By 2015, the Board of Directors elected to become a supporting organization of the East Tennessee Foundation, becoming a 501(c)3 public, non-profit. With a focus on collaboration, education, and advocacy, WFET quickly became a premier source of hope and funding for those who need it most in our region. For more information, or to apply for future grants, please visit: www.womensfundetn.org or contact Executive Director, Julie Sharpe, at julie@wfet.org.
