Knoxville, Tenn. – In November of 2024, the Women’s Fund of East Tennessee (WFET) announced the launch of a new, rolling grant strategy to support the continuation of services and programs through a privately funded “Self-Sustainability” grant program. This month, the initial grant awards have been released to the following organizations: Girls Inc. of TN Valley, YWCA of Knoxville and the TN Valley, and Safe Harbor Child Advocacy Center. The Women’s Fund is proud to offer this new channel of grant making to impact program expenses, staffing, travel, materials, and/or general operations to non-profit partners in the 25 counties they serve. Future grantees will be identified on the WFET website as the Self-Sustainability Fund will be open for years to come.
The Self-Sustainability grant cycle was designed to complement the Strong Women Strong Futures (SWSF) Network funding, adding to the impact of the Women’s Fund by creating opportunities for more women and girls in East Tennessee to pursue post-secondary education. WFET believes that the most efficient path to create change is to foster partnerships with similarly focused non-profit organizations to share expertise and collectively identify opportunities for collaboration, innovation, and action in our communities. Adding this additional level of funding, while continuing the work of the SWSF network, enhances our ability to achieve those goals long 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 young women and girls in their service area of East Tennessee. “The addition of a new tier of grant funding through the Self-Sustainability grant program extends our reach far beyond the SWSF Network. 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 our service area,” explains Kirby Deal, Executive Director of the Women’s Fund. “We believe 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 our mission of every woman self-sustaining.”
Non-profit organizations wishing to apply for the “Self-Sustainability” grants can do so by visiting the WFET website at the following link:
https://womensfundetn.org/network-building/network-grant-request/
Applications opened on November 1, 2024, and grant awards will be announced on a rolling basis.
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 grants, please visit: www.womensfundetn.org
