About Dress for Success Worldwide
The foundation concentrates almost exclusively on funding the Dress for Success network, providing operating and program support to local affiliate organizations that help women obtain work-appropriate clothing and employment services. Grants are targeted to U.S. metropolitan chapters across regions (coasts, Midwest, South), indicating a national reach through a single mission-driven network. Funding is relationship-based and predictable, with many affiliates receiving multiple grants over time rather than one-off awards.
Focus Areas
Local Dress for Success affiliate operating support (major U.S. metro chapters)Work-readiness and employment support services for women (styling, interview clothing, job readiness)Capacity-building for nonprofit chapters (sustained multi-year/recurring operational grants)Regional support across major U.S. cities (San Francisco, Chicago, Columbus, Philadelphia, etc.)
Who They Fund
member nonprofit organizationsmembership-based associations
Giving Approach
Concentrated, repeat funding to member organizations within a single national network: many mid-sized grants (roughly $70k–$310k) dispersed across 70+ grants, with multiple payments to the same affiliates indicating ongoing core support rather than one-time project funding.
About Dress for Success Worldwide
Dress for Success Worldwide channels nearly all of its grantmaking into the Dress for Success affiliate network, using operating and program support to help local member organizations serve women seeking work-ready clothing and employment services. The largest recent award in the data, $269,500 to Dress for Success Greater Chicago in 2025, shows the scale it can bring to a single affiliate while still supporting many chapters across the country. Other sizeable grants went to Dress for Success San Francisco, Dress for Success Columbus, and Dress for Success Greater Philadelphia, each receiving six-figure support in the recent record. The pattern is not limited to one city or one year. Affiliates in major metros such as Atlanta, Washington, DC, Boston, Houston, Denver, and Twin Cities appear repeatedly, often across multiple grant years. That repeated support points to a funder that backs a network relationship over time rather than making isolated awards. The grant descriptions are uniform—support of member organization—which matches a structure built around sustaining local chapters inside a national brand. Dress for Success Worldwide’s giving therefore reads as network maintenance: recurring funding for affiliated nonprofits that deliver employment-related services to women in their communities.
What Dress for Success Worldwide Funds
A central theme is operating support for local affiliates. Dress for Success Greater Chicago received $269,500 in 2025 for support of member organization, and Dress for Success Central Virginia received $115,681 in 2025 for the same purpose. The foundation also backs affiliates that serve large urban labor markets. Dress for Success San Francisco received $152,641 in 2024, followed by $91,595 in 2025, while Dress for Success Greater Philadelphia received $123,760 in 2024 and $65,290 in 2025. Several grants support chapters in the Midwest and South. Dress for Success Columbus received $128,721 in 2024 and $54,154 in 2025, and Dress for Success Atlanta received $72,269 in 2024 and $71,821 in 2025. Across these awards, the purpose text stays consistent: support of member organization. That points to a grantmaker focused on sustaining affiliate capacity rather than funding discrete projects.
How Dress for Success Worldwide Gives
Typical grants sit in a mid-five-figure range, with p25 at $11,002, median at $19,056, and p75 at $35,332. The recent awards above that range show that the foundation also makes larger operating grants to selected affiliates. The pattern is recurring rather than one-off. Several chapters appear in multiple years, including San Francisco, Columbus, Atlanta, Washington DC, Boston, Houston, Denver, and Twin Cities. Every grant in the provided data is labeled support of member organization, which fits a regular funder supporting a membership-style network. The foundation is a regular funder and does not fund individuals.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$1.6M
Total Assets
$11.2M
Total Revenue
$15.4M
Total Expenses
$16M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $11K and $35K, with a median of $19K.
25th Percentile
$11K
Median
$19K
75th Percentile
$35K
Geographic Reach
National37 states funded
About 6% of grants go to recipients in FL.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
MICHELE C MEYER-SHIPP
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