About Women'S Foundation for A Greater Memphis
The mission of the Women's Foundation for a Greater Memphis is to encourage philanthropy and foster leadership among women and support programs that enable women and children to reach their full potential.
Focus Areas
Women and girlsChildrenPoverty reductionEconomic self-sufficiencyLeadership developmentEarly childhood developmentJob skills, employment and entrepreneurshipFinancial education and asset buildingYouth developmentCase management and wraparound services
Who They Fund
women (primarily caregivers) in the Greater Memphis areafamilies in Greater Memphis
About Women'S Foundation for A Greater Memphis
Women's Foundation for a Greater Memphis centers its grantmaking on women and families in Greater Memphis, using a two-generation approach to reduce poverty and build economic self-sufficiency. The foundation's Vision 2025 place-based strategy targets specific Memphis neighborhoods, including zip codes 38126, 38105, 38106, 38107, and 38108, and it supports programs that combine case management, job skills, early childhood development, youth employment, and financial capability. Recent grants show a strong emphasis on local intermediaries and service providers. In 2024, it awarded $225,934 to Knowledge Quest and $225,824 to Rise Foundation, both in Memphis. Other large awards went to Southwest Tennessee Community College Foundation for $130,000 and to Urban Strategiesmemphis Hope for $100,000. The foundation also funds higher education and research-related partners such as the University of Memphis Projects, the University of Memphis Research Foundation, and the University of Memphis. Its grantmaking is organized around programs for women, children, and families rather than individuals, and the recent grant record shows awards concentrated in Memphis organizations.
What Women'S Foundation for A Greater Memphis Funds
Economic mobility is the throughline in the foundation's grantmaking. It gave $55,000 in 2024 to YWCA of Greater Memphis and $34,000 in the same year to A Step Ahead Foundation, both serving women and families in Memphis. Workforce and entrepreneurship support also appears in the portfolio. Advance Memphis received $50,000 in 2024 and $50,000 in 2023, while Start Co received $36,000 in 2023. Early childhood and family support are another clear priority. Porter-Leath received $40,000 in 2024 and $35,000 in 2023, and Mifa Metropolitan Inter-faith Association received $40,000 in 2024 and $40,000 in 2023. The foundation also backs youth-serving organizations such as Vance Ave Youth Development Center, which received $45,000 in 2024.
How Women'S Foundation for A Greater Memphis Gives
Typical grants cluster in the mid five figures: the 25th percentile is $17,250, the median is $25,000, and the 75th percentile is $36,000. The recent grant list also shows repeated support to the same organizations across 2023 and 2024, including Rise Foundation, Urban Strategiesmemphis Hope, Seeding Success, Advance Memphis, Mifa Metropolitan Inter-faith Association, Porter Leath, and A Step Ahead Foundation. That pattern suggests ongoing relationship-based grantmaking rather than one-off awards. The foundation operates a grant program with an application pathway for organizations, and one program explicitly says it accepts unsolicited applications.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$2.1M
Total Assets
$13.8M
Total Revenue
$8.5M
Total Expenses
$3.9M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $17K and $36K, with a median of $25K.
25th Percentile
$17K
Median
$25K
75th Percentile
$36K
Geographic Reach
Local3 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
SHANTE AVANT
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