New York Women's Foundation

About New York Women's Foundation

A defining feature of New York Women's Foundation Inc is its use of participatory grantmaking to back women-led and gender-expansive community-based organizations working on gender, racial, and economic justice. The foundation pairs direct grants with capacity building and advocacy, and its active programs show a consistent emphasis on community-rooted work rather than top-down funding. In its recent grants, Brooklyn Economic Justice Project awards appear alongside support for criminal justice reform, safety and healing, and civic engagement, reflecting a portfolio shaped around movement work and local systems change. The foundation’s recent grant list shows both large, strategic commitments and smaller early investments. It has funded organizations working on job training, housing access, abortion care, violence prevention, and economic justice, while also supporting initiatives centered on women and TGNC communities affected by incarceration. Grantees range from neighborhood-based groups in Brooklyn and New York City to state and national partners. The combination of participatory grantmaking, seed and growth support, and initiative-based funding gives the foundation a layered approach to the communities it serves.

What New York Women's Foundation Funds

Economic justice is a recurring thread in the foundation’s portfolio. It awarded $279,800 to Churches United for Fair Housing Inc for the Brooklyn Economic Justice Project, and $237,700 to Brooklyn Level Up Inc for the same project. Related grants also supported East New York Clt Inc and Central Brooklyn Economic Development Corp, both tied to Brooklyn economic justice work. Safety, healing, and bodily autonomy are another clear focus. The foundation gave $200,000 to Me Too International Inc for strategic initiatives focused on safety and healing, and $160,000 to Commonsense Childbirth Inc fbo Ancient Song Doula Services for early investment in New York’s reproductive and maternal health ecosystem. In civic engagement and leadership, it funded Higher Heights Leadership Fund for strategic civic engagement and supported Fund for the City of New York fbo the New Majority NYC for the same area. It also awarded $160,000 to Literacy Partners and Union Theological Seminary under economic justice, showing that its issue areas often overlap.

How New York Women's Foundation Gives