BJCWF 2010 Grant Cycle Request for Letters of Intent

BOSTON JEWISH COMMUNITY WOMEN’S FUND 2010 GRANT CYCLE

Request for Letters of Intent

The mission of the Boston Jewish Community Women’s Fund is to develop a women’s Jewish philanthropic community which provides sustainable and measurable benefits to women and girls from all walks of life, and in the process, encourages the funders to be leaders and role models.

The Boston Jewish Community Women’s Fund, a project of Combined Jewish Philanthropies, is requesting letters of intent for its 2010 grant cycle for programs that will benefit women and girls. Projects will be funded in the areas of relationship abuse, economic advancement, girls’ healthy development, education, health, advocacy and the arts. Projects will be funded for the fiscal year July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011. The Fund does not support capital projects, scholarships, or make grants to individuals.

In 2009 The Fund made grants totaling $275,000, and has awarded over $1,300,000 since inception. The complete list of grants made since 2001 is posted at www.cjp.org – follow the prompts to “Women’s Philanthropy.”

WHO SHOULD APPLY?

The Fund welcomes applications for new and ongoing results-oriented programs. Given the current economic crisis, organizations that have received grants from The Fund in the past may choose to apply for a one year grant for general support of a proven core program.

The Fund supports projects that benefit:

• Jewish women and girls in the local Boston community
• Women and girls in the general Boston community
• Women and girls in Israel, specifically programs that serve the greater Haifa community or have a documented history of funding from other North American organizations.

HOW TO APPLY:

Describe your project in a letter (no more than 2 pages long) that contains:

• Your organization’s mission.
• A statement of need, how the project will address it, and how it meets BJCWF objectives.
• A budget narrative including the amount of funding requested, projected major expenditures, and use of BJCWF funds. (If you are reapplying, please note if you anticipate significant changes in your budget from last year.)

GRANTS

For the 2010 granting cycle, The Fund will make one year grants (maximum amount $25,000) that may be renewed for up to three years.

HOW THE PROCESS WORKS:

• Letters of intent must be received by 5:00 PM on Friday, November 10, 2009, no exceptions.
• Submit your letter by email to susane@cjp.org
• Also mail hard copy for backup to: Susan Ebert, Director, Boston Jewish Community Women’s Fund, 126 High Street, Boston, MA 02110.
• Each organization submitting a letter of intent will be notified by December 23 whether they will be asked to submit a full proposal.
• Organizations invited to submit proposals will receive complete instructions for doing so.
• A site visit by members of the Fund will be a component of the final application process.
• The deadline for submitting full proposals is February 3, 2010.
• The Fund will notify all applicants of its decisions by mid-April, 2010.