Grant Application Guidelines
The Valentine Foundation is a charitable foundation committed to funding organizations and programs that produce significant change in the social, economic and political systems and institutions that impact the lives of women and girls in order to make those lives more equitable. Grants are given in accordance with specific Social Change Indicators developed by the Women’s Funding Network. The Trustees are interested in funding organizations and programs for girls and women who are systemically underserved.
Programs that solely provide direct service to women and girls, but do not result in meaningful social change, fall outside the Valentine Foundation mission and will not be funded, since they do not meet our social change criteria.
The Valentine Foundation primarily funds organizations serving the Greater Philadelphia area or that have national impact with a local connection.
To be eligible for funding the applicant must answer “Yes” to eight eligibility questions. If any of the answers are “No” then the Letter of Intent (LOI) should not be completed. The questions are:
- Does your organization operate in the greater Philadelphia Region? (The Greater Philadelphia region refers to southeastern Pennsylvania counties (Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia) as well as contiguous counties in southern New Jersey, (Camden) and Delaware (New Castle). If your organization operates nationally, but has a program within the greater Philadelphia region, you are eligible for funding.)
- Is your organization, or is your fiscal sponsor, a 501(c)(3) organization as determined by the IRS?
- Does your organization primarily serve women and girls? (The Valentine Foundation envisions a society in which all women, girls, and non-binary individuals thrive. Our definition of “women and girls” includes anyone who is cis-gender or trans woman/girl, or non-binary. The groups we focus on who have historically been under-represented in leadership roles include, but are not limited to, those who are Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), LGBTQ+, and/or People with Disabilities.)
- Does your organization/program fit into one of the four social change indicatiors?
- If you are requesting General Operating funds, does your organization have an annual budget of less than $5,000,000?
- If you are requesting program/project support, is the annual budget for your program/project less than $1,000,000?
- Does your organizational decision making include the voices of those most impacted by the issue you are trying to address?
- Does your organization/program include organizing for social change and/or advocacy?
The Valentine Foundation does NOT fund the following:
- Organizations that are not determined to be a tax-exempt organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code
- Scholarships
- Endowments
- Capital campaigns
- International initiatives
- Individuals
- Religious organizations for religious purposes
- Political organizations for political purposes
Valentine Foundation Grant Applications
- Application Procedure
- Letter of Interest ( LOI) Questions
For reference only. LOI must be completed and submitted online.
Having trouble with the online application?
Please review these instructional resources for completing your online application.