Grantmaking

In keeping with our mission to fund social change for women and girls, the Valentine Foundation has adopted the Women’s Funding Network’s “Five Indicators of Social Change” to structure its grantmaking. These Indicators provide a powerful tool for Valentine Foundation Trustees to review grant requests. Equally as important, the Indicators offer a framework through which grantees can assess their social change impact. By applying the Indicators to our grantmaking, the Valentine Foundation becomes an even more influential agent for social change for women and girls.

I. Grant applicants have to demonstrate how their organization, or the program or project for which they are requesting a grant, will contribute to social change for women and girls through one (or more) of these “Five Indicators of Social Change”:

1. Shift in Definitions: The issue is defined differently in the community or society.
   
2. Shift in Behavior: people are behaving differently in the community or larger society.
   
3. Shift in Engagement: People in the community or larger society are more engaged.
   
4. Shift in Policies: An institutional, organizational or legislative policy or practice has changed.
   
5. Current Position Maintained: past gains have been maintained (in the face of backlash or resistance).

Download a PDF of the Five Indicators of Social Change Matrix

II. Applicants can apply for general operating support, or for support for a specific program, project or initiative.

III. Applicants can apply for single year or multi-year grants. Multi-year grants will be awarded for a period of up to three consecutive years. We do not limit the number of consecutive years that a grantee can receive funding.

IV. The maximum amount awarded is $15,000, with most grants in the range of $7,000 - $10,000; for multi-year grants, the maximum is $15,000 a year for up to three years ($45,000). Trustees reserve the right to fund requests in whole or in part. There is no guarantee that applicants, if awarded a grant, will receive the full amount of their request.