Grant Process

Grant Award Eligibility and Criteria

To be considered for a grant, organizations must:

  • Meet MWGT’s mission https://mainewomensgivingtree.org/who-we-are/mission-and-goals-2
  • Provide certification of current 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status
  • Serve women, children, and families in the communities listed in our mission statement
  • Address an important need to maximize the impact of MWGT funds in the community
  • Articulate clear goals, objectives, and measurable outcomes

Organizations seeking MWGT support:

  • May apply for only one grant a year
  • Must expend all grant funds within 12 months of receipt
  • Must submit two written progress reports: an interim report after six months and a final report at the conclusion of the grant

MWGT does not fund:

  • Organizational endowments
  • Political activities or PACs
  • Religious or faith-based organizations
  • Event tickets or sponsorship, annual fundraising drives or events
  • Deficit reduction
  • Organizations that discriminate on the basis of race, creed, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, disability, or national origin
  • Capital improvements or building maintenance
  • Indirect costs (costs of running the organization but not directly related to the proposed project)

Grant Application Process

The grant application  process consists of two stages:

Stage One: Submission of Letters of Intent

MWGT is beginning the 2023 grant awards cycle and expects to award grants in May 2023. Grant requests must focus on improving the lives of women, children, or families primarily in Arrowsic, Bath, Brunswick, Harpswell, Freeport, Phippsburg, Topsham, West Bath, Wiscasset, or Woolwich (“MWGT Mission”). In 2022 13 grants totaling $82,500 were awarded, ranging between $3,000 and $10,000 each.

The grant submission process consists of two stages: a Letter of Intent due on December 1, 2022, and a Grant Application due on February 28, 2023.

Your organization is invited to submit a ONE PAGE Letter of Intent (LOI) that should describe your grant proposal. This letter must contain:

  1. Name of the organization;
  2. Name of principal contact person;
  3. Brief description of the proposed project and how it impacts and supports the MWGT Mission;
  4. Amount of the grant request (Note: If you are invited to submit a grant application, the grant amount requested should be the amount submitted in your LOI. If the amount needs to be changed at the time of your application, please provide a justification for the changed amount in the application. We will take this additional request under consideration.); and
  5. PROOF of the organization’s 501(c)3 TAX STATUS.

The LOI must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. on December 1, 2022.

Following careful evaluation of the LOIs by the Grants Committee, selected organizations will be invited to submit an application for MWGT grant funding. A Letter of Request to Submit an Application will be sent to the organization’s contact person by December 15, 2022.

LOIs and Grant Applications will only be accepted electronically by the MWGT Grants Committee through the following email address: grants@mainewomensgivingtree.org.

Stage Two: Submission of Grant Applications

    • Organizations selected to submit a formal grant application should review the grant application information on this page and on the Grant Timeline and Grant Application pages.
    • All grant applications must be received no later than 5:00 p.m. on February 28, 2023, and should be sent via email to grants@mainewomensgivingtree.org

The Grant Review Process

An Objective Review Committee made up of grant reviewers carefully screens and evaluates every grant application. Using objective criteria, the team of reviewers then makes initial recommendations for funding to the Grants Committee. The Grants Committee recommendations are presented to and voted on by the entire membership at a special meeting in May. Every organization that submitted an application then receives written notification of our decision. In June, MWGT hosts a reception honoring all organizations receiving grants.

  • Please consult the  Grant Timeline for 2022-23 for important deadlines.

  • Grant applications, detailed guidelines, and review criteria in PDF format can be downloaded here.

  • Grant applications, detailed guidelines, and review criteria in WORD format can be downloaded here.

  • Please consult “Tips for Creating a Strong Grant Application” here.

Interim and Final Reports

Interim Reports for 2020-21 grants were due January 31, 2022, and Final Reports are due July 31, 2022. Please follow the guidelines detailed here:

MWGT Interim and Final Reports- Interim and Final Report Form

If you have any questions regarding the application or grant process, please email MWGT at grants@mainewomensgivingtree.org