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Grant Opportunities 

CFW’s Rapid Response Fund

Applications for the Rapid Response Fund are now open. Application review will begin on Thursday, November 12, 2026.

The rights and protections of our communities are increasingly at risk. Community members fear the whittling away of women’s reproductive health access, the dismantling of LGBTQ+ protections, and attacks on people of color and immigrant communities. In this shifting landscape, individuals, organizations, and communities feel less safe. Community organizations and leaders understand how the changing environment impacts the community. These leaders will need investments to respond. 

CFW’s Rapid Response Fund was created to support these leaders. This funding opportunity will provide grants for grassroots organizations adapting and responding to the changing environment and protecting and defending our fundamental rights.

Priority Population

CFW prioritizes community‑based and community‑led organizations that support women, girls, gender‑expansive people, and their families. These organizations, particularly those guided by local leadership, remain responsive as priorities shift and demonstrate a strong commitment to racial and gender equity. 

Guidelines/Priority Activities 

The Rapid Response Fund prioritizes community‑led strategies that protect fundamental rights and strengthen community power during periods of heightened risk and opportunity.  

These grants will support the unexpected or unbudgeted costs associated with community work and advocacy during a time of crisis and unpredictable change. 

Priority Area 1: Community Organizing, Advocacy, and Rights Protection 

Support for community-led organizing, advocacy, and education strategies. These interventions, such as Know Your Rights trainings and awareness campaigns addressing the epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, help protect women, girls, and gender-expansive people and their families. They also advance policies that center communities as they navigate a period of uncertainty and ongoing attacks on fundamental rights. 

Eligible activities include, but are not limited to, work that advances policies, shifts systems, changes narratives, and builds community power, such as:

  • Legislative advocacy
  • Policy advocacy 
  • Litigation 
  • Rulemaking  
  • Leadership development 
  • Community organizing 
  • Movement building 
  • Coalition building 
  • Culture and narrative change 
  • Other (could include trainings, research, or emerging strategies) 

Priority Area 2: Safety and Security Activities 

Support for safety and security activities may include legal, digital, or physical protections for community organizations and their teams that are engaging in a charitable purpose. 

Organizations determine the safety and security measures most appropriate to their work, risk assessments, and identified needs, including during periods of heightened visibility, civic engagement, or public participation. 

Priority Area 3: Nonpartisan Civic Engagement and Democracy Strengthening 

CFW will support nonpartisan civic engagement and democracy strengthening activities that ensure communities most impacted by systemic inequities are informed, protected, and able to participate fully in civic life—particularly during periods of increased civic activity or public decision‑making. 

Eligible activities may include, but are not limited to: 

  • Nonpartisan voter and issue education 
  • Community forums, civic dialogues, and public education related to civic participation 
  • Know Your Rights education related to voting, protest, or public participation 
  • Language access, translation, and culturally responsive civic materials 
  • Support for safe and accessible civic participation for women, girls, and gender‑expansive people 

Funded activities must remain strictly nonpartisan and may not support or oppose any political party or candidate for public office, consistent with 501(c)(3) requirements. 

How It Will Work/Who Is Eligible 

The Fund will award short-term, one-time organizing, advocacy, civic engagement, and safety grants ranging from $1,000 to $5,000. Applicants are not required to have been previously funded by CFW.  

Eligible Applicants must: 

  1. Have a determination from the IRS that the organization is described in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code
  2. Have an organizational budget under $3M or be applying for funds to support a fiscally sponsored program with a budget under $3M 
  3. Have not received a Rapid Response Fund Award in the past fiscal year (July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026) 
  4. Be able to affirm CFW’s Guiding Principles 

Deadlines 

The Fund will accept applications via CFW’s Grant Portal on a rolling basis until funds are exhausted. Applications will begin to be reviewed on Thursday, November 12, 2026.