Community Action Grants – Project Support
Community Action Grants fund projects that promote education and equity for women and girls in grades K-12 and that are implemented by nonprofit organizations, universities or AAUW branches and state organizations. AAUW holds an especially strong interest in projects with a STEM focus and has funded more than 63 STEM projects over the last 4 years, in addition to providing funding support for hundreds of communities across the United States since 1972.
Award Details
Award Ceiling: $10,000
Grant Term: July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026
- Applicants must be incorporated as a nonprofit with a federally designated-tax exempt status under section 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS) code. AAUW branches and state organizations with 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4) tax-exempt status are also eligible and encouraged to apply.
- Projects must serve communities in the United States or its territories.
- Applicants serving geographically and/or demographically underserved communities (preferred).
The following are not eligible for consideration:
- Members of the AAUW Board of Directors.
- Employees of AAUW, including paid or unpaid, part-time or temporary employees, consultants, interns and contract employees.
- Review Panelists.
- Immediate families (i.e., spouses and dependent children) of individuals described in the points above.
- Previous AAUW Community Action Grant recipients must wait 3 years before reapplying.
- Project alignment with promoting equity for women and girls in grades K-12, preferably with an emphasis in STEM fields.
- Strength of project rationale; applicants must provide specific context to show how their project builds on existing work, addresses a need or tackles a topic or problem related to equity for women and girls in a new way.
- Clarity of anticipated results, which are convincingly connected to specific proposed activities and outputs and that are logically connected to the project’s goals.
- Project proposals must reflect how community/stakeholder participation is considered in the project’s design.
- Demonstrated organizational capacity and capability to achieve its objectives.
- Reflect a commitment to learning and evaluation by (1) incorporating monitoring/evaluation methods that enable assessment of project outcomes; and (2) describing how results and/or learnings from project implementation will be shared with stakeholders and/or the communities which the project intends to serve.
- Feasibility of the programmatic work or project — (1) the programmatic work or project has realistic time frames; (2) the project budget is adequate, and expenses are reasonable and necessary; (3) there is adequate support from collaborative organizations and community partners, as appropriate.
- Potential for and/or commitment of additional funds and involvement from community organizations, businesses and funders (preferred).
Timeline
Milestone
|
Date
|
---|---|
Grant Application Submission Period
|
September 16, 2024 – November 15, 2024
|
Grant Award Status Notification
|
April 15, 2025
|
Disbursement of Grant Funds (in full or part)
|
July 2025
|
Grant Term
|
July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026
|
Disbursement of 2nd Tranche of Grant Funds (if applicable)
|
January 2026
|
Grant Impact Reports Due
|
July 31, 2026
|
How To Apply
International Scholarship & Tuition Services (ISTS) serves as the application portal for AAUW Community Action Grants. Please follow the steps below to start the application process:
- Review the eligibility criteria to ensure you are eligible.
- Click the Apply Now button below to access the application and create an ISTS account.
- Follow the instructions provided in the Applicant Guide.
If you experience technical difficulties, please contact AAUW@applyists.com.
- A narrative application.
- IRS 501(c)(3) determination letter (for applicants applying as nonprofit organizations).
- IRS 501 (c)(3) or (c)(4) determination letter (for applicants applying as AAUW branches or state organizations).
- Most recent 990.
- A copy of the applicant’s prior fiscal year’s organizational budget, demonstrating that more than 51% of the organization’s previous year’s expenses and programming/services was devoted to education and equity for women and girls in grades K-12.
- A copy of the applicant’s current fiscal year budget.
- Current fiscal year statement of financial position (i.e., balance sheet).
- Current fiscal year statement of activities (i.e., profit-and-loss statement).
Narrative Project Proposal
The required narrative project proposal includes the following components:
- Abstract
- Rationale (Need Statement)
- Description of Community
- Project Description
- Community Partners
- Project Evaluation
Project Budget
Applicants must provide a detailed line-item budget and accompanying narrative budget justification.
Prohibited Costs
Please note grant funds cannot be used to:
- Influence legislation
- Influence the outcome of elections
- Carry out voter registration drives
- Make grants to individuals or other organizations
- Pay for previous expenditures, deficits or loans
- Pay for copyright or attorney fees
- Fundraising activities
Review panels meet once a year to review applications for funding. Awards are based on the criteria outlined here. The panel’s recommendations are subject to final approval by AAUW. Grants are awarded on a competitive basis according to funds available in a given fiscal year.
To ensure a fair review process, AAUW does not comment on the deliberations of the awards panels. AAUW does not provide written or oral evaluations of applicants. No provisions exist for reconsideration of grant proposals. Applications and supporting documents become the sole property of AAUW and will not be returned or held for another year.
Policies
Tax Liability
Community Action Grant applicants need to submit their IRS Determination Letter demonstrating their 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4) tax-exempt status to AAUW. AAUW does not provide any tax‐related forms to grantees or withhold any amount for payment of U.S. taxes.
The determination of whether there is a tax obligation associated with the receipt of an AAUW grant is the sole responsibility of the grantee. Specific questions regarding income tax matters should be addressed to a local tax adviser. AAUW cannot provide tax advice.
Use of Funds
AAUW’s grant agreement specifies the terms of the grant, including the use of grant funds and reporting schedule. Grant funds must only be used for the purposes, over the timeframe, and in the manner set forth in the grant agreement and finalized proposal. Awarded grant funds may not be expended on project costs incurred prior to the grant start date or after the grant end date without AAUW’s prior written approval. In carrying out grant-funded projects, grantees must comply with all applicable local, country and international laws and regulations.
FAQs
Q: My organization does not have a 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4) tax-exempt status from the IRS. Are we eligible to apply?
A: AAUW Community Action Grant applicants must have a 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4) tax-exempt status by the IRS. The application requires applicants to provide their IRS determination letter as a supporting document.
Q: My organization does not have a focus on STEM. Are we eligible to apply?
A: Organizations promoting education and equity for women and girls in grades K-12 are highly encouraged to apply. Those with an emphasis in STEM fields are preferred but not required.
Q: We received an AAUW Community Action Grant in the past. Are we eligible to reapply?
A: Previous AAUW Community Action Grant recipients must wait 3 years before reapplying.