What is the Grants Stewardship Committee?

The Grants Stewardship Committee works to identify and select grant recipients through the Junior League of Washington (JLW) grants program, awarding approximately $95k annually. The committee is comprised of about 30 women, with diverse backgrounds and experiences who are charged with reading, scoring, and ranking applications, leading to selection of grant recipients who best align with JLW’s mission and focus area.

Who can apply for a grant from JLW?

The grant process is open to all 501(c)(3) organizations with valid EIN numbers located within the greater Washington, Metropolitan area. Each grant type has additional criteria, which can be viewed at:  https://www.jlw.org/grants/

What grants are typically available each year? 

• Capacity Grants
• Innovation Grants
• Community Assistance Fund Grants
• Pathway Grants

Volunteer Resources Grants may also be available. 

Review details on each grant here: https://www.jlw.org/grants/ 

When are grant opportunities for the upcoming League year available? 

The JLW grants timeframe runs from September to May. JLW grant opportunities are determined annually. Every summer, typically in early August, www.jlw.org/grants is updated to reflect grant opportunities that will open for application in the upcoming League year. We encourage organizations to visit jlw.org/grants in early August for updated opportunities.

What is the average size of a grant request?

The average grant size depends on the grant and varies from League year to League year. Historically, Targeted Grant awards have been around $15,000. Community Assistance Fund Grants are up to $5,000. Pathway Grants are smaller denomination awards which are awarded up to $1k.

Can an organization re-apply for a grant they’ve received in the past?

Previous grant recipients are eligible to re-apply for a grant that has previously been awarded to their organization. However, there are limitations.  JLW encourages organizations that were not awarded a grant to re-apply in future grant cycles.

Do I submit a progress report of any kind?

The Grants Stewardship grants program requires reports for all its grants. Innovation, Capacity, Community Assistance Fund and Volunteer Resources (when offered) grant recipients must submit a Final Grant Report, which helps JLW to understand and gather stories of the impact of our grantee partners. Pathway grantees may be asked to share a shorter report detailing how the grant helped to support their organization’s goals and mission.

What is considered Washington, D.C. greater metropolitan area?

For grant purposes, the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area includes: the District of Columbia, the Counties of Montgomery and Prince Georges in the State of Maryland, the Counties of Arlington and Fairfax, and the Cities of Alexandria and Falls Church in the Commonwealth of Virginia.