JLW Grants

The Junior League of Washington (JLW) provides financial and volunteer to support each year to community organizations that support pathways to opportunity through improved access to education, professional and financial development, and capacity building in our community.

Previous grant recipients include Beacon House, Maya Angelou Public Charter School, The Child and Family Network Centers, The MusicianShip, Bright Beginnings, Inc., Calvary Women’s Services, and many more.

For consideration, applicants must:

  • Be a 501(c)3 organization with a valid EIN number;
  • Be located in the greater metropolitan Washington, DC area;
  • Present a program in alignment with JLW’s mission, specifically “improving communities through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers;”
  • Address a clear unmet need within the organization and/or the community; and
  • Demonstrate that JLW funds will have a significant financial impact.

The 2022-2023 opportunities include the:

  • Innovation Grant
  • Capacity Grant 
  • Volunteer Resources Grants
  • Pathway Grants
  • Community Assistance Grants

Innovation Grants award up to $15,000 to new and/or pilot programs aimed at filling gaps in education, professional development, and/or financial development in our community. Programs must address at least one aspect of the JLW defined focus area. Preference will be given to applicants presenting creative and data-driven solutions to unmet and/or under met community needs. This is open to all community nonprofits.

The deadline to apply is October 12. You can find the application here and the web form here. Apply now.

Capacity Grants award up to $15,000 to a JLW Community Placement Partner to invest in infrastructure to expand their existing programs. The program must address at least one aspect of the JLW defined focus area. Funds must be used to invest in infrastructure that enables the applicant organization to expand their existing program(s).

  • Infrastructure investments include (but are not limited to) facility improvements, software implementations, and/or additional staff.
  • Program growth necessitating this capital investment may come in the form of serving a larger population, serving a new population, and/or adding a new service that meets additional needs of their existing client population.

The deadline to apply is August 15. You can find the application here and the web form here. Apply now.

Volunteer Resources Grants provide volunteer support from JLW members and up to $2,000 per year to organizations that “support pathways to opportunity through improved access to education, professional and financial development, and capacity building in our community.”

Preference will be given to those volunteer resources applicants that: 

  • Clearly demonstrate a need for JLW volunteers.
  • Work with JLW on programming that is unique to JLW volunteers (i.e., all JLW work with a particular age range and/or on JLW-specific projects).
  • Work with JLW on programming that meaningfully engages the skills of JLW trained volunteers.
  • Have a sound volunteer retention plan that values volunteers.
  • Provide comprehensive training to enable JLW volunteers to successfully accomplish all tasks required of them in their volunteer capacity.
  • Provide a mechanism to ensure the safety, health, and wellness of JLW volunteers.
  • Provide mechanisms for measuring/evaluating relationships with JLW. 

The deadline to apply is September 10. You can find the application here and the web form here. Apply now.

Pathway Grants award up to $1,000 to programs of general interest to JLW membership.  Programs are not required to address any aspect of the JLW focus area. JLW Community Placement Partners are ineligible to apply.

The deadine to apply is November 13. You can find the application here and the web form here. Apply now.

Community Assistance Grants award up to $5,000 to organizations experiencing an emergency financial need for their community support programs. The total number of Community Assistance Grants will be determined by the total funds raised for this purpose and the amount of funds requested by selected organizations.

  • Preference will be given to those Community Assistance Grant applicants that:
    • Are experiencing a surge in demand for their services;
    • Lost access to a key supplier, resulting in an increase in costs;
    • Suffered property damage or had a piece of equipment break;
    • Had a fundraising event canceled due to external forces; and/or
    • Experienced another unanticipated difficulty that has resulted in unexpected need.
  • Preference will be given to organizations/programs addressing housing insecurity and homelessness, though organizations serving all areas of community need are eligible for funding and encouraged to apply.
  • Organizations that receive a JLW Community Assistance Grant within the present League year (June 1, 2022 – May 31, 2023) are ineligible to apply for additional Community Assistance Grants within the same year.

The deadline to apply is Sunday, March 12th at 5 p.m. The application is available here and the web form here. Apply now.