Valentine Foundation Social Change Grants

The Valentine Foundation is a charitable foundation committed to supporting organizations and programs that produce significant change in the social, economic, and political systems and institutions affecting the lives of women and girls. Its grantmaking is intended to make those lives more equitable, with particular interest in organizations and programs serving girls and women who are systemically underserved. The Foundation structures its grantmaking around four Indicators of Social Change adapted from the Women's Funding Network. These indicators are used to help applicants and trustees consider whether proposed work redefines issues, enhances community engagement, shifts policies, or preserves past gains in gender equality. The Foundation primarily makes grants to nonprofit organizations in the Greater Philadelphia area whose work improves the lives of women, girls, and non-binary individuals. It particularly encourages applications from organizations led by women and organizations serving underrepresented communities. Applicants may seek either general operating support or project-specific funding. Grants range from $8,000 to $15,000, and multi-year options are available, although the source does not specify the number of years, a separate multi-year maximum, total program funding, or the number of grants expected to be awarded. Funded work must align with the Foundation's social change mission. Programs that solely provide direct services to women and girls without producing meaningful social change do not meet the Foundation's social change criteria and are not funded. The Foundation also does not fund organizations that have not been determined to be tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Other exclusions include scholarships, endowments, capital campaigns, international initiatives, individuals, religious organizations for religious purposes, and political organizations for political purposes. No matching or cost-share requirement is stated in the provided information. The application process begins with a Letter of Intent. The 2026 Letter of Intent submission period opens June 30, 2026, and closes August 31, 2026. Applicants must complete and submit the Letter of Intent online. The Foundation provides a preview of the 2026 LOI Questions for organizations preparing their responses. After the August 31 submission deadline, the Valentine Foundation Trustees review and rank all Letters of Intent. The top-ranked submissions are discussed at an October meeting. Organizations selected to advance are contacted by a Trustee, receive feedback, and are invited to submit a full proposal. Only organizations specifically invited by the Valentine Foundation may submit a Full Proposal Grant Application. For organizations invited to the full proposal stage, the Foundation provides 2026 Application Questions for advance review and preparation. The actual application must be completed and submitted directly through the Foundation's online application portal. The source also provides instructional material explaining how to create an account and apply for a grant. The Foundation's stated review framework emphasizes meaningful social change rather than direct service alone, with its four Indicators of Social Change guiding applicants and trustees in evaluating proposed projects. The Trustees review all full proposals in November and make final grant allocations during that review. Selected organizations are expected to receive grant funds by the end of November. The provided source does not state a grant performance period or an explicit recurring schedule for future grant rounds, so recurrence beyond the stated 2026 cycle cannot be confirmed. Two 2026 grantee information sessions were scheduled for July 13 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM ET and August 6 from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM ET, but these sessions are not identified as mandatory submission requirements. The Valentine Foundation can be contacted at info@valentinefoundation.org or 610-283-5579. Its address is 350 Village Drive, Unit 1102, King of Prussia, PA 19406. As of August 18, 2026, the Letter of Intent period is open and the August 31, 2026 deadline remains upcoming. Applicants should therefore focus their initial submission on demonstrating alignment with the Foundation's social change framework, particularly how the proposed work will create meaningful systemic change affecting women, girls, and non-binary individuals rather than solely providing direct services.

Attend an info session for Q&A and review all provided resources before applying.