Apply for a grant
The Miriam Fund (TMF) looks for innovative projects that deliver measurable and sustainable outcomes for the advancement of women and/or girls* in Massachusetts’ Jewish and secular communities as well as in Israel (with a focus on the greater Haifa community), and address one or more of the following areas:
- Education
- Economic empowerment
- Health
- Legal rights
- Personal safety
*Includes all for whom “woman” or “girl” is a meaningful identifier or experience, including (but not limited to) cisgender women and girls, transgender women and girls, and nonbinary individuals.
TMF welcomes applications for new and ongoing results-oriented projects that can demonstrate a measurable and sustainable impact. TMF makes one-year grants up to a maximum of $25,000. Following a first-year grant, an organization may be considered for renewal for up to two additional consecutive years. Projects are funded for the fiscal year from July 1 to June 30. TMF does not support capital projects, scholarships, or make grants to individuals.
How to apply
Our letters of intent (LOIs) stage for the 2023–2024 grant cycle will open on Tuesday, August 1, 2023. LOIs must be submitted before 5:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, August 31, 2023. Organizations will be notified by Wednesday, November 17, 2023, whether they will be asked to submit a full proposal.
Please note: To more equitably review all applications from Israel organizations for LOIs due Thursday, August 31, 2023, TMF will accept only applications from organizations with a primary focus on Education or Economic Empowerment. In the following year, for LOIs submitted in August 2024, TMF will accept only applications from organizations with a primary focus on Health, Legal Rights, and Personal Safety.
Apply online:
TMF FY24 General Operating LOI
TMF FY24 Project LOI
To prepare a draft before submitting your responses online, we invite you to use the Word document versions of the LOIs:
Project LOI FY24 (Word Document)
General Operating LOI FY24 (Word Document)
Grantee and applicant FAQs
What are the key dates for the current application cycle?
- Information Session for applicants: Wednesday, June 21, 2023 | 9:00 a.m. ET; registration link
- Letters of Intent (LOIs) open: Tuesday, August 1, 2023
- LOIs due: Thursday, August 31, 2023, before 5:00 p.m. ET
- Notification on LOI decisions: Wednesday, November 17, 2023
- Applications due: Monday, January 8, 2024
- Notification on application decisions: April 2024
- Grant payment: July 2024
What are TMF’s general grant guidelines?
- Grants can be provided up to $25,000.
- Organizations may only submit one application each year.
- Following a first-year grant, an organization may be considered for renewal for up to two additional consecutive years.
- Grantees must complete mid-year and end-of-year updates.
- Projects are funded for the fiscal year from July 1 to June 30.
- Current third-year grantees must take one year off before applying again. All other past grantees are eligible to apply at the LOI stage.
- TMF does not support capital projects, scholarships, or make grants to individuals.
- To more equitably review all applications from Israel organizations for LOIs due Thursday, August 31, TMF will accept only applications from organizations with a primary focus on Education or Economic Empowerment. In the following year, for LOIs submitted in August 2024, TMF will accept only applications from organizations with a primary focus on Health, Legal Rights, and Personal Safety.
Are TMF grants limited to organizations providing services for women and girls only?
TMF was founded with the goal of advancing the lives and opportunities of self-identifying women and girls, and we use a gender lens in our grant-making decisions. The Miriam Fund has reviewed its funding focus and has further defined gender lens to clarify eligible applications. Moving forward, the following types of applications will be eligible for consideration:
Project Grants:
- Funds may be granted to programs that use a gender lens to improve and advance the lives and opportunities of self-identifying women and girls. These programs may include:
- those who identify as men or boys in order to serve as allies, supporters, or beneficiaries of learning about women’s issues; or
- those who identify as men or boys who may benefit from programming with the expectation that the program is customized to meet the specific needs of girls/women and women/girls are predominately the participants.
General Operating Grants:
- Funds will continue to be granted only to organizations with an operating budget of $1.5 million or less. Applicants/grantees must meet the same gender lens criteria as set forth above for Project Grants.
Does TMF fund any special initiatives?
Yes. The Gitta and Saul Kurlat Fund for STEM Education was established in honor of one of our earliest members, Gitta Kurlat. Gitta was the first woman partner at Rubin and Rudman where she specialized in business law and mentored many women in and out of the legal profession. Gitta and her husband Saul recognized that young women needed encouragement to study science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. With these dollars, we have been able to fund at least one STEM proposal each year.
If my organization has received a grant from TMF in the past, may we apply again?
Current grantees are eligible to submit an application for a second or third consecutive year of funding. TMF has revised its application to simplify the process for returning second and third year grant applicants. This information will be distributed in the Fall call for submission of full applications as returning grantees are not required to participate to submit in the LOI process. Current third-year grantees must take one year off before applying again. All past grantees are eligible to apply at the LOI stage.
How may a grant from TMF be used?
Most grants from TMF support specific projects. However, organizations with budgets under $1.5 million may apply for a general operating grant in lieu of a project-specific grant.
If my organization receives a grant, will we be required to communicate periodic status updates to TMF?
Yes, grantees are expected to stay in touch with TMF staff throughout the grant year and submit mid-year and end-of-year evaluation updates.
How does TMF support its grantee community?
In addition to the grants, TMF provides non-financial supports to its grantees including:
- Monthly newsletters including CJP partner resources and events
- Quarterly grantee convenings
- Grant-writing workshop
- Various webinars and additional resources
If you have questions about The Miriam Fund’s grant-making process, please contact Beth Tauro at betht@cjp.org.
2022–2023 Grant Recipients
The 2022–2023 grants have been announced. TMF made grants totaling $357,497 to 16 organizations empowering women and girls.
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