Our Mission
The mission of SisterFund is to improve the lives of Black women and girls by transforming local nonprofits, who also support the development of Black women and girls through significant financial investments.
Our Vision
SisterFund’s vision is to invest in community-based organizations engaged in directly impacting Black women and girls through efforts that build positive futures, specifically through gains in education, workforce development, leadership, and health.
Our Giving Circle
SisterFund is a collective giving circle at the Community Foundation. The focus is on donor education and grant-making initiative, uniting civic-minded African American women’s ideas and actions through philanthropy and collective giving.
Our membership is comprised of 45+ African American women who leverage their resources to increase the impact of their giving. SisterFund members engage in an experience that transforms our community in this powerful journey of giving.
The mission of SisterFund is to invest in local nonprofits engaged in helping African American women and girls chart a positive future for themselves through gains in education, workforce, leadership development, and health.
Impact Stories
Grantmaking
Sisterfund's priorities are to fund transformation projects that:
- Foster change and have a long-term positive impact;
- Are programmatic and/or capital (i.e., building) in nature;
- Are new programs or expansions/improvements of existing programs that can change the way an organization or a community operates; and
- Can demonstrate specific measurable goals.
Education
- Advocacy and promotion of systemic reform and improvement in the quality of educational opportunities for African American women and girls
- Teacher/educator training
- Tutoring, life coaching, and/or mentoring
- Enrichment opportunities beyond the classroom that expose students to potential educational or career paths
Leadership Development and Support
- Leadership Development and Support:
- Coaching, mentoring, and/or training for African-American Female Executive Directors & CEOs of nonprofit organizations
Workforce Development & Support
- Programs to support entrepreneurs
- Apprenticeship or job skills training programs
Empowerment:
- Programs that focus on social emotional development of adolescent girls, including those that focus on building self-confidence
- Programs that promote a positive self image/self concept for women and girl
Health
- Promotion of healthy lifestyles
- Promotion of equity in health care access and delivery of services
CRITERIA:
- Organization must be a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that serves the Cities of Richmond and Petersburg and/or the counties of Chesterfield, Hanover, Henrico, Goochland, and/or Powhatan.
- Focus is on nonprofits that impact African American women and girls through efforts outlined in the Grant Priorities section.
We regret that we cannot accept applications from:
- Individual religious institutions
- Private foundations
- Colleges and universities
- Individuals or scholarship applicants
We also cannot accept applications to support:
- Debt reduction or operational deficits
- Endowments or memorials
- Bridge funding or interim financing
- Legal expenses
Application Process
We hope that all eligible organizations will consider submitting a proposal for this grant opportunity. To access the application, please log on to the Community Foundation’s online application system, click the “Apply” button on the top navigation bar and scroll down the menu to find the "SisterFund Proposal.”
If you have any trouble with our system, please don’t hesitate to contact grants@cfrichmond.org.
Deadlines
- October 30th, 2026: Applications Open
- November 13th, 2026: Applications due at 9:00am
Review Process
- A volunteer committee of SisterFund will review requests.
- Finalists will be invited to present at a meeting of full membership, where the membership will vote on its funding decision.
- The grant awards will be announced and celebrated at an event in December each year.
If you have any questions, please contact:
Tiffany Murillo
Manager, Diversity Engagement
grants@cfrichmond.org
Recent Grants
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