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Asian Women Giving Circle Request for Proposals 2026

This RFP is closed.

Overview

The Asian Women Giving Circle (AWGC) believes culture is an essential part of any strategy for social change. We support projects led by Asian American women or gender-expansive people in NYC that harness the power of arts and culture to:

  • Advance a just, free and safe society  
  • Raise awareness and catalyze action around critical issues that affect Asian American women, girls, gender-expansive people, and families
  • Shine an authentic spotlight on our experiences and stories

In this grants cycle, we anticipate that 8 – 10 project grants will be awarded, contingent on available funding. The maximum grant amount is $8,000. To see past funded projects, visit our website: www.asianwomengivingcircle.org

Eligibility 

This RFP is open to both 501(c)(3) organizations and individual artists

  • Artists and collectives that are not 501(c)(3)s must apply under a fiscal sponsor that is a 501(c)(3) organization, which they must list on their application as the applying organization.
  • NOTE: Failure to provide 501(c)(3) documentation or to provide a fiscal sponsor with the same will automatically disqualify the application.
  • All artistic disciplines will be considered, including cross-disciplinary work
  • Projects must incorporate the arts in an integral way
  • Projects must highlight women’s and gender-expansive people’s leadership and/or central role
  • Projects must demonstrate a commitment to NYC-based communities (Please note that we have made grants outside of this geographic scope to projects of exceptional merit)
  • Grants must be applied to specific projects and cannot support the organization’s ongoing programs, operations, capital or endowments
  • Applicants can be at any stage in their careers but must have a track record of developed work that demonstrates their capacity to complete the proposed project and manage the funds requested
  • Proposals must make a clear case for the theory of social justice change envisioned by the project, based on the applicants’ own criteria for defining and measuring impact

What We Do Not Fund

  • Capital or endowment campaigns
  • Equipment purchases
  • Support to address financial crises or shortfalls
  • Purely personal works of artistic expression with little or no social justice impact
  • Documentation that is primarily of cultural events
  • Performances or personalities that do not provide a social change analysis or social justice focus
  • Student productions or projects associated with a degree program and academic credit

Criteria and Review Process

Applications are reviewed by AWGC members who select a shortlist of finalists. We then encourage our broader donor community to vote via online ballot on this shortlist and make our final decision once the ballots are in.

In the interest of fairness and transparency, if you have made a donation in the year that you are also an applicant, you will not be able to vote via online ballot.

Applications will be reviewed with the following criteria:

  • The project is led by AANHPI women or gender-expansive people and/or has AANHPI women and girls and/or gender-expansive people in central roles in the project’s conceptual framework, design and implementation.
  • The arts and social change are related in an integral way.
  • Has a clear and persuasive strategy to move hearts and minds toward progressive social change and a strong potential to do so.
  • Raises awareness and/or intervenes around critical issues affecting AANHPI women, girls, and/or gender-expansive people and families, e.g., human rights, bias, injustice, gender-based violence, immigrant rights.
  • Demonstrates a deep commitment to NYC-based communities. (Please note that we have made grants outside of this geographic scope to projects of exceptional merit)
  • Demonstrates a vision and plan for using the grant funds effectively and for completing the project.
  • Demonstrates exceptional creativity, artistically and/or through social intervention.

Important Dates

  • Proposal Deadline: Monday, March 2, 2026
  • Notification of Grant Awards: July 2026

The system will shut down at midnight (EST). After that time, applications can no longer be accepted. We are unable to make exceptions for late applications, even if the delay is due to computer issues or other unforeseen complications.

How to Apply

This RFP is administered via the Ms. Foundation for Women’s YourCause Grants Portal, and applications will be accepted only through the portal.

Application Preview and Procedure

Please familiarize yourself with the online application prior to the deadline. Your proposal must be submitted through the Ms. Foundation’s grants portal using the link below: The link is no longer available.

Please note: This application portal requires cookies to function properly. Please ensure cookies are enabled in your browser. We recommend using Google Chrome for the best user experience.

On the YourCause Grants Portal landing page, click Create account and follow the prompts to set up your account. Once complete, you will be directed to the online application form. Please save your username and password. Neither Asian Women Giving Circle nor Ms. Foundation for Women can access your login information.

To support you through the setup process, we’ve included helpful resources below with step-by-step guidance:

Helpful Tips:

If you need assistance or have questions regarding the steps above, please contact the Ms. Foundation for Women’s Grants Management Team at [email protected].

The online application will ask you to provide some basic contact information before prompting you to upload a Narrative Proposal & Project Budget (in PDF format) as well as Supporting Documentation (in PDF format). Details on both are described below.

You will receive a confirmation email (sent to the email you noted on your application) once your application has been received by the Ms. Foundation for Women.

Please note that incomplete applications, applications sent via regular mail, or applications that do not adhere to the specified requirements will not be accepted.

NARRATIVE PROPOSAL & PROJECT BUDGET

Format for Proposal

Narrative must follow the following format:

  • Type, use a 12-point font size and single-space
  • Save in PDF format

Combine all narrative proposal components below into ONE (1) PDF document to be uploaded:

Short Project DescriptionDescribe the project in one or two brief sentences (max. 100 words)
Long Project DescriptionDescribe the proposed project, e.g., genesis, historic or current context, the issues it seeks to address, and key narrative and/or formal elements (max. 300 words).
Artist Statement or Organizational MissionProvide your organization’s mission or, if you are applying as an artist, please provide a general overview of your practice. What do you make, why do you make it, and how do you make it (process)?
ImpactWhat impact do you hope to have with your project? Describe your intended goals, and the project’s theory of change. How will you know if your goals have been achieved? (max. 300 words)
AccessHow will members of the community participate or gain access to the project? What is the applicant’s relationship to that community? (max. 300 words)
Activities & TimelineList the activities you will carry out to achieve the goals of your project. Include a project implementation plan and a timeline for the proposed activities.
Project BiosProvide narrative bios or CVs for the project’s primary collaborators.
Work SamplesWorks samples are optional but encouraged. Your work sample should be a current representation of your proposed project, or representative of your approach or style. PLEASE SUBMIT ONLINE SAMPLES ONLY.
— Digital Samples: Please embed links for your samples and ensure the links are working and accessible for 12 weeks after the application deadline. For password-protected work, provide the URL and password.
— Digital Images: Limit to six digital images total.
— Video/Audio: Total of five minutes of video/audio.
— Written Sample: Submit no more than 10 – 12 pages, double spaced, 12-point font.
Project BudgetThis is the budget for the specific project you are seeking funding for, not your overall organizational budget. Provide an itemized account of expenditures including personnel, consultants, equipment and space rental and other material costs. 
 
Provide a list of any foundation, corporate, individual donors and/or crowdfunded sources of financial support with amounts, including pending funding sources for your current and most recent year.
 
Note: Overhead/ indirect or administrative costs may account for up to 15% of your project budget. These costs refer to any ongoing operating expenses of the regular business of the applicant that are not directly related to the project. This percentage should be explicitly shown in the budget.
 
If needed, please click the link below to download an Excel budget template. (Disregard the “organization budget” title of the template: it is meant to be adapted for a variety of budgets, including projects) https://forwomen.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Organization-Budget-Income-Template.xls  

SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION 

Separate from the Narrative Proposal above, please upload these supporting documents in the corresponding sections of the application:

If you are applying as a nonprofit organization, please upload:

  • An organizational budget for the current and most recent fiscal year that includes operating expenses (PDF).

If you are applying as an artist with a fiscal sponsor, please upload:

  • An organizational budget for the current and most recent fiscal year that includes operating expenses (PDF).
  • A copy of a fiscal sponsorship agreement letter signed by you and the fiscal sponsor (PDF).

Contact

If you need assistance with the grant portal, please contact [email protected].

For any RFP related questions, please contact  [email protected].