Grants
Spark Awards
What are Spark Awards?
In 2024, Women’s Impact Fund announced an evolution of its Spark funding model to make $5,000 unrestricted awards annually to inspiring women leaders who work in direct relationship with community members to drive transformational change in Mecklenburg County. These leaders may include, but are not limited to, employees and volunteers working with nonprofit organizations, leaders of grassroots movements, community organizers, activists and more. Our first class of eight Spark Award recipients was announced in June 2024. Learn more here.
Spark Award recipients have full discretion to use the funds in any way they choose to cultivate their individual care, renewal, growth, and healing. In addition to the cash award, recipients also receive a one-year WIF membership to provide additional opportunities for connection, leadership, and growth. Funding may also be allocated to provide honoraria for finalists, wellness or coaching support for recipients, and other events focused on creating connections among recipients, finalists, and the community.
Learn more here: 2025 Spark FAQ
Nominations generally open each January for 3-4 weeks, and awards are made at our Annual Meeting in May.
Why is Women’s Impact Fund making these investments?
Leaders working at the forefront of community change and
transformation often dedicate far more time and energy than average employees in the course of their work. They are typically fueled by a passion for the mission of their organizations and/or causes and often sacrifice their own well-being in pursuit of that mission, resulting in an endless cycle of burnout and recovery.
Research by the Society of Human Resources (SHRM) indicates that attrition from nonprofits is approximately 19% versus normal workforce turnover of approximately 12%. Many of these leaders also
come from historically marginalized communities and have limited access to time off for rest as well as fewer opportunities and/or resources to engage in other forms of personal and professional renewal.
Philanthropystands at a crossroads—a choice between
maintaining the status quo and embracing radical
transformation. It’s a call to redefine our role as
philanthropists, placing change agents at the heart of our efforts. Byinvesting in the care of those we serve, we move beyond superficial support to create a compassionate force
that propels leaders and organizations not just to survive but to thrive and amplifytheir impact.
Care-based philanthropyis not just a vision; it’s a necessity for a more just and equitable future and the foundation upon which, when sustained, impactful work can be built.
– Shawnda Chapman, Ms. Foundation for Women
Leaders working at the forefront of community change and
transformation often dedicate far more time and energy than average employees in the course of their work. They are typically fueled by a passion for the mission of their organizations and/or causes and often sacrifice their own well-being in pursuit of that mission, resulting in an endless cycle of burnout and recovery.
Research by the Society of Human Resources (SHRM) indicates that attrition from nonprofits is approximately 19% versus normal workforce turnover of approximately 12%. Many of these leaders also
come from historically marginalized communities and have limited access to time off for rest as well as fewer opportunities and/or resources to engage in other forms of personal and professional renewal.
Philanthropystands at a crossroads—a choice between maintaining the status quo and embracing radical transformation. It’s a call to redefine our role as philanthropists, placing change agents at the heart of our efforts. Byinvesting in the care of those we serve, we move beyond superficial support to create a compassionate force that propels leaders and organizations not just to survive but to thrive and amplifytheir impact.
Care-based philanthropyis not just a vision; it’s a necessity for a more just and equitable future and the foundation upon which, when sustained, impactful work can be built.
– Shawnda Chapman, Ms. Foundation for Women
- Exhaustion, low pay, and poor benefits characterize the working conditions in these organizations and are issues that funders — especially those practicing social change philanthropy — can address.
- As funders, we must do more to celebrate community-based work as transformational, recognizing the people behind these efforts for their extraordinary contributions. While unrestricted, currently grants from WIF support only nonprofit organizations and programs. Even unrestricted grants are typically focused entirely on the organization’s overall operations — not the people inspired and dedicated to creating transformational change. We are missing a key opportunity to deepen our collective impact.
- We believe that people are the fulcrum of change. It is in our collective best interest to invest in the people who are dedicating themselves to drive community-centered change. Everyone must have access to the opportunity to rest, renew, and grow.
- We envision that these reimagined Spark Awards will serve as a catalyst and model for other funders investing in our community’s diverse ecosystem of leaders. Together, we can promote a culture of collective care, address burnout, and encourage more investment in the people making change in Charlotte-Mecklenburg.
FAQs
We welcome nominations of inspiring women leaders who are working in direct relationship with community members to drive transformational change in Mecklenburg County.
Nominees may come from a diverse range of fields, including but not limited to art and culture, education, environment, health, human services, social justice, etc. They may be employees or volunteers working with nonprofit organizations, leaders of grassroots movements, community organizers, activists, and more. Nominees should be individuals on the frontlines leading the vital work of community
transformation and positive change.
We particularly encourage nominations of women whose passion, commitment and demonstrated change-making efforts have gone without wide recognition or acknowledgment in the broader community. Anyone who identifies as a woman can be nominated for the award. Our definition of gender identity is a person’s internal, deeply held sense of their gender. As such, we define women as individuals
whose gender identity is as a woman. All nominees must be 21 years or older.
WIF staff, current members of the WIF Board of Directors, members of the WIF Spark Committee, and immediate family members of these individuals are ineligible. Additionally, staff and board members of WIF grant recipients that have received funding within the past two years are ineligible. WIF members who receive an award would not be eligible for the free year of WIF membership.
Given WIF’s history as a women-founded, women-led organization, as well as annual data from the
Women’s Philanthropy Institute’s 2023 Women & Girls Index (WGI) indicating that less than 2% of overall
charitable giving in the U.S. goes to women’s and girls’ organizations, the focus on women felt like a
natural fit at this time.
We hope to recognize up to nine (9) recipients each year, with two? grant cycles (fall & spring). The first
round of awards will be announced in June 2024. We expect these awards to be highly competitive.
