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WIF Grants Update As of October 10, 2023

By Lily Iatridis

On October 2, this year’s grants application cycle officially launched! Women’s Impact Fund is accepting grant applications through midnight on October 20, 2023.

For those new to Women’s Impact Fund (WIF), grants are awarded annually in five areas: arts & culture, education, environment, health, and human services. In order to be eligible for a WIF grant, an organization must be a 501(c)(3) or fiscally sponsored nonprofit organization, focus on one of the five areas listed above, and primarily serve Mecklenburg County residents.

Grant applicants aren’t required to focus on women and girls, and prior WIF grant recipients are eligible to receive an award three years after the award of a previous grant. Every grant awarded will be for unrestricted operating support. WIF does not fund fraternal organizations, religiously-centered organizations, or endowment campaigns.

WIF’s funding principles include the following:

•          Racial and/or gender equity

•          Responsiveness to, or awareness of, root causes of problems

•          Focus on reducing disparities

•          Increasing accessibility

•          Building resilience or demonstrating the ability to adapt to changing circumstances

•          Serving populations that are underserved or not reached at all.

Each organization awarded a grant must demonstrate a dedication to one or several of these principles. On October 5, a live webinar reviewing the application process for grant applicants took place, and a recording of the webinar is available on the WIF website.

WIF’s grants committee began their work with a kick-off meeting to review the process on August 30. From that point onward, a Listening & Learning period began where all committee members were asked to study and review materials regarding the grant award process overall and current issues in their assigned area of focus (arts & culture, education, environment, health, or human services). Once the application window closes on October 20, the application review period begins and continues through the end of November.

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Janet LaBar

Executive Director​
jlabar@womensimpactfund.org

With more than 25 years of experience, Janet has a proven track record of leading organizations and teams in developing strategies that foster thriving communities. Her career is dedicated to the well-being of the places she serves, and the people and businesses within them, positioning her as a trusted sounding board, critical thinker, and purposeful protagonist across corporate, government, education, entrepreneurial, and civic spheres.
Janet joined Women’s Impact Fund in June 2025 to guide one of Charlotte’s most respected, women-led philanthropic organizations into its next phase of growth and impact. In partnership with the Women’s Impact Fund team, Board, Advisors, members, volunteers, and key community partners, she will continue strengthening communities by maximizing women’s leadership in philanthropy through collective giving, education, and engagement.
Inspired by her family, teams who dare greatly, and people and communities striving to be their best selves, Janet’s impactful career includes leadership roles as President and CEO of Charlotte Regional Business Alliance, President and CEO of Greater Portland Inc, and Chief Performance Officer of Greater Phoenix Economic Council. As a first-generation Filipino American, her lived experience deeply informs her professional drive to create equitable economic growth and opportunity in the metro areas she’s served.
She holds a BA in Communication Arts from the University of West Florida and an MBA in Marketing from the University of Phoenix. Janet and her husband James are proud parents to an older daughter, and a daughter and son who are twins.