The Women's Fund of Essex County

What The Women's Fund of Essex County does

The Women's Fund of Essex County is a private, all-volunteer nonprofit philanthropic grantmaking organization founded in 2003 and headquartered in Beverly, Massachusetts. It operates as a field-of-interest fund of the Essex County Community Foundation (ECCF), which serves as its fiscal sponsor, providing 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status, administrative infrastructure, and the grant application platform. The organization raises funds from individuals, businesses, and foundations through annual appeals, fundraising events (notably Power of the Purse Plus), and corporate sponsorships, then deploys those funds through a rigorous multi-year grant allocation process to nonprofit programs serving women and girls across all 34 cities and towns of Essex County.

Core offerings include the Multi-Year Grant Program (typically three-year, $30,000-per-year awards) targeting five priority areas — economic empowerment, health and well-being, equity and social justice, academic achievement, and leadership development; the Essex County Resilient Girls Project, launched in 2024 with $210,000 in Cummings Foundation support to address adolescent girls' mental health through five nonprofit partners; and the Single Parent's Fund at North Shore Community College, established in 2017 to provide emergency financial assistance to single parents pursuing degrees. Supporting programs include the quarterly She Shines newsletter, the annual Above and Beyond Award, and the Grantee Recognition Breakfast.

Revenue is generated entirely through philanthropic contributions, foundation grants, and event-based fundraising; the organization charges no fees for its services and pays no salaries, with all work performed by a 20-member volunteer advisory board. Since founding, it has raised and awarded more than $5 million across 328 programs and 160+ nonprofit partners, with annual grant cycles having grown from $231,000 in 2024 to $390,000 in 2026.

Name

The Women's Fund of Essex County

Legal name

The Women's Fund of Essex County

Website

https://thewomensfundec.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Women's Fund of Essex County is an all-volunteer nonprofit grantmaking organization that raises funds from donors and foundations to award multi-year grants to nonprofit programs serving women and girls in need across Essex County, Massachusetts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropic Grantmaking Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Gender Lens / Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Funds (FSANAJAM), Social Impact & Inclusive Finance Funds (FSANAJAH), Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB)

Keywords

• Philanthropic grantmaking
• Women's nonprofit
• Community foundation
• Grant funding
• Nonprofit philanthropy

Headquarters

HQ city

Beverly

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Others, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Philanthropic Contributions: The Women's Fund raises funds from individuals, businesses, and foundations through donations, annual appeals, and fundraising events to award grants to nonprofit organizations serving women and girls in Essex County.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: The organization receives support from corporate sponsors who contribute financially to annual events and the organization's mission.
3. Foundation Grants: The organization receives grants from foundations such as Cummings Foundation to support specific initiatives like the Resilient Girls Project.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Women's Fund of Essex County is a philanthropic grantmaking organization that raises funds from individuals, businesses, and foundations through donations, annual appeals, fundraisers, and corporate sponsorships, and awards multi-year grants (typically 3-year grants of $30,000 each) to carefully selected nonprofit programs serving women and girls in need or at risk across Essex County, Massachusetts. Core initiatives include the Multi-Year Grant Program, the Essex County Resilient Girls Project (adolescent mental health), and the North Shore Community College Single Parent's Fund (emergency student financial support).

Product overview

The Women's Fund of Essex County is a philanthropic grant-making organization structured as a field of interest fund of the Essex County Community Foundation. The organization does not operate a software product but instead offers a portfolio of grant programs and initiatives. Core offerings include the Multi-Year Grant Program providing 3-year funding to Essex County nonprofits serving women and girls; the Essex County Resilient Girls Project focused on adolescent mental health; and the North Shore Community College Single Parent's Fund for emergency student assistance. Supporting initiatives include the She Shines newsletter, the Above and Beyond Award recognizing exceptional nonprofit partners, and Power of the Purse Plus fundraising events. All programs target five funding priority areas: Economic Empowerment, Health and Well-Being, Equity and Social Justice, Academic Achievement, and Leadership Development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Multi-Year Grant Program Competitive grant program awarding multi-year funding (typically 3-year grants of $30,000 each) to Essex County nonprofit organizations addressing issues impacting women and girls across Economic Empowerment, Health and Well-Being, Equity and Social Justice, Academic Achievement, and Leadership Development.
• Essex County Resilient Girls Project A three-year collaborative initiative launched in 2024 to address adolescent girls' mental health, funding five nonprofit partners and partnering with Wellesley College's Youth, Media, and Wellbeing Research Lab for program evaluation.
• North Shore Community College Single Parent's Fund Emergency non-tuition financial support fund created in 2017 to help single parent students with sole custody of dependent children complete their degrees or certifications, serving 177 single parents with average grants of $500 since inception.
• Above and Beyond Award Annual unrestricted grant awarded to a nonprofit whose vision and work exemplifies going above and beyond to meet the needs of women and girls, in honor of the Founders Circle.

Quantifiable outcome

• Since 2003, over $5 million raised and awarded to high-impact nonprofit partners
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• Wellesley College Youth, Media, and Wellbeing Research LabmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 January 2024The Women's Fund partnered with Wellesley College's Youth, Media, and Wellbeing Research Lab to produce a white paper assessing the effectiveness of various programs in the Resilient Girls Project.
• Essex County Community Foundation (ECCF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerECCF serves as the fiscal sponsor for The Women's Fund of Essex County, providing 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status, administrative support, and effective management of financial assets. The Women's Fund is a field of interest fund of ECCF.
• Women's Funding Network (WFN)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Women's Fund is a proud member of the Women's Funding Network, established in 1985 as a global movement to optimize the success of women's organizations. This connects TWF to 160+ women's organizations spanning 30 countries.
• Essex County Community FoundationcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerECCF provides grant application infrastructure through their website and manages the donation/fundraising platform (essex.fcsuite.com) used by The Women's Fund.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• YWCA USA: National nonprofit operating local associations that deliver programs serving women and girls, including The Women's Fund grantees like YWCA of Greater Newburyport; a parallel mission and overlapping beneficiary base.
• Women's Funding Network: The umbrella network of which The Women's Fund is a member; WFN connects 160+ women's organizations globally, providing shared knowledge, tools, and convenings that make member funds more effective.
• Ms. Foundation for Women: National women's foundation funding grassroots movements and providing capacity-building support to women-led organizations; a broader incumbent in the same philanthropic space The Women's Fund operates in.

Direct peers

• The Women's Foundation of Colorado: Statewide women's foundation investing in gender equity through grantmaking, research, and advocacy; a more mature, larger-scale analog of The Women's Fund's community foundation field-of-interest fund model.
• Women's Fund of Western Massachusetts: A regional women's foundation in western Massachusetts that pools donations and awards grants to nonprofits serving women and girls; structurally and operationally the closest geographic peer to The Women's Fund of Essex County.
• The Women's Foundation of Southern Arizona: Community-based women's foundation providing grants and leadership development for organizations serving women and girls in southern Arizona; same regional-foundation model applied in a different geography.
• Essex County Community Foundation: The Women's Fund's fiscal sponsor and parent community foundation; ECCF houses The Women's Fund as a field-of-interest fund and provides the back-office, donor, and grant-application infrastructure on which it relies.
• Greater Kansas City Women's Foundation: Regional women's foundation pooling donations and awarding grants to advance economic security and safety for women and girls; comparable structure and grantmaking discipline.
• The New York Women's Foundation: One of the oldest U.S. women's funds, mobilizing resources and awarding grants to community-based organizations serving women and girls; comparable in mission and grantmaking approach at meaningfully larger scale.

Others

• Cummings Foundation: Major Massachusetts foundation that awarded The Women's Fund a $210,000 three-year grant; a funder-and-adjacent ecosystem participant rather than a direct competitor, but materially relevant to the Fund's grantmaking capacity.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Women's Fund of Essex County