Open Meadows Foundation

OVERVIEW: The New York-based Open Meadows Foundation supports organizations that are “led by and benefit women and girls.” Grantmaking focuses on political activism and inclusive arts projects.

IP TAKE: The Open Meadows Foundation’s grantmaking prioritizes grassroots and small women-led organizations with annual budgets of $75,000 or less. Funding has prioritized projects in the visual and performing arts that promote diversity and inclusion. The foundation has also demonstrated a strong interest in grassroots organizing for racial, gender and economic justice. All grantmaking occurs through a racial equity and gender justice lens.

This accessible and approachable funder has traditionally run spring and fall grantmaking cycles and awarded between three and six grants per cycle. Since 2020, the foundation has paused its grantmaking to reorganize. They are transparent about when they may accept new proposals, so networking at this time will not improve your chances.

PROFILE: The Open Meadows Foundation, based in the Bronx, New York, was established in 1985 and is run entirely by women volunteers. The foundation supports projects that are “led by and benefit women and girls,” with the broad goal of promoting gender, racial and economic justice through activism and the arts. The Open Meadows Foundation limits its grantmaking to small, women-led organizations with annual budgets of less than $75,000, and grants are generally awarded in the amount of $2,000. While this funder has worked globally in the past, recent grantmaking has focused on U.S.-based organizations.

Grants for Women, LGBTQ, Racial Equity, Arts and Culture

Arts and culture constitute the Open Meadow Foundation’s largest area of grantmaking. All of Open Meadow’s grants support organizations that are “led by and benefit women and girls,” including nonbinary and female-identifying populations. Arts grantmaking funds projects in the performing and visual arts that promote diversity, community building and women’s empowerment.

Recent grantmaking strategies include efforts to involve women and girls in activist movements for labor rights, environmental justice, voting rights, community organizing, freedom from violence and economic equity.

One past grantee is First Read, a workshop that helps queer, trans and nonbinary playwrights develop new dramatic works. A grantee in the visual arts, the Corazon Healing Workshop and Mural Project, supported women survivors of Guatemala’s civil war with art therapy programs that culminated in a participatory mural.
Other recent arts and culture grantees include California’s Mendocino Dance Project, the LunART Festival in Wisconsin and Women Composers of Hartford.
Another grantee, the LatinX Leadership and College Experience Camp, developed programs that train young women in “visionary organizing” for grassroots social and political movements.
And in California, the foundation has supported the Indigenous Youth Foundation’s production of a documentary film and e-book about environmental degradation and activism.

The foundation also features the Nancy Dean Lesbian Playwriting award, which looks to recognize “new plays that address the conflict of lesbian, queer or gay, trans and nonbinary women struggling to live and love their best lives.”

Important Grant Details:

The foundation is currently undergoing reorganization and not accepting applications. Grantseekers should check the website before applying.
The Open Meadows Foundation makes between $10,000 and $20,000 in grants a year to small organizations that are led by women and that maintain annual budgets of less than $75,000.
Most grants are awarded in the amount of $2,000. This funder has supported organizations in developing countries in the past, but recent funding has focused on underserved populations and small arts organizations in the U.S.
For additional information about past grantees, see the foundation’s grantees page.
General inquiries may be emailed to volunteers at openmeadowsfdn@gmail.com.

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