Grants guidance

As an organization, AAWGT is committed to supporting work that improves the quality of life for women and families in Anne Arundel County and to partnering with nonprofits who share this vision.

Like you, we care about healthy lives and safe places to live — we worry about food deserts — we see the growing need for emergency responses for housing and food, for access to equitable health care, and for safe, secure homes and a healthy environment for all women and families.

Like you, we care about education in all its forms, starting with the very youngest — and the importance of literacy and mentoring for people of all ages.

Like you, we are concerned about violence of any kind — domestic violence, gun violence and bullying.

And, like you, we care about breaking the cycle of inequity in society, in organizations and in practice.

For several years, AAWGT has worked to embed the principles of DEIAB (diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility and belonging) and Trust-Based Philanthropy within our organization and our grantmaking process. We are committed to being a positive force for DEIAB through the work we fund. And, while maintaining our all-important focus on improving the quality of life of women and families in our county, we believe that you, as a nonprofit, bring a firsthand understanding of how best to address this.

November 17, 2026 – Grant application is made available in PDF format for preview only.

January 1, 2027 – Online portal (Foundant) opens for organizations to apply for 2027 grant.

January 6, 2027 – Grants Applicant Workshop on Zoom. Two identical sessions will be held at 9:30am and 1:30pm. Registration opens in December.

January 31, 2027 – Application must be submitted by 11:59pm when the online portal will close.

July 1, 2027 – Grant year funding begins.

• Only non-profits with gross annual revenue less than $1,000,000 (excluding in kind revenue) are eligible to apply. Please use the revenue number from your most recent 990 if possible. Organizations operating under the nonprofit umbrella of a larger state or national organization will be required to submit their local affiliate revenue (required to be under $1,000,000) as well as the revenues reported by their parent organization. Use your organization’s name followed by your Fiscal Sponsor’s name, if applicable, on the application.
• An organization may submit only one application.
• Funding is limited to two consecutive grants cycles after which the organization becomes ineligible for the following two grants cycles.
• Your proposal must be responsive to our mission: improving the quality of life for women and families located in Anne Arundel County.
• We only fund programs or projects which provide benefits or services to women and/or families located in Anne Arundel County. The application asks you to tell AAWGT in which areas of the county you do your work. Those areas are:
• 1. West County: Crofton, Fort George G. Meade, Gambrills, Hanover, Harmans, Laurel, Maryland City, Odenton, Russett and Severn.
  2. North County: Brooklyn Park, Baltimore/Washington International Airport, Curtis Bay, Gibson Island, Glen Burnie, Lake Shore, Linthicum, Orchard Beach, Pasadena and Riviera Beach.
  3. Central County: Annapolis, Arnold, Cape Saint Claire, Crownsville, Eastport, Highland Beach, Millersville, The U.S. Naval Adademy, Severna Park and Sherwood Forest.
  4. South County: Beverly Beach, Churchton, Davidsonville, Edgewater, Edgewater Beach, Friendship, Galesville, Harwood, Lothian, Mayo, Riva, Shady Side, Tracy's Landing and West River.
• If applying to continue a currently funded program, the application will need to show that the current program has demonstrated substantial progress toward success by the application due date.
• Your organization must be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit at the time it applies, after the grant is awarded and for the duration of the funding cycle.
• If your organization is not a nonprofit, you may also apply by affiliating with a sponsoring 501(c)(3). Your organization could also have access to a Group Exemption by virtue of its affiliation with a church. If so, you will need to provide us with a letter dated this fiscal year from your parent organization that establishes the right of your organization to use this Group Exemption. Note that grant checks are made payable to the fiscal sponsor.

Section I. Organization Information: This section asks for basic information about your organization and also asks for the gross annual revenue to be sure that your organization meets our criteria for having revenue under $1,000,000.

Section II. Required Items: Applications will not be accepted if the items requested are inaccurate or incomplete.

Know and confirm the following two items for your nonprofit organization — they are REQUIRED!

• Federal Employee Identification Number (EIN) – this identifies your organization as a nonprofit. Your EIN will look like this: 00-0000000.
  Website to verify: https://apps.irs.gov/app/eos/.
• Maryland Charity Registration – this identifies the organization with MD Office of Secretary of State.
  Website to verify: https://onestop.md.gov/list_views/62f3e1797f7e3200016a3dab.
  Organization must be listed as “Registration Status: Current” to be be voted on by the membership.

Section III. Proposal Information: (Please keep your responses as concise as possible – we accept bulleted information.) The first questions are designed to give the reviewers a brief overview of your organization.

• When choosing a project name, it should only be a few words. It needs to fit in the memo line of a check. It should not repeat the name of your organization. Examples of project names that work are:
  - Baby pantry
  - STEM Camp for disabled students
  - Housing for veterans
• When answering the question about accessibility and inclusion, please be as specific as possible.
• The amount you request must be between $5,000 and $25,000. The questions in this section get to the heart of your proposal. Through them, we are seeking to better understand the specific need you are addressing and how our funding will help you meet that need. Your past experiences and the knowledge you have gained in working within the community are important to us and should be included.
• The Optional question provides an opportunity for you to share anything we have not asked but you feel is important in understanding your organization and/or your proposal.
• The Summary you provide should capture the most important aspects of your proposal. Your summary will be used, exactly as written, in presenting your proposal for the final membership vote.

Section IV. Financial Information: We request two items: a Proposal Budget explaining how the dollars requested will be spent (please use the template provided) and a current Operating Budget for your organization (please use the template provided if you do not presently use one).

are encouraged to consider applying for general operating expenses as well as program expenses.

Section V. Data Questions: Please check the appropriate category(s) in each of the four sections.

Section VI. Contact Information

Section VII. Electronic Signature: Please don’t forget to electronically sign and submit the application!

What We Do Not Fund

• Organizations that discriminate by race, creed, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, disability, or national origin
• Capital projects, including new construction, expansion, renovation or replacement of existing buildings
• Endowments
• Sponsorships or fundraising drives/events
• Banquets, receptions or similar events
• Political activities or lobbying
• Sectarian religious activities
• Grants to individuals

Next Steps: AAWGT members will evaluate your application in a careful process. Successful proposals will be placed on a ballot for membership vote in mid-May. Applicants eliminated during the first review will be notified in March to early April. Applicants eliminated during the second review will be notified in April.

Still Have Questions?

For questions about grant requirements or the grants process, email grants@givingtogether.org
For technical or software questions, email GrantAppHelp@givingtogether.org and include a telephone number.

Grant-making is the heart and soul of Anne Arundel Women Giving Together (AAWGT), and our initial reason for coming together as a group – to pool our money to make the most difference in the lives of women and families in our county.

This process mobilizes the dedication, capabilities and thoughtfulness of many, many women each year, and the committees that they join. These committees include the Grants Committee, the Grantee Liaison Committee and the Grants Systems Committee.

The GRANTS COMMITTEE consists of a chair and an assistant chair(s), team leaders and reviewers. Each team leader will have 4-6 reviewers on her team and will be assigned to 4-5 applicant organizations, depending on the number of applications received that year. Its main task is to evaluate and discern applications for voting by the full membership. Although the focus of the Grants Committee’s work is February through May/June, it is active all year evaluating the current process and polishing the application process for the coming year.

The GRANTEE LIAISON COMMITTEE, likewise, consists of a chair and an assistant chair(s), and liaisons. Two to three liaisons are assigned to every ongoing grant (previous year and current year) to provide leadership, oversight, encouragement and structure. The liaisons are asked to complete an interim report for each grantee in November to comment, assess and evaluate how the grant year is going. The grantees are required to provide a final report each year in July which the Grantee Liaison Committee evaluates and then provides their own interpretation and appraisal. This committee sponsors a Grants Showcase in the fall for previous and current grantees. The committee liaisons keep in touch with their grantee counterparts throughout the year.

The GRANTS SYSTEMS COMMITTEE maintains the Foundant grants management online system, and works with the Grants and Grantee Liaison committees to create and edit the application, the follow-ups and other necessary reports. The committee keeps an electronic repository of all grant-related documents and communications. This committee also provides ‘Help Desk’ services to applicants during the application process and to the Grants and Grantee Liaison committees as requested.

• In the beginning of December of each year, the Community Foundation of Anne Arundel County (CFAAC) sends a request for proposal to all of the 501c(3) organizations in Anne Arundel County on our behalf asking them to apply to AAWGT for a grant, explaining our eligibility requirements and directing them to our website for detailed information as well a link to our actual application.
• In the beginning of January, the Grants Committee and the Grants Systems Committee offer a class for applicants to familiarize them with our on-line application system (Foundant).
• Applications are usually due in the beginning of February, at which time the Grants Committee completes due diligence for all applications (i.e., checking 501c(3) status, all budget fields filled in, Maryland Charity Registration status, etc.). Some denials may be made at this time.
• During the months of February, March and April, the Grants Committee meets several times to discuss the standing of each remaining applicant, conduct phone calls and email communications. Denials will be made at these meetings.
• In May, the remaining applicants are presented to the general membership for voting. Successful applicants are notified!
• In June, the grantees are electronically sent a package that includes their award letter, our reporting expectations and a grant agreement to be signed.
• In July, checks are sent out. The Grantee Liaison Committee members get their assignments for the current grantees. The final reports for the previous year’s grantees are due from the grantees at the end of the month.
• In August, the Grantee Liaison portion of the (July) final report is due to the Grantee Liaison chair/assistant chair(s).
• In September, the Grantee Liaison Committee holds a Showcase with current grantee representatives, and presentations from the previous year’s grantees highlighting their organizations, often with speakers who have directly benefitted from programs that AAWGT has funded.
• In October, final revisions are completed for next year’s application.
• In November, the Grantee Liaison Committee will complete the interim reports. Liaisons may meet with their current grantees to assess progress and help ensure successful outcomes.

And the year begins again …