Is WINcome currently accepting applications?
2024-2026 WINcome opens for applications on June 20, 2024 and closes on August 28, 2024. After this year’s cycle, the next anticipated grant cycle is in 2027.
What other grant opportunities does The Women's Foundation of Colorado offer?
Learn about the Women and Girls of Color Fund. We've also compiled these grant resources from other other organizations.
What are WINcome’s grant guidelines?
Access the 2024-2026 WINcome Grant Guidelines in English here.
Por favor haga clic aquí para acceder a las pautas de subvenciones de 2024-2026 WINcome en español.
What does the 2024-2026 timeframe mean?
The 2024-2026 timespan refers to the years of funding a WINcome grant partner may be eligible for. The first WINcome grant will be disbursed in December 2024 or January 2025 for work done in 2025.
Pending approval of renewal applications, the second WINcome grant will be disbursed in December 2025 or January 2026 for work in 2026, and the final grant will be disbursed in December 2026 or January 2027 for work done in 2027. This may be adjusted based on available funding and other considerations.
How were WINcome grant partners selected?
Similar to past WINcome grantmaking cycles, The Women’s Foundation of Colorado’s programs staff, volunteer Direct Service Grantmaking Committee, and Public Policy Committee will review grant applications. We look for alignment with WINcome priorities and WFCO’s mission, vision, values, and goal of gender, racial, and economic equity. The Direct Service Grantmaking and Public Policy Committees will advise the WFCO Board of Trustees in the final selection of WINcome grant partners.
What is flexible cash assistance?
The Women's Foundation of Colorado defines flexible cash assistance as financial support that increases an individual’s financial freedom, and includes:
- Unconditional cash transfers - cash payment that does not require the individual to meet certain conditions in order to participate (e.g. work requirements)
- Unrestricted cash transfers - cash payment is directed solely by the individual, individual is trusted to utilize funds where they are most impactful
- Direct cash assistance - cash that is distributed directly to an individual without any restrictions or conditions surrounding the payment
- Payments to third parties - payments made on behalf of an individual to a third party, as determined by the individual, to avoid a benefits cliff, therefore releasing restrictions on funds that the third party payment covered (e.g. payments to utility companies, landlords, gas gift cards, etc.)
- Basic income - recurring, unrestricted, unconditional payments that are enough to cover basic needs*
- Guaranteed income - recurring, unrestricted, and unconditional payments that supplement the current benefits of the social safety net, meaning it does not replace them. The focus of this income distribution tends to be on low-middle income communities that are marginalized, as it aims to address historic gender, racial, and economic injustices.*
*These definitions come from Income Movement’s Basic Income Terminology guide.
What is the benefits cliff and is it connected to WINcome?
The benefits cliff occurs at the point when a marginal increase in income results in families losing “work support” benefits, like the earned income tax credits, Medicaid, SNAP, child care assistance, etc. However, the increase in income is still not enough for families to cover the loss of those benefits or meet their basic needs. In essence, an increase in earnings actually leaves families worse off than before. This paradox is one that WFCO aims to mitigate and change through WINcome, so that Colorado women and their families have better opportunities to advance economically.
What is the Colorado Direct Cash Transfer Community of Practice?
In the summer of 2022, The Women’s Foundation of Colorado co-convened the Colorado Direct Cash Transfer Community of Practice, or the CCOP. This state-focused community of practice was inspired by the national Guaranteed Income Community of Practice that is spearheaded by the Economic Security Project.
The CCOP met regularly through December 2023 to learn from and with various direct cash stakeholders, including direct cash pilots, interested nonprofit organizations, governmental entities, public policy organizations, and community participants in direct cash pilots. Alongside the CCOP, a benefits cliff working group was established to investigate and understand ways to mitigate benefits cliff effects on direct cash and flexible cash assistance program participants.
By early 2024, consensus among the members of these groups led to the groups’ transition into a Colorado Direct Cash Policy Working Group, which primarily focused on advancing various policy advocacy movements for cash assistance throughout Colorado. Now, this group has evolved into the Cash for Coloradans Coalition.
WINcome grant partners have actively engaged with these groups and we hope the Cash for Coloradans Coalition continues to be a valuable resource for grant partners.
To join the coalition or connect further about this collective work, please connect with Alison Friedman Phillips, WFCO director of programs, policy, & advocacy.