Grants of up to $50,000 to Michigan, Mississippi, and Washington nonprofit organizations to support women seeking leadership roles. The program is intended to increase the number of women elected to state legislatures. Priority will be given to applicants that are committed to addressing the unique barriers faced by underrepresented and marginalized communities.

Funding is intended for organizations that are working to empower women to seek elected office or become leaders in their community or are interested in beginning this work. Selected organizations will work together with support from The Ascend Fund to build state-based coalitions. The coalitions will train and recruit diverse women to run for office on both sides of the aisle to increase the number of women serving in the state legislature.

Additionally, the Fund strongly encourages joint applications among organizations to leverage and share skillsets, experience, networks, and resources. Strong applicants will also indicate if the organization has the capacity to dedicate additional resources – staff time, existing relationships, funding, etc. – to the project.

Proposals should focus on approaches to make state legislative seats more accessible to women, including but not necessarily limited to:​

• Coalition Building: Build state coalition of like-minded groups that share a commitment to gender parity, racial equity, and reproductive rights.
• Barrier Reduction: Identify common and unique barriers hindering women’s success in reaching state elected office and develop strategies to remove, reduce, or circumvent those barriers.
• Targeted Recruitment: Identify common and unique barriers hindering women’s success in reaching state elected office and develop strategies to remove, reduce, or circumvent those barriers.
• Candidate Training: Provide women with the training, tools, resources, and support necessary to successfully run for the state legislature.
• Messaging Campaign: Highlight women’s underrepresentation and normalize women’s leadership through public messaging campaigns