The Women’s Fund of Winston-Salem Announces 2025 Grant Recipients

On November 12, The Women’s Fund of Winston-Salem held its 20th annual luncheon celebration at the Benton Convention Center. Together, we honored this year’s grantee partners and the collective commitment that fuels our work, creating space for the voices and visions shaping brighter futures for women and girls.

The event, themed Honoring Our Legacy, Igniting Our Future, featured keynote speaker Chevara Orrin, an early Fund member and social justice advocate, who delivered a powerful keynote address on Women in Surgery.

Drawing from experiences across the globe — from Karibuni Power Women Group to La Fe Community Collective — Chevara illuminated how women embody collective responsibility and care for one another, offering stories that showed how these practices transcend borders. She brought those lessons home with clarity and heart, grounding her message in the words of Audre Lorde: “I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own.”

The Women’s Fund supports organizations implementing programs that address the barriers women face in achieving economic security, ensuring all women and girls have access to equitable opportunities. Through its unique membership model, members pool their resources to make grants that strengthen the lives of women and girls across Forsyth County. Members also engage directly in the grantmaking process — voting on funding decisions and helping shape the future of the Fund’s impact.

This year, the Fund received a record of 43 proposals totaling more than $550,000 and participated in virtual conversations and in-depth written reviews to ensure every opportunity was considered with care.

The Fund congratulates eleven local nonprofits receiving a total of $155,000 in grants made in 2025:  

• ‍Bee Geek: $15,000 to expand its Girl Code Program, introducing girls in Winston-Salem to technology and coding. The grant funds staffing, mentorship, family engagement, and hygiene support, helping create stronger pathways to economic mobility for young women in marginalized communities.
• ‍B.O.N.D. Cares: $15,000 to expand its Youth Basketball & Education Enrichment Program for girls in East Winston-Salem, providing tutoring, leadership, and basketball training. The grant removes financial barriers and supports girls ages 10–17 in building academic, social, and athletic success.
• ‍Into the Wild: $15,000 to expand its hybrid recovery program for women facing substance use disorder and instability. The grant funds a part-time licensed clinician to provide counseling and support, extending therapeutic care through the first 12–18 months of recovery and helping women heal and rebuild stability.
• ‍Jim Shaw ACE Academy: $15,000 to expand its STEM & Aviation Programs for Girls, offering a summer camp and monthly STEM club for middle and high schoolers in Forsyth County. The grant covers instructors, materials, and transportation, helping girls access hands-on aviation and technology experiences and pursue careers in these fields.
• ‍LetsNSpire: $15,000 to expand its Support for Young Mothers programs, providing mentorship, childcare, education, and counseling for mothers ages 12–24. The grant helps address housing insecurity and financial barriers, supporting young mothers in completing school, finding jobs, and building stable homes.
• ‍Mi Casa: $15,000 to expand free citizenship and immigration workshops for Latina women in Forsyth County, helping over 250 women and families with legal processes, DACA renewals, and access to essential community resources. The grant also boosts outreach for bilingual services, empowering immigrant women to achieve stability and economic security.
• ‍Mothers of Angels: $15,000 to expand its Healing & Empowerment for Bereaved Mothers program in Forsyth County. The grant supports weekly healing circles, financial literacy workshops, and peer leadership training, helping women process grief, gain stability, and become community advocates.
• ‍The Shalom Project: $15,000 to expand its Flourish Program, offering financial education, therapy, childcare, and savings incentives to women in Forsyth County. The grant supports and strengthens new and existing cohorts, including teen mothers, helping more women heads of household and Latina women achieve long-term stability and independence.
• ‍Sunnyside Ministry: $5,000 to launch the Purses of Care Pantry, a new initiative providing purses and diaper bags filled with hygiene products and personal care items to women facing financial hardship. The grant supports inventory setup and dignified distribution, helping women maintain health, employment, and stability.
• ‍Triad Cultural Arts: $15,000 to launch the Emerging Museum Professionals Program, providing paid internships, training, and mentorship for under-resourced high school girls. The program helps participants pursue museum careers and amplifies Black history and leadership in Winston-Salem. Participants will receive docent training, mentorship, and hands-on experience at the Shotgun House Museum and with partner institutions.
• ‍The Wells Center: $15,000 to expand its Support for Women in Transition, a trauma-informed reentry program for women returning from incarceration. The grant supports enhanced therapeutic care, day treatment, and peer mentorship, helping participants heal, rebuild stability, and achieve financial independence.

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The Women’s Fund of Winston-Salem engages the community to build economic security for women and girls in Forsyth County through collective giving, grantmaking, research, and advocacy. Established in 2006, the Fund’s unique membership model brings together a diverse community of women who pool their time, talent, and treasure to advance equity. Guided by the belief that all women and girls deserve the resources and opportunities to thrive, the Fund has granted more than $2.6 million to programs improving the lives of women and girls in Forsyth County. Learn more at womensfundws.org.

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