Action for Women's Health FAQs

Action for Women’s Health is a global open call that will fund organizations around the world that are improving women’s mental and physical health. Launched on October 9, 2024, this open call will award a total of $250 million USD to awardee organizations by the end of 2025.

We welcome applications from organizations around the world that are working to improve women’s mental and/or physical health. We encourage you to assess your fit for the Open Call by completing the Organizational Readiness Tool.

Applications must be submitted by one of the following types of entities:

•  An entity based in the United States and/or U.S. Territories that has received a tax determination letter from the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) that it is exempt from federal income tax as an organization described under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (“IRC”) and a publicly supported organization described under section 509(a)(1) or (2) of the IRC and which tax determination letter is in effect.
• A nonprofit organization for a fiscally sponsored project, provided that the nonprofit organization is an entity based in the United States and/or US Territories and has received an IRS determination letter that it is exempt from federal income tax as an organization described under section 501(c)(3) of the IRC and a publicly supported organization described under section 509(a)(1) or (2) of the IRC and which tax determination letter is in effect (or meets the equivalency standards noted below for entities organized under the laws of foreign jurisdiction); the fiscal sponsor must exercise discretion and control over the grant funds.
• An entity based in the United States and/or U.S. Territories that has received a tax determination letter from the IRS determination letter that it is exempt from federal income tax as an organization described under section 501(c)(3) of the IRC and is also classified as a Type I or Type II supporting organization described under section 509(a)(3) of the IRC, and which tax determination letter is in effect.
• A U.S. tribal government treated as a State pursuant to IRC Section 7871.
• An entity organized under the laws of a foreign jurisdiction which has received a tax determination letter from the IRS or has been determined to be the equivalent of a section 501(c)(3) and 509(a)(1) or (2) organization by NGOsource for which equivalency determination has not expired and would be in effect or could extend through the date of award payment.
• An entity that is recognized under the law of the applicable jurisdiction as a non-governmental organization, a higher educational organization, a charitable organization, a not-for-profit organization, or a similar type entity that is not a for-profit organization or government agency (except for state universities or US tribal governments treated as a State pursuant to IRC Section 7871) and that is engaged in charitable activities within the meaning of section 501(c)(3) of the IRC.
• Affiliates of national organizations as long as the affiliate is a separate 501(c)(3) and 509(a)(1) or (2) (or foreign equivalent) and has its own board of directors; legal liability rests with the local organization; affiliate’s tax-exempt status was not granted under a group exemption; affiliate makes decisions regarding overall mission, priorities, and strategies of organization and for day-to-day operations; and affiliate does not “fund” general activities of national organization.

Please note that organizations that work in or with the governments of countries currently on the Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC)’s sanctions list (Myanmar, Iraq, Sudan, Venezuela, Yemen, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Syria, Afghanistan, Balkans, Belarus, Central African Republic, DRC, Ethiopia, Hong Kong, Lebanon, Libya, Mali, Nicaragua, Somalia, and South Sudan) or persons included on OFAC’s SDN list are not eligible to participate. Please refer to the Rules for a complete set of eligibility requirements.

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A total of $250 million USD in grants will be disbursed to awardee organizations by the end of 2025. Each awardee will receive flexible funding between $1 million and $5 million USD.

Additionally, awarded organizations will be added to Lever for Change’s Bold Solutions Network, which offers ongoing learning and networking opportunities to strengthen the impact of their work, raise their visibility, and increase their potential to secure funding. We hope this process will also engage the public and the philanthropic sector to reimagine how to bring about meaningful, measurable change.

Once the initial application submission deadline passes, the Open Call team will perform an administrative review to confirm that each submission meets the Rules and application requirements before advancing to the required Participatory Review.

During Participatory Review, each applicant organization will review the applications of four peer applicant organizations using the Scoring Rubric that outlines four criteria: impactful, scalable, equitable, and feasible. Top-scoring applications from Participatory Review will advance to the Evaluation Panel, where they will receive additional review and comments from four Evaluation Panel Reviewers. During the Evaluation Panel Review, applications will be assessed using the same scoring rubric. Top scoring organizations will then undergo further organizational diligence, and final awardees will be selected. ...A total of $250 million USD in grants will be disbursed to awardee organizations by the end of 2025. Each awardee will receive flexible funding  between $1 million and $5 million USD.

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Please review the Open Call timeline here.

• Interested organizations must register before 4:00 p.m. U.S. Central Time on Tuesday, December 3, 2024.
• Registered organizations must submit an application. Complete applications are due by 4:00 p.m. U.S. Central Time on Friday, January 10, 2025.
• All organizations meeting the eligibility criteria for the Open Call will be assessed by peer applicants during Participatory Review between March and April 2025.
• After Participatory Review is complete, organizations that were top-rated by peers will advance to the externally recruited Evaluation Panel made up of experienced individuals from across sectors working in women’s health. Applications will then be assessed by Evaluation Panel Reviewers between May and June 2025.
• Over the course of a few months, informed by the results of the Peer Review and Evaluation Panel, the Pivotal team will review submitted application materials.
• Top-scoring applicants may be asked to provide additional information for diligence purposes between June - August 2025. 
• Selecting from among the top-scoring organizations, awardees will be selected and announced by December 2025. A total of $250 million USD in grants will be disbursed to awardee organizations by the end of 2025. Each awardee will receive flexible funding  between $1 million and $5 million USD.

The open call is focused on improving the health of people from all backgrounds, ethnicities, and races who identify as women, including those within the LGBTQ+ community. Organizations that serve non-binary and gender-nonconforming people are also eligible.

This initiative is intended to find and fund organizations dedicated to improving the health of people who identify as women. We recognize that the distinction between who is a “girl” and who is a “woman” may be different depending on the organization’s context, culture, community, and/or country. For the purposes of this Open Call, we hope to fund organizations working primarily with who you, as an applicant, would consider women. This might be women or adolescent girls from all backgrounds, ethnicities, and races, including those within the LGBTQ+ community. Organizations that serve non-binary and gender non-conforming people are also eligible.

The ability of women to exercise their full power in society is directly connected to the quality of their health. Yet today, women experience inequities across all aspects of their health. These inequities can negatively impact their daily lives, as well as their prospects and prosperity, their ability to engage in their communities, and their opportunities to achieve their goals.

Women experience inequities across all aspects of their health.  This open call envisions a future in which health-related barriers no longer prevent women from exercising their full power in society.

Organizations best suited for this open call serve women and are dedicated to improving women’s mental and/or physical health. The focus of each organization may range from improving women’s daily health, their longevity, their access to care, their ability to engage in daily life, and/or their opportunity to form and support a family.

Rather than supporting coalitions or partnerships, this initiative will award flexible funding to individual organizations. We encourage each interested organization to review the Open Call eligibility criteria, scoring rubric, and timeline and take the Organizational Readiness Tool to determine whether or not to apply individually. Each interested organization that meets the Action for Women's Health eligibility criteria should submit a separate registration and application for their respective organization.

The grants made in Action for Women’s Health cannot be used for work in or with any of the listed countries or regions or with individuals on OFAC’s SDN list because of the higher sanctions risk involved. An applicant whose programmatic work involves an ongoing or planned project or program that is undertaken in or with one of the listed countries or regions will be subject to heightened sanctions scrutiny. Should such an applicant be selected as an awardee, the grant agreement will designate funds to projects currently operating or that will operate in other countries or regions. Organizations who have worked in or with any of the listed countries or regions in the past, but no longer do so, are eligible to apply, although such organizations as well as additional organizations may be subject to heightened sanctions scrutiny. All awardees will be expected to comply with applicable sanctions programs.

Organizations applying to the Open Call will be asked to do the following as part of the application process:

• Register (15 minutes). Answer a few short informational questions.
• Submit an application (~10+ hours).  Provide an overview of your organization and work.

Complete Participatory Review (~2.5 hours). Assess the applications of four, and if necessary up to six, other applicants using the scoring rubric that outlines four criteria: impactful, scalable, equitable, and feasible.

No, but please note that English language skills are not a criterion on which applications will be judged. We welcome applications from organizations around the world and encourage those for whom English is not a first language to apply. Legal documentation (including audited financials, proof of registration, governance documents, etc.) can be submitted in their original language.

Applicants can expect to hear status updates about the Open Call through the Submittable platform. Updates will be sent to the email associated with the Submitter account through which registration was submitted.

The Evaluation Panel is comprised of highly experienced and qualified individuals working on women’s health from the nonprofit sector, academia, and the philanthropic community, representing communities around the world. They were recruited specifically for this Open Call. The reviewers will use the provided scoring rubric to assess eligible applications. Each application will be reviewed by at least four reviewers. You can view the list of reviewers here.

As per the Open Call recusal policy (in full below), Evaluation Panel Reviewers who are staff members of an applicant organization will be asked to recuse themselves from the Evaluation Panel.

Evaluation Panel Reviewer Recusal Policy: We know that after the public launch of the Open Call occurs your organization may decide to apply. If you are a staff member of an applicant organization, you will be asked to recuse yourself from the Panel. We also ask that you recuse yourself from evaluating the applications of any organizations for which you, your family members, or your close friends serve as employees, investors, current funders, advisors, or board members. Please let us know if you have questions about this policy; it is intended to ensure fairness.