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Fund for Staff Development

Girl’s Best Friend Foundation (GBF) has created a new Fund for Staff Development.

Money for training and other kinds of staff development often goes unbudgeted or is among the first items to be trimmed in tough times. But staff in girls’ and young women’s organizations and programs are eager to learn more, so they can continuously continue to refine and enhance their great work.

The goal of the Fund is to support individual staff development that benefits girls’ programs, and builds the field of girls’ development/organizing/advocacy.

The Fund for Staff Development is designed to help enable staff to attend training workshops, conferences, and other learning opportunities that are directly related to their work. It could be used in support of cross-training or cooperative training that is organized by three or more grantee programs. We anticipate that requests related to increasing front line staff’s ability to work effectively in girls’ programs would receive greatest priority, but we will consider other kinds of staff development as well.

The Fund for Staff Development is open to organizations:

• Which receive grants (core or SES) from GBF. This group will receive priority consideration.


• Other local girls/young women’s programming that clearly meets GBF’s funding interests and priorities for a core GBF grant.

Please click here to review our criteria.

We expect grants to range from $25 to $250. GBF budgets $14,000 annually for these grants.

Requests can include registration or fees, and related costs necessary to make the learning opportunity accessible (including interpretation).

Requests may be made at any time, but please try to give us some notice. Our goal is to respond to all requests within 1-2 weeks after we’ve received them. Requests will be reviewed by program officers and the director of SES.


To apply:
Please send (by mail, e-mail, or fax) a 1-2 page letter, in which you describe, specifically:

a. The professional development opportunity in which you/a staff person from your organization hope to participate (what, when, where, led or sponsored by whom, and other pertinent details).

b. How you’ve assessed that the opportunity is likely to meet your needs and be of high quality. (This doesn’t need to be complicated, but tell us why you think this is going to be good training and suit your needs – someone referred you, reputable training source, etc.

c. How this opportunity would increase the skills and knowledge of the staff person who wishes to attend – in the context of her/his work in a feminist, inclusive, pro-girl program or project. Also, how would that better enable the girls’ project to fulfill its mission or goals? Is this an opportunity to gain new skills/knowledge, or is your intent to refine or build on existing skills/knowledge?

d. If your request to GBF is for less than the full cost of the opportunity, how would the other costs be covered? When will you know if those funds are committed?

e. A statement that your organization’s executive (or if for an executive director, your Board) leadership will support your taking the time to attend the training, and to share information with your coworkers. The executive director or a Board member must co-sign your request letter.

f. Include a copy of a flyer, brochure, or other info about the opportunity.

g. If your organization is not a GBF grantee, also include:

i. A description of your girls’ programming, and an explanation of how it fits GBF’s core grant criteria, and
ii. a copy of your 501(c)(3) letter from the IRS, if your organization has one.

Send requests to:
Girl’s Best Friend Foundation
900 N. Franklin #210
Chicago, IL 60610
contact@girlsbestfriend.org
fax: (312)266-2972
phone: (312)266-2842