Fairy Godmother's Fund

Small grants that make a big difference

It isn’t always easy to make ends meet. Sudden illnesses, loss of employment, abuse, and other issues can spring up and devastate strong women in our communities. We help them get back on their feet.

The Fairy Godmother’s Fund was created to improve the health and well-being of South Dakota women with limited resources. The fund helps them address immediate, short-term, critical needs that can't be met by traditional funding options. There are no grant applications, no long forms or dense financial paperwork to fill out. Our advisory council of women throughout the state works to ensure the funds are directly paid to benefit women’s needs throughout the year.

A fairy godmother is always ready to lend a helping hand.

Through your contribution to The Fairy Godmother’s Fund, you can help the women of South Dakota. With your involvement, this can be a never-ending story of people helping people.

Every first-time contributor of $100 or more will receive a fairy godmother lapel pin. For a donation of $250 or more, you’ll also receive a fairy godmother tote. We invite you to wear these to spark interest among other women.

For more information on The Fairy Godmother’s Fund, read our brochure or contact us.

Advisory Council

The Fairy Godmother’s Fund’s Advisory Council consists of women from across the state. The women volunteer their time to ensure funds are paid to the most pressing needs.

Recent Grant Awards

Grants from the Fairy Godmother's Fund benefit women in a variety of ways including:

• A woman struggling with the after-effects of a rear-end collision was able to purchase a device that cleans her BiPAP machine, which she needs to help her sleep.
• The teenage daughter of one recipient was involved in a debilitating car accident resulting in many unexpected expenses. Your generous contribution helped alleviate some of that.
• Dollars resulted in a woman being able to put a safe distance between her family and their abuser.
• A woman was able to finish Grad School after receiving support for bills accumulating during her final semester. She was working full-time and finishing an internship, which was a requirement for the degree.
• Fairy dust was sprinkled on a recipient that was suffering from numerous medical conditions. The result was that she could fill all her necessary medications without having to "pick and choose".

How to Make a Referral to the Fairy Godmother's Fund

All requests for assistance must come from nonprofit organizations or community members. The Fairy Godmother’s Fund does not accept self-referrals. Contact the SDCF at (800) 888-1842 to obtain a referral form.

Lending a Helping Hand

Your generous contributions make a huge difference in the lives of women all across South Dakota. Your assistance to these women in their time of need is greatly appreciated. So far, donors have contributed nearly $314,000 to the fund. Join your friends and neighbors in supporting the Fairy Godmother’s Fund and help make an impact in your community!

Donors: January 1, 2020 - December 31, 2020

A Strong Start

The Fairy Godmother’s Fund began in 2009 with $11,000 in donations from hundreds at a women’s conference in Pierre, including $5,000 from the South Dakota Community Foundation.

With that strong foundation, the fund has continued to grow. During our twelve years of grantmaking, the endowment fund at the South Dakota Community Foundation holds over $390,000 and has awarded 150 grants totaling nearly $68,000.