The Women's Fund of Western Massachusetts, which works to empower women and girls through partnerships with area programs, has announced the availability of $240,000 in multi-year grant money for organizations that collaborately serve that population in Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden and Hampshire counties.

The organizations interested in being considered for allocations for fiscal 2017 through 2019 must submit a letter of intent by Jan. 6, 2017. The overall amount available is similar to the previous funding cycling, with $80,000 awarded each year in total during the funding cycle.

Moorhouse, who said information sessions will also be offered for interested applicants, added that the application process for grant funding has been streamlined.

Moorhouse said her organization will also offer the awardees a scholarship each year of the funding for one of its members or an affiliated member of attend the fund's annual Leadership Institute for Political and Public Impact. The institute trains participants to be civic leaders and policy makers.

In its allocation of grants, WFWM has said the focus is on programs that women, aged 12 to 24, improve their long-term opportunities for economic prosperity, as well as what it terms "gender-focused" program that improve such opportunities for women of all ages.

Current programs funded include Face the Facts: Reduce Teen Pregnancy project, a county-wide coalition led by Berkshire United Way; the Prison Birth Project in Hampden County; and Franklin County Women's Growing Agricultural Resiliency and Developing Economic Networks (GARDEN) Project.

Letters of intent must be submtted by 5 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 6, 2017. A select number of applicants will then be invited, by Friday, Feb. 17, 2017, to submit a full grant application. A grant timeline and application information is available on the fund's website.

The Women's Fund is supported by contributions and grants from individuals, corporations and foundations.