Modern Widows Club gets $50,000 grant from Edyth Bush Charitable Foundation

Modern Widows Club received a $50,000 grant from the Edyth Bush Charitable Foundation to expand widow support programs, internal capacity and community reach in Central Florida and nationwide. The funding also connects the nonprofit’s mission to the philanthropic legacy of Winter Park widow Edyth Bush.

Why it matters: - The $50,000 grant gives Modern Widows Club more room to scale support for widowed women in Central Florida and across the U.S. - The funding is aimed at both programs and infrastructure, which can help the nonprofit reach more widows and operate more effectively. - The grant also reinforces attention on widowhood, a life transition that affects more than 11 million American women.

What happened: - Modern Widows Club received a $50,000 grant from the Edyth Bush Charitable Foundation for its "Strengthening Widow Care: Capacity and Community Initiative." - The check was presented at Modern Widows Club’s 2026 Annual Business Meeting at AMFUND American Fundraising Foundation in Maitland, Florida. - Staff, volunteers and community partners attended the announcement. - The grant will support deeper local and national reach, stronger internal infrastructure and expanded programming for widowed women.

The details: - Modern Widows Club plans to use the grant to serve widowed women in Winter Park, Central Florida and its broader national and global network. - The organization refers to its members as "Wisters®" and says the funding will help reach more of them earlier in their widowhood journey. - Modern Widows Club was founded in 2011 in Winter Park and has grown from a small living-room gathering into a national nonprofit. - The organization says it currently serves more than 7,000 Wisters® in multiple countries. - Its programs are built around the Seven Pillars of Healthy Widowhood and include peer support, mentorship, wellness and leadership development. - Modern Widows Club also advocates for policy changes affecting widowed women, including survivor benefits, insurance protections and financial security. - The Edyth Bush Charitable Foundation was created to carry forward the philanthropic legacy of Edyth Bush. - Edyth Bush was widowed in 1966 after the death of Archibald G. Bush. - Bush used her experience of loss to fuel more than 50 years of philanthropy focused on education, healthcare and human services.

Between the lines: - The grant links Modern Widows Club’s mission to a donor legacy shaped by widowhood, which makes the award symbolically aligned with the nonprofit’s work. - Carolyn Moor said the grant is both practical support and a symbolic investment in the organization’s ability to serve more widows well. - The award comes as Modern Widows Club tries to change what it describes as an overlooked and under-supported stage of women’s health and financial wellbeing.

What's next: - Modern Widows Club will use the grant to expand programming and strengthen its internal capacity. - The nonprofit aims to reach more widows in Winter Park and beyond through its in-person and virtual communities. - Moor said the organization wants to guide more widowed women toward support, healing and a healthier path forward.