485BPOS

AS FILED WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION ON November 14, 2012

1933 Act No. 033-72416

1940 Act No. 811-08200

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM N-1A

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933	x
Post-Effective Amendment No. 44	x

and/or

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940

Amendment No. 44 x

(Check appropriate box or boxes)

BRIDGEWAY FUNDS, INC.

(EXACT NAME OF REGISTRANT AS SPECIFIED IN CHARTER)

20 GREENWAY PLAZA SUITE 450

HOUSTON, TEXAS 77046

(ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICE)(ZIP CODE)

Registrant’s Telephone Number, including Area Code:

(713) 661-3500

Send Copies of Communications to:

JOHN N.R. MONTGOMERY CHAIRMAN, BRIDGEWAY CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, INC. 20 GREENWAY PLAZA SUITE 450 HOUSTON, TEXAS 77046	PRUFESH R. MODHERA, ESQ. STRADLEY, RONON, STEVENS, & YOUNG LLP 1250 CONNECTICUT AVE., NW, SUITE 500 WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 20036
(NAME AND ADDRESS OF AGENT FOR SERVICE)

It is proposed that this filing will become effective: (check appropriate box)

x immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b)

¨ on [date] pursuant to paragraph (b)

¨ 60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)

¨ on [date] pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)

¨ 75 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(2)

¨ on [date] pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of rule 485.

If appropriate, check the following box:

¨ This post-effective amendment designated a new effective date for a previously filed post-effective amendment.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, the Registrant (a Maryland corporation) certifies that it meets all of the requirements for effectiveness of this Post-Effective Amendment No. 44 to its Registration Statement on Form N-1A under Rule 485(b) under the Securities Act of 1933 and has duly caused this Post-Effective Amendment No. 44 to the Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Houston, and State of Texas, on this 14th day of November, 2012.

Bridgeway Funds, Inc.

/s/ Michael D. Mulcahy

Michael D. Mulcahy, President

Pursuant to the requirements of the 1933 Act, this Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the date(s) indicated.

Signature	Title	Date
/s/ Michael D. Mulcahy Michael D. Mulcahy	President and Director	November 14 , 2012
JOHN N.R. MONTGOMERY* John N. R. Montgomery	Vice President and Director	November 14 , 2012
LINDA G. GIUFFRE* Linda G. Giuffre	Treasurer and Principal Financial Officer	November 14 , 2012
KIRBYJON CALDWELL* Kirbyjon Caldwell	Director	November 14 , 2012
KAREN S. GERSTNER* Karen S. Gerstner	Director	November 14, 2012
MILES D. HARPER, III* Miles D. Harper, III	Director	November 14 , 2012
EVAN HARREL* Evan Harrel	Director	November 14 , 2012

*By	/s/ Michael D. Mulcahy
	Michael D. Mulcahy

as Attorney-in-Fact for each of the persons indicated (pursuant to powers of attorney filed electronically as an exhibit to Post Effective Amendment No. 24 on October 26, 2007).

EXHIBIT INDEX

Index No.	Description of Exhibit
EX-101.INS	XBRL Instance Document
EX-101.SCH	XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document
EX-101.CAL	XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase
EX-101.DEF	XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase
EX-101.LAB	XBRL Taxonomy Extension Labels Linkbase
EX-101.PRE	XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase

XML

Omni Tax-Managed Small-Cap Value Fund

FUND SUMMARY: OMNI TAX-MANAGED SMALL-CAP VALUE FUND

Investment Objective:

The Omni Tax-Managed Small-Cap Value Fund (the “Fund”) seeks to provide long-term total return on capital, primarily through capital appreciation.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund:

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund.

Shareholder Fees (paid directly from your investment)

Shareholder Fees	Omni Tax-Managed Small-Cap Value Fund Class N
Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases	none
Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends	none
Redemption Fees	none
Exchange Fees	none

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses		Omni Tax-Managed Small-Cap Value Fund Class N
Management Fees		0.50%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees		none
Other Expenses		0.40%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses		0.90%
Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement	[1]	(0.30%)
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (After Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement)		0.60%

Example:

This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.

The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Expense Example (USD $)	1 Year	3 Years	5 Years	10 Years
Omni Tax-Managed Small-Cap Value Fund Class N	61	192	335	750

Portfolio Turnover:

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 26% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies:

The Fund invests in a broad and diverse group of small-cap stocks that the Adviser determines to be value stocks. Value stocks are those the Adviser determines are priced cheaply relative to some financial measures of worth, such as the ratio of price to book, price to earnings, price to sales, or price to cash flow. The Adviser uses a market capitalization approach to weight the securities in the Fund’s portfolio. This means that a security’s weight in the Fund’s portfolio at the time of purchase is roughly proportional to its market capitalization relative to the other securities in the portfolio. Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests 80% of its net assets (plus borrowings for investment purposes) in equity or equity-related securities (“common stocks”) of small-cap companies at the time of purchase. For purposes of the Fund’s investments, the Adviser considers small-cap stocks to be those of companies that have a market capitalization generally in the lowest 15% of total market capitalization or smaller than the 1000^th largest U.S. company, whichever results in the higher market capitalization break. As of September 30, 2012, the stocks in this group had a market capitalization of less than $4.4 billion. This dollar amount will change with market conditions. The Fund primarily invests in small-cap stocks that are listed on the New York Stock Exchange, the NYSE MKT and NASDAQ.

The Adviser’s tax management strategies seek to minimize the distribution of capital gains, within the constraints of the investment objective and small company focus, by offsetting capital gains with capital losses, minimizing short-term capital gains, and reducing the receipt of dividends when possible.

The Adviser will not necessarily sell a stock if it “migrates” to a different category after purchase. As a result, due to such “migration” or other market movements, the Fund may have less than 80% of its assets in small-cap stocks at any point in time.

Use of the term “omni” in the name refers to the fact that the Fund intends to invest in a broad and diverse group of small-cap value stocks that approximately reflect the risk and return of all small-cap value stocks as a whole.

Although the Fund seeks investments across a number of sectors, from time to time, based on economic conditions and portfolio positioning to reflect a profile of a universe of stocks, the Fund may have significant positions in particular sectors.

The Fund may invest up to 15% of its total assets in foreign securities. For purposes of the Fund’s investments, “foreign securities” means those securities issued by companies: (i) that are domiciled in a country other than the United States; and (ii) that derive 50% or more of their total revenue from activities outside of the United States.

Principal Risks:

The value of the Fund’s shares will fluctuate as a result of the movement of the overall stock-market or of the value of the individual securities held by the Fund, and shareholders could lose money.

Investing in small-cap stocks may involve greater volatility and risk than investing in large- or mid-cap stocks.

Value investing carries the risk that the market will not recognize a security’s intrinsic value for a long time or that a stock judged to be undervalued by various value measures may actually be appropriately priced. In addition, value stocks as a group may be out of favor at times and underperform the overall equity market for long periods while the market concentrates on other types of stocks, such as “growth” stocks.

Tax management strategies carry the risk of altering investment decisions and affecting portfolio holdings and may result in lower returns, as compared to funds that are not tax managed.

Investments in foreign securities can be more volatile than investments in U.S. securities.

Companies with similar characteristics may be grouped together in broad categories called sectors. A certain sector may underperform other sectors or the market as a whole. As the Adviser allocates more of the Fund’s portfolio holdings to a particular sector, the Fund’s performance will be more susceptible to any economic, business or other developments which generally affect that sector.

Performance:

The bar chart and table below provide an indication of the risk of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows how the Fund’s performance has varied on a calendar year basis. The table shows how the Fund’s average annual returns for the period compare with those of a broad measure of market performance. This information is based on past performance. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not guarantee future results. Updated performance information is available on the Fund’s website at www.bridgewayomni.com or by calling 800-661-3550.

Omni Tax-Managed Small-Cap Value Fund
Annual % Return as of 12/31

Return from 1/1/12 through 9/30/12 was 12.97%.

	Quarter		Total Return
Best Quarter:		Q4 11		15.78%
Worst Quarter:		Q3 11		-23.50%

Average Annual Total Returns (For the period ended 12/31/11)

Average Annual Total Returns Omni Tax-Managed Small-Cap Value Fund		1 Year
Class N		(5.41%)
Class N Return After Taxes on Distributions	[1]	(5.48%)
Class N Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares	[1]	(3.42%)
Russell 2000 Value Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)		(5.50%)

[1] Bridgeway Capital Management, Inc. (the "Adviser"), the investment adviser to the Fund, pursuant to its Management Agreement with Bridgeway Funds, Inc. ("Bridgeway Funds"), is contractually obligated to waive fees and/or pay Fund expenses, if necessary, to ensure that net expenses do not exceed 0.60%. The expense limitation cannot be changed or eliminated without shareholder approval. The Fund is authorized to reimburse the Adviser for management fees previously waived and/or for expenses previously paid by the Adviser, provided, however, that any reimbursements must be paid at a date not more than three years after the fiscal year in which the Adviser waived the fees or reimbursed the expenses and the reimbursements do not cause the Fund to exceed the expense limitation in the agreement.

[1] After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown. Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares may be higher than other returns for the same period due to a tax benefit of realizing a capital loss upon the sale of Fund shares. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement plans.

XML

Label

Element

Value

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Registrant Name

dei_EntityRegistrantName

BRIDGEWAY FUNDS INC

Prospectus Date

rr_ProspectusDate

Oct. 31, 2012

Blue Chip 35 Index Fund

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return [Heading]

rr_RiskReturnHeading

FUND SUMMARY: BLUE CHIP 35 INDEX FUND

Objective [Heading]

rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment Objective:

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Blue Chip 35 Index Fund (the “Fund”) seeks to provide a long-term total return on capital, primarily through capital appreciation, but also some income.

Expense [Heading]

rr_ExpenseHeading

Fees and Expenses of the Fund:

Expense Narrative [Text Block]

rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund.

Shareholder Fees Caption [Text]

rr_ShareholderFeesCaption

Shareholder Fees (paid directly from your investment)

Operating Expenses Caption [Text]

rr_OperatingExpensesCaption

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Portfolio Turnover [Heading]

rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading

Portfolio Turnover:

Portfolio Turnover [Text Block]

rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 33% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

33.00%

Expense Example [Heading]

rr_ExpenseExampleHeading

Example:

Expense Example Narrative [Text Block]

rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.

The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Strategy [Heading]

rr_StrategyHeading

Principal Investment Strategies:

Strategy Narrative [Text Block]

rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

The Fund seeks to achieve its objective by approximating the total return of the Bridgeway Ultra-Large 35 Index (the “Index”), a proprietary Index composed by the Adviser, while minimizing the distribution of capital gains and minimizing costs. Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus borrowings for investment purposes) in blue chip company stocks included within the Index. As of September 30, 2012, more than 99% of the Fund’s net assets were invested this way.

The Fund invests in the stocks that comprise the Index and seeks to approximately match the Index composition and weighting. The long-term objective of this roughly equally weighted Index is to hold 35 “blue-chip” companies, excluding any tobacco companies and ensuring reasonable industry diversification.

Although the Fund seeks investments across a number of sectors, from time to time, based on portfolio positioning to reflect its benchmark, the Fund may have significant positions in particular sectors.

This “roughly equally weighted” index contrasts with most other “market-cap weighted” indexes, which give more weight to the stocks that have appreciated the most in price. Therefore, the Index is a more “value-oriented” index structure. Similar to other index funds, the actual return of this Fund will likely underperform the Index over the long term by an amount similar to the Fund’s expenses and transaction costs.

The Fund may purchase stock market index futures in order to hedge cash.

Risk [Heading]

rr_RiskHeading

Principal Risks:

Risk Narrative [Text Block]

rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

Shareholders of this Fund are exposed to significant stock market related risk (volatility) and could lose money.

While large companies tend to exhibit less price volatility than small companies, historically they have not recovered as fast from a market decline. Consequently, this Fund may expose shareholders to higher inflation risk (the risk that the Fund value will not keep up with inflation) than some other stock market investments.

The Fund is also subject to the risk that blue chip company stocks will underperform other kinds of investments for a period of time. This risk is true of any market segment.

Companies with similar characteristics may be grouped together in broad categories called sectors. A certain sector may underperform other sectors or the market as a whole. As the Adviser allocates more of the Fund’s portfolio holdings to a particular sector, the Fund’s performance will be more susceptible to any economic, business or other developments which generally affect that sector.

There is risk that the Fund’s total return may be lower than the total return of the Index that the Fund seeks to approximate.

The Fund’s use of futures to manage risk or hedge market volatility may not always be successful hedges, their prices can be highly volatile, they may not always successfully manage risk and they could lower the Fund’s total return.

Risk Lose Money [Text]

rr_RiskLoseMoney

Shareholders of this Fund are exposed to significant stock market related risk (volatility) and could lose money.

Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading]

rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading

Performance:

Performance Narrative [Text Block]

rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

The bar chart and table below provide an indication of the risk of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows how the Fund’s performance has varied on a calendar year basis. The table shows how the Fund’s average annual returns for various periods compare with those of a broad measure of market performance. This information is based on past performance. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not guarantee future results. Updated performance information is available on the Fund’s website at www.bridgeway.com or by calling 800-661-3550.

Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text]

rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns

The bar chart and table below provide an indication of the risk of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows how the Fund’s performance has varied on a calendar year basis. The table shows how the Fund’s average annual returns for various periods compare with those of a broad measure of market performance.

Performance Availability Phone [Text]

rr_PerformanceAvailabilityPhone

800-661-3550

Performance Availability Website Address [Text]

rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress

www.bridgeway.com

Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text]

rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture

Past performance (before and after taxes) does not guarantee future results.

Bar Chart [Heading]

rr_BarChartHeading

Blue Chip 35 Index Fund
Year by Year % Returns as of 12/31 of Each Year

Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]

rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock

Return from 1/1/12 through 9/30/12 was 16.85%.

	Quarter		Total Return
Best Quarter:		Q2 03		16.07%
Worst Quarter:		Q4 08		-19.01%

Performance Table Heading

rr_PerformanceTableHeading

Average Annual Total Returns (For the periods ended 12/31/11)

Performance Table Uses Highest Federal Rate

rr_PerformanceTableUsesHighestFederalRate

After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes.

Performance Table Not Relevant to Tax Deferred

rr_PerformanceTableNotRelevantToTaxDeferred

After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement plans.

Performance Table Explanation after Tax Higher

rr_PerformanceTableExplanationAfterTaxHigher

Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares may be higher than other returns for the same period due to a tax benefit of realizing a capital loss upon the sale of Fund shares.

Blue Chip 35 Index Fund | Class N

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases

rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice

none

Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends

rr_MaximumSalesChargeOnReinvestedDividendsAndDistributionsOverOther

none

Redemption Fees

rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption

none

Exchange Fees

rr_ExchangeFeeOverRedemption

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.08%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

none

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.21%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.29%

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.14%)

^[1]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (After Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement)

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.15%

1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

15

3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

48

5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

85

10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

192

2002

rr_AnnualReturn2002

(18.02%)

2003

rr_AnnualReturn2003

28.87%

2004

rr_AnnualReturn2004

4.79%

2005

rr_AnnualReturn2005

0.05%

2006

rr_AnnualReturn2006

15.42%

2007

rr_AnnualReturn2007

6.07%

2008

rr_AnnualReturn2008

(33.30%)

2009

rr_AnnualReturn2009

26.61%

2010

rr_AnnualReturn2010

10.60%

2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

3.17%

Year to Date Return, Label

rr_YearToDateReturnLabel

Return from 1/1/12 through 9/30/12

Bar Chart, Year to Date Return, Date

rr_BarChartYearToDateReturnDate

Sep. 30, 2012

Bar Chart, Year to Date Return

rr_BarChartYearToDateReturn

16.85%

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Best Quarter:

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Jun. 30, 2003

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

16.07%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Worst Quarter:

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Dec. 31, 2008

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(19.01%)

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

3.17%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

0.44%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

2.71%

Blue Chip 35 Index Fund | Return After Taxes on Distributions | Class N

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

2.83%

^[2]

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

0.10%

^[2]

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

2.29%

^[2]

Blue Chip 35 Index Fund | Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | Class N

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

2.48%

^[2]

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

0.31%

^[2]

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

2.15%

^[2]

Blue Chip 35 Index Fund | S&P 500 Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

2.11%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

(0.25%)

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

2.92%

[1] Bridgeway Capital Management, Inc. (the "Adviser"), the investment adviser to the Fund, pursuant to its Management Agreement with Bridgeway Funds, Inc. ("Bridgeway Funds"), is contractually obligated to waive fees and/or pay Fund expenses, if necessary, to ensure that net expenses do not exceed 0.15%. Any material change to this Fund policy would require a vote by shareholders.

[2] After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown. Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares may be higher than other returns for the same period due to a tax benefit of realizing a capital loss upon the sale of Fund shares. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement plans.

XML

Label

Element

Value

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return [Heading]

rr_RiskReturnHeading

FUND SUMMARY: OMNI TAX-MANAGED SMALL-CAP VALUE FUND

Objective [Heading]

rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment Objective:

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Omni Tax-Managed Small-Cap Value Fund (the “Fund”) seeks to provide long-term total return on capital, primarily through capital appreciation.

Expense [Heading]

rr_ExpenseHeading

Fees and Expenses of the Fund:

Expense Narrative [Text Block]

rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund.

Shareholder Fees Caption [Text]

rr_ShareholderFeesCaption

Shareholder Fees (paid directly from your investment)

Operating Expenses Caption [Text]

rr_OperatingExpensesCaption

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Portfolio Turnover [Heading]

rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading

Portfolio Turnover:

Portfolio Turnover [Text Block]

rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 26% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

26.00%

Expense Example [Heading]

rr_ExpenseExampleHeading

Example:

Expense Example Narrative [Text Block]

rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.

The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Strategy [Heading]

rr_StrategyHeading

Principal Investment Strategies:

Strategy Narrative [Text Block]

rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

The Fund invests in a broad and diverse group of small-cap stocks that the Adviser determines to be value stocks. Value stocks are those the Adviser determines are priced cheaply relative to some financial measures of worth, such as the ratio of price to book, price to earnings, price to sales, or price to cash flow. The Adviser uses a market capitalization approach to weight the securities in the Fund’s portfolio. This means that a security’s weight in the Fund’s portfolio at the time of purchase is roughly proportional to its market capitalization relative to the other securities in the portfolio. Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests 80% of its net assets (plus borrowings for investment purposes) in equity or equity-related securities (“common stocks”) of small-cap companies at the time of purchase. For purposes of the Fund’s investments, the Adviser considers small-cap stocks to be those of companies that have a market capitalization generally in the lowest 15% of total market capitalization or smaller than the 1000^th largest U.S. company, whichever results in the higher market capitalization break. As of September 30, 2012, the stocks in this group had a market capitalization of less than $4.4 billion. This dollar amount will change with market conditions. The Fund primarily invests in small-cap stocks that are listed on the New York Stock Exchange, the NYSE MKT and NASDAQ.

The Adviser’s tax management strategies seek to minimize the distribution of capital gains, within the constraints of the investment objective and small company focus, by offsetting capital gains with capital losses, minimizing short-term capital gains, and reducing the receipt of dividends when possible.

The Adviser will not necessarily sell a stock if it “migrates” to a different category after purchase. As a result, due to such “migration” or other market movements, the Fund may have less than 80% of its assets in small-cap stocks at any point in time.

Use of the term “omni” in the name refers to the fact that the Fund intends to invest in a broad and diverse group of small-cap value stocks that approximately reflect the risk and return of all small-cap value stocks as a whole.

Although the Fund seeks investments across a number of sectors, from time to time, based on economic conditions and portfolio positioning to reflect a profile of a universe of stocks, the Fund may have significant positions in particular sectors.

The Fund may invest up to 15% of its total assets in foreign securities. For purposes of the Fund’s investments, “foreign securities” means those securities issued by companies: (i) that are domiciled in a country other than the United States; and (ii) that derive 50% or more of their total revenue from activities outside of the United States.

Risk [Heading]

rr_RiskHeading

Principal Risks:

Risk Narrative [Text Block]

rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

The value of the Fund’s shares will fluctuate as a result of the movement of the overall stock-market or of the value of the individual securities held by the Fund, and shareholders could lose money.

Investing in small-cap stocks may involve greater volatility and risk than investing in large- or mid-cap stocks.

Value investing carries the risk that the market will not recognize a security’s intrinsic value for a long time or that a stock judged to be undervalued by various value measures may actually be appropriately priced. In addition, value stocks as a group may be out of favor at times and underperform the overall equity market for long periods while the market concentrates on other types of stocks, such as “growth” stocks.

Tax management strategies carry the risk of altering investment decisions and affecting portfolio holdings and may result in lower returns, as compared to funds that are not tax managed.

Investments in foreign securities can be more volatile than investments in U.S. securities.

Companies with similar characteristics may be grouped together in broad categories called sectors. A certain sector may underperform other sectors or the market as a whole. As the Adviser allocates more of the Fund’s portfolio holdings to a particular sector, the Fund’s performance will be more susceptible to any economic, business or other developments which generally affect that sector.

Risk Lose Money [Text]

rr_RiskLoseMoney

The value of the Fund’s shares will fluctuate as a result of the movement of the overall stock-market or of the value of the individual securities held by the Fund, and shareholders could lose money.

Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading]

rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading

Performance:

Performance Narrative [Text Block]

rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

The bar chart and table below provide an indication of the risk of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows how the Fund’s performance has varied on a calendar year basis. The table shows how the Fund’s average annual returns for the period compare with those of a broad measure of market performance. This information is based on past performance. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not guarantee future results. Updated performance information is available on the Fund’s website at www.bridgewayomni.com or by calling 800-661-3550.

Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text]

rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns

The bar chart and table below provide an indication of the risk of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows how the Fund’s performance has varied on a calendar year basis. The table shows how the Fund’s average annual returns for the period compare with those of a broad measure of market performance.

Performance Availability Phone [Text]

rr_PerformanceAvailabilityPhone

800-661-3500

Performance Availability Website Address [Text]

rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress

www.bridgewayomni.com

Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text]

rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture

Past performance (before and after taxes) does not guarantee future results.

Bar Chart [Heading]

rr_BarChartHeading

Omni Tax-Managed Small-Cap Value Fund
Annual % Return as of 12/31

Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]

rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock

Return from 1/1/12 through 9/30/12 was 12.97%.

	Quarter		Total Return
Best Quarter:		Q4 11		15.78%
Worst Quarter:		Q3 11		-23.50%

Performance Table Heading

rr_PerformanceTableHeading

Average Annual Total Returns (For the period ended 12/31/11)

Performance Table Uses Highest Federal Rate

rr_PerformanceTableUsesHighestFederalRate

After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes.

Performance Table Not Relevant to Tax Deferred

rr_PerformanceTableNotRelevantToTaxDeferred

After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement plans.

Performance Table Explanation after Tax Higher

rr_PerformanceTableExplanationAfterTaxHigher

Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares may be higher than other returns for the same period due to a tax benefit of realizing a capital loss upon the sale of Fund shares.

Class N

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases

rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice

none

Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends

rr_MaximumSalesChargeOnReinvestedDividendsAndDistributionsOverOther

none

Redemption Fees

rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption

none

Exchange Fees

rr_ExchangeFeeOverRedemption

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.50%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

none

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.40%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.90%

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.30%)

^[1]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (After Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement)

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.60%

1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

61

3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

192

5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

335

10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

750

2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

(5.41%)

Year to Date Return, Label

rr_YearToDateReturnLabel

Return from 1/1/12 through 9/30/12

Bar Chart, Year to Date Return, Date

rr_BarChartYearToDateReturnDate

Sep. 30, 2012

Bar Chart, Year to Date Return

rr_BarChartYearToDateReturn

12.97%

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Best Quarter:

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Dec. 31, 2011

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

15.78%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Worst Quarter:

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Sep. 30, 2011

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(23.50%)

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(5.41%)

Return After Taxes on Distributions | Class N

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(5.48%)

^[2]

Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | Class N

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(3.42%)

^[2]

Russell 2000 Value Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(5.50%)

[1] Bridgeway Capital Management, Inc. (the "Adviser"), the investment adviser to the Fund, pursuant to its Management Agreement with Bridgeway Funds, Inc. ("Bridgeway Funds"), is contractually obligated to waive fees and/or pay Fund expenses, if necessary, to ensure that net expenses do not exceed 0.60%. The expense limitation cannot be changed or eliminated without shareholder approval. The Fund is authorized to reimburse the Adviser for management fees previously waived and/or for expenses previously paid by the Adviser, provided, however, that any reimbursements must be paid at a date not more than three years after the fiscal year in which the Adviser waived the fees or reimbursed the expenses and the reimbursements do not cause the Fund to exceed the expense limitation in the agreement.

[2] After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown. Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares may be higher than other returns for the same period due to a tax benefit of realizing a capital loss upon the sale of Fund shares. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement plans.

XML

Label	Element	Value
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Registrant Name	dei_EntityRegistrantName	BRIDGEWAY FUNDS INC
Prospectus Date	rr_ProspectusDate	Oct. 31, 2012
Document Creation Date	dei_DocumentCreationDate	Oct. 26, 2012

XML

Label

Element

Value

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Registrant Name

dei_EntityRegistrantName

BRIDGEWAY FUNDS INC

Prospectus Date

rr_ProspectusDate

Oct. 31, 2012

Large-Cap Growth Fund

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return [Heading]

rr_RiskReturnHeading

FUND SUMMARY: LARGE-CAP GROWTH FUND

Objective [Heading]

rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment Objective:

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Large-Cap Growth Fund (the “Fund”) seeks to provide long-term total return on capital, primarily through capital appreciation.

Expense [Heading]

rr_ExpenseHeading

Fees and Expenses of the Fund:

Expense Narrative [Text Block]

rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund.

Shareholder Fees Caption [Text]

rr_ShareholderFeesCaption

Shareholder Fees (paid directly from your investment)

Operating Expenses Caption [Text]

rr_OperatingExpensesCaption

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Portfolio Turnover [Heading]

rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading

Portfolio Turnover:

Portfolio Turnover [Text Block]

rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 55% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

55.00%

Expense Example [Heading]

rr_ExpenseExampleHeading

Example:

Expense Example Narrative [Text Block]

rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.

The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Strategy [Heading]

rr_StrategyHeading

Principal Investment Strategies:

Strategy Narrative [Text Block]

rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

The Fund invests in a diversified portfolio of large stocks that are listed on the New York Stock Exchange, NYSE MKT, and NASDAQ. Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus borrowings for investment purposes) in stocks from among those in the large-cap growth category at the time of purchase. The Adviser selects stocks within the large-cap growth category for the Fund using a statistically driven approach. Growth stocks are those the Adviser believes have above average prospects for economic growth.

Although the Fund seeks investments across a number of sectors, from time to time, based on portfolio positioning to reflect its benchmark, the Fund may have significant positions in particular sectors.

While the Fund is actively managed for long-term total return on capital, the Adviser seeks to minimize capital gains distributions as part of a tax management strategy. The successful application of this method is intended to result in a more tax-efficient fund than would otherwise be the case.

Risk [Heading]

rr_RiskHeading

Principal Risks:

Risk Narrative [Text Block]

rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

Shareholders of the Fund are exposed to significant stock market risk (volatility) and could lose money.

Growth stocks may be more volatile than other stocks because they are generally more sensitive to investor perceptions and market movements. In addition, growth stocks as a group may be out of favor at times and underperform the overall equity market for long periods while the market concentrates on other types of stocks, such as “value” stocks.

In addition, large-cap stocks have tended to recover more slowly than small-cap stocks from a market downturn. Consequently, the Fund may expose shareholders to higher inflation risk (the risk that the Fund value will not keep up with inflation) than some other stock market segments.

Companies with similar characteristics may be grouped together in broad categories called sectors. A certain sector may underperform other sectors or the market as a whole. As the Adviser allocates more of the Fund’s portfolio holdings to a particular sector, the Fund’s performance will be more susceptible to any economic, business or other developments which generally affect that sector.

If the Fund experiences extensive redemptions, the Adviser might need to sell some stocks, which could create capital gains. There can be no guarantee that the Fund may not someday distribute substantial capital gains, although the Adviser strongly intends to avoid them.

Risk Lose Money [Text]

rr_RiskLoseMoney

Shareholders of the Fund are exposed to significant stock market risk (volatility) and could lose money.

Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading]

rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading

Performance:

Performance Narrative [Text Block]

rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

The bar chart and table below provide an indication of the risk of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows how the Fund’s performance has varied on a calendar year basis. The table shows how the Fund’s average annual returns for various periods compare with those of a broad measure of market performance. This information is based on past performance. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not guarantee future results. Updated performance information is available on the Fund’s website at www.bridgeway.com or by calling 800-661-3550.

Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text]

rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns

The bar chart and table below provide an indication of the risk of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows how the Fund’s performance has varied on a calendar year basis. The table shows how the Fund’s average annual returns for various periods compare with those of a broad measure of market performance.

Performance Availability Phone [Text]

rr_PerformanceAvailabilityPhone

800-661-3550

Performance Availability Website Address [Text]

rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress

www.bridgeway.com

Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text]

rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture

Past performance (before and after taxes) does not guarantee future results.

Bar Chart [Heading]

rr_BarChartHeading

Large-Cap Growth Fund
Year by Year % Returns as of 12/31 of Each Year

Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]

rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock

Return from 1/1/12 through 9/30/12 was 15.11%.

	Quarter		Total Return
Best Quarter:		Q2 09		13.96%
Worst Quarter:		Q4 08		-26.49%

Performance Table Heading

rr_PerformanceTableHeading

Average Annual Total Returns (For the periods ended 12/31/11)

Performance Table Uses Highest Federal Rate

rr_PerformanceTableUsesHighestFederalRate

After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes.

Performance Table Not Relevant to Tax Deferred

rr_PerformanceTableNotRelevantToTaxDeferred

After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement plans.

Performance Table Explanation after Tax Higher

rr_PerformanceTableExplanationAfterTaxHigher

Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares may be higher than other returns for the same period due to a tax benefit of realizing a capital loss upon the sale of Fund shares.

Large-Cap Growth Fund | Class N

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases

rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice

none

Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends

rr_MaximumSalesChargeOnReinvestedDividendsAndDistributionsOverOther

none

Redemption Fees

rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption

none

Exchange Fees

rr_ExchangeFeeOverRedemption

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.41%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

none

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.51%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.92%

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.08%)

^[1]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (After Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement)

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.84%

1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

86

3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

268

5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

466

10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,037

2004

rr_AnnualReturn2004

6.77%

2005

rr_AnnualReturn2005

9.33%

2006

rr_AnnualReturn2006

4.99%

2007

rr_AnnualReturn2007

19.01%

2008

rr_AnnualReturn2008

(45.42%)

2009

rr_AnnualReturn2009

36.66%

2010

rr_AnnualReturn2010

13.34%

2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

(0.71%)

Year to Date Return, Label

rr_YearToDateReturnLabel

Return from 1/1/12 through 9/30/12

Bar Chart, Year to Date Return, Date

rr_BarChartYearToDateReturnDate

Sep. 30, 2012

Bar Chart, Year to Date Return

rr_BarChartYearToDateReturn

15.11%

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Best Quarter:

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Jun. 30, 2009

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

13.96%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Worst Quarter:

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Dec. 31, 2008

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(26.49%)

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(0.71%)

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

(0.02%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

2.93%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Oct. 31, 2003

Large-Cap Growth Fund | Return After Taxes on Distributions | Class N

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(0.82%)

^[2]

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

(0.11%)

^[2]

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

2.86%

^[2]

Large-Cap Growth Fund | Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | Class N

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(0.32%)

^[2]

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

(0.03%)

^[2]

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

2.51%

^[2]

Large-Cap Growth Fund | Russell 1000 Growth Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

2.64%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

2.50%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

4.60%

[1] Bridgeway Capital Management, Inc. (the "Adviser"), the investment adviser to the Fund, pursuant to its Management Agreement with Bridgeway Funds, Inc. ("Bridgeway Funds"), is contractually obligated to waive fees and/or pay Fund expenses, if necessary, to ensure that net expenses do not exceed 0.84%. Any material change to this Fund policy would require a vote by shareholders.

[2] After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown. Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares may be higher than other returns for the same period due to a tax benefit of realizing a capital loss upon the sale of Fund shares. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement plans.

XML

Small-Cap Value Fund

FUND SUMMARY: SMALL-CAP VALUE FUND

Investment Objective:

The Small-Cap Value Fund (the “Fund”) seeks to provide long-term total return on capital, primarily through capital appreciation.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund:

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund.

Shareholder Fees (paid directly from your investment)

Shareholder Fees	Small-Cap Value Fund
Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases	none
Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends	none
Redemption Fees	none
Exchange Fees	none

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses		Small-Cap Value Fund
Management Fees		0.55%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees		none
Other Expenses		0.44%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses		0.99%
Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement	[1]	(0.05%)
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (After Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement)		0.94%

Example:

This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.

The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Expense Example (USD $)	1 Year	3 Years	5 Years	10 Years
Small-Cap Value Fund	96	300	520	1,155

Portfolio Turnover:

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 49% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies:

The Fund invests in a diversified portfolio of small-cap stocks that are listed on the New York Stock Exchange, NYSE MKT, and NASDAQ. Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus borrowings for investment purposes) in stocks from among those in the small-cap value category at the time of purchase. The Adviser selects stocks within the small-cap value category for the Fund using a statistically driven approach. Value stocks are those the Adviser believes are priced cheaply relative to some financial measures of worth, such as the ratio of price to earnings, price to sales, or price to cash flow.

Although the Fund seeks investments across a number of sectors, from time to time, based on portfolio positioning to reflect its benchmark, the Fund may have significant positions in particular sectors.

While the Fund is actively managed for long-term total return on capital, the Adviser seeks to minimize capital gains distributions as part of a tax management strategy. The successful application of this method is intended to result in a more tax-efficient fund than would otherwise be the case.

Principal Risks:

Shareholders of the Fund are exposed to above average stock market risk (volatility) and could lose money.

Investing in small-cap stocks may involve greater volatility and risk than investing in large- or mid-cap stocks.

Value investing carries the risk that the market will not recognize a security’s intrinsic value for a long time or that a stock judged to be undervalued may actually be appropriately priced. In addition, value stocks as a group may be out of favor at times and underperform the overall equity market for long periods while the market concentrates on other types of stocks, such as “growth” stocks.

Companies with similar characteristics may be grouped together in broad categories called sectors. A certain sector may underperform other sectors or the market as a whole. As the Adviser allocates more of the Fund’s portfolio holdings to a particular sector, the Fund’s performance will be more susceptible to any economic, business or other developments which generally affect that sector.

If too many small companies in the Fund outgrow the Fund’s small-cap mandate or if the Fund experiences extensive redemptions, the Adviser might need to sell some stocks, which could create capital gains. There can be no guarantee that the Fund may not someday distribute substantial capital gains, although the Adviser strongly intends to avoid them.

Performance:

The bar chart and table below provide an indication of the risk of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows how the Fund’s performance has varied on a calendar year basis. The table shows how the Fund’s average annual returns for various periods compare with those of a broad measure of market performance. This information is based on past performance. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not guarantee future results. Updated performance information is available on the Fund’s website at www.bridgeway.com or by calling 800-661-3550.

Small-Cap Value Fund
Year by Year % Returns as of 12/31 of Each Year

Return from 1/1/12 through 9/30/12 was 17.85%.

	Quarter		Total Return
Best Quarter:		Q2 09		28.36%
Worst Quarter:		Q4 08		-28.58%

Average Annual Total Returns (For the periods ended 12/31/11)

Average Annual Total Returns		1 Year	5 Years	Since Inception	Inception Date
Small-Cap Value Fund		1.05%	(2.74%)	4.27%	Oct. 31, 2003
Small-Cap Value Fund Return After Taxes on Distributions	[1]	0.83%	(2.83%)	4.20%
Small-Cap Value Fund Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares	[1]	0.94%	(2.32%)	3.69%
Small-Cap Value Fund Russell 2000 Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)		(5.50%)	(1.87%)	5.49%

[1] Bridgeway Capital Management, Inc. (the "Adviser"), the investment adviser to the Fund, pursuant to its Management Agreement with Bridgeway Funds, Inc. ("Bridgeway Funds"), is contractually obligated to waive fees and/or pay Fund expenses, if necessary, to ensure that net expenses do not exceed 0.94%. Any material change to this Fund policy would require a vote by shareholders.

[1] After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown. Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares may be higher than other returns for the same period due to a tax benefit of realizing a capital loss upon the sale of Fund shares. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement plans.

XML

Ultra-Small Company Fund

FUND SUMMARY: ULTRA-SMALL COMPANY FUND

Investment Objective:

The Ultra-Small Company Fund (the “Fund”) seeks to provide a long-term total return on capital, primarily through capital appreciation.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund:

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund.

Shareholder Fees (paid directly from your investment)

Shareholder Fees	Ultra-Small Company Fund Class N
Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases	none
Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends	none
Redemption Fees	none
Exchange Fees	none

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses		Ultra-Small Company Fund Class N
Management Fees		0.90%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees		none
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses	[1]	0.03%
Other Expenses		0.32%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses	[2]	1.25%

Example:

This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.

The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Expense Example (USD $)	1 Year	3 Years	5 Years	10 Years
Ultra-Small Company Fund Class N	127	397	686	1,511

Portfolio Turnover:

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 93% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies:

The Fund invests in a diversified portfolio of common stocks of ultra-small companies. Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus borrowings for investment purposes) in ultra-small company stocks based on company size at the time of purchase. For purposes of the Fund’s investments, “ultra-small companies” are defined as those: (i) companies that have a market capitalization the size of the smallest 20% of companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange; or (ii) companies with a capitalization that falls within the range of capitalization of companies included in the Cap-Based Portfolio 9 Index or the Cap-Based Portfolio 10 Index as defined by the University of Chicago's Center for Research in Security Prices ("CRSP"). A majority of these stocks are listed on NASDAQ. On June 30, 2012, the stocks in this group generally had a market capitalization of less than $478 million. Bridgeway Capital Management, Inc. (the “Adviser”) selects stocks for the Fund using a statistically driven approach.

The Fund may invest up to 15% of its total assets in foreign securities. For purposes of the Fund’s investments, “foreign securities” means those securities issued by companies: (i) that are domiciled in a country other than the U.S.; and (ii) that derive 50% or more of their total revenue from activities outside of the U.S.

Although the Fund seeks investments across a number of sectors, from time to time, based on portfolio positioning to reflect its benchmark, the Fund may have significant positions in particular sectors.

The Fund may engage in active and frequent trading.

The Fund may purchase stock market index futures in order to hedge cash.

Principal Risks:

The market prices of ultra-small company shares typically exhibit greater volatility than small-company shares and even micro-cap company shares and much greater volatility than large-company shares. Therefore, shareholders of this Fund are exposed to higher risk and could lose money.

The Fund is also subject to the risk that ultra-small company stocks will underperform other kinds of investments for a period of time.

Companies with similar characteristics may be grouped together in broad categories called sectors. A certain sector may underperform other sectors or the market as a whole. As the Adviser allocates more of the Fund’s portfolio holdings to a particular sector, the Fund’s performance will be more susceptible to any economic, business or other developments which generally affect that sector.

A higher portfolio turnover rate increases transaction costs and as a result may adversely impact the Fund’s performance and may increase share price volatility. Moreover, a higher portfolio turnover rate may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account.

Investments in foreign securities can be more volatile than investments in U.S. securities.

The Fund’s use of futures to manage risk or hedge market volatility may not always be successful hedges, their prices can be highly volatile, they may not always successfully manage risk and they could lower the Fund’s total return.

Performance:

The bar chart and table below provide an indication of the risk of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows how the Fund’s performance has varied on a calendar year basis. The table shows how the Fund’s average annual returns for various periods compare with those of a broad measure of market performance. This information is based on past performance. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not guarantee future results. Updated performance information is available on the Fund’s website at www.bridgeway.com or by calling 800-661-3550.

Ultra-Small Company Fund
Year by Year % Returns as of 12/31 of Each Year

Return from 1/1/12 through 9/30/12 was 20.97%.

	Quarter		Total Return
Best Quarter:		Q2 09		38.67%
Worst Quarter:		Q4 08		-27.19%

Average Annual Total Returns (For the periods ended 12/31/11)

Average Annual Total Returns Ultra-Small Company Fund		1 Year	5 Years	10 Years
Class N		(14.64%)	(3.87%)	9.53%
Class N Return After Taxes on Distributions	[1]	(14.90%)	(4.40%)	7.81%
Class N Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares	[1]	(9.40%)	(3.26%)	8.22%
CRSP Cap-Based Portfolio 10 Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)		(13.98%)	(0.86%)	10.11%

[1] Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses are expenses incurred by the Fund through its ownership of shares in other investment companies, including business development companies.

[2] Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses do not correlate to the expense ratio in the Financial Highlights, which reflects operating expenses of the Fund and does not include Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses.

[1] After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown. Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares may be higher than other returns for the same period due to a tax benefit of realizing a capital loss upon the sale of Fund shares. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement plans.

XML

Label

Element

Value

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Registrant Name

dei_EntityRegistrantName

BRIDGEWAY FUNDS INC

Prospectus Date

rr_ProspectusDate

Oct. 31, 2012

Small-Cap Value Fund

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return [Heading]

rr_RiskReturnHeading

FUND SUMMARY: SMALL-CAP VALUE FUND

Objective [Heading]

rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment Objective:

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Small-Cap Value Fund (the “Fund”) seeks to provide long-term total return on capital, primarily through capital appreciation.

Expense [Heading]

rr_ExpenseHeading

Fees and Expenses of the Fund:

Expense Narrative [Text Block]

rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund.

Shareholder Fees Caption [Text]

rr_ShareholderFeesCaption

Shareholder Fees (paid directly from your investment)

Operating Expenses Caption [Text]

rr_OperatingExpensesCaption

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Portfolio Turnover [Heading]

rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading

Portfolio Turnover:

Portfolio Turnover [Text Block]

rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 49% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

49.00%

Expense Example [Heading]

rr_ExpenseExampleHeading

Example:

Expense Example Narrative [Text Block]

rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.

The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Strategy [Heading]

rr_StrategyHeading

Principal Investment Strategies:

Strategy Narrative [Text Block]

rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

The Fund invests in a diversified portfolio of small-cap stocks that are listed on the New York Stock Exchange, NYSE MKT, and NASDAQ. Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus borrowings for investment purposes) in stocks from among those in the small-cap value category at the time of purchase. The Adviser selects stocks within the small-cap value category for the Fund using a statistically driven approach. Value stocks are those the Adviser believes are priced cheaply relative to some financial measures of worth, such as the ratio of price to earnings, price to sales, or price to cash flow.

Although the Fund seeks investments across a number of sectors, from time to time, based on portfolio positioning to reflect its benchmark, the Fund may have significant positions in particular sectors.

While the Fund is actively managed for long-term total return on capital, the Adviser seeks to minimize capital gains distributions as part of a tax management strategy. The successful application of this method is intended to result in a more tax-efficient fund than would otherwise be the case.

Risk [Heading]

rr_RiskHeading

Principal Risks:

Risk Narrative [Text Block]

rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

Shareholders of the Fund are exposed to above average stock market risk (volatility) and could lose money.

Investing in small-cap stocks may involve greater volatility and risk than investing in large- or mid-cap stocks.

Value investing carries the risk that the market will not recognize a security’s intrinsic value for a long time or that a stock judged to be undervalued may actually be appropriately priced. In addition, value stocks as a group may be out of favor at times and underperform the overall equity market for long periods while the market concentrates on other types of stocks, such as “growth” stocks.

Companies with similar characteristics may be grouped together in broad categories called sectors. A certain sector may underperform other sectors or the market as a whole. As the Adviser allocates more of the Fund’s portfolio holdings to a particular sector, the Fund’s performance will be more susceptible to any economic, business or other developments which generally affect that sector.

If too many small companies in the Fund outgrow the Fund’s small-cap mandate or if the Fund experiences extensive redemptions, the Adviser might need to sell some stocks, which could create capital gains. There can be no guarantee that the Fund may not someday distribute substantial capital gains, although the Adviser strongly intends to avoid them.

Risk Lose Money [Text]

rr_RiskLoseMoney

Shareholders of the Fund are exposed to above average stock market risk (volatility) and could lose money.

Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading]

rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading

Performance:

Performance Narrative [Text Block]

rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

The bar chart and table below provide an indication of the risk of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows how the Fund’s performance has varied on a calendar year basis. The table shows how the Fund’s average annual returns for various periods compare with those of a broad measure of market performance. This information is based on past performance. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not guarantee future results. Updated performance information is available on the Fund’s website at www.bridgeway.com or by calling 800-661-3550.

Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text]

rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns

The bar chart and table below provide an indication of the risk of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows how the Fund’s performance has varied on a calendar year basis. The table shows how the Fund’s average annual returns for various periods compare with those of a broad measure of market performance.

Performance Availability Phone [Text]

rr_PerformanceAvailabilityPhone

800-661-3550

Performance Availability Website Address [Text]

rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress

www.bridgeway.com

Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text]

rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture

Past performance (before and after taxes) does not guarantee future results.

Bar Chart [Heading]

rr_BarChartHeading

Small-Cap Value Fund
Year by Year % Returns as of 12/31 of Each Year

Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]

rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock

Return from 1/1/12 through 9/30/12 was 17.85%.

	Quarter		Total Return
Best Quarter:		Q2 09		28.36%
Worst Quarter:		Q4 08		-28.58%

Performance Table Heading

rr_PerformanceTableHeading

Average Annual Total Returns (For the periods ended 12/31/11)

Performance Table Uses Highest Federal Rate

rr_PerformanceTableUsesHighestFederalRate

After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes.

Performance Table Not Relevant to Tax Deferred

rr_PerformanceTableNotRelevantToTaxDeferred

After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement plans.

Performance Table Explanation after Tax Higher

rr_PerformanceTableExplanationAfterTaxHigher

Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares may be higher than other returns for the same period due to a tax benefit of realizing a capital loss upon the sale of Fund shares.

Small-Cap Value Fund | Small-Cap Value Fund

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases

rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice

none

Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends

rr_MaximumSalesChargeOnReinvestedDividendsAndDistributionsOverOther

none

Redemption Fees

rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption

none

Exchange Fees

rr_ExchangeFeeOverRedemption

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.55%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

none

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.44%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.99%

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.05%)

^[1]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (After Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement)

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.94%

1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

96

3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

300

5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

520

10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,155

2004

rr_AnnualReturn2004

17.33%

2005

rr_AnnualReturn2005

18.92%

2006

rr_AnnualReturn2006

12.77%

2007

rr_AnnualReturn2007

6.93%

2008

rr_AnnualReturn2008

(45.57%)

2009

rr_AnnualReturn2009

26.98%

2010

rr_AnnualReturn2010

16.55%

2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

1.05%

Year to Date Return, Label

rr_YearToDateReturnLabel

Return from 1/1/12 through 9/30/12 was 17.85%

Bar Chart, Year to Date Return, Date

rr_BarChartYearToDateReturnDate

Sep. 30, 2012

Bar Chart, Year to Date Return

rr_BarChartYearToDateReturn

17.85%

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Best Quarter:

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Jun. 30, 2009

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

28.36%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Worst Quarter:

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Dec. 31, 2008

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(28.58%)

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

1.05%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

(2.74%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

4.27%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Oct. 31, 2003

Small-Cap Value Fund | Return After Taxes on Distributions | Small-Cap Value Fund

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

0.83%

^[2]

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

(2.83%)

^[2]

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

4.20%

^[2]

Small-Cap Value Fund | Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | Small-Cap Value Fund

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

0.94%

^[2]

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

(2.32%)

^[2]

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

3.69%

^[2]

Small-Cap Value Fund | Russell 2000 Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(5.50%)

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

(1.87%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

5.49%

[1] Bridgeway Capital Management, Inc. (the "Adviser"), the investment adviser to the Fund, pursuant to its Management Agreement with Bridgeway Funds, Inc. ("Bridgeway Funds"), is contractually obligated to waive fees and/or pay Fund expenses, if necessary, to ensure that net expenses do not exceed 0.94%. Any material change to this Fund policy would require a vote by shareholders.

[2] After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown. Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares may be higher than other returns for the same period due to a tax benefit of realizing a capital loss upon the sale of Fund shares. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement plans.

XML

Label

Element

Value

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Registrant Name

dei_EntityRegistrantName

BRIDGEWAY FUNDS INC

Prospectus Date

rr_ProspectusDate

Oct. 31, 2012

Small-Cap Momentum Fund

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return [Heading]

rr_RiskReturnHeading

FUND SUMMARY: SMALL-CAP MOMENTUM FUND

Objective [Heading]

rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment Objective:

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Small-Cap Momentum Fund (the “Fund”) seeks to provide long-term total return on capital, primarily through capital appreciation.

Expense [Heading]

rr_ExpenseHeading

Fees and Expenses of the Fund:

Expense Narrative [Text Block]

rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund.

Shareholder Fees Caption [Text]

rr_ShareholderFeesCaption

Shareholder Fees (paid directly from your investment)

Operating Expenses Caption [Text]

rr_OperatingExpensesCaption

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Portfolio Turnover [Heading]

rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading

Portfolio Turnover:

Portfolio Turnover [Text Block]

rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 230% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

230.00%

Expenses Not Correlated to Ratio Due to Acquired Fund Fees [Text]

rr_ExpensesNotCorrelatedToRatioDueToAcquiredFundFees

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (After Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement) do not correlate to the expense ratio in the Financial Highlights, which reflects operating expenses of the Fund and does not include Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses.

Expense Example [Heading]

rr_ExpenseExampleHeading

Example:

Expense Example Narrative [Text Block]

rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.

The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Strategy [Heading]

rr_StrategyHeading

Principal Investment Strategies:

Strategy Narrative [Text Block]

rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests 80% of its net assets (plus borrowings for investment purposes) in equity or equity-related securities (“common stocks”) of small-cap companies at the time of purchase. The Fund primarily invests in small-cap stocks that are listed on the New York Stock Exchange, NYSE MKT and NASDAQ that the Adviser determines to have positive risk-adjusted momentum (i.e., above-average recent returns) based on a statistically driven approach. The Fund may invest up to 15% of its total assets in foreign securities. For purposes of the Fund’s investments, “foreign securities” means those securities issued by companies: i) that are domiciled in a country other than the U.S.; and (ii) that derive 50% or more of their total revenue from activities outside of the U.S.

Although the Fund seeks investments across a number of sectors, from time to time, in pursuing the Fund’s investment strategy, the Fund may have significant positions in particular sectors.

The Adviser expects to rebalance the Fund’s portfolio (selling securities that, in the Adviser’s opinion, have lower risk-adjusted momentum and buying securities that, in the Adviser’s opinion, have higher risk-adjusted momentum) no less frequently than quarterly, and thus, the Fund engages in active and frequent trading of portfolio securities.

The Fund may purchase stock market index futures in order to hedge cash.

Risk [Heading]

rr_RiskHeading

Principal Risks:

Risk Narrative [Text Block]

rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

The value of the Fund’s shares will fluctuate as a result of the movement of the overall stock-market or of the value of the individual securities held by the Fund, and shareholders could lose money.

Investing in securities with positive risk-adjusted momentum entails investing in securities that may be more volatile than a broad cross-section of stock market securities.

Investing in small-cap stocks may involve greater volatility and risk than investing in large- or mid-cap stocks.

Companies with similar characteristics may be grouped together in broad categories called sectors. A certain sector may underperform other sectors or the market as a whole. As the Adviser allocates more of the Fund’s portfolio holdings to a particular sector, the Fund’s performance will be more susceptible to any economic, business or other developments which generally affect that sector.

Investments in foreign securities can be more volatile than investments in U.S. securities.

A higher portfolio turnover rate increases transaction costs and as a result may adversely impact the Fund’s performance and may increase share price volatility. Moreover, a higher portfolio turnover rate may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account.

The Fund’s use of futures to manage risk or hedge market volatility may not always be successful hedges, their prices can be highly volatile, they may not always successfully manage risk and they could lower the Fund’s total return.

Risk Lose Money [Text]

rr_RiskLoseMoney

The value of the Fund’s shares will fluctuate as a result of the movement of the overall stock-market or of the value of the individual securities held by the Fund, and shareholders could lose money.

Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading]

rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading

Performance:

Performance Narrative [Text Block]

rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

The bar chart and table below provide an indication of the risk of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows how the Fund’s performance has varied on a calendar year basis. The table shows how the Fund’s average annual returns for the period compare with those of a broad measure of market performance. This information is based on past performance. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not guarantee future results. Updated performance information is available on the Fund’s website at www.bridgeway.com or by calling 800-661-3550.

Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text]

rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns

The bar chart and table below provide an indication of the risk of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows how the Fund’s performance has varied on a calendar year basis. The table shows how the Fund’s average annual returns for the period compare with those of a broad measure of market performance.

Performance Availability Phone [Text]

rr_PerformanceAvailabilityPhone

800-661-3550

Performance Availability Website Address [Text]

rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress

www.bridgeway.com

Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text]

rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture

Past performance (before and after taxes) does not guarantee future results.

Bar Chart [Heading]

rr_BarChartHeading

Small-Cap Momentum Fund
Annual % Return as of 12/31

Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]

rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock

Return from 1/1/12 through 9/30/12 was 13.65%.

	Quarter		Total Return
Best Quarter:		Q4 11		18.80%
Worst Quarter:		Q3 11		-22.68%

Performance Table Heading

rr_PerformanceTableHeading

Average Annual Total Returns (For the periods ended 12/31/11)

Performance Table Uses Highest Federal Rate

rr_PerformanceTableUsesHighestFederalRate

After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes.

Performance Table Not Relevant to Tax Deferred

rr_PerformanceTableNotRelevantToTaxDeferred

After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement plans.

Performance Table Explanation after Tax Higher

rr_PerformanceTableExplanationAfterTaxHigher

Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares may be higher than other returns for the same period due to a tax benefit of realizing a capital loss upon the sale of Fund shares.

Small-Cap Momentum Fund | Class N

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases

rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice

none

Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends

rr_MaximumSalesChargeOnReinvestedDividendsAndDistributionsOverOther

none

Redemption Fees (as a percentage of amount redeemed for shares held less than 6 months)

rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption

2.00%

Exchange Fees

rr_ExchangeFeeOverRedemption

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.55%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

none

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

5.18%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.03%

^[1]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

5.76%

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(4.83%)

^[2]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (After Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement)

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.93%

^[3]

1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

95

3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

296

5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

515

10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,143

2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

(0.92%)

Year to Date Return, Label

rr_YearToDateReturnLabel

Return from 1/1/12 through 9/30/12

Bar Chart, Year to Date Return, Date

rr_BarChartYearToDateReturnDate

Sep. 30, 2012

Bar Chart, Year to Date Return

rr_BarChartYearToDateReturn

13.65%

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Best Quarter:

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Dec. 31, 2011

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

18.80%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Worst Quarter:

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Sep. 30, 2011

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(22.68%)

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(0.92%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

10.84%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

May 28, 2010

Small-Cap Momentum Fund | Return After Taxes on Distributions | Class N

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(4.30%)

^[4]

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

8.37%

^[4]

Small-Cap Momentum Fund | Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | Class N

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(0.44%)

^[4]

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

7.89%

^[4]

Small-Cap Momentum Fund | Russell 2000 Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(4.18%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

8.78%

[1] Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses are expenses incurred by the Fund through its ownership of shares in other investment companies, including business development companies.

[2] Bridgeway Capital Management, Inc. (the "Adviser"), the investment adviser to the Fund, pursuant to its Management Agreement with Bridgeway Funds, Inc. ("Bridgeway Funds"), is contractually obligated to waive fees and/or pay Fund expenses, if necessary, to ensure that net expenses do not exceed 0.90%. Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses are not included in the 0.90% expense limitation. The expense limitation cannot be changed or eliminated without shareholder approval. The Fund is authorized to reimburse the Adviser for management fees previously waived and/or for expenses previously paid by the Adviser, provided, however, that any reimbursements must be paid at a date not more than three years after the fiscal year in which the Adviser waived the fees or reimbursed the expenses and the reimbursements do not cause the Fund to exceed the expense limitation in the agreement.

[3] Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (After Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement) do not correlate to the expense ratio in the Financial Highlights, which reflects operating expenses of the Fund and does not include Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses.

[4] After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown. Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares may be higher than other returns for the same period due to a tax benefit of realizing a capital loss upon the sale of Fund shares. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement plans.

XML

Large-Cap Growth Fund

FUND SUMMARY: LARGE-CAP GROWTH FUND

Investment Objective:

The Large-Cap Growth Fund (the “Fund”) seeks to provide long-term total return on capital, primarily through capital appreciation.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund:

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund.

Shareholder Fees (paid directly from your investment)

Shareholder Fees	Large-Cap Growth Fund Class N
Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases	none
Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends	none
Redemption Fees	none
Exchange Fees	none

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses		Large-Cap Growth Fund Class N
Management Fees		0.41%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees		none
Other Expenses		0.51%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses		0.92%
Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement	[1]	(0.08%)
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (After Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement)		0.84%

Example:

This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.

The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Expense Example (USD $)	1 Year	3 Years	5 Years	10 Years
Large-Cap Growth Fund Class N	86	268	466	1,037

Portfolio Turnover:

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 55% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies:

The Fund invests in a diversified portfolio of large stocks that are listed on the New York Stock Exchange, NYSE MKT, and NASDAQ. Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus borrowings for investment purposes) in stocks from among those in the large-cap growth category at the time of purchase. The Adviser selects stocks within the large-cap growth category for the Fund using a statistically driven approach. Growth stocks are those the Adviser believes have above average prospects for economic growth.

Although the Fund seeks investments across a number of sectors, from time to time, based on portfolio positioning to reflect its benchmark, the Fund may have significant positions in particular sectors.

While the Fund is actively managed for long-term total return on capital, the Adviser seeks to minimize capital gains distributions as part of a tax management strategy. The successful application of this method is intended to result in a more tax-efficient fund than would otherwise be the case.

Principal Risks:

Shareholders of the Fund are exposed to significant stock market risk (volatility) and could lose money.

Growth stocks may be more volatile than other stocks because they are generally more sensitive to investor perceptions and market movements. In addition, growth stocks as a group may be out of favor at times and underperform the overall equity market for long periods while the market concentrates on other types of stocks, such as “value” stocks.

In addition, large-cap stocks have tended to recover more slowly than small-cap stocks from a market downturn. Consequently, the Fund may expose shareholders to higher inflation risk (the risk that the Fund value will not keep up with inflation) than some other stock market segments.

Companies with similar characteristics may be grouped together in broad categories called sectors. A certain sector may underperform other sectors or the market as a whole. As the Adviser allocates more of the Fund’s portfolio holdings to a particular sector, the Fund’s performance will be more susceptible to any economic, business or other developments which generally affect that sector.

If the Fund experiences extensive redemptions, the Adviser might need to sell some stocks, which could create capital gains. There can be no guarantee that the Fund may not someday distribute substantial capital gains, although the Adviser strongly intends to avoid them.

Performance:

The bar chart and table below provide an indication of the risk of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows how the Fund’s performance has varied on a calendar year basis. The table shows how the Fund’s average annual returns for various periods compare with those of a broad measure of market performance. This information is based on past performance. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not guarantee future results. Updated performance information is available on the Fund’s website at www.bridgeway.com or by calling 800-661-3550.

Large-Cap Growth Fund
Year by Year % Returns as of 12/31 of Each Year

Return from 1/1/12 through 9/30/12 was 15.11%.

	Quarter		Total Return
Best Quarter:		Q2 09		13.96%
Worst Quarter:		Q4 08		-26.49%

Average Annual Total Returns (For the periods ended 12/31/11)

Average Annual Total Returns Large-Cap Growth Fund		1 Year	5 Years	Since Inception	Inception Date
Class N		(0.71%)	(0.02%)	2.93%	Oct. 31, 2003
Class N Return After Taxes on Distributions	[1]	(0.82%)	(0.11%)	2.86%
Class N Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares	[1]	(0.32%)	(0.03%)	2.51%
Russell 1000 Growth Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)		2.64%	2.50%	4.60%

[1] Bridgeway Capital Management, Inc. (the "Adviser"), the investment adviser to the Fund, pursuant to its Management Agreement with Bridgeway Funds, Inc. ("Bridgeway Funds"), is contractually obligated to waive fees and/or pay Fund expenses, if necessary, to ensure that net expenses do not exceed 0.84%. Any material change to this Fund policy would require a vote by shareholders.

[1] After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown. Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares may be higher than other returns for the same period due to a tax benefit of realizing a capital loss upon the sale of Fund shares. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement plans.

XML

Small-Cap Growth Fund

FUND SUMMARY: SMALL-CAP GROWTH FUND

Investment Objective:

The Small-Cap Growth Fund (the “Fund”) seeks to provide long-term total return on capital, primarily through capital appreciation.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund:

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund.

Shareholder Fees (paid directly from your investment)

Shareholder Fees	Small-Cap Growth Fund Class N
Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases	none
Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends	none
Redemption Fees	none
Exchange Fees	none

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses		Small-Cap Growth Fund Class N
Management Fees		0.48%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees		none
Other Expenses		0.60%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses		1.08%
Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement	[1]	(0.14%)
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (After Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement)		0.94%

Example:

This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.

The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Expense Example (USD $)	1 Year	3 Years	5 Years	10 Years
Small-Cap Growth Fund Class N	96	300	520	1,155

Portfolio Turnover:

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 63% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies:

The Fund invests in a diversified portfolio of small-cap stocks that are listed on the New York Stock Exchange, NYSE MKT and NASDAQ. Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus borrowings for investment purposes) in stocks from among those in the small-cap growth category at the time of purchase. The Adviser selects stocks within the small-cap growth category for the Fund using a statistically driven approach. Growth stocks are those the Adviser believes have above average prospects for economic growth.

Although the Fund seeks investments across a number of sectors, from time to time, based on portfolio positioning to reflect its benchmark, the Fund may have significant positions in particular sectors.

While the Fund is actively managed for long-term return on capital, the Adviser seeks to minimize capital gains distributions as part of a tax management strategy. The successful application of this method is intended to result in a more tax-efficient fund than would otherwise be the case.

Principal Risks:

Shareholders of the Fund are exposed to significant stock market risk (volatility) and could lose money.

Investing in small-cap stocks may involve greater volatility and risk than investing in large- or mid-cap stocks.

Growth stocks may be more volatile than other stocks because they are generally more sensitive to investor perceptions and market movements. In addition, growth stocks as a group may be out of favor at times and underperform the overall equity market for long periods while the market concentrates on other types of stocks, such as “value” stocks.

Companies with similar characteristics may be grouped together in broad categories called sectors. A certain sector may underperform other sectors or the market as a whole. As the Adviser allocates more of the Fund’s portfolio holdings to a particular sector, the Fund’s performance will be more susceptible to any economic, business or other developments which generally affect that sector.

If too many small companies in the Fund outgrow the Fund’s small-cap mandate or if the Fund experiences extensive redemptions, the Adviser might need to sell some stocks, which could create capital gains. There can be no guarantee that the Fund may not someday distribute substantial capital gains, although the Adviser strongly intends to avoid them.

Performance:

The bar chart and table below provide an indication of the risk of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows how the Fund’s performance has varied on a calendar year basis. The table shows how the Fund’s average annual returns for various periods compare with those of a broad measure of market performance. This information is based on past performance. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not guarantee future results. Updated performance information is available on the Fund’s website at www.bridgeway.com or by calling 800-661-3550.

Small-Cap Growth Fund
Year by Year % Returns as of 12/31 of Each Year

Return from 1/1/12 through 9/30/12 was 13.70%.

	Quarter		Total Return
Best Quarter:		Q4 11		19.95%
Worst Quarter:		Q3 11		-26.49%

Average Annual Total Returns (For the periods ended 12/31/11)

Average Annual Total Returns Small-Cap Growth Fund		1 Year	5 Years	Since Inception	Inception Date
Class N		(0.63%)	(5.05%)	1.19%	Oct. 31, 2003
Class N Return After Taxes on Distributions	[1]	(0.63%)	(5.07%)	1.18%
Class N Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares	[1]	(0.41%)	(4.22%)	1.01%
Russell 2000 Growth Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)		(2.91%)	2.09%	5.53%

[1] Bridgeway Capital Management, Inc. (the "Adviser"), the investment adviser to the Fund, pursuant to its Management Agreement with Bridgeway Funds, Inc. ("Bridgeway Funds"), is contractually obligated to waive fees and/or pay Fund expenses, if necessary, to ensure that net expenses do not exceed 0.94%. Any material change to this Fund policy would require a vote by shareholders.

[1] After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown. Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares may be higher than other returns for the same period due to a tax benefit of realizing a capital loss upon the sale of Fund shares. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement plans.

XML

Label

Element

Value

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Registrant Name

dei_EntityRegistrantName

BRIDGEWAY FUNDS INC

Prospectus Date

rr_ProspectusDate

Oct. 31, 2012

Aggressive Investors 1 Fund

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return [Heading]

rr_RiskReturnHeading

FUND SUMMARY: AGGRESSIVE INVESTORS 1 FUND

Objective [Heading]

rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment Objective:

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Aggressive Investors 1 Fund (the “Fund”) seeks to exceed the stock market total return (primarily through capital appreciation) at a level of total risk roughly equal to that of the stock market over longer periods of time (three year intervals or more).

Expense [Heading]

rr_ExpenseHeading

Fees and Expenses of the Fund:

Expense Narrative [Text Block]

rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund.

Shareholder Fees Caption [Text]

rr_ShareholderFeesCaption

Shareholder Fees (paid directly from your investment)

Operating Expenses Caption [Text]

rr_OperatingExpensesCaption

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Portfolio Turnover [Heading]

rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading

Portfolio Turnover:

Portfolio Turnover [Text Block]

rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 125% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

125.00%

Expense Example [Heading]

rr_ExpenseExampleHeading

Example:

Expense Example Narrative [Text Block]

rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.

The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Strategy [Heading]

rr_StrategyHeading

Principal Investment Strategies:

Strategy Narrative [Text Block]

rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

The Fund invests in a diversified portfolio of common stocks of companies of any size that are listed on the New York Stock Exchange, NYSE MKT and NASDAQ. Bridgeway Capital Management, Inc. (the “Adviser”) selects stocks for the Fund using a statistically driven approach. The Fund seeks to achieve the risk objective by investing in stocks that the Adviser believes have a lower probability of price decline over the long term, though the stock price may be more volatile in the short term. The Fund may invest in stocks for which there is relatively low market liquidity, as periodically determined by the Adviser based on the stock’s trading volume. The Fund may also use aggressive investment techniques such as:

• leveraging (borrowing up to 50% of its net assets from banks),

• purchasing and selling futures and options on individual stocks and stock market indexes to increase or decrease the Fund’s exposure to stock market risk in order to attempt to maintain a more constant level of risk,

• purchasing and selling financial or commodity futures and options to diversify risk,

• entering into short-sale transactions (up to 20% of its total assets),

• investing up to 20% of its total assets in a single company,

• investing up to 15% of its total assets in foreign securities (as defined below), and

• short-term trading (buying and selling the same security in less than a three-month timeframe).

For purposes of the Fund’s investments, “foreign securities” means those securities issued by companies: (i) that are domiciled in a country other than the U.S.; and (ii) that derive 50% or more of their total revenue from activities outside of the U.S.

Although the Fund seeks investments across a number of sectors, from time to time, based on economic conditions, the Fund may have significant positions in particular sectors.

The Fund sometimes invests in a smaller number of companies than other mutual funds.

The Fund may engage in active and frequent trading.

Risk [Heading]

rr_RiskHeading

Principal Risks:

Risk Narrative [Text Block]

rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

Shareholders of the Fund are exposed to higher risk than the stock market as a whole and could lose money.

Since the Fund invests in companies of any size and because there are a larger number of small and less liquid companies that the Fund could invest in, the Fund may bear the short-term risk (volatility) associated with small companies, especially in the early stages of an economic or stock market downturn.

The Fund may also exhibit higher volatility due to the use of aggressive investment techniques including futures, options, and leverage. Futures and options may not always be successful hedges, and their prices can be highly volatile. They may not always successfully manage risk. Using futures and options could lower a Fund’s total return, and the potential loss from the use of futures can exceed a Fund’s initial investment in such contracts. Leverage created from borrowing may impair the Fund’s liquidity, cause it to liquidate positions at an unfavorable time, increase volatility or otherwise not achieve its intended objective.

Investments in foreign securities can be more volatile than investments in U.S. securities.

Companies with similar characteristics may be grouped together in broad categories called sectors. A certain sector may underperform other sectors or the market as a whole. As the Adviser allocates more of the Fund’s portfolio holdings to a particular sector, the Fund’s performance will be more susceptible to any economic, business or other developments which generally affect that sector.

Individual short-sale positions can theoretically expose the Fund to unlimited loss on such positions, although the Adviser seeks to mitigate this potential loss by limiting a single short-sale position to 2.5% of the Fund’s net assets at the time of opening the position.

A higher portfolio turnover rate increases transaction costs and as a result may adversely impact the Fund’s performance and may increase share price volatility. Moreover, a higher portfolio turnover rate may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account.

The Fund may invest in a small number of companies, which will likely add to Fund volatility.

Risk Lose Money [Text]

rr_RiskLoseMoney

Shareholders of the Fund are exposed to higher risk than the stock market as a whole and could lose money.

Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading]

rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading

Performance:

Performance Narrative [Text Block]

rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

The bar chart and table below provide an indication of the risk of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows how the Fund’s performance has varied on a calendar year basis. The table shows how the Fund’s average annual returns for various periods compare with those of a broad measure of market performance. In addition, the Fund’s performance is compared to the Russell 2000^® Index, an unmanaged, market value weighted index that measures the performance of the 2,000 companies that are between the 1,000th and 3,000th largest in the market with dividends reinvested. This information is based on past performance. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not guarantee future results. Updated performance information is available on the Fund’s website at www.bridgeway.com or by calling 800-661-3550.

Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text]

rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns

The bar chart and table below provide an indication of the risk of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows how the Fund’s performance has varied on a calendar year basis. The table shows how the Fund’s average annual returns for various periods compare with those of a broad measure of market performance.

Performance Availability Phone [Text]

rr_PerformanceAvailabilityPhone

800-661-3550

Performance Availability Website Address [Text]

rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress

www.bridgeway.com

Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text]

rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture

Past performance (before and after taxes) does not guarantee future results.

Bar Chart [Heading]

rr_BarChartHeading

Aggressive Investors 1 Fund
Year by Year % Returns as of 12/31 of Each Year

Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]

rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock

Return from 1/1/12 through 9/30/12 was 18.50%.

	Quarter		Total Return
Best Quarter:		Q2 03		28.34%
Worst Quarter:		Q4 08		-32.80%

Performance Table Heading

rr_PerformanceTableHeading

Average Annual Total Returns (For the periods ended 12/31/11)

Performance Table Uses Highest Federal Rate

rr_PerformanceTableUsesHighestFederalRate

After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes.

Performance Table Not Relevant to Tax Deferred

rr_PerformanceTableNotRelevantToTaxDeferred

After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement plans.

Performance Table Explanation after Tax Higher

rr_PerformanceTableExplanationAfterTaxHigher

Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares may be higher than other returns for the same period due to a tax benefit of realizing a capital loss upon the sale of Fund shares.

Aggressive Investors 1 Fund | Class N

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases

rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice

none

Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends

rr_MaximumSalesChargeOnReinvestedDividendsAndDistributionsOverOther

none

Redemption Fees

rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption

none

Exchange Fees

rr_ExchangeFeeOverRedemption

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.90%

^[1]

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

none

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.43%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.33%

1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

135

3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

421

5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

729

10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,601

2002

rr_AnnualReturn2002

(18.01%)

2003

rr_AnnualReturn2003

53.97%

2004

rr_AnnualReturn2004

12.21%

2005

rr_AnnualReturn2005

14.93%

2006

rr_AnnualReturn2006

7.11%

2007

rr_AnnualReturn2007

25.80%

2008

rr_AnnualReturn2008

(56.16%)

2009

rr_AnnualReturn2009

23.98%

2010

rr_AnnualReturn2010

17.82%

2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

(10.31%)

Year to Date Return, Label

rr_YearToDateReturnLabel

Return from 1/1/12 through 9/30/12

Bar Chart, Year to Date Return, Date

rr_BarChartYearToDateReturnDate

Sep. 30, 2012

Bar Chart, Year to Date Return

rr_BarChartYearToDateReturn

18.50%

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Best Quarter:

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Jun. 30, 2003

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

28.34%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Worst Quarter:

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Dec. 31, 2008

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(32.80%)

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(10.31%)

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

(6.29%)

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

2.34%

Aggressive Investors 1 Fund | Return After Taxes on Distributions | Class N

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(10.78%)

^[2]

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

(7.00%)

^[2]

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

1.63%

^[2]

Aggressive Investors 1 Fund | Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | Class N

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(6.54%)

^[2]

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

(5.07%)

^[2]

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

2.19%

^[2]

Aggressive Investors 1 Fund | S&P 500 Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

2.11%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

(0.25%)

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

2.92%

Aggressive Investors 1 Fund | Russell 2000 Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(4.18%)

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

0.15%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

5.62%

[1] The management fee for the Fund has been restated to reflect only the base management fee payable under the Fund's performance-based management fee structure. The total actual management fee for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2012 was -0.47% (see page 63 for more details). The actual total management fee for the prior fiscal year was negative due to the negative performance adjustment of the investment management fee under the Fund's performance-based management fee structure. As a result of the restatement, the management fee shown in the table above will be higher than that included in the expense ratio shown in the Financial Highlights table for the Fund.

[2] After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown. Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares may be higher than other returns for the same period due to a tax benefit of realizing a capital loss upon the sale of Fund shares. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement plans.

XML

Aggressive Investors 1 Fund

FUND SUMMARY: AGGRESSIVE INVESTORS 1 FUND

Investment Objective:

The Aggressive Investors 1 Fund (the “Fund”) seeks to exceed the stock market total return (primarily through capital appreciation) at a level of total risk roughly equal to that of the stock market over longer periods of time (three year intervals or more).

Fees and Expenses of the Fund:

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund.

Shareholder Fees (paid directly from your investment)

Shareholder Fees	Aggressive Investors 1 Fund Class N
Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases	none
Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends	none
Redemption Fees	none
Exchange Fees	none

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses		Aggressive Investors 1 Fund Class N
Management Fees	[1]	0.90%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees		none
Other Expenses		0.43%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses		1.33%

Example:

This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.

The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Expense Example (USD $)	1 Year	3 Years	5 Years	10 Years
Aggressive Investors 1 Fund Class N	135	421	729	1,601

Portfolio Turnover:

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 125% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies:

The Fund invests in a diversified portfolio of common stocks of companies of any size that are listed on the New York Stock Exchange, NYSE MKT and NASDAQ. Bridgeway Capital Management, Inc. (the “Adviser”) selects stocks for the Fund using a statistically driven approach. The Fund seeks to achieve the risk objective by investing in stocks that the Adviser believes have a lower probability of price decline over the long term, though the stock price may be more volatile in the short term. The Fund may invest in stocks for which there is relatively low market liquidity, as periodically determined by the Adviser based on the stock’s trading volume. The Fund may also use aggressive investment techniques such as:

• leveraging (borrowing up to 50% of its net assets from banks),

• purchasing and selling futures and options on individual stocks and stock market indexes to increase or decrease the Fund’s exposure to stock market risk in order to attempt to maintain a more constant level of risk,

• purchasing and selling financial or commodity futures and options to diversify risk,

• entering into short-sale transactions (up to 20% of its total assets),

• investing up to 20% of its total assets in a single company,

• investing up to 15% of its total assets in foreign securities (as defined below), and

• short-term trading (buying and selling the same security in less than a three-month timeframe).

For purposes of the Fund’s investments, “foreign securities” means those securities issued by companies: (i) that are domiciled in a country other than the U.S.; and (ii) that derive 50% or more of their total revenue from activities outside of the U.S.

Although the Fund seeks investments across a number of sectors, from time to time, based on economic conditions, the Fund may have significant positions in particular sectors.

The Fund sometimes invests in a smaller number of companies than other mutual funds.

The Fund may engage in active and frequent trading.

Principal Risks:

Shareholders of the Fund are exposed to higher risk than the stock market as a whole and could lose money.

Since the Fund invests in companies of any size and because there are a larger number of small and less liquid companies that the Fund could invest in, the Fund may bear the short-term risk (volatility) associated with small companies, especially in the early stages of an economic or stock market downturn.

The Fund may also exhibit higher volatility due to the use of aggressive investment techniques including futures, options, and leverage. Futures and options may not always be successful hedges, and their prices can be highly volatile. They may not always successfully manage risk. Using futures and options could lower a Fund’s total return, and the potential loss from the use of futures can exceed a Fund’s initial investment in such contracts. Leverage created from borrowing may impair the Fund’s liquidity, cause it to liquidate positions at an unfavorable time, increase volatility or otherwise not achieve its intended objective.

Investments in foreign securities can be more volatile than investments in U.S. securities.

Companies with similar characteristics may be grouped together in broad categories called sectors. A certain sector may underperform other sectors or the market as a whole. As the Adviser allocates more of the Fund’s portfolio holdings to a particular sector, the Fund’s performance will be more susceptible to any economic, business or other developments which generally affect that sector.

Individual short-sale positions can theoretically expose the Fund to unlimited loss on such positions, although the Adviser seeks to mitigate this potential loss by limiting a single short-sale position to 2.5% of the Fund’s net assets at the time of opening the position.

A higher portfolio turnover rate increases transaction costs and as a result may adversely impact the Fund’s performance and may increase share price volatility. Moreover, a higher portfolio turnover rate may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account.

The Fund may invest in a small number of companies, which will likely add to Fund volatility.

Performance:

The bar chart and table below provide an indication of the risk of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows how the Fund’s performance has varied on a calendar year basis. The table shows how the Fund’s average annual returns for various periods compare with those of a broad measure of market performance. In addition, the Fund’s performance is compared to the Russell 2000^® Index, an unmanaged, market value weighted index that measures the performance of the 2,000 companies that are between the 1,000th and 3,000th largest in the market with dividends reinvested. This information is based on past performance. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not guarantee future results. Updated performance information is available on the Fund’s website at www.bridgeway.com or by calling 800-661-3550.

Aggressive Investors 1 Fund
Year by Year % Returns as of 12/31 of Each Year

Return from 1/1/12 through 9/30/12 was 18.50%.

	Quarter		Total Return
Best Quarter:		Q2 03		28.34%
Worst Quarter:		Q4 08		-32.80%

Average Annual Total Returns (For the periods ended 12/31/11)

Average Annual Total Returns Aggressive Investors 1 Fund		1 Year	5 Years	10 Years
Class N		(10.31%)	(6.29%)	2.34%
Class N Return After Taxes on Distributions	[1]	(10.78%)	(7.00%)	1.63%
Class N Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares	[1]	(6.54%)	(5.07%)	2.19%
S&P 500 Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)		2.11%	(0.25%)	2.92%
Russell 2000 Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)		(4.18%)	0.15%	5.62%

[1] The management fee for the Fund has been restated to reflect only the base management fee payable under the Fund's performance-based management fee structure. The total actual management fee for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2012 was -0.47% (see page 63 for more details). The actual total management fee for the prior fiscal year was negative due to the negative performance adjustment of the investment management fee under the Fund's performance-based management fee structure. As a result of the restatement, the management fee shown in the table above will be higher than that included in the expense ratio shown in the Financial Highlights table for the Fund.

[1] After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown. Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares may be higher than other returns for the same period due to a tax benefit of realizing a capital loss upon the sale of Fund shares. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement plans.

XML

Omni Small-Cap Value Fund

FUND SUMMARY: OMNI SMALL-CAP VALUE FUND

Investment Objective:

The Omni Small-Cap Value Fund (the “Fund”) seeks to provide long-term total return on capital, primarily through capital appreciation.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund:

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund.

Shareholder Fees (paid directly from your investment)

Shareholder Fees	Omni Small-Cap Value Fund Class N
Sales Charge (Load) imposed on Purchases	none
Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends	none
Redemption Fees	none
Exchange Fees	none

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses		Omni Small-Cap Value Fund Class N
Management Fees		0.50%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees		none
Other Expenses		0.34%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses		0.84%
Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement	[1]	(0.24%)
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (After Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement)		0.60%

Example:

This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.

The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Expense Example (USD $)	1 Year	3 Years	5 Years	10 Years
Omni Small-Cap Value Fund Class N	61	192	335	750

Portfolio Turnover:

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal period from August 31, 2011 (the Fund’s inception date) through June 30, 2012, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 8% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies:

The Fund invests in a broad and diverse group of small-cap stocks that the Adviser determines to be value stocks. Value stocks are those the Adviser determines are priced cheaply relative to some financial measures of worth, such as the ratio of price to book, price to earnings, price to sales, or price to cash flow. The Adviser uses a market capitalization approach to weight the securities in the Fund’s portfolio. This means that a security’s weight in the Fund’s portfolio at the time of purchase is roughly proportional to its market capitalization relative to the other securities in the portfolio. Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests 80% of its net assets (plus borrowings for investment purposes) in equity or equity-related securities (“common stocks”) of small-cap companies at the time of purchase. For purposes of the Fund’s investments, the Adviser considers small-cap stocks to be those of companies that have a market capitalization generally in the lowest 15% of total market capitalization or smaller than the 1000^th largest U.S. company, whichever results in the higher market capitalization break. As of September 30, 2012, the stocks in this group had a market capitalization of less than $4.4 billion. This dollar amount will change with market conditions. The Fund primarily invests in small-cap stocks that are listed on the New York Stock Exchange, the NYSE MKT and NASDAQ.

The Adviser will not necessarily sell a stock if it “migrates” to a different category after purchase. As a result, due to such “migration” or other market movements, the Fund may have less than 80% of its assets in small-cap stocks at any point in time.

Use of the term “omni” in the name refers to the fact that the Fund intends to invest in a broad and diverse group of small-cap value stocks that approximately reflect the risk and return of all small-cap value stocks as a whole.

Although the Fund seeks investments across a number of sectors, from time to time, based on economic conditions and portfolio positioning to reflect a profile of a universe of stocks, the Fund may have significant positions in particular sectors.

The Fund may invest up to 15% of its total assets in foreign securities. For purposes of the Fund’s investments, “foreign securities” means those securities issued by companies: (i) that are domiciled in a country other than the United States; and (ii) that derive 50% or more of their total revenue from activities outside of the United States.

Principal Risks:

The value of the Fund’s shares will fluctuate as a result of the movement of the overall stock-market or of the value of the individual securities held by the Fund, and shareholders could lose money.

Investing in small-cap stocks may involve greater volatility and risk than investing in large- or mid-cap stocks.

Value investing carries the risk that the market will not recognize a security’s intrinsic value for a long time or that a stock judged to be undervalued by various value measures may actually be appropriately priced. In addition, value stocks as a group may be out of favor at times and underperform the overall equity market for long periods while the market concentrates on other types of stocks, such as “growth” stocks.

Investments in foreign securities can be more volatile than investments in U.S. securities.

Companies with similar characteristics may be grouped together in broad categories called sectors. A certain sector may underperform other sectors or the market as a whole. As the Adviser allocates more of the Fund’s portfolio holdings to a particular sector, the Fund’s performance will be more susceptible to any economic, business or other developments which generally affect that sector.

Performance:

Performance information is not provided because the Fund has not had a full calendar year of operations.

[1] Bridgeway Capital Management, Inc. (the "Adviser"), the investment adviser to the Fund, pursuant to its Management Agreement with Bridgeway Funds, Inc. ("Bridgeway Funds"), is contractually obligated to waive fees and/or pay Fund expenses, if necessary, to ensure that net expenses do not exceed 0.60%. The expense limitation cannot be changed or eliminated without shareholder approval. The Fund is authorized to reimburse the Adviser for management fees previously waived and/or for expenses previously paid by the Adviser, provided, however, that any reimbursements must be paid at a date not more than three years after the fiscal year in which the Adviser waived the fees or reimbursed the expenses and the reimbursements do not cause the Fund to exceed the expense limitation in the agreement.

XML

Label

Element

Value

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Registrant Name

dei_EntityRegistrantName

BRIDGEWAY FUNDS INC

Prospectus Date

rr_ProspectusDate

Oct. 31, 2012

Ultra-Small Company Market Fund

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return [Heading]

rr_RiskReturnHeading

FUND SUMMARY: ULTRA-SMALL COMPANY MARKET FUND

Objective [Heading]

rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment Objective:

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Ultra-Small Company Market Fund (the “Fund”) seeks to provide a long-term total return on capital, primarily through capital appreciation.

Expense [Heading]

rr_ExpenseHeading

Fees and Expenses of the Fund:

Expense Narrative [Text Block]

rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund.

Shareholder Fees Caption [Text]

rr_ShareholderFeesCaption

Shareholder Fees (paid directly from your investment)

Operating Expenses Caption [Text]

rr_OperatingExpensesCaption

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Portfolio Turnover [Heading]

rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading

Portfolio Turnover:

Portfolio Turnover [Text Block]

rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 31% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

31.00%

Expenses Not Correlated to Ratio Due to Acquired Fund Fees [Text]

rr_ExpensesNotCorrelatedToRatioDueToAcquiredFundFees

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (After Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement) do not correlate to the expense ratio in the Financial Highlights, which reflects operating expenses of the Fund and does not include Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses.

Expense Example [Heading]

rr_ExpenseExampleHeading

Example:

Expense Example Narrative [Text Block]

rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.

The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Strategy [Heading]

rr_StrategyHeading

Principal Investment Strategies:

Strategy Narrative [Text Block]

rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

The Fund aims to achieve its objective by approximating the total return of the Cap-Based Portfolio 10 Index (the “Index”) published by the University of Chicago’s Center for Research in Security Prices (“CRSP”) over longer time periods. Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus borrowings for investment purposes) in ultra-small company stocks based on company size at the time of purchase. For purposes of the Fund's investments, "ultra-small companies" are defined as those: (i) companies that have a market capitalization the size of the smallest 10% of companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange; or (ii) companies with a capitalization that falls within the range of capitalization of companies included in the Index as defined by CRSP. A majority of the stocks in the Fund are listed on NASDAQ. On June 30, 2012, the stocks in this group generally had a market capitalization of less than $244 million. The Adviser invests in a representative sample of the companies included in the Index. However, the Adviser also may invest in companies that are not included in the Index.

Although the Fund seeks investments across a number of sectors, from time to time, based on portfolio positioning to reflect its benchmark, the Fund may have significant positions in particular sectors.

The Adviser also seeks to minimize the distribution of capital gains, within the constraints of the investment objective and ultra-small company focus, by offsetting capital gains with capital losses. By paying close attention to trading, the Adviser seeks to conduct such tax management without detriment to the overall Fund return.

The Fund may purchase stock market index futures in order to hedge cash.

Risk [Heading]

rr_RiskHeading

Principal Risks:

Risk Narrative [Text Block]

rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

The market price of ultra-small company shares typically exhibits greater volatility than small-company and even micro-cap company shares and much greater volatility than large-company shares. Therefore, shareholders of this Fund are exposed to higher risk and could lose money.

The Fund is also subject to the risk that ultra-small company stocks will underperform other kinds of investments for a period of time.

Companies with similar characteristics may be grouped together in broad categories called sectors. A certain sector may underperform other sectors or the market as a whole. As the Adviser allocates more of the Fund’s portfolio holdings to a particular sector, the Fund’s performance will be more susceptible to any economic, business or other developments which generally affect that sector.

If too many ultra-small companies in the Fund outgrow the Fund’s ultra-small-cap mandate or if the Fund experiences extensive redemptions, the Adviser might need to sell some stocks, which could create capital gains. There can be no guarantee that the Fund may not someday distribute substantial capital gains, although the Adviser strongly intends to avoid them.

The Fund’s use of futures to manage risk or hedge market volatility may not always be successful hedges, their prices can be highly volatile, they may not always successfully manage risk and they could lower the Fund’s total return.

Risk Lose Money [Text]

rr_RiskLoseMoney

Therefore, shareholders of this Fund are exposed to higher risk and could lose money.

Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading]

rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading

Performance:

Performance Narrative [Text Block]

rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

The bar chart and table below provide an indication of the risk of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows how the Fund’s performance has varied on a calendar year basis. The table shows how the Fund’s average annual returns for various periods compare with those of a broad measure of market performance. This information is based on past performance. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not guarantee future results. Updated performance information is available on the Fund’s website at www.bridgeway.com or by calling 800-661-3550.

Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text]

rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns

The bar chart and table below provide an indication of the risk of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows how the Fund’s performance has varied on a calendar year basis. The table shows how the Fund’s average annual returns for various periods compare with those of a broad measure of market performance.

Performance Availability Phone [Text]

rr_PerformanceAvailabilityPhone

800-661-3550

Performance Availability Website Address [Text]

rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress

www.bridgeway.com

Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text]

rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture

Past performance (before and after taxes) does not guarantee future results.

Bar Chart [Heading]

rr_BarChartHeading

Ultra-Small Company Market Fund
Year by Year % Returns as of 12/31 of Each Year

Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]

rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock

Return from 1/1/12 through 9/30/12 was 20.42%.

	Quarter		Total Return
Best Quarter:		Q2 03		30.87%
Worst Quarter:		Q4 08		-27.94%

Performance Table Heading

rr_PerformanceTableHeading

Average Annual Total Returns (For the periods ended 12/31/11)

Performance Table Uses Highest Federal Rate

rr_PerformanceTableUsesHighestFederalRate

After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes.

Performance Table Not Relevant to Tax Deferred

rr_PerformanceTableNotRelevantToTaxDeferred

After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement plans.

Performance Table One Class of after Tax Shown [Text]

rr_PerformanceTableOneClassOfAfterTaxShown

Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares may be higher than other returns for the same period due to a tax benefit of realizing a capital loss upon the sale of Fund shares.

Ultra-Small Company Market Fund | Class N

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases

rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice

none

Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends

rr_MaximumSalesChargeOnReinvestedDividendsAndDistributionsOverOther

none

Redemption Fees (as a percentage of amount redeemed for shares held less than 6 months)

rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption

2.00%

Exchange Fees

rr_ExchangeFeeOverRedemption

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.50%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

none

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.33%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.12%

^[1]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.95%

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.08%)

^[2]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (After Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement)

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.87%

^[3]

1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

89

3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

278

5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

482

10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,073

2002

rr_AnnualReturn2002

4.90%

2003

rr_AnnualReturn2003

79.43%

2004

rr_AnnualReturn2004

20.12%

2005

rr_AnnualReturn2005

4.08%

2006

rr_AnnualReturn2006

11.48%

2007

rr_AnnualReturn2007

(5.40%)

2008

rr_AnnualReturn2008

(39.49%)

2009

rr_AnnualReturn2009

25.95%

2010

rr_AnnualReturn2010

24.86%

2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

(7.86%)

Year to Date Return, Label

rr_YearToDateReturnLabel

Return from 1/1/12 through 9/30/12

Bar Chart, Year to Date Return, Date

rr_BarChartYearToDateReturnDate

Sep. 30, 2012

Bar Chart, Year to Date Return

rr_BarChartYearToDateReturn

20.42%

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Best Quarter:

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Jun. 30, 2003

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

30.87%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Worst Quarter:

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Dec. 31, 2008

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(27.94%)

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(7.86%)

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

(3.67%)

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

8.09%

Ultra-Small Company Market Fund | Return After Taxes on Distributions | Class N

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(8.65%)

^[4]

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

(4.37%)

^[4]

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

7.57%

^[4]

Ultra-Small Company Market Fund | Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | Class N

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(4.21%)

^[4]

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

(3.22%)

^[4]

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

7.08%

^[4]

Ultra-Small Company Market Fund | CRSP Cap-Based Portfolio 10 Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(13.98%)

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

(0.86%)

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

10.11%

[1] Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses are expenses incurred by the Fund through its ownership of shares in other investment companies, including business development companies.

[2] Bridgeway Capital Management, Inc. (the "Adviser"), the investment adviser to the Fund, pursuant to its Management Agreement with Bridgeway Funds, Inc. ("Bridgeway Funds"), is contractually obligated to waive fees and/or pay Fund expenses, if necessary, to ensure that net expenses do not exceed 0.75%. Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses are not included in the 0.75% expense limitation. Any material change to this Fund policy would require a vote by shareholders.

[3] Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (After Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement) do not correlate to the expense ratio in the Financial Highlights, which reflects operating expenses of the Fund and does not include Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses.

[4] After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown. Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares may be higher than other returns for the same period due to a tax benefit of realizing a capital loss upon the sale of Fund shares. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement plans.

XML

Label

Element

Value

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Registrant Name

dei_EntityRegistrantName

BRIDGEWAY FUNDS INC

Prospectus Date

rr_ProspectusDate

Oct. 31, 2012

Small-Cap Growth Fund

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return [Heading]

rr_RiskReturnHeading

FUND SUMMARY: SMALL-CAP GROWTH FUND

Objective [Heading]

rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment Objective:

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Small-Cap Growth Fund (the “Fund”) seeks to provide long-term total return on capital, primarily through capital appreciation.

Expense [Heading]

rr_ExpenseHeading

Fees and Expenses of the Fund:

Expense Narrative [Text Block]

rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund.

Shareholder Fees Caption [Text]

rr_ShareholderFeesCaption

Shareholder Fees (paid directly from your investment)

Operating Expenses Caption [Text]

rr_OperatingExpensesCaption

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Portfolio Turnover [Heading]

rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading

Portfolio Turnover:

Portfolio Turnover [Text Block]

rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 63% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

63.00%

Expense Example [Heading]

rr_ExpenseExampleHeading

Example:

Expense Example Narrative [Text Block]

rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.

The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Strategy [Heading]

rr_StrategyHeading

Principal Investment Strategies:

Strategy Narrative [Text Block]

rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

The Fund invests in a diversified portfolio of small-cap stocks that are listed on the New York Stock Exchange, NYSE MKT and NASDAQ. Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus borrowings for investment purposes) in stocks from among those in the small-cap growth category at the time of purchase. The Adviser selects stocks within the small-cap growth category for the Fund using a statistically driven approach. Growth stocks are those the Adviser believes have above average prospects for economic growth.

Although the Fund seeks investments across a number of sectors, from time to time, based on portfolio positioning to reflect its benchmark, the Fund may have significant positions in particular sectors.

While the Fund is actively managed for long-term return on capital, the Adviser seeks to minimize capital gains distributions as part of a tax management strategy. The successful application of this method is intended to result in a more tax-efficient fund than would otherwise be the case.

Risk [Heading]

rr_RiskHeading

Principal Risks:

Risk Narrative [Text Block]

rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

Shareholders of the Fund are exposed to significant stock market risk (volatility) and could lose money.

Investing in small-cap stocks may involve greater volatility and risk than investing in large- or mid-cap stocks.

Growth stocks may be more volatile than other stocks because they are generally more sensitive to investor perceptions and market movements. In addition, growth stocks as a group may be out of favor at times and underperform the overall equity market for long periods while the market concentrates on other types of stocks, such as “value” stocks.

Companies with similar characteristics may be grouped together in broad categories called sectors. A certain sector may underperform other sectors or the market as a whole. As the Adviser allocates more of the Fund’s portfolio holdings to a particular sector, the Fund’s performance will be more susceptible to any economic, business or other developments which generally affect that sector.

If too many small companies in the Fund outgrow the Fund’s small-cap mandate or if the Fund experiences extensive redemptions, the Adviser might need to sell some stocks, which could create capital gains. There can be no guarantee that the Fund may not someday distribute substantial capital gains, although the Adviser strongly intends to avoid them.

Risk Lose Money [Text]

rr_RiskLoseMoney

Shareholders of the Fund are exposed to significant stock market risk (volatility) and could lose money.

Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading]

rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading

Performance:

Performance Narrative [Text Block]

rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

The bar chart and table below provide an indication of the risk of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows how the Fund’s performance has varied on a calendar year basis. The table shows how the Fund’s average annual returns for various periods compare with those of a broad measure of market performance. This information is based on past performance. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not guarantee future results. Updated performance information is available on the Fund’s website at www.bridgeway.com or by calling 800-661-3550.

Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text]

rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns

The bar chart and table below provide an indication of the risk of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows how the Fund’s performance has varied on a calendar year basis. The table shows how the Fund’s average annual returns for various periods compare with those of a broad measure of market performance.

Performance Availability Phone [Text]

rr_PerformanceAvailabilityPhone

800-661-3550

Performance Availability Website Address [Text]

rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress

www.bridgeway.com

Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text]

rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture

Past performance (before and after taxes) does not guarantee future results.

Bar Chart [Heading]

rr_BarChartHeading

Small-Cap Growth Fund
Year by Year % Returns as of 12/31 of Each Year

Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]

rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock

Return from 1/1/12 through 9/30/12 was 13.70%.

	Quarter		Total Return
Best Quarter:		Q4 11		19.95%
Worst Quarter:		Q3 11		-26.49%

Performance Table Heading

rr_PerformanceTableHeading

Average Annual Total Returns (For the periods ended 12/31/11)

Performance Table Uses Highest Federal Rate

rr_PerformanceTableUsesHighestFederalRate

After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes.

Performance Table Not Relevant to Tax Deferred

rr_PerformanceTableNotRelevantToTaxDeferred

After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement plans.

Performance Table Explanation after Tax Higher

rr_PerformanceTableExplanationAfterTaxHigher

Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares may be higher than other returns for the same period due to a tax benefit of realizing a capital loss upon the sale of Fund shares.

Small-Cap Growth Fund | Class N

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases

rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice

none

Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends

rr_MaximumSalesChargeOnReinvestedDividendsAndDistributionsOverOther

none

Redemption Fees

rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption

none

Exchange Fees

rr_ExchangeFeeOverRedemption

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.48%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

none

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.60%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.08%

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.14%)

^[1]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (After Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement)

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.94%

1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

96

3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

300

5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

520

10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,155

2004

rr_AnnualReturn2004

11.59%

2005

rr_AnnualReturn2005

18.24%

2006

rr_AnnualReturn2006

5.31%

2007

rr_AnnualReturn2007

6.87%

2008

rr_AnnualReturn2008

(43.48%)

2009

rr_AnnualReturn2009

15.04%

2010

rr_AnnualReturn2010

11.77%

2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

(0.63%)

Year to Date Return, Label

rr_YearToDateReturnLabel

Return from 1/1/12 through 9/30/12

Bar Chart, Year to Date Return, Date

rr_BarChartYearToDateReturnDate

Sep. 30, 2012

Bar Chart, Year to Date Return

rr_BarChartYearToDateReturn

13.70%

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Best Quarter:

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Dec. 31, 2011

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

19.95%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Worst Quarter:

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Sep. 30, 2011

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(26.49%)

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(0.63%)

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

(5.05%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

1.19%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Oct. 31, 2003

Small-Cap Growth Fund | Return After Taxes on Distributions | Class N

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(0.63%)

^[2]

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

(5.07%)

^[2]

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

1.18%

^[2]

Small-Cap Growth Fund | Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | Class N

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(0.41%)

^[2]

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

(4.22%)

^[2]

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

1.01%

^[2]

Small-Cap Growth Fund | Russell 2000 Growth Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(2.91%)

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

2.09%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

5.53%

[1] Bridgeway Capital Management, Inc. (the "Adviser"), the investment adviser to the Fund, pursuant to its Management Agreement with Bridgeway Funds, Inc. ("Bridgeway Funds"), is contractually obligated to waive fees and/or pay Fund expenses, if necessary, to ensure that net expenses do not exceed 0.94%. Any material change to this Fund policy would require a vote by shareholders.

[2] After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown. Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares may be higher than other returns for the same period due to a tax benefit of realizing a capital loss upon the sale of Fund shares. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement plans.

XML

Document and Entity Information	12 Months Ended
	Oct. 31, 2012
Risk/Return:
Document Type	485BPOS
Document Period End Date	Jun. 30, 2012
Registrant Name	BRIDGEWAY FUNDS INC
Central Index Key	0000916006
Amendment Flag	false
Document Creation Date	Oct. 26, 2012
Document Effective Date	Oct. 31, 2012
Prospectus Date	Oct. 31, 2012

XML

Small-Cap Momentum Fund

FUND SUMMARY: SMALL-CAP MOMENTUM FUND

Investment Objective:

The Small-Cap Momentum Fund (the “Fund”) seeks to provide long-term total return on capital, primarily through capital appreciation.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund:

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund.

Shareholder Fees (paid directly from your investment)

Shareholder Fees	Small-Cap Momentum Fund Class N
Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases	none
Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends	none
Redemption Fees (as a percentage of amount redeemed for shares held less than 6 months)	2.00%
Exchange Fees	none

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses		Small-Cap Momentum Fund Class N
Management Fees		0.55%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees		none
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses	[1]	0.03%
Other Expenses		5.18%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses		5.76%
Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement	[2]	(4.83%)
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (After Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement)	[3]	0.93%

Example:

This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.

The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Expense Example (USD $)	1 Year	3 Years	5 Years	10 Years
Small-Cap Momentum Fund Class N	95	296	515	1,143

Portfolio Turnover:

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 230% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies:

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests 80% of its net assets (plus borrowings for investment purposes) in equity or equity-related securities (“common stocks”) of small-cap companies at the time of purchase. The Fund primarily invests in small-cap stocks that are listed on the New York Stock Exchange, NYSE MKT and NASDAQ that the Adviser determines to have positive risk-adjusted momentum (i.e., above-average recent returns) based on a statistically driven approach. The Fund may invest up to 15% of its total assets in foreign securities. For purposes of the Fund’s investments, “foreign securities” means those securities issued by companies: i) that are domiciled in a country other than the U.S.; and (ii) that derive 50% or more of their total revenue from activities outside of the U.S.

Although the Fund seeks investments across a number of sectors, from time to time, in pursuing the Fund’s investment strategy, the Fund may have significant positions in particular sectors.

The Adviser expects to rebalance the Fund’s portfolio (selling securities that, in the Adviser’s opinion, have lower risk-adjusted momentum and buying securities that, in the Adviser’s opinion, have higher risk-adjusted momentum) no less frequently than quarterly, and thus, the Fund engages in active and frequent trading of portfolio securities.

The Fund may purchase stock market index futures in order to hedge cash.

Principal Risks:

The value of the Fund’s shares will fluctuate as a result of the movement of the overall stock-market or of the value of the individual securities held by the Fund, and shareholders could lose money.

Investing in securities with positive risk-adjusted momentum entails investing in securities that may be more volatile than a broad cross-section of stock market securities.

Investing in small-cap stocks may involve greater volatility and risk than investing in large- or mid-cap stocks.

Companies with similar characteristics may be grouped together in broad categories called sectors. A certain sector may underperform other sectors or the market as a whole. As the Adviser allocates more of the Fund’s portfolio holdings to a particular sector, the Fund’s performance will be more susceptible to any economic, business or other developments which generally affect that sector.

Investments in foreign securities can be more volatile than investments in U.S. securities.

A higher portfolio turnover rate increases transaction costs and as a result may adversely impact the Fund’s performance and may increase share price volatility. Moreover, a higher portfolio turnover rate may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account.

The Fund’s use of futures to manage risk or hedge market volatility may not always be successful hedges, their prices can be highly volatile, they may not always successfully manage risk and they could lower the Fund’s total return.

Performance:

The bar chart and table below provide an indication of the risk of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows how the Fund’s performance has varied on a calendar year basis. The table shows how the Fund’s average annual returns for the period compare with those of a broad measure of market performance. This information is based on past performance. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not guarantee future results. Updated performance information is available on the Fund’s website at www.bridgeway.com or by calling 800-661-3550.

Small-Cap Momentum Fund
Annual % Return as of 12/31

Return from 1/1/12 through 9/30/12 was 13.65%.

	Quarter		Total Return
Best Quarter:		Q4 11		18.80%
Worst Quarter:		Q3 11		-22.68%

Average Annual Total Returns (For the periods ended 12/31/11)

Average Annual Total Returns Small-Cap Momentum Fund		1 Year	Since Inception	Inception Date
Class N		(0.92%)	10.84%	May 28, 2010
Class N Return After Taxes on Distributions	[1]	(4.30%)	8.37%
Class N Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares	[1]	(0.44%)	7.89%
Russell 2000 Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)		(4.18%)	8.78%

[1] Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses are expenses incurred by the Fund through its ownership of shares in other investment companies, including business development companies.

[2] Bridgeway Capital Management, Inc. (the "Adviser"), the investment adviser to the Fund, pursuant to its Management Agreement with Bridgeway Funds, Inc. ("Bridgeway Funds"), is contractually obligated to waive fees and/or pay Fund expenses, if necessary, to ensure that net expenses do not exceed 0.90%. Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses are not included in the 0.90% expense limitation. The expense limitation cannot be changed or eliminated without shareholder approval. The Fund is authorized to reimburse the Adviser for management fees previously waived and/or for expenses previously paid by the Adviser, provided, however, that any reimbursements must be paid at a date not more than three years after the fiscal year in which the Adviser waived the fees or reimbursed the expenses and the reimbursements do not cause the Fund to exceed the expense limitation in the agreement.

[3] Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (After Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement) do not correlate to the expense ratio in the Financial Highlights, which reflects operating expenses of the Fund and does not include Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses.

[1] After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown. Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares may be higher than other returns for the same period due to a tax benefit of realizing a capital loss upon the sale of Fund shares. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement plans.

XML

Label

Element

Value

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Registrant Name

dei_EntityRegistrantName

BRIDGEWAY FUNDS INC

Prospectus Date

rr_ProspectusDate

Oct. 31, 2012

Ultra-Small Company Fund

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return [Heading]

rr_RiskReturnHeading

FUND SUMMARY: ULTRA-SMALL COMPANY FUND

Objective [Heading]

rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment Objective:

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Ultra-Small Company Fund (the “Fund”) seeks to provide a long-term total return on capital, primarily through capital appreciation.

Expense [Heading]

rr_ExpenseHeading

Fees and Expenses of the Fund:

Expense Narrative [Text Block]

rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund.

Shareholder Fees Caption [Text]

rr_ShareholderFeesCaption

Shareholder Fees (paid directly from your investment)

Operating Expenses Caption [Text]

rr_OperatingExpensesCaption

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Portfolio Turnover [Heading]

rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading

Portfolio Turnover:

Portfolio Turnover [Text Block]

rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 93% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

93.00%

Expenses Not Correlated to Ratio Due to Acquired Fund Fees [Text]

rr_ExpensesNotCorrelatedToRatioDueToAcquiredFundFees

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses do not correlate to the expense ratio in the Financial Highlights, which reflects operating expenses of the Fund and does not include Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses.

Expense Example [Heading]

rr_ExpenseExampleHeading

Example:

Expense Example Narrative [Text Block]

rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.

The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Strategy [Heading]

rr_StrategyHeading

Principal Investment Strategies:

Strategy Narrative [Text Block]

rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

The Fund invests in a diversified portfolio of common stocks of ultra-small companies. Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus borrowings for investment purposes) in ultra-small company stocks based on company size at the time of purchase. For purposes of the Fund’s investments, “ultra-small companies” are defined as those: (i) companies that have a market capitalization the size of the smallest 20% of companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange; or (ii) companies with a capitalization that falls within the range of capitalization of companies included in the Cap-Based Portfolio 9 Index or the Cap-Based Portfolio 10 Index as defined by the University of Chicago's Center for Research in Security Prices ("CRSP"). A majority of these stocks are listed on NASDAQ. On June 30, 2012, the stocks in this group generally had a market capitalization of less than $478 million. Bridgeway Capital Management, Inc. (the “Adviser”) selects stocks for the Fund using a statistically driven approach.

The Fund may invest up to 15% of its total assets in foreign securities. For purposes of the Fund’s investments, “foreign securities” means those securities issued by companies: (i) that are domiciled in a country other than the U.S.; and (ii) that derive 50% or more of their total revenue from activities outside of the U.S.

Although the Fund seeks investments across a number of sectors, from time to time, based on portfolio positioning to reflect its benchmark, the Fund may have significant positions in particular sectors.

The Fund may engage in active and frequent trading.

The Fund may purchase stock market index futures in order to hedge cash.

Risk [Heading]

rr_RiskHeading

Principal Risks:

Risk Narrative [Text Block]

rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

The market prices of ultra-small company shares typically exhibit greater volatility than small-company shares and even micro-cap company shares and much greater volatility than large-company shares. Therefore, shareholders of this Fund are exposed to higher risk and could lose money.

The Fund is also subject to the risk that ultra-small company stocks will underperform other kinds of investments for a period of time.

Companies with similar characteristics may be grouped together in broad categories called sectors. A certain sector may underperform other sectors or the market as a whole. As the Adviser allocates more of the Fund’s portfolio holdings to a particular sector, the Fund’s performance will be more susceptible to any economic, business or other developments which generally affect that sector.

A higher portfolio turnover rate increases transaction costs and as a result may adversely impact the Fund’s performance and may increase share price volatility. Moreover, a higher portfolio turnover rate may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account.

Investments in foreign securities can be more volatile than investments in U.S. securities.

The Fund’s use of futures to manage risk or hedge market volatility may not always be successful hedges, their prices can be highly volatile, they may not always successfully manage risk and they could lower the Fund’s total return.

Risk Lose Money [Text]

rr_RiskLoseMoney

Therefore, shareholders of this Fund are exposed to higher risk and could lose money.

Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading]

rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading

Performance:

Performance Narrative [Text Block]

rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

The bar chart and table below provide an indication of the risk of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows how the Fund’s performance has varied on a calendar year basis. The table shows how the Fund’s average annual returns for various periods compare with those of a broad measure of market performance. This information is based on past performance. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not guarantee future results. Updated performance information is available on the Fund’s website at www.bridgeway.com or by calling 800-661-3550.

Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text]

rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns

The bar chart and table below provide an indication of the risk of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows how the Fund’s performance has varied on a calendar year basis. The table shows how the Fund’s average annual returns for various periods compare with those of a broad measure of market performance.

Performance Availability Phone [Text]

rr_PerformanceAvailabilityPhone

800-661-3550

Performance Availability Website Address [Text]

rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress

www.bridgeway.com

Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text]

rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture

Past performance (before and after taxes) does not guarantee future results.

Bar Chart [Heading]

rr_BarChartHeading

Ultra-Small Company Fund
Year by Year % Returns as of 12/31 of Each Year

Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]

rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock

Return from 1/1/12 through 9/30/12 was 20.97%.

	Quarter		Total Return
Best Quarter:		Q2 09		38.67%
Worst Quarter:		Q4 08		-27.19%

Performance Table Heading

rr_PerformanceTableHeading

Average Annual Total Returns (For the periods ended 12/31/11)

Performance Table Uses Highest Federal Rate

rr_PerformanceTableUsesHighestFederalRate

After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes.

Performance Table Not Relevant to Tax Deferred

rr_PerformanceTableNotRelevantToTaxDeferred

After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement plans.

Performance Table Explanation after Tax Higher

rr_PerformanceTableExplanationAfterTaxHigher

Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares may be higher than other returns for the same period due to a tax benefit of realizing a capital loss upon the sale of Fund shares.

Ultra-Small Company Fund | Class N

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases

rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice

none

Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends

rr_MaximumSalesChargeOnReinvestedDividendsAndDistributionsOverOther

none

Redemption Fees

rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption

none

Exchange Fees

rr_ExchangeFeeOverRedemption

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.90%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

none

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.32%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.03%

^[1]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.25%

^[2]

1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

127

3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

397

5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

686

10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,511

2002

rr_AnnualReturn2002

3.98%

2003

rr_AnnualReturn2003

88.57%

2004

rr_AnnualReturn2004

23.33%

2005

rr_AnnualReturn2005

2.99%

2006

rr_AnnualReturn2006

21.55%

2007

rr_AnnualReturn2007

(2.77%)

2008

rr_AnnualReturn2008

(46.24%)

2009

rr_AnnualReturn2009

48.93%

2010

rr_AnnualReturn2010

23.55%

2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

(14.64%)

Year to Date Return, Label

rr_YearToDateReturnLabel

Return from 1/1/12 through 9/30/12

Bar Chart, Year to Date Return, Date

rr_BarChartYearToDateReturnDate

Sep. 30, 2012

Bar Chart, Year to Date Return

rr_BarChartYearToDateReturn

20.97%

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Best Quarter:

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Jun. 30, 2009

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

38.67%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Worst Quarter:

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Dec. 31, 2008

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(27.19%)

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(14.64%)

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

(3.87%)

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

9.53%

Ultra-Small Company Fund | Return After Taxes on Distributions | Class N

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(14.90%)

^[3]

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

(4.40%)

^[3]

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

7.81%

^[3]

Ultra-Small Company Fund | Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | Class N

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(9.40%)

^[3]

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

(3.26%)

^[3]

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

8.22%

^[3]

Ultra-Small Company Fund | CRSP Cap-Based Portfolio 10 Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(13.98%)

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

(0.86%)

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

10.11%

[1] Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses are expenses incurred by the Fund through its ownership of shares in other investment companies, including business development companies.

[2] Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses do not correlate to the expense ratio in the Financial Highlights, which reflects operating expenses of the Fund and does not include Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses.

[3] After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown. Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares may be higher than other returns for the same period due to a tax benefit of realizing a capital loss upon the sale of Fund shares. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement plans.

XML

Ultra-Small Company Market Fund

FUND SUMMARY: ULTRA-SMALL COMPANY MARKET FUND

Investment Objective:

The Ultra-Small Company Market Fund (the “Fund”) seeks to provide a long-term total return on capital, primarily through capital appreciation.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund:

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund.

Shareholder Fees (paid directly from your investment)

Shareholder Fees	Ultra-Small Company Market Fund Class N
Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases	none
Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends	none
Redemption Fees (as a percentage of amount redeemed for shares held less than 6 months)	2.00%
Exchange Fees	none

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses		Ultra-Small Company Market Fund Class N
Management Fees		0.50%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees		none
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses	[1]	0.12%
Other Expenses		0.33%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses		0.95%
Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement	[2]	(0.08%)
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (After Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement)	[3]	0.87%

Example:

This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.

The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Expense Example (USD $)	1 Year	3 Years	5 Years	10 Years
Ultra-Small Company Market Fund Class N	89	278	482	1,073

Portfolio Turnover:

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 31% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies:

The Fund aims to achieve its objective by approximating the total return of the Cap-Based Portfolio 10 Index (the “Index”) published by the University of Chicago’s Center for Research in Security Prices (“CRSP”) over longer time periods. Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus borrowings for investment purposes) in ultra-small company stocks based on company size at the time of purchase. For purposes of the Fund's investments, "ultra-small companies" are defined as those: (i) companies that have a market capitalization the size of the smallest 10% of companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange; or (ii) companies with a capitalization that falls within the range of capitalization of companies included in the Index as defined by CRSP. A majority of the stocks in the Fund are listed on NASDAQ. On June 30, 2012, the stocks in this group generally had a market capitalization of less than $244 million. The Adviser invests in a representative sample of the companies included in the Index. However, the Adviser also may invest in companies that are not included in the Index.

Although the Fund seeks investments across a number of sectors, from time to time, based on portfolio positioning to reflect its benchmark, the Fund may have significant positions in particular sectors.

The Adviser also seeks to minimize the distribution of capital gains, within the constraints of the investment objective and ultra-small company focus, by offsetting capital gains with capital losses. By paying close attention to trading, the Adviser seeks to conduct such tax management without detriment to the overall Fund return.

The Fund may purchase stock market index futures in order to hedge cash.

Principal Risks:

The market price of ultra-small company shares typically exhibits greater volatility than small-company and even micro-cap company shares and much greater volatility than large-company shares. Therefore, shareholders of this Fund are exposed to higher risk and could lose money.

The Fund is also subject to the risk that ultra-small company stocks will underperform other kinds of investments for a period of time.

Companies with similar characteristics may be grouped together in broad categories called sectors. A certain sector may underperform other sectors or the market as a whole. As the Adviser allocates more of the Fund’s portfolio holdings to a particular sector, the Fund’s performance will be more susceptible to any economic, business or other developments which generally affect that sector.

If too many ultra-small companies in the Fund outgrow the Fund’s ultra-small-cap mandate or if the Fund experiences extensive redemptions, the Adviser might need to sell some stocks, which could create capital gains. There can be no guarantee that the Fund may not someday distribute substantial capital gains, although the Adviser strongly intends to avoid them.

The Fund’s use of futures to manage risk or hedge market volatility may not always be successful hedges, their prices can be highly volatile, they may not always successfully manage risk and they could lower the Fund’s total return.

Performance:

The bar chart and table below provide an indication of the risk of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows how the Fund’s performance has varied on a calendar year basis. The table shows how the Fund’s average annual returns for various periods compare with those of a broad measure of market performance. This information is based on past performance. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not guarantee future results. Updated performance information is available on the Fund’s website at www.bridgeway.com or by calling 800-661-3550.

Ultra-Small Company Market Fund
Year by Year % Returns as of 12/31 of Each Year

Return from 1/1/12 through 9/30/12 was 20.42%.

	Quarter		Total Return
Best Quarter:		Q2 03		30.87%
Worst Quarter:		Q4 08		-27.94%

Average Annual Total Returns (For the periods ended 12/31/11)

Average Annual Total Returns Ultra-Small Company Market Fund		1 Year	5 Years	10 Years
Class N		(7.86%)	(3.67%)	8.09%
Class N Return After Taxes on Distributions	[1]	(8.65%)	(4.37%)	7.57%
Class N Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares	[1]	(4.21%)	(3.22%)	7.08%
CRSP Cap-Based Portfolio 10 Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)		(13.98%)	(0.86%)	10.11%

[1] Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses are expenses incurred by the Fund through its ownership of shares in other investment companies, including business development companies.

[2] Bridgeway Capital Management, Inc. (the "Adviser"), the investment adviser to the Fund, pursuant to its Management Agreement with Bridgeway Funds, Inc. ("Bridgeway Funds"), is contractually obligated to waive fees and/or pay Fund expenses, if necessary, to ensure that net expenses do not exceed 0.75%. Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses are not included in the 0.75% expense limitation. Any material change to this Fund policy would require a vote by shareholders.

[3] Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (After Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement) do not correlate to the expense ratio in the Financial Highlights, which reflects operating expenses of the Fund and does not include Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses.

[1] After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown. Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares may be higher than other returns for the same period due to a tax benefit of realizing a capital loss upon the sale of Fund shares. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement plans.

XML

Label

Element

Value

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Registrant Name

dei_EntityRegistrantName

BRIDGEWAY FUNDS INC

Prospectus Date

rr_ProspectusDate

Oct. 31, 2012

Managed Volatility Fund

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return [Heading]

rr_RiskReturnHeading

FUND SUMMARY: MANAGED VOLATILITY FUND

Objective [Heading]

rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment Objective:

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Managed Volatility Fund (the “Fund”) seeks to provide a high current return with short-term risk less than or equal to 40% of the stock market.

Expense [Heading]

rr_ExpenseHeading

Fees and Expenses of the Fund:

Expense Narrative [Text Block]

rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund.

Shareholder Fees Caption [Text]

rr_ShareholderFeesCaption

Shareholder Fees (paid directly from your investment)

Operating Expenses Caption [Text]

rr_OperatingExpensesCaption

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Portfolio Turnover [Heading]

rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading

Portfolio Turnover:

Portfolio Turnover [Text Block]

rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 41% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

41.00%

Expenses Not Correlated to Ratio Due to Acquired Fund Fees [Text]

rr_ExpensesNotCorrelatedToRatioDueToAcquiredFundFees

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (After Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement) do not correlate to the expense ratio in the Financial Highlights, which reflects operating expenses of the Fund and does not include Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses.

Expense Example [Heading]

rr_ExpenseExampleHeading

Example:

Expense Example Narrative [Text Block]

rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.

The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Strategy [Heading]

rr_StrategyHeading

Principal Investment Strategies:

Strategy Narrative [Text Block]

rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

To achieve the objective of providing a high current return with less short-term risk than the stock market, the Fund uses multiple techniques: purchasing or selling stocks, options, futures, and fixed-income securities. Together, these strategies are designed to provide the Fund with more stable returns over a wide range of fixed-income and equity market environments. Up to 75% of the Fund’s total assets may be invested in common stocks and options on any size companies on which options are traded on a national securities exchange. At all times, at least 25% of the Fund’s total assets will be invested in equities. The Fund may invest up to 15% of its total assets in foreign securities. For purposes of the Fund’s investments, “foreign securities” means those securities issued by companies: (i) that are domiciled in a country other than the U.S.; and (ii) that derive 50% or more of their total revenue from activities outside of the U.S.

The Adviser selects stocks for the Fund using a statistically driven approach that spans various investment styles including both “growth” and “value.” The Adviser may also select stocks and options according to a more passive strategy, including investing in stock market index futures and options. The Fund may also purchase or sell any financial (but not commodity) futures, puts, or calls within the scope of its investment objective and strategy. Specifically, the Fund may short stock index futures to hedge a similar basket of stocks and sell covered call or put options to reduce the risk of stock ownership. These instruments can be used to hedge cash, manage market risk, dampen volatility in line with its investment objective, arbitrage the difference between stocks and futures and create synthetic option positions.

With respect to fixed income investments, the Adviser normally invests at least 25% of the Fund’s total assets in fixed-income securities: U.S. government obligations, mortgage and asset-backed securities, corporate bonds, collateralized mortgage obligations, and/or other fixed-income instruments. In addition, the Fund’s strategy with respect to credit rating may vary over time. The Adviser anticipates that fixed-income investments will largely be limited to U.S. government securities and high quality corporate debt.

Risk [Heading]

rr_RiskHeading

Principal Risks:

Risk Narrative [Text Block]

rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

The Fund’s stock holdings are subject to market risk. The protective qualities inherent in option writing are partial. In addition, the Adviser may not always write options on the full number of shares of stock it owns, thus exposing the Fund to the full market risk of these shares. Therefore, shareholders of this Fund are exposed to risk and could lose money.

The Fund invests in companies of any size for which exchange-traded options are available. Small companies are more vulnerable to financial and other risks than large companies.

The Fund’s fixed-income holdings are subject to three types of risk: interest rate risk, credit risk and prepayment risk.

The Fund’s use of futures to manage risk or hedge market volatility may not always be successful hedges, their prices can be highly volatile, they may not always successfully manage risk and they could lower the Fund’s total return. The Fund’s investments in stock index futures are subject to the risk that the returns of the basket of stocks to which they are hedged are reduced by losses on the futures in a rising market.

A covered call position will result in a loss on its expiration date if the underlying stock price has fallen since the purchase by an amount greater than the price for which the option was sold. Thus, the Fund’s option strategies may not fully protect it against declines in the value of its stocks. In addition, the option writing strategy limits the upside profit potential normally associated with stocks. In addition, the Fund’s investments in covered call and put options are subject to the risk that they may not provide sufficient protection to compensate for a decline in the underlying stock.

Investments in foreign securities can be more volatile than investments in U.S. securities.

The Fund could experience a loss in the stock, option, and fixed-income portions of its holdings at the same time.

Risk Lose Money [Text]

rr_RiskLoseMoney

Therefore, shareholders of this Fund are exposed to risk and could lose money.

Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading]

rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading

Performance:

Performance Narrative [Text Block]

rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

The bar chart and table below provide an indication of the risk of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows how the Fund’s performance has varied on a calendar year basis. The table shows how the Fund’s average annual returns for various periods compare with those of a broad measure of market performance. In addition, the Fund’s performance is compared to the Bloomberg/EFFAS U.S. Government 1-3 Year Total Return Bond Index, a transparent benchmark for the total return of the one- to three-year U.S. Government bond market. This information is based on past performance. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not guarantee future results. Updated performance information is available on the Fund’s website at www.bridgeway.com or by calling 800-661-3550.

Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text]

rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns

The bar chart and table below provide an indication of the risk of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows how the Fund’s performance has varied on a calendar year basis. The table shows how the Fund’s average annual returns for various periods compare with those of a broad measure of market performance.

Performance Availability Phone [Text]

rr_PerformanceAvailabilityPhone

800-661-3550

Performance Availability Website Address [Text]

rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress

www.bridgeway.com

Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text]

rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture

Past performance (before and after taxes) does not guarantee future results.

Bar Chart [Heading]

rr_BarChartHeading

Managed Volatility Fund
Year by Year % Returns as of 12/31 of Each Year

Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]

rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock

Return from 1/1/12 through 9/30/12 was 6.89%.

	Quarter		Total Return
Best Quarter:		Q4 11		8.98%
Worst Quarter:		Q4 08		-9.19%

Performance Table Heading

rr_PerformanceTableHeading

Average Annual Total Returns (For the periods ended 12/31/11)

Performance Table Uses Highest Federal Rate

rr_PerformanceTableUsesHighestFederalRate

After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes.

Performance Table Not Relevant to Tax Deferred

rr_PerformanceTableNotRelevantToTaxDeferred

After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement plans.

Performance Table Explanation after Tax Higher

rr_PerformanceTableExplanationAfterTaxHigher

Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares may be higher than other returns for the same period due to a tax benefit of realizing a capital loss upon the sale of Fund shares.

Managed Volatility Fund | Class N

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases

rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice

none

Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends

rr_MaximumSalesChargeOnReinvestedDividendsAndDistributionsOverOther

none

Redemption Fees

rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption

none

Exchange Fees

rr_ExchangeFeeOverRedemption

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.60%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

none

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.83%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.01%

^[1]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.44%

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.49%)

^[2]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (After Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement)

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.95%

^[3]

1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

97

3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

303

5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

525

10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,166

2002

rr_AnnualReturn2002

(3.51%)

2003

rr_AnnualReturn2003

17.82%

2004

rr_AnnualReturn2004

7.61%

2005

rr_AnnualReturn2005

6.96%

2006

rr_AnnualReturn2006

6.65%

2007

rr_AnnualReturn2007

6.58%

2008

rr_AnnualReturn2008

(19.38%)

2009

rr_AnnualReturn2009

12.39%

2010

rr_AnnualReturn2010

5.41%

2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

1.94%

Year to Date Return, Label

rr_YearToDateReturnLabel

Return from 1/1/12 through 9/30/12

Bar Chart, Year to Date Return, Date

rr_BarChartYearToDateReturnDate

Sep. 30, 2012

Bar Chart, Year to Date Return

rr_BarChartYearToDateReturn

6.89%

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Best Quarter:

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Dec. 31, 2011

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

8.98%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Worst Quarter:

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Dec. 31, 2008

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(9.19%)

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

1.94%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

0.74%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

3.77%

Managed Volatility Fund | Return After Taxes on Distributions | Class N

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

1.85%

^[4]

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

0.17%

^[4]

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

3.22%

^[4]

Managed Volatility Fund | Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | Class N

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

1.38%

^[4]

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

0.40%

^[4]

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

3.01%

^[4]

Managed Volatility Fund | S&P 500 Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

2.11%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

(0.25%)

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

2.92%

Managed Volatility Fund | Bloomberg/EFFAS U.S. Government 1-3 Year Total Return Bond Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

1.74%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

3.77%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

3.30%

[1] Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses are expenses incurred by the Fund through its ownership of shares in other investment companies, including business development companies.

[2] Bridgeway Capital Management, Inc. (the "Adviser"), the investment adviser to the Fund, pursuant to its Management Agreement with Bridgeway Funds, Inc. ("Bridgeway Funds"), is contractually obligated to waive fees and/or pay Fund expenses, if necessary, to ensure that net expenses do not exceed 0.94%. Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses are not included in the 0.94% expense limitation. Any material change to this Fund policy would require a vote by shareholders.

[3] Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (After Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement) do not correlate to the expense ratio in the Financial Highlights, which reflects operating expenses of the Fund and does not include Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses.

[4] After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown. Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares may be higher than other returns for the same period due to a tax benefit of realizing a capital loss upon the sale of Fund shares. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement plans.

XML

Blue Chip 35 Index Fund

FUND SUMMARY: BLUE CHIP 35 INDEX FUND

Investment Objective:

The Blue Chip 35 Index Fund (the “Fund”) seeks to provide a long-term total return on capital, primarily through capital appreciation, but also some income.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund:

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund.

Shareholder Fees (paid directly from your investment)

Shareholder Fees	Blue Chip 35 Index Fund Class N
Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases	none
Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends	none
Redemption Fees	none
Exchange Fees	none

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses		Blue Chip 35 Index Fund Class N
Management Fees		0.08%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees		none
Other Expenses		0.21%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses		0.29%
Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement	[1]	(0.14%)
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (After Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement)		0.15%

Example:

This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.

The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Expense Example (USD $)	1 Year	3 Years	5 Years	10 Years
Blue Chip 35 Index Fund Class N	15	48	85	192

Portfolio Turnover:

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 33% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies:

The Fund seeks to achieve its objective by approximating the total return of the Bridgeway Ultra-Large 35 Index (the “Index”), a proprietary Index composed by the Adviser, while minimizing the distribution of capital gains and minimizing costs. Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus borrowings for investment purposes) in blue chip company stocks included within the Index. As of September 30, 2012, more than 99% of the Fund’s net assets were invested this way.

The Fund invests in the stocks that comprise the Index and seeks to approximately match the Index composition and weighting. The long-term objective of this roughly equally weighted Index is to hold 35 “blue-chip” companies, excluding any tobacco companies and ensuring reasonable industry diversification.

Although the Fund seeks investments across a number of sectors, from time to time, based on portfolio positioning to reflect its benchmark, the Fund may have significant positions in particular sectors.

This “roughly equally weighted” index contrasts with most other “market-cap weighted” indexes, which give more weight to the stocks that have appreciated the most in price. Therefore, the Index is a more “value-oriented” index structure. Similar to other index funds, the actual return of this Fund will likely underperform the Index over the long term by an amount similar to the Fund’s expenses and transaction costs.

The Fund may purchase stock market index futures in order to hedge cash.

Principal Risks:

Shareholders of this Fund are exposed to significant stock market related risk (volatility) and could lose money.

While large companies tend to exhibit less price volatility than small companies, historically they have not recovered as fast from a market decline. Consequently, this Fund may expose shareholders to higher inflation risk (the risk that the Fund value will not keep up with inflation) than some other stock market investments.

The Fund is also subject to the risk that blue chip company stocks will underperform other kinds of investments for a period of time. This risk is true of any market segment.

Companies with similar characteristics may be grouped together in broad categories called sectors. A certain sector may underperform other sectors or the market as a whole. As the Adviser allocates more of the Fund’s portfolio holdings to a particular sector, the Fund’s performance will be more susceptible to any economic, business or other developments which generally affect that sector.

There is risk that the Fund’s total return may be lower than the total return of the Index that the Fund seeks to approximate.

The Fund’s use of futures to manage risk or hedge market volatility may not always be successful hedges, their prices can be highly volatile, they may not always successfully manage risk and they could lower the Fund’s total return.

Performance:

The bar chart and table below provide an indication of the risk of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows how the Fund’s performance has varied on a calendar year basis. The table shows how the Fund’s average annual returns for various periods compare with those of a broad measure of market performance. This information is based on past performance. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not guarantee future results. Updated performance information is available on the Fund’s website at www.bridgeway.com or by calling 800-661-3550.

Blue Chip 35 Index Fund
Year by Year % Returns as of 12/31 of Each Year

Return from 1/1/12 through 9/30/12 was 16.85%.

	Quarter		Total Return
Best Quarter:		Q2 03		16.07%
Worst Quarter:		Q4 08		-19.01%

Average Annual Total Returns (For the periods ended 12/31/11)

Average Annual Total Returns Blue Chip 35 Index Fund		1 Year	5 Years	10 Years
Class N		3.17%	0.44%	2.71%
Class N Return After Taxes on Distributions	[1]	2.83%	0.10%	2.29%
Class N Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares	[1]	2.48%	0.31%	2.15%
S&P 500 Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)		2.11%	(0.25%)	2.92%

[1] Bridgeway Capital Management, Inc. (the "Adviser"), the investment adviser to the Fund, pursuant to its Management Agreement with Bridgeway Funds, Inc. ("Bridgeway Funds"), is contractually obligated to waive fees and/or pay Fund expenses, if necessary, to ensure that net expenses do not exceed 0.15%. Any material change to this Fund policy would require a vote by shareholders.

[1] After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown. Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares may be higher than other returns for the same period due to a tax benefit of realizing a capital loss upon the sale of Fund shares. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement plans.

XML

Managed Volatility Fund

FUND SUMMARY: MANAGED VOLATILITY FUND

Investment Objective:

The Managed Volatility Fund (the “Fund”) seeks to provide a high current return with short-term risk less than or equal to 40% of the stock market.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund:

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund.

Shareholder Fees (paid directly from your investment)

Shareholder Fees	Managed Volatility Fund Class N
Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases	none
Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends	none
Redemption Fees	none
Exchange Fees	none

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses		Managed Volatility Fund Class N
Management Fees		0.60%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees		none
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses	[1]	0.01%
Other Expenses		0.83%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses		1.44%
Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement	[2]	(0.49%)
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (After Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement)	[3]	0.95%

Example:

This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.

The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Expense Example (USD $)	1 Year	3 Years	5 Years	10 Years
Managed Volatility Fund Class N	97	303	525	1,166

Portfolio Turnover:

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 41% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies:

To achieve the objective of providing a high current return with less short-term risk than the stock market, the Fund uses multiple techniques: purchasing or selling stocks, options, futures, and fixed-income securities. Together, these strategies are designed to provide the Fund with more stable returns over a wide range of fixed-income and equity market environments. Up to 75% of the Fund’s total assets may be invested in common stocks and options on any size companies on which options are traded on a national securities exchange. At all times, at least 25% of the Fund’s total assets will be invested in equities. The Fund may invest up to 15% of its total assets in foreign securities. For purposes of the Fund’s investments, “foreign securities” means those securities issued by companies: (i) that are domiciled in a country other than the U.S.; and (ii) that derive 50% or more of their total revenue from activities outside of the U.S.

The Adviser selects stocks for the Fund using a statistically driven approach that spans various investment styles including both “growth” and “value.” The Adviser may also select stocks and options according to a more passive strategy, including investing in stock market index futures and options. The Fund may also purchase or sell any financial (but not commodity) futures, puts, or calls within the scope of its investment objective and strategy. Specifically, the Fund may short stock index futures to hedge a similar basket of stocks and sell covered call or put options to reduce the risk of stock ownership. These instruments can be used to hedge cash, manage market risk, dampen volatility in line with its investment objective, arbitrage the difference between stocks and futures and create synthetic option positions.

With respect to fixed income investments, the Adviser normally invests at least 25% of the Fund’s total assets in fixed-income securities: U.S. government obligations, mortgage and asset-backed securities, corporate bonds, collateralized mortgage obligations, and/or other fixed-income instruments. In addition, the Fund’s strategy with respect to credit rating may vary over time. The Adviser anticipates that fixed-income investments will largely be limited to U.S. government securities and high quality corporate debt.

Principal Risks:

The Fund’s stock holdings are subject to market risk. The protective qualities inherent in option writing are partial. In addition, the Adviser may not always write options on the full number of shares of stock it owns, thus exposing the Fund to the full market risk of these shares. Therefore, shareholders of this Fund are exposed to risk and could lose money.

The Fund invests in companies of any size for which exchange-traded options are available. Small companies are more vulnerable to financial and other risks than large companies.

The Fund’s fixed-income holdings are subject to three types of risk: interest rate risk, credit risk and prepayment risk.

The Fund’s use of futures to manage risk or hedge market volatility may not always be successful hedges, their prices can be highly volatile, they may not always successfully manage risk and they could lower the Fund’s total return. The Fund’s investments in stock index futures are subject to the risk that the returns of the basket of stocks to which they are hedged are reduced by losses on the futures in a rising market.

A covered call position will result in a loss on its expiration date if the underlying stock price has fallen since the purchase by an amount greater than the price for which the option was sold. Thus, the Fund’s option strategies may not fully protect it against declines in the value of its stocks. In addition, the option writing strategy limits the upside profit potential normally associated with stocks. In addition, the Fund’s investments in covered call and put options are subject to the risk that they may not provide sufficient protection to compensate for a decline in the underlying stock.

Investments in foreign securities can be more volatile than investments in U.S. securities.

The Fund could experience a loss in the stock, option, and fixed-income portions of its holdings at the same time.

Performance:

The bar chart and table below provide an indication of the risk of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows how the Fund’s performance has varied on a calendar year basis. The table shows how the Fund’s average annual returns for various periods compare with those of a broad measure of market performance. In addition, the Fund’s performance is compared to the Bloomberg/EFFAS U.S. Government 1-3 Year Total Return Bond Index, a transparent benchmark for the total return of the one- to three-year U.S. Government bond market. This information is based on past performance. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not guarantee future results. Updated performance information is available on the Fund’s website at www.bridgeway.com or by calling 800-661-3550.

Managed Volatility Fund
Year by Year % Returns as of 12/31 of Each Year

Return from 1/1/12 through 9/30/12 was 6.89%.

	Quarter		Total Return
Best Quarter:		Q4 11		8.98%
Worst Quarter:		Q4 08		-9.19%

Average Annual Total Returns (For the periods ended 12/31/11)

Average Annual Total Returns Managed Volatility Fund		1 Year	5 Years	10 Years
Class N		1.94%	0.74%	3.77%
Class N Return After Taxes on Distributions	[1]	1.85%	0.17%	3.22%
Class N Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares	[1]	1.38%	0.40%	3.01%
S&P 500 Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)		2.11%	(0.25%)	2.92%
Bloomberg/EFFAS U.S. Government 1-3 Year Total Return Bond Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)		1.74%	3.77%	3.30%

[1] Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses are expenses incurred by the Fund through its ownership of shares in other investment companies, including business development companies.

[2] Bridgeway Capital Management, Inc. (the "Adviser"), the investment adviser to the Fund, pursuant to its Management Agreement with Bridgeway Funds, Inc. ("Bridgeway Funds"), is contractually obligated to waive fees and/or pay Fund expenses, if necessary, to ensure that net expenses do not exceed 0.94%. Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses are not included in the 0.94% expense limitation. Any material change to this Fund policy would require a vote by shareholders.

[3] Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (After Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement) do not correlate to the expense ratio in the Financial Highlights, which reflects operating expenses of the Fund and does not include Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses.

[1] After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown. Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares may be higher than other returns for the same period due to a tax benefit of realizing a capital loss upon the sale of Fund shares. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement plans.

XML

Label

Element

Value

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Registrant Name

dei_EntityRegistrantName

BRIDGEWAY FUNDS INC

Prospectus Date

rr_ProspectusDate

Oct. 31, 2012

Omni Small-Cap Value Fund

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return [Heading]

rr_RiskReturnHeading

FUND SUMMARY: OMNI SMALL-CAP VALUE FUND

Objective [Heading]

rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment Objective:

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Omni Small-Cap Value Fund (the “Fund”) seeks to provide long-term total return on capital, primarily through capital appreciation.

Expense [Heading]

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Fees and Expenses of the Fund:

Expense Narrative [Text Block]

rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund.

Shareholder Fees Caption [Text]

rr_ShareholderFeesCaption

Shareholder Fees (paid directly from your investment)

Operating Expenses Caption [Text]

rr_OperatingExpensesCaption

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Portfolio Turnover [Heading]

rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading

Portfolio Turnover:

Portfolio Turnover [Text Block]

rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal period from August 31, 2011 (the Fund’s inception date) through June 30, 2012, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 8% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

8.00%

Expense Example [Heading]

rr_ExpenseExampleHeading

Example:

Expense Example Narrative [Text Block]

rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.

The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Strategy [Heading]

rr_StrategyHeading

Principal Investment Strategies:

Strategy Narrative [Text Block]

rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

The Fund invests in a broad and diverse group of small-cap stocks that the Adviser determines to be value stocks. Value stocks are those the Adviser determines are priced cheaply relative to some financial measures of worth, such as the ratio of price to book, price to earnings, price to sales, or price to cash flow. The Adviser uses a market capitalization approach to weight the securities in the Fund’s portfolio. This means that a security’s weight in the Fund’s portfolio at the time of purchase is roughly proportional to its market capitalization relative to the other securities in the portfolio. Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests 80% of its net assets (plus borrowings for investment purposes) in equity or equity-related securities (“common stocks”) of small-cap companies at the time of purchase. For purposes of the Fund’s investments, the Adviser considers small-cap stocks to be those of companies that have a market capitalization generally in the lowest 15% of total market capitalization or smaller than the 1000^th largest U.S. company, whichever results in the higher market capitalization break. As of September 30, 2012, the stocks in this group had a market capitalization of less than $4.4 billion. This dollar amount will change with market conditions. The Fund primarily invests in small-cap stocks that are listed on the New York Stock Exchange, the NYSE MKT and NASDAQ.

The Adviser will not necessarily sell a stock if it “migrates” to a different category after purchase. As a result, due to such “migration” or other market movements, the Fund may have less than 80% of its assets in small-cap stocks at any point in time.

Use of the term “omni” in the name refers to the fact that the Fund intends to invest in a broad and diverse group of small-cap value stocks that approximately reflect the risk and return of all small-cap value stocks as a whole.

Although the Fund seeks investments across a number of sectors, from time to time, based on economic conditions and portfolio positioning to reflect a profile of a universe of stocks, the Fund may have significant positions in particular sectors.

The Fund may invest up to 15% of its total assets in foreign securities. For purposes of the Fund’s investments, “foreign securities” means those securities issued by companies: (i) that are domiciled in a country other than the United States; and (ii) that derive 50% or more of their total revenue from activities outside of the United States.

Risk [Heading]

rr_RiskHeading

Principal Risks:

Risk Narrative [Text Block]

rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

The value of the Fund’s shares will fluctuate as a result of the movement of the overall stock-market or of the value of the individual securities held by the Fund, and shareholders could lose money.

Investing in small-cap stocks may involve greater volatility and risk than investing in large- or mid-cap stocks.

Value investing carries the risk that the market will not recognize a security’s intrinsic value for a long time or that a stock judged to be undervalued by various value measures may actually be appropriately priced. In addition, value stocks as a group may be out of favor at times and underperform the overall equity market for long periods while the market concentrates on other types of stocks, such as “growth” stocks.

Investments in foreign securities can be more volatile than investments in U.S. securities.

Companies with similar characteristics may be grouped together in broad categories called sectors. A certain sector may underperform other sectors or the market as a whole. As the Adviser allocates more of the Fund’s portfolio holdings to a particular sector, the Fund’s performance will be more susceptible to any economic, business or other developments which generally affect that sector.

Risk Lose Money [Text]

rr_RiskLoseMoney

The value of the Fund’s shares will fluctuate as a result of the movement of the overall stock-market or of the value of the individual securities held by the Fund, and shareholders could lose money.

Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading]

rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading

Performance:

Performance Narrative [Text Block]

rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

Performance information is not provided because the Fund has not had a full calendar year of operations.

Performance One Year or Less [Text]

rr_PerformanceOneYearOrLess

Performance information is not provided because the Fund has not had a full calendar year of operations.

Omni Small-Cap Value Fund | Class N

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Sales Charge (Load) imposed on Purchases

rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice

none

Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends

rr_MaximumSalesChargeOnReinvestedDividendsAndDistributionsOverOther

none

Redemption Fees

rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption

none

Exchange Fees

rr_ExchangeFeeOverRedemption

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.50%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

none

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.34%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.84%

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.24%)

^[1]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (After Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement)

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.60%

1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

61

3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

192

5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

335

10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

750

[1] Bridgeway Capital Management, Inc. (the "Adviser"), the investment adviser to the Fund, pursuant to its Management Agreement with Bridgeway Funds, Inc. ("Bridgeway Funds"), is contractually obligated to waive fees and/or pay Fund expenses, if necessary, to ensure that net expenses do not exceed 0.60%. The expense limitation cannot be changed or eliminated without shareholder approval. The Fund is authorized to reimburse the Adviser for management fees previously waived and/or for expenses previously paid by the Adviser, provided, however, that any reimbursements must be paid at a date not more than three years after the fiscal year in which the Adviser waived the fees or reimbursed the expenses and the reimbursements do not cause the Fund to exceed the expense limitation in the agreement.