current funds

Grants from the Women and Girls Fund

The Women and Girls Fund is both a component fund of The Community Foundation and a local movement to involve women in philanthropy. Initially established as a field of interest fund by the 2008-2009 Community Foundation Board of Governors, this fund enriches our community by addressing the needs of area women and girls. The founding vision is a fund made up 1,000 women, each willing to pledge $1,000. The long range goal, then, is a $1 million endowment. Specific strategies of the effort include empowering area women leaders to contribute “time, treasure and talent” on behalf of women and girls, as well as generating localized data to inform and guide charitable grant making. Grant funding recommendations are made at the direction of the fund’s membership of donors.

Funding Focus
The Women and Girls Fund allocates money, time, and talent to address the critical needs of women and girls in our community. Grant requests up to $10,000 will be considered.

Safety
Programs that help women and girls understand and avoid abusive, violent or dangerous situations including bullying in schools, domestic violence, and other potentially unsafe situations.

Programs that increase awareness of and provide access to community resources.

Programs that provide treatment to mitigate the consequences of violence.

Education
Programs that increase access to education such as GED, vocational training or development of technical skills.

Programs that provide equitable and accurate career counseling for women and girls.

Programs that provide mentoring for students.

Health
Programs that address and seek to reduce risky behaviors and promote healthy life choices.

Programs that address women’s health in the areas of physical, mental, and emotional well-being.

Social Change Indicators
The Women and Girls Fund of The Community Foundation believes that through careful grant making, we can begin to impact social change. We believe that social change can be measured when it is categorized. Below are four indicators the Fund will use to measure the impact of its grant making efforts:

1. A redefinition or reframing of issues: The issue is defined differently in the community or larger society as a result of education and awareness.
2. A shift in behavior: People are behaving differently in the community.
3. A shift in engagement and commitment: People in the community are more engaged. The efforts of the Fund have reached critical groups in the community.
4. Maintaining past gains: Past gains in terms of addressing critical needs have been maintained despite difficult times.
5. A shift in policy: An institutional, organizational, or legislative policy or practice has changed due to advocacy on behalf of women and girls.

Click here for more in-depth information about Women and Girls Fund strategies.