decide.
Live Ballot Connecting and Investing for Positive Impact
Live Ballot is an exclusive opportunity each spring for Women and Girls Fund members to award a single $50,000 transformational grant to one local organization serving the needs of women and girls.
Save the Date!
Tuesday, May 14, 2024
4:30 - 6:30 pm
The Mary Washington Monument
1500 Washington Avenue
Fredericksburg, VA 22401
parking available at First Christian Church across the street
Enjoy refreshments on the lawn of the Mary Washington Monument or under the tent while you learn from this year's finalists, cast your vote in person and hear the grant awardee announced live!
RSVP to Live Ballot 2024
Check back here for updates should weather impede our event, voting would move online.
Healthy Families Rappahannock Area
Project: Empower Her: Nurturing New Mothers Postpartum
Requested Amount: $50,000 
Description: The Empower Her project is dedicated to addressing the needs of mothers during their Fourth Trimester.
Funding Purchases:
Postpartum Packages – essentials (pads, nursing supplies, toiletries) Information on the importance of care once home. $10,000
Self-Care kits – relaxation teas, candles, pampering products $10,000
Diaper Bags – filled with basic needs for newborn plus resource guide to link families to services in their community $10.000
Infant Carrier – Promoting safety of newborn. Essential for postpartum care $12,500
Administrative Support – filling bags, data collection, etc. $7,500
Loisann's Hope House
Project: HOPE (Housing, Opportunity, Prevention, Equity) Diversion Program
Requested Amount: $50,000 
Description: The HOPE Diversion Program targets female-headed households, female adolescents, and transitional aged women (18-23) with supportive services to ensure they have access to stable housing, quality childcare, reliable transportation, and successful education outcomes. These areas address key barriers to the success of women and girls to ensure equitable opportunity, development, and advancement of the population. The HOPE Diversion program is unique to the region and was developed with adaptability in mind to address service gaps on the path to stability. Through targeted support and empowerment, it paves the way for transformative change, offering hope for a brighter future.
Funding Purchases:
Housing Assistance – application fees, rent/utility deposits or payments
Education Support – tuition, textbooks, application fees, technology, or mentorship
Childcare: reliable and quality childcare support, parenting workshops/resources
Transportation: subsidized transportation services, vehicle repairs
More Information:
The HOPE Diversion Program targets female-headed households, female adolescents, and transitional aged women (18-23) with supportive services to ensure they have access to stable housing, quality childcare, reliable transportation, and successful education outcomes. These areas address key barriers to the success of women and girls to ensure equitable opportunity, development, and advancement of the population. The HOPE Diversion program is unique to the region and was developed with adaptability in mind to address service gaps on the path to stability. Through targeted support and empowerment, it paves the way for transformative change, offering hope for a brighter future.
Women and girls are the largest population our agency serves, as they are overrepresented in housing insecurity and homelessness due to barriers from gender inequality. Loisann’s Hope House has consulted them to determine what areas of support are needed to address these disparities and promote resilience. The primary needs included: childcare, transportation, and education, as they are integral to long-term advancement and self-sufficiency. However, most current programming efforts for housing-insecure households do not offer financial assistance for these items, leaving a gap in service delivery that can potentially disrupt or inhibit successful and stable outcomes. Because of this, the HOPE Diversion Program was developed to offer flexible assistance to improve economic stability, promote healthy child development, and empower women to live to their full potential.
STEM Education and Innovation Center (STEM EIC)
Project: Technovation Girls - Fredericksburg, Stafford, Caroline County
Requested Amount: $50,000 
Description: Calling all girls who want to be changemakers in their communities using technology! STEM EIC is starting a new Afterschool Program to empower girls, to become leaders, real-world problem solvers
Funding Purchases: Goal is to provide resources to FXBG Hugh Mercer, Walker Grant and James Monroe to cover, after school maker space materials, field trip to VTech Thinkabit Lab, AI/Coding mid-journey event. Regional Pitch Event (food, venue, marketing materials), T-shirts for Participants, Advertisements or Signs, Equipment (i.e. computers), etc.
Virginia Community Food Connections
Project: 2024 Women, Infants, and Children Veggie Voucher Program
Requested Amount: $50,000 
Description:The WIC Veggie Voucher Program is a wonderful way for families participating in the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) federal nutrition program to access more fresh, local, and whole food. Each week, families can present their WIC card at one of six regional farmers markets to receive a Veggie Voucher worth $15 for FREE fresh fruits and vegetables. In 2023, the Veggie Voucher program served nearly 500 households (nearly 8,000 individuals, predominantly women and children ages five and under). With your support, together we can double this impact for women and girls most vulnerable to food and nutrition insecurity.
Funding Purchases:This funding covers the cost of 3,330 WIC Veggie Vouchers for fresh fruits and vegetables valued at $15 each. These vouchers are provided by VCFC at 6 farmers markets for FREE to vulnerable families receiving WIC benefits, mostly women with young children. When these vouchers are used by families at the farmers market to choose produce, this funding serves the dual purpose of creating additional income for more than 20 local farms.
More Information:
Virginia Community Food Connections’ WIC Veggie Vouchers Program provides families with $15 in FREE fruits and vegetables every time they show their WIC card at one of 6 area farmers markets. The WIC Veggie Voucher program is designed for families who qualify for and receive benefits from the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program administered by the Rappahannock Area Health District. Women are disproportionately vulnerable to food and nutrition insecurity and more likely to sacrifice the quality of their own food to ensure that their children do not experience hunger. Women who are pregnant and postpartum are especially vulnerable to nutrition insecurity which can have long-term effects for mothers and children alike. Programs like WIC and SNAP are part of what is known as a "nutrition safety net" for families at greatest risk but are not always enough. By providing additional resources to incentivize fresh fruits and vegetables, VCFC can contribute in a significant way to the unique nutrition safety net that exists within our region by not only supporting women who participate in our program but also local women farmers and vendors at the market. Strengthening our local economy by supporting women to buy and eat locally grown food is a benefit to everyone in our community.
ONLINE VOTING 2024 Women and Girls Fund Live Ballot
Please only vote once; either online by May 13 at 4pm or in person at the event May 14 from 4:30-6:30pm.
Questions?
Women and Girls Membership, Live Ballot Event: (540) 373-9292 ext 124 or Ashley.McNeil@cfrrr.org
Women and Girls Fund Grant: (540) 373-9292 ext 123 or Casey.Hu@cfrrr.org