Our Mission: A world where women and girls are safe, secure, equal and empowered.
We work toward it by:
- Providing grants to Jefferson County non-profit organizations for programs that support that mission.
- Bringing information about issues affecting women and their families to residents and organizations.
- Linking like-minded individuals and organizations in order to leverage community resources.
We are a qualified non-profit 501C3 organization as a Field of Interest Fund of the Jefferson Community Foundation.
ORIGINS
In May 2010, over 100 Jefferson County women gathered to hear how they might make a difference in the lives of women and girls in our County. As a result of that meeting, $30,000 was raised to start the Fund for Women & Girls (FW&G), a ‘Field of Interest’ of the Jefferson Community Foundation (JCF).
This endowed fund is used annually to award grants to Jefferson County nonprofit agencies that are making a difference in the lives of women and girls. Because the Fund is endowed (i.e. yearly interest earned on the principal fund) it is ongoing, not only helping women and girls now but for future generations to come.
Early in the Fall of each year, based on information gathered from the local community, in coordination with the FW&G Steering Committee, the Grant Committee develops and disseminates a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the annual grant. The Grant Committee then reviews the submissions according to agreed-upon criteria and recommends to the Steering Committee the choice for the recipient organization. Historically, either a topical focus for the grant has been identified, several possible areas of interest have been suggested, or an open choice has been invited. For the 2017-18 grant cycle, the topical focus will be on Women’s Health.