Women’s Fund Grant Seeker’s Workshop November 3, 2016 Introductions – self and other WF team members present Housekeeping items: Silence phones informal-ask questions Restrooms Sign-in and packets Have everyone introduce themselves BRIEFLY. Name Organization Your role What organization does

Our Mission Grants Advocacy Education The Women’s Fund for the Fox Valley Region invests in women and girls through: Grants Advocacy Education Grants have been the primary means by which we have supported those working to improve the lives of women and girls. Education and advocacy is something we can do together. We promote female philanthropy pool gifts of all sizes together to have a meaningful collective impact.

History of the Women’s Fund Established in 1994 Awarded first grants in 1997 Became a supporting organization of the Community Foundation in 2005 Established in 1994 by 100 donors, both women and men, who each made a gift of $1,000 or more. Our first grants in 1997 went to 5 organizations and totaled $8,800 How do we fit in to the Foundation: accounting investment management office space and access to their resources We are a separate nonprofit and have our own staff. Information sharing is limited. Don’t assume that I would be familiar with a project funded by the Foundation. We have our own grantmaking authority.

Service Area SERVICE REGION = 4 ½ - COUNTY REGION The Women’s Fund’s service region includes Outagamie, Calumet, northern Winnebago, Waupaca and Shawano counties. In northeast Wisconsin, there are other Women’s Funds located in Green Bay, Door County, Oshkosh and Fond du Lac. We do have the same service area as the Foundation. Our board has reaffirmed our commitment to helping rural women. We would be eager to learn more about programs outside of the Appleton metro area.

Funding Priorities Women and girls live in safety.   Women and girls live in safety. Women and girls meet their basic needs for living, including food, shelter, and access to health care. Women and girls have the knowledge, opportunity, and self- determination to be economically secure. Women and girls have opportunities to pursue their dreams and achieve their potential. Women and girls learn about and experience the value of philanthropy and nonprofit leadership. These are our Ends Polices, which were determined by our board and are reviewed every other year. Everything we do, including the programs we fund, must address one or more of these policies. The better case you can make for how your program addresses one of these issues, the better chance you have of being funded. We are placing additional limits on which areas we want to fund this year.

Our Impact 57 Named endowment funds within the Women’s Fund More than $1,150,500 in grants made to 196 projects by 78 organizations $2,079,000 in assets Total Philanthropic Impact of $3,229,500 Named funds are funds set up by individuals, families, companies, or organizations under the umbrella of the Women’s Fund. Some support the Women’s Fund, some a particular field of interest or scholarship. Small amounts of grant funding may be available. Any individual or organization can set-up a fund within the Women’s Fund as long as its purpose is to support women and girls.

Our Website womensfundfvr.org Go to website & show grants pages, contact list sign-up. www.womensfundfvr.org

On Our Website E-News sign up – Home page Newsletter archives – News page Research Reports – News page Grant applications & guidelines – Grants & Scholarships page New website coming in 2017!

Research 2015 Status of Women in the States http://statusofwomendata Research 2015 Status of Women in the States http://statusofwomendata.org/ Watch for update in 2017!

Grant Guidelines Make sure you meet eligibility requirements. Make sure your organization and/or program align with our funding priorities. Make sure you meet stated deadlines. Show back page with deadlines.

Funding Restrictions The Women’s Fund will not fund: Individuals Endowments Government agencies (educational institutions may qualify) Projects with religious focus Political parties, candidates or partisan activities These are the same types of restrictions you would see from every other nonprofit foundation. By religious focus we mean anything that would require participants to be of a particular faith tradition or would promote one faith tradition over another. It is OK to be a faith based organization, but the service provided should be provided equally, without regard to individual religious beliefs.

Specific Focus for 2017 Priority One Young adult economic security for women age 18-29. (up to $60,000) Priority Two Mental Health and Wellness for females of any age. (at least $15,000)

Phases of Planning Understand the problem and your role in the solution. Determine the action you want to take. Engage stakeholders and funders in your action plan. Make sure your project is female focused if applying to the Women’s Fund. Talk about need for female focus. Give example from COTS.

What do we mean by economic security? Address immediate needs and cause of insecurity: Addiction Criminal History Homelessness Mental Health Physical Health Violence & Exploitation

What do we mean by economic security? Provide programs, services and support leading to living wage employment: Career Services Education Job Training Non-traditional Career Opportunities

What do we mean by economic security? Remove barriers to education and employment: Childcare Lack of Encouragement Lack of Healthcare and/or Insurance Money Management/Financial Fluency Need for Mentors Self-Esteem & Confidence Student Debt Transportation

What do we mean by economic security? Social change through policy advocacy: Cliff Effect of Public Benefits Education Funding & Student Loans Equal Pay Paid Family Medical Leave

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Program just needs to move people forward on the continuum. Not necessary to get form bottom to top in one step.

Two- Generation Approach Share desire to improve parenting and Headstart example. Youth serving orgs. And build partnership with parent programs. Reduction of ACES. Example from Literacy Council.

Mental Health Priority Liza Long – Speaker at Women’s Fund Luncheon in September $15,000 challenge grant from the J. J. Keller Foundation to be used for mental health Our Grants Committee may allocate additional resources to this priority depending on the number and quality of applications received. Programs can serve females of any age.

Preliminary Application Focus on what you would do Constructive feedback early in the process Opportunities for collaboration, cooperation, and partnership You may submit applications for each priority area. Please use separate forms. All Women’s Fund Grants Committee members will review all the applications. Go through application step by step.

Grant Projects Funded 2016 28 Preliminary Applications Received 17 Full Proposals Requested 8 Projects Funded Our grantmaking is very competitive. Historically we have been able to fund about 40% of the requests we receive, last year it was less than 30%. Fully consider the time involved to complete the application process.

What does collaboration mean to the Women’s Fund? “‘Real Collaboration’ is authentic working together across organizational boundaries toward common goals.” LaPiana and Associates “Just work together!” Becky Boulanger

Full Proposal Notification by January 20 if your Preliminary Application selected to advance Continued emphasis on what you will do Budget Interviews and site visits – not typically done

Social Change Indicators Matrix Shifts in Definition: The issue is defined differently in the community or larger society. Shifts in Behavior: People are behaving differently in the community or larger society. Shifts in Engagement: People in the community or society are more engaged. Shifts in Policies: An institutional, organizational or legislative policy or practice has changed. Current Position Maintained: Past gains have been maintained. We encourage you to think beyond social service delivery. What can be done to improve the climate in which you operate? How can you move beyond managing a problem to actually solving the problem? This type of work often involves working with others.

Small Group Conversations Meet potential collaborators. Take time to reflect and jot down ideas. Discuss how Social Change Indicators can be applied to your project. Ask individual questions.

Questions? womensfundfvr.org Becky Boulanger 702-7617 bboulanger@womensfundfvr.org