New Grant Cycle Begins     

As we kick off the 2014 - 2015 grant cycle, the Grants Committee would like your help in reaching non-profits that might qualify for funding. We want to let them know that we will begin accepting Letters of Inquiry, the first step in applying for a grant, on Monday, August 25.

WIF will fund programs that address current needs or emerging issues in five focus areas: Arts and Culture, Education, Environment, Health, and Human Services. In the past 10 years, we've awarded more than $3.7 million to 49 organizations. In May 2015, we'll award another five new grants.

Leadership Opportunities, in WIF and Beyond      

The mission of the Women's Impact Fund is to maximize women's leadership in philanthropy by engaging and educating our membership, increasing charitable contributions and strengthening communities through the impact of collective giving.

Our mission, written 11 years ago when WIF was founded, remains as relevant today as it was then. The Strategic Planning Task Force did not see the need to change a single word! When our members think about WIF's mission, charitable giving is usually what comes to mind. Grants, however, are just part of our mission. The other essential part is to develop women as philanthropic, nonprofit, and community leaders. Going forward, we want to make WIF a more powerful force in strengthening women's leadership.

Strategic Goal #3 states it this way: Establish WIF as an Organization that Develops and Positions Women as Philanthropic Leaders, Non-Profit Leaders and Community Leaders.

To give you a sense of where we're going, here are three of the tactics that will support Goal #3:

1. Assess what specific gap WIF fills, or can fill, in terms of developing women as philanthropic, nonprofit and community leaders.
2. Create additional leadership opportunities for members on WIF Committees, beyond the Grants Committee.
3. Consider ways to position WIF members as philanthropic, nonprofit, and community leaders, which may include working with the Board of Advisors.

 Click here to see all our Strategic Goals!

Grant Making, the WIF Way      

Would you like to know more about how WIF selects finalists for our grants? If so, we have just the program for you!
      

For the first time, any WIF member can participate in our Intro to Grant Making training session. (The same one Grants Committee members must take.) During the one-hour teleconference, you'll learn about the mission, structure, policies and processes that guide our Grants Committee - and that help make our grants so well respected.   
 

The program will be Thursday, Sept. 4, 12:30 -1:30 p.m. Registration deadline is Tuesday, Sept. 2.