The Grants Committee members have been hard at work the last few weeks, reviewing applications and making the first round of tough decisions on those to be considered as potential grantees.

Twenty organizations - four from each of WIF's grant focus areas - have been invited to submit a full proposal. The Grants Committee work teams will review and conduct site visits until mid-February. In mid-March, the full Grants Committee will meet and select the finalists to be voted on by the full membership in mid-April.

The Top 20 are:

Arts & Culture

• Arts for Life - Arts Education for Pediatric Patients & Families
• Community School for Arts - School Ready with Art
• Mint Museum of Art - Teen + Design Project
• Queens University of Charlotte - Behailu Academy Music Therapy

Education

• A Child's Place - STAR Initiative
• Big Brothers Big Sisters - Mentor 2.0
• Charlotte Bilingual Preschool - Dual Language Preschool Classroom
• Right Moves for Youth - Right Moves for Youth

Environment

• Catawba Riverkeeper - Environmental Education Program
• NC Wildlife Federation - Great Outdoors University
• Sustain Charlotte - Active Transportation, Air Quality, and Health
• US Green Building Council - Environmental Stewardship Challenge

Health

• Care Ring - Nurse-Family Partnership
• Charlotte Neuroscience Foundation - Memory Center Charlotte
• Children's Home Society of NC - Wise Guys Male Responsibility Program
• Safe Alliance - Domestic Violence Shelter Health Clinic

Human Services