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OCTOBER 2013 NEWSLETTER
Welcome MWF New Staff
Meet Board Member Michaela Cavallaro
Grantee & Partner News
Fund and Related News
RESOURCES

EVENTS:
Click on purple links for more information.
October 16, 2013 Portland 
A Company of Girls "Sweet 17!" celebration.

October 19, 2013 Blue Hill
"The Poverty Hurdle," a workshop with Donna M. Beegle, EdD, a nationally known speaker and educator, founder of Communication Across Barriers, and author of  "See Poverty."
  

November 7, 2013 Portland 

MANP's Community Catalyst Celebration honoring Maddy Corson. Registration information here.

  

GRANTS 
Androscoggin Bank's Mainstreet Foundation
Supports programs designed to foster the development and welfare of at-risk youth.   
Deadline: October 15, 2013

Seeks to enhance the common good by encouraging organizations and projects that help to build a just and equitable society, create opportunities for initiative, foster creativity and the growth of knowledge.    
Deadline: November 1, 2013

Turkeyland Cove Foundation 
A working retreat for motivated women to pursue their professional, educational and artistic goals, away from the distractions of daily life.
Deadline: November 1, 2013  

Schlumberger Foundation Faculty for the Future Awards fellowships to female scientists from developing nations to help them pursue advanced graduate degrees and postdoctoral fellowships in scientific disciplines.
Deadline: November 15, 2013  
 
AAUW 
Accepting Applications for
Community Action Grants. Deadline: January 15, 2014
 
American Honda Foundation Invites applications for STEM programs.
Deadline: Rolling

 
Pollination Project Seed Grants for Social Entrepreneurs
Individuals working to make their community and the world a better place in the areas of arts and culture, community health and wellness, the environment, and justice.
Deadline: Open

Kellogg Foundation
Invites applications for programs that engage youth and communities in learning opportunities.
Deadline: Open

May and Stanley Smith Charitable Trust
Seeks proposals for youth development programs.  
Deadline: Open

Wellpoint Foundation
Healthy Generations is a multi-generational health initiative with a goal to improve the health of communities by focusing resources on improving nine key health care concerns.
Deadline: Open  
 
  
OPPORTUNITIES:   
Axiom Technologies offers free computer classes.  Click here for a list of classes and registration details.  

Nancy Strojny, Portland Chapter Chair for SCORE, needs women to volunteer as business coaches. Contact 508-272-0763  or

Patricia Rice, Bangor Chapter Chair for SCORE needs women to volunteer as business coaches. Contact 207-942-0103 or

We invite you to visit the
resources section of our website.
JOIN US ONLINE 
      Find us on Facebook  Follow us on Twitter  View our profile on LinkedIn 

 Dear Friend,   

 

There's an interesting semantic shift going on. I think there's a lot of focus right now on women's leadership and on diversity, and many of the items that fall under those umbrellas would have fallen equally under feminism, they've just shifted the names a bit. I think we need to continue some of feminism's earlier fights. We still don't have good child care in this country. We know we still don't have pay equity. ... We still don't have support networks for working families.

 

Deborah Spar, president of Barnard College, in a Sept. 26 interview with Terry Gross on NPR's Fresh Air, commenting on the new feminist agenda and her book Wonder Women: Sex, Power and the Quest for Perfection.


Many people - men and women - are talking and writing about a new feminist agenda. Sheryl Sandberg's Lean In and Deborah Spar's new book remind us that the hard-fought battles by and for women and girls to gain equal treatment have not entirely achieved their goals. There is work to be done to level the playing field in employment, education and leadership opportunities. The Maine Women's Fund is committed to doing as much as it takes for as long as it takes to eliminate barriers to economic security so that girls, women and the communities of Maine prosper.

This month, the Maine Women's Policy Center and the Maine Women's Lobby, hosted the Economic Security Summit, a day-long conversation with thought leaders and policy makers about those challenges and the policies necessary to address them. At the Fund, we're beginning site visits to grantees. These visits will provide supporters, staff and board a first-hand view of the work the Fund has supported - work that is building economic security through programs addressing personal safety and domestic violence, STEM education and expeditionary learning, to name just a few areas we funded in 2012-2013. And the United Nations celebrated the second annual Day of the Girl, promoting awareness of girls' rights and gender inequality worldwide.

 

Take a moment to consider how you will support economic security for women and girls this month. I have one suggestion: Make the Fund your vehicle for action. Visit the Fund's site for more information on the many ways we make giving easy and convenient. Support economic security so that we can all help Maine prosper. In the words of Malala Yousafzai: "We cannot all succeed if half of us are held back."

Thank you for all you do for Maine women and girls.

 

Sarah
Photo credit Jamie Bloomquist
Sincerely,
Sarah Ruef-Lindquist 
CEO

 

 

NEW STAFF

Kimberly Crichton

Contracted Grants Coordinator

Kimberly joined the Maine Women's Fund as a contracted Grants Coordinator in September 2013. She learned about the Maine Women's Fund, and philanthropy, as a participant in the New Girls' Network in 2002-2003. As a result of that experience, she became interested in philanthropy, and how funders and non-profits can best work together to achieve their missions and advance lasting change.  In 2012, after nine years working to develop and manage grant programs at the Maine Health Access Foundation, she founded her own business, Transform. LLC, focused on advancing social change.

 

Drawn to the power of change, the written word as well as art and craft, Kim is a philanthropic advisor, an advocate, a self-taught fiber artist, and a graduate of Bates College and American University, Washington College of Law in DC. As Artist + Principal at Transform. LLC, she pursues her interest in processes of transition and transformation from a number of different perspectives. In her sewn art work, her stitches highlight the change that comes about from the destruction of one thing and the birth of another. Her philanthropic advising is focused on similar goals - supporting change that makes a real difference in people's lives.

 

Kimberly lives in Portland, ME and when she is not consulting, she spends her time outside, or in the studio, and on any number of grand adventures with her dog. She is always inspired traveling North beyond her hometown of Bangor, or West toward the White Mountains, and is so grateful for all the different Maine communities that have shaped her life and experiences.

 

Marcie Parker Griswold

Communications and Events Coordinator   

Marcie will join the Fund as Communications and Events Coordinator on October 21st. Marcie's experience with nonprofit communications began ten years ago on the Portland waterfront while selling travel writers on the beauty of the city at the Convention and Visitors Bureau. Since then, she has worked with various nonprofits including private schools, organizations for social change, and an educational travel group. Most recently, Marcie managed SPACE Gallery's marketing and development efforts, and ran the gallery's membership communications. She has served on the board of Hardy Girls Healthy Women, and currently serves on the Board of Trustees at the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies. A Munjoy Hill resident, Marcie spends her time lounging on the Eastern Prom with her husband, two young sons and ridiculous labradoodle. 

 

MEET THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS 
Michaela Cavallaro

CEO Sarah Ruef-Lindquist spoke with board member Michaela Cavallaro to learn what it is about the Fund that is engaging and compelling for her to devote her time and resources to support it.

 

Why do you support the Fund?

 

I've been actively supporting the rights of women and girls for more than 20 years now - it's a fundamental piece of who I am. The Fund is a particularly effective mechanism for that support, since my gifts to the Fund can support many organizations across the state that are working hard to build and sustain economic security for Maine women and girls.

 

What do you enjoy about board service?

 

The opportunity to work side by side with talented, inspiring and fun people who are just as passionate about working to improve the status of women and girls as I am. The Fund's board members, staff and volunteers are an impressive group of women and men who combine their talents on behalf of a fantastic organization.

 

What do you know about the Fund that you think most people don't, and should?

 

The Fund is truly a statewide organization. Our grantees are spread statewide, our board members come from Portland, Bangor, Bethel and Robbinston, among other locales, and staff and volunteers spend a ton of time talking with (and driving to meet!) people across the state who are invested in building economic security for Maine women and girls.

 

What is your vision for the Fund?

 

I like to imagine the day when the Fund is no longer needed - when Maine women and girls have access to adequate healthcare, equal career opportunities with equal pay, and safe, warm places to live - not to mention access to the education necessary to achieve all of the above. Until that day arrives, I envision a strong, well-funded organization that is able to make substantial grants to move the needle on issues affecting women and girls.

 

Read more about all the Fund's Board Members here

GRANTEE & PARTNER  NEWS
Domestic Violence Awareness Month
October is domestic violence awareness month. Several of our grantees including Safe Voices and New Hope for Women are participating in awareness-raising events. Businesses and government offices in Bath will be illuminated as a way to remember people who have died from domestic violence, to support survivors, and to give hope to people who still live with abuse. Bath City Hall, the Sagadahoc County Courthouse and Bath Iron Works will spearhead the lighting campaign. The familiar BIW crane, Front Street businesses, and government buildings will glow purple. A waterfront gazebo in Richmond will also be illuminated. The purple ribbon symbolizing domestic violence awareness will adorn police cruisers in Bath, Topsham, Phippsburg and Richmond, as well as those of the Sagadahoc Sherriff's Office, throughout the month.

Kingfield Friday Artwalk will pair with Safe Voices to generate public awareness. A banner at the entrance of Kingfield will encourage everyone to "Paint Kingfield Purple." Throughout the village, there will be purple flags, purple lights and plenty of literature describing the work of Safe Voices.


Women, Work & Community's Fall Schedule  
 Women, Work and Community's class offerings include Basics of Starting A Business, Introduction to Self Employment and many more. View their entire fall schedule here 

FUND AND RELATED NEWS YOU CAN USE
The 21st Annual Frank M. Coffin Lecture on Law and Public Service 
The University of Maine School of Law is pleased to welcome Judge Nancy Gertner to present the 21st annual Frank M. Coffin Lecture on Law and Public Service. Judge Gertner, a Professor of Practice at Harvard Law School, served for seventeen years as federal judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. Prior to her judicial appointment, she practiced law in the areas of civil rights and criminal defense, and has been a strong advocate for women's rights. Admission is free but seating is limited. Please register by calling 207-780-4344 or emailing [email protected] 
Monday, October 21, 2013 | 7:30 pm | Hannaford Hall, Abromson Community Education Center | 88 Bedford Street, Portland, Maine 


Maine Community Foundation Leadership in Action Series  
Nell Newman, president and co-founder of Newman's Own Organics, will talk about the connections between her passion for all things organic and her philanthropic endeavors.
Register here.

Wednesday, November 6 | 5:30 to 7:30pm University of Southern Maine's Abromson Center






Community Catalyst Celebration

Maine Association of Nonprofits
will pay tribute to Maddy Corson's "inspiring legacy of leadership and generosity towards
Ma
ine's nonprofit sector" at its Community Catalyst Celebration in Portland. Registration information can be found
here. 

Thursday, November 7 | 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. | Portland Club   

Justice for Women Lecture Series
Albie Sachs, South African judge, lawyer, activist and thinker, will be the keynote at the the University of Maine School of Law's Justice for Women Lecture Series. Justice Sachs gained international attention in 2005 as the author of the Court's holding in the case of Minister of Home Affairs v Fourie, in which the Court overthrew South Africa's statute defining marriage to be between one man and one woman as a violation of the Constitution's general mandate against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. 
This event is free, but registration is required.
RSVP to Elise York at [email protected] 

Friday, October 25 | 8:00am to 9:30am | Shep Lee Community Hall at The Wishcamper Center, University of Southern Maine, Portland.
   

The State of Women in America: A 50-State Analysis of How Women Are Faring Across the Nation 
The Center for American Progress published a new report examining both the progress made and the challenges remaining for women across the country by reviewing three categories that are critical to women's overall well-being: economics, leadership, and health.

      
Jeannette Rankin Women's Scholarship Fund
Jeannette Rankin Women's Scholarship Fund provides scholarships and support for low-income women 35 and older to build better lives through college completion. The application for the 2014 school year will be available on November 1, 2013. Click here to view an informational video about guidelines and frequently asked questions. 

  



MaineShare

The Maine Women's Fund thanks MaineShare for its ongoing support. MaineShare makes it easy to donate to more than 30 statewide organizations working every day to make Maine a better place to live. For more information, please visit the website.

On behalf of the staff and board of the Maine Women's Fund, thank you for reading and for all you do to support Maine women and girls.

Office locations:

565A Congress Street, Suite 306, Portland, ME 04101 | 41 Mechanic Street, Suite 328, Camden, ME 04843