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RESOURCES
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EVENTS
January 21, 8:30-9:30 AM
Maine Women's Day at the State House, Hall of Flags, Maine State House, Augusta. Email Kathy at the Maine Women's Lobby for more information.
February 13, 8:30 AM-1:00 PM. Nonprofit Day at the State House. Hall of Flags, State House, Augusta. For more info: click here.
Maine School of Law's Third Annual Justice for Women Lecture Series will feature renowned human rights and women's rights advocate from Afghanistan, Dr. Sima Simar. USM's Abromson Community Education Center, Portland. Registration is required: click here.
GRANTS
AAUW Community Action grants provide funds to individuals, AAUW branches, and AAUW state organizations, as well as local community-based nonprofit organizations, conducting programs or non-degree research projects that promote education and equality for women and girls. Special consideration is given to projects focused on K-12 and community college girls' and women's achievements in science, technology, engineering, and math. Click here for the application.
Deadline: January 15, 2014
Deadline: February 7
The Quimby Family Foundation
will be accepting Concept Letters for its grant cycle through February 28. Click here to learn more about its funding areas.
launched a new global campaign to bring financial inclusion to low-income communities. $200 million over five years will support financial programs that will provide vital knowledge, tools and services to underserved individuals, families, businesses and communities.
Deadline: Open
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
Deadline: Open Wellpoint FoundationHealthy 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
Nancy Strojny, Portland Chapter Chair for SCORE, needs women to volunteer as business coaches. Contact 508-272-0763 or
We invite you to visit the
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LETTER FROM SARAH
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Photo credit:
Jamie Bloomquist
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Happy New Year! The Fund starts 2014 on several exciting notes:
- The Fund recently completed a series of statewide conversations designed to help map the most pressing needs of Maine's women and girls.
- The Fund established its first named fund to support leadership grantmaking: the Karen Moran Leadership Fund for Women and Girls.
- The 2014 grant cycle is now open. The deadline for proposals is January 24. Please spread the word to organizations working to lift up women and girls in Maine.
2014 also marks the 50th anniversary of President Lyndon Johnson's declaration of the "War on Poverty." Though numerous articles and op-eds dedicated to the topic have been circulating, a fascinating piece by Ms. magazine's Martha Burk particularly caught my attention. In considering the notion that we've lost the war, she poses this question: What if we hadn't had all the programs that grew out of that effort to address poverty?
The answer is enlightening: "According to experts at Columbia University, poverty wouldn't be 15 percent or even 19 percent as in 1964. It would be a whopping 31 percent -- almost a third of our population."
Since the war on poverty began, efforts to address poverty for women and girls have grown tremendously. The Maine Women's Fund will continue to be a part of that movement, which is growing worldwide, according to the Women's Funding Network:
Today, more than 160 members of the Women's Funding Network make grants of over $65 million per year and have collective working assets of $535 million. We are poised to make a new decade of history, with a target of reaching $1.5 billion in collective working assets by 2018. The new infusion of funding represented by these targets will mean lasting change in women's human and economic rights, as well their access to healthcare and education in communities everywhere.
So, the bad news is that the war on poverty is still relevant. However, the good news is that more people and resources are coming together to combat poverty for women and girls than ever before. Thank you for your support of the Fund's vision to make Maine a place where women and girls thrive so communities prosper.
Sincerely,
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GRANT APPLICATIONS: DUE JAN. 24
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The Maine Women's Fund has posted its annual grant application. Applications are due by 5:00 PM on Friday, January 24. Click here to access the application materials.
For questions about the application, please contact:
Kimberly Crichton, Grants Coordinator
This year, the Fund is taking a big step toward furthering its mission by requiring all 2014-2015 grantees to participate in a technical assistance training series to help build statewide capacity for social change. As it is an expert in this area, the Fund has awarded a grant to the Maine Women's Policy Center to plan and lead this pilot project, which will be a peer learning opportunity among organizations advancing women's economic security across Maine. Grantee organizations will explore together the root causes of the issues they work to ameliorate and apply their learning to engage the community in addressing those root causes.
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KAREN MORAN LEADERSHIP FUND FOR WOMEN AND GIRLS
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To honor the memory of Karen Moran, who died in November, friends and family have established an endowed fund in her name. The Karen Moran Leadership Fund for Women and Girls reflects Karen's commitment to strengthening leadership capacity, and will help to ensure that women and girls of all races and classes have access to opportunities to reach their full potential.
Read more about Karen here.
The Maine Women's Fund is grateful and honored to help carry on Karen's inspiring legacy of generosity, feminism and leadership.
For more information about the Karen Moran Leadership Fund, please contact Sarah Ruef-Lindquist.
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SAVE THE DATE - LEADERSHIP LUNCHEON
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Maine Women's Fund Leadership Luncheon
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
11:00 AM - 2:00 PM at the Holiday Inn by the Bay, Portland The Fund is thrilled to announce The Bon-Ton Stores will be the Lead Sponsor of the 2014 Luncheon. THANK YOU Bon-Ton! Bon-Ton at the Maine Mall is a department store with over 100 years experience in great customer service. We carry your favorite brands and offer amazing deals. Bon-Ton believes in giving back to the local community, helping charities large and small.
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2014 LEADERSHIP LUNCHEON AWARDEES
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The Fund is thrilled to announce this year's inspiring lineup of Leadership Luncheon award winners:
The Tribute to Women in Industry Award recognizes a woman who is a leader in her field and has achieved significant accomplishments as a business owner, business executive or nonprofit organizational leader. The 2014 recipient is Maine lawyer and gay rights activist Mary Bonauto. She was lead counsel in legalizing same-sex marriage in Massachusetts, and leading the challenge that brought down the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). She is regarded as "the country's most powerful lawyer in the marriage equality fight" by The Advocate. As Civil Rights Project Director at Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD) for two decades, Bonauto has litigated for securing benefits for domestic partnerships, protecting custody rights, ending employment discrimination, ensuring First Amendment protections, and challenging anti-gay violence. In a New York Times article from March 2013, Roberta Kaplan, the lawyer arguing for DOMA repeal in the Supreme Court, told the newspaper, "No gay person in this country would be married without Mary Bonauto."
The Sarah Orne Jewett Award is given to a Maine woman who exhibits the attributes of the women in Jewett's works of fiction: true grit, independence, courage, humor and discipline. The 2014 recipient is Fatuma Hussein, founder and director of Lewiston's United Somali Women of Maine. Born in Mogadishu, Somalia, Hussein came to the U.S. at age 12 after living in a Kenyan refugee camp during the Somali civil war. After relocating to Maine in 2001, she set out to help fellow Somali refugees adapt to their new home by helping provide translation, transportation and healthcare assistance. In 2002, the United Somali Women of Maine began operations, with a mission to promote culturally and linguistically appropriate services, self-sufficiency, advocacy, empowerment, increase access to information, prevent all types of violence and promote a non-sexist, multi-cultural environment that buoys the strengths of refugee women and girls. According to Hussein, "Empowering people leads to healthy families, education, and citizens achieving their dreams." Click here to see Fatuma's TEDxDirigo talk.
The Samantha Smith Award recognizes a young woman from Maine who works to promote social change in her school or community, inspires other girls to become active in supporting long lasting change in Maine, uses her voice boldly to influence others and make a difference in her community. Chloe Maxmin, this year's recipient, is a graduate of Damariscotta's Lincoln Academy. An environmental activist whose work began when she founded the Climate Action Club at her high school, Maxmin helped galvanize a green movement in her school and mid-coast Maine community. She is founder of First Here, Then Everywhere, the only online network by and for young environmentalists. Currently a Harvard College junior, Maxmin serves on the editorial board of The Harvard Crimson and is the coordinator for Divest Harvard, leading efforts for divestment in fossil fuels from Harvard's $32.7 billion endowment fund. Maxmin has worked with 350 Maine and Maine Sierra Club for two years on the Tar Sands Free Northeast Campaign, and writes for The Nation. Dr. Kevin Caffrey, Maxmin's Harvard advisor said, "Chloe's one of the voices that says, 'Don't just do something - sit there and think about it first.'" Click here to read Rolling Stone's profile on"The Divestment Nerd."
The Fund is pleased to announce the new Visionary Partner Award, for a person or entity who has helped to advance the Fund's vision of a just and caring society in which Maine women and girls thrive so communities prosper. The inaugural awardee is Maine Boys to Men, a Portland-based organization with a mission to reduce interpersonal violence, specifically male violence against women and girls, and support the development of emotionally fluent, civically engaged boys. For ten years, Boys to Men has delivered programming that breaks the cycle of violence by supporting the healthy development of adolescent boys, challenging traditional gender stereotypes and sexism, and increasing community awareness about challenges facing boys and the corresponding violence against girls and women. In 2010, Boys to Men was one of 23 first-time grantees to receive a prestigious grant from the Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women. At the 57th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, convened by the United Nations, Boys to Men was held up as a model organization for community education and change. According to Executive Director Drew Wing, "Our communities need the absolute best we have to offer. This requires women and men working as allies to foster health, opportunity, health and full equality."
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| MEET THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS |
Rebecca Andreozzi
CEO Sarah Ruef-Lindquist spoke with board member Becky Andreozzi.
Why do you support the Fund?
I support the Fund because I am passionate about its mission to transform the lives of Maine women and girls. My connection to Maine spans my lifetime and living in Western Maine has opened my eyes to the work that still needs to be done for Maine women and girls. It is the only foundation in Maine that solely supports programs for women and girls which further solidifies why I support this Fund.
What do you enjoy about board service?
Board service has been incredibly motivating. I am new to the board this year and find it to be a very enriching experience. The members of the board are inspiring, positive and so energetic. My career has always been in the private world of education and I have always been accountable to a board. I feel I have an interesting perspective as I now serve on a board.
What do you know about the Fund that you think most people don't, and should?
I think there are counties throughout the state that are not as aware of the Fund's existence as we would hope. We are working to improve this by holding regional meetings throughout the state to raise awareness about the Fund and to gain an understanding of needs so that our grants are awarded where they will have the greatest impact.
What is your vision for the Fund?
My vision for the Fund is that we achieve our plan to build the Fund's invested assets and beyond. The women and young girls of Maine deserve and need our support so that communities statewide can prosper. Supporters of the Fund continue to increase across the state and how fabulous and empowering would it be to have every woman and young girl in Maine be aware of the Fund and its mission!
Rebecca is Associate Director of Admissions at Gould Academy in Bethel.
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GRANTEE NEWS
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Amy Sylvester never anticipated a political life when she signed up for Maine NEW Leadership in 2011, but her participation in the program was a catalyst for her to begin to exercise her voice. While still a student at Thomas College, she interned on the campaign of a candidate for the United States Senate and following her graduation, became a full-fledged staffer. Following that candidate's primary defeat, Amy jumped in and ran for her own seat in the Maine House of Representatives in her hometown district. Although she did not ultimately win, she gave the incumbent a great race and offered a real choice to the voters of her district. She remains active in her community and is considering another run. Amy credits Maine NEW Leadership with giving her the confidence, skills, and political connections that empowered her to run and become more engaged in her community's leadership. Keep an eye out for this rising political star on the Maine political scene!
"Ashley Lahoud, vice president of development and operations... said one of the goals of the organization this year is to expose more girls to women in a variety of professions. In the coming year, Hardy Girls Healthy Women hopes to broaden the horizons of more girls in the Waterville area by introducing them to women in a broad range of professions." Read more here.
Also in Hardy Girls news: Girls Rock Has a Younger Face! Now you can nominate a girl as young as 9 years old for an award. We've been amazed at some of the ways younger girls are changing their schools and communities for the better and Hardy Girls wants to recognize their actions. Read more here.
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FUND AND RELATED NEWS YOU CAN USE
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Grantee Site Visits
On January 13, Fund board members, donors and staff visited 2013 grantee REAL School. The organization's STEM Academy for at-risk girls ages 14-18 provides team building, cultural awareness, therapeutic adventure, post-secondary education and career exploration, therapeutic arts interventions and clinical level social work services. The Fund heard from two of the girls who participated this past summer, both of whom credited the REAL School with a life-changing experience.
 
Above (left): Graduate of the REAL School's STEM Academy. Above (right): Hilary Rapkin and Frank Douglass of WEX
See more pictures of the visit here.
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 The Cobscook Community Learning Center's High School program has a few open slots for the Spring semester. Featuring small groups focused on academic and community-based projects, including four learning expeditions per year (ranging from wilderness trips to a 10-day Washington, DC trip in April), the program also offers the chance to build leadership skills and pathways to success. For more info: www.cclc.me (under "Cobscook Community High School Program" button), or call Kara at 207-733-2233 ext. 312 or [email protected].
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IWPR Update: Slow Progress for Women Faculty of Color in STEM; and New Research on Job Growth
The report finds that underrepresented minority (URM) women are just 2.1 percent of those with STEM doctorates in the professoriate, although URM women make up 13 percent of the U.S. working age population. These groups tend to be especially underrepresented in specific disciplines, such as computer and mathematical sciences. View the Storify chat here.
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 Wyss, Clinton Foundations Partner on Full Participation by Women and Girls The Wyss Foundation has announced a $5 million commitment from board chair Hansj�rg Wyss in support of a Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation initiative to accelerate the full participation of women and girls in political, civil, economic, social, and cultural life. "There is no more important step we can take toward a more just, prosperous, and stable world than building societies in which women and girls are empowered and have equal opportunities," said Wyss. Read more here. *** ***
 January is National Mentoring Month
"Studies have shown that young people with mentors are more likely to graduate from high school and set higher goals for themselves, and they're less likely to skip school, use drugs or fight... By watching their mentors, children learn to expect more from themselves." - First Lady Michelle Obama
Click here to find local Maine mentoring opportunities.And for more information about the national campaign to promote mentoring, as well as additional mentoring resources, www.mentoring.org.
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Did you know? The Fund is on LinkedIn. Follow and connect with a community dedicated to investing in the power of women and the dreams of girls.
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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. |
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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
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