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A MESSAGE FROM THE CEO
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Dear Friends,
Season's greetings don't feel right for this December. Not yet, anyway. The Fund community is mourning the loss of Dick Hallstein on November 17, 2014. Dick, together with board member Marilyn Bronzi and others, was the motivating force behind the creation of the Karen Moran Leadership Fund for Maine Women and Girls not a year ago, to honor the life and legacy of his wife who died in November 2013. Dick facilitated several board retreats for the Fund; as such, many of us learned to seek his counsel in difficult scenarios, but also enjoyed discussions with him about almost any topic. We admired his fabulous taste in clothing, his artwork, and most of all his indefatigable enthusiasm for life. We are so grateful for the time and parts of himself that he gave to us. His recently published book, Life, Love and Loss: Pathways to Peace and Possibilities, is available on Amazon. In it, I can clearly hear his voice and energy considering the most profound life issues we all face, and I know I will consult it often and be grateful for this gem of wisdom on the printed page that he left to us. That the proceeds benefit the Karen Moran Leadership Fund is another of Dick's gracious, generous gestures. Services are planned for December 13, 2014 at 10a at the Merriconeag Community Hall in Freeport, followed by a reception at 45 Salt Marsh Lane in Yarmouth. We extend our deepest, most heartfelt sympathies to his family and wide circle of friends who mourn his loss. He truly made a Maine better place for all and his legacy will live on in the many people he inspired along the way. The Fund has published its 2013-2014 Report to the Community online, this year. We hope you will enjoy seeing the images from and reading the news about a record-breaking year for the Fund, beginning with the Leadership Luncheon's fabulous success in May and building the assets to over $2,000,000. You can view the Report here. We also created a video that helps to tell the story of the Fund, from its launch in 1989 to its 25th year of grantmaking in 2014/2015. You can view it here. I love the quote that staff chose for our bookmark we mailed out recently (if you didn't get one in the mail, let us know and we'll send you one). It's a simple reminder about how we can all make change happen, attributed to Anne Frank: "How lovely to think that no one need wait a moment, we can start now, start slowly changing the world!" That's just what we do, with your support. Thank you for all you do for Maine women and girls. Best wishes for a peaceful, joyful holiday season. Sarah Ruef-Lindquist
CEO |
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READ THE 2013-14 REPORT TO THE COMMUNITY
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We have another amazing year of successes to report for fiscal year 2013-2014 on behalf of the Fund, all of which were made possible with the generous support of corporate, foundation and individual philanthropists, like you.
Click here or on the image to the right to read the report.
This past year, the Maine Women's Fund:
- Provided 15 hours of capacity-building workshops for grantees to support their resource development efforts and build organizational sustainability;
- Granted $90,000 to 11 organizations addressing challenges to economic security for Maine women and girls, including $20,000 in donor advised fund grants;
- Established the Fund's first designated fund, the Karen Moran Leadership Fund for Maine Women and Girls, honoring the life, legacy and community leadership of the late Karen Moran;
- Continued our statewide Needs Assessment project by expanding to Asset Mapping, convening more than 30 meetings in 15 counties-engaging more than 100 people across Maine-to better understand the issues facing women and girls regionally, as well as the community resources addressing them;
- Convened 700 people at our 2014 Leadership Luncheon to celebrate the stories of the inspiring work of individuals and organizations creating social change while raising a record-breaking $128,000; and
- Grew the Fund's assets to over $2,000,000 for the first time in its history.
We thank you for your participation as a donor, volunteer, or for attending the Luncheon or our county conversations. We could not do this work without you. Together, we will make Maine the best it can be for all who live and work here by ensuring that women and girls thrive so our communities prosper. Thank you for your commitment to creating better lives for women, families and communities in Maine.
Consider giving a gift to the Maine Women's Fund today.
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REMINDER: LETTER OF INTEREST IS DUE MONDAY, DECEMBER 8
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The Maine Women's Fund invites Letters of Interest (LOI) for its 2015 Economic Security Initiative grant cycle. The Fund's website has a full description of its funding priorities and process here.
The Maine Women's Fund welcomes calls from applicants wanting to discuss proposal ideas or with any questions about the application or guidelines. Please contact Kimberly Crichton, Grants Coordinator at 441-4710 or kimberly.crichton@gmail.com.
Successful LOIs will result in an invitation to submit a full grant application. Full grant proposals for invited applicants are due by 5:00PM on February 13, 2015.
The grant awards approved by the Board will be announced in April 2015.
For more information, please visit www.mainewomensfund.org
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THE FUND NAMES NEW FINANCE & HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER
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The Fund is pleased to announce that Anne Saer Driscoll has joined the Fund staff as Finance and Human Resources Manager. With a BBA in Accounting from the University of Texas and a BA from Tulane University in Art History, Anne has worked as an auditor at Arthur Andersen in New Orleans, Manager of Budgets and Contracts at Volunteers of America Greater New York, Controller for the New York Host Committee of the Democratic National Committee's Convention in 1992, and as Chief Financial Officer at the League of Conservation Voters as well as Education Voters of America in Washington, DC. As an experienced accounting professional, she has managed complex non-profit budgetary and human resource operations. She relocated with her husband, a Bowdoin alumnus, to York Harbor several years ago, and has served as treasurer and currently a a board member of the Museums of Old York and on the Ladies Committee of York Hospital. She is also a licensed real estate agent. She works part-time for the Fund at the Falmouth office.
Please join us in welcoming Anne to the team!
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MAINE WOMEN'S FUND HONORS OUR FOUNDERS
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While cleaning out our offices for the big move to Falmouth, we came across a wonderful photo. We immediately recognized many faces, and came to realize that the photo, dated 1990, shows many of our Founders, perhaps at one of the founding gatherings.
As the story goes: in June of 1988, a visionary group of women gathered to create what eventually became the Maine Women's Fund. Inspired by a talk given by Helen LaKelly Hunt, a member of the board of the National Network of Women's Funds, these Founding Mothers were convinced that they could make a significant difference in the lives of Maine women and girls through philanthropy.
We wanted to share this fabulous image with our community. We are thankful for the bold vision of these Maine women!
First row, seated left to right:
Margot Milliken, Destry Oldham-Sibley, Mary Hillas, Jean Evans
Second row:
Ellen Wells, Nancy Herter, Unidentified, Phoebe M. Whipple
Third row:
Deborah Johnston, Jacquelin Libby, Carol Ward, Minnette Cummings, Nancy Anderson, Geraldine Dorsey
Founding board members not pictured:
Tracy Booth, Beth Edmonds, Lucinda Lang, Gloria Milliken, Marjorie Phyfe, Anne Zill
The Fund made its first grants in 1990 and remains the sole Maine philanthropy focused only on women and girls. Since its inception the Fund has invested nearly $2M in 180 organizations with programs creating systemic change and improving the quality of life in our communities.
We welcome the Fund community to share stories, pictures and memories of 25 Years of Grantmaking with us. Please contact us at thewomen@mainewomensfund.org or at 207-774-5513.
Since its inception the Fund has invested nearly $2M in 180 organizations creating systemic change and improving the quality of life in our communities. Under its current leadership and strategic plan, the Fund is positioning itself to be a permanent source of philanthropy in Maine for women and girls. We invite you to join us this year as we look back and commemorate the Fund's 25 Years of Grantmaking.
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SPOTLIGHT ON GRANTEE: HARDY GIRLS HEALTHY WOMEN
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"Do you think I'm cool enough to be on GAB?"
"We're ALL cool enough! That's the point!"
This was one of the fabulous conversations overheard by a Girls Advisory Board (GAB) member at the recent Girls Rock! Conference put on by Fund grantee Hardy Girls Healthy Women (HGHW). The conversation is attributed to two of the hundreds of Southern and Central Maine girls in 4th-8th grades who come to the Conference each year to attend workshops on topics related to girls' healthy development and leadership.
 | "Muses" from Colby College talk about leading Girls Coalition Groups
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Hardy Girls Healthy Women is a national, research based nonprofit empowering girls with knowledge, critical thinking skills, and a platform to drive social change with the vision of ensuring all girls and women experience equality, independence, and safety in their everyday lives.
On November 18, the Maine Women's Fund visited the HGHW office in Waterville to learn more about the organization's history and recent plans for growth. We were greeted by a smiling contingent from HGHW made up of board members, staff, and several young women who volunteer from area high schools and Colby College. This year, a Maine Women's Fund's grant will support HGHW's expansion, including capacity building in the following areas:
(1) Portland Program Expansion. As a statewide organization HGHW has made a commitment to bring their programming to Southern Maine;
(2) Expansion of the Girls Advisory Board (GAB); and
(3) Expansion of the reach of the Girls Rock! Conferences.
 | A photo gallery at the HGHW office showcases stills from "PROJECTION", a project in collaboration with SPARK Summit.
Read more about the project here.
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HGHW reaches approximately 1,000 girls annually through the following programs: Adventure Girls: 2nd-6th graders meet with women in nontraditional careers; Girls' Coalition Groups: 4th-8th graders and their college-aged Muse facilitators discuss girlfighting, healthy sexuality, partner violence, and social activism; the annual "Girls Rock!" Weekend which features an awards ceremony as well as two Girls Unlimited! Conferences, one held at Portland's King Middle School and one at Colby College; and Girls Advisory Board: a leadership development program for high school-aged girls, culminating in members researching and presenting on topics of concern to girls at the various conferences.
A highlight of the visit was hearing from the Muses and GAB members, about their experiences and the reciprocal positive impact that working with girls has on their own lives. As Nicole, a GAB member, remarked, "I live in Farmington and haven't been able to find many other girls or organizations I feel I really connect with; through GAB, I've gotten many more girls from my town involved in the Girls Rock! conference and even recruited a second GAB girl from my high school."
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From left to right: Colby College Muse Adrienne Carmack, GAB member Nicole Pires, and Muse Natalie Bacon
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The Muses reported that they feel most engaged by the opportunities to learn with the girls, to learn how to unlock each girl's passion and interest in engaging with the group, to learn when and how to step in if needed and how to let the girls themselves take ownership. Topics for the girls groups focus on how to build successful relationships and what they look like in many different areas. They also frequently touch on social media, family and community, changing bodies, body image and bullying.
Hearing from the Muses, GAB members, board and staff at HGHW, it's clear that the organization has a real ripple effect in the communities in which it serves; young girls, young women and even adults are positively affected by the "hardiness zones" the organization facilitates. We are proud to partner with this wonderful organization that is helping Maine girls and women to lead empowered, healthy lives.
From left to right, back row: HGHW board member Tobi Schneider, HGHW Program Director Christine Bright, Muse Adrienne Carmack, HGHW Program & Office Coordinator Jessica Leighton, GAB member Nicole Pires, HGHW Executive Director Kelli McCannell, and Maine Women's Fund board member Kate O'Halloran.
Front row: Muse Natalie Bacon, HGHW board member Pamela Boivin, Americorps VISTA/Training Institute Coordinator MaryKathyrine Tran, Outreach and Communications Manager Dana Bushee.
Not pictured: HGHW board member and founder Lyn Mikel Brown, MWF staff members Kimberly Crichton and Marcie Parker Griswold, MWF board member Candace Walworth.
Learn more about Hardy Girls Healthy Women: www.hghw.org |
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Wayfinder Schools reports that award-winning Maine author Lily King led a Passages workshop in November, and spent several hours writing with students.
"We started with a list of prompts to write about...a red dress...a funeral...a really good sandwich. Later, we were asked to write about a specific spot in the home we remember most. In another exercise, we were asked to write two truths and a lie, the lie being the most challenging part for many in the class. But it was when Lily read to us from the new Telling Room anthology that the class lit up most, especially when hearing the words of another teen mom, in a story called The Bump."
Students then took turns sharing their own birth stories. Here are two examples:
Selaina
Lindsey
According to Wayfinders Schools' staff, "It was a wonderful day, full of beautiful words and stories in the lovely, light-filled rooms of The Inn at Bath. Thank you so much to Passages Teacher Joy Knowlton for organizing this workshop, to Innkeeper Elizabeth Knowlton for sharing her space with us and providing delicious food, to Lily King for so generously donating her time and wisdom, and to all the students who so generously shared their words."
Passages, a program of the Wayfinder Schools, is a home-based high school degree program for young parents, age 14 to 20, who live in Knox, Lincoln, Waldo, Washington, Cumberland, Androscoggin and Sagadahoc Counties and whose education was derailed by early parenthood.
Planned Parenthood of Northern New England shares that open enrollment in the health insurance marketplace has begun and PPNNE is busy helping people learn about their options and find insurance plans that meet their needs. "We are working hard to reach both patients and other uninsured individuals in our communities. We recently completed our first enrollment in York county; someone who was paying $700 per month for health insurance will now pay only $31 thanks to the Affordable Care Act. We couldn't do this work without the work of our incredible team of volunteer Certified Application Counselors in York county. These volunteers sit with consumers and help them enroll in affordable health coverage that's right for them."
PPNNE also reports that on Tuesday, November 18, the organization had a volunteer appreciation party. The group highlighted successes from the past months and discussed the plan moving forward. Everyone who attended signed up to volunteer with us over the next month as a greeter, phone banker, or social media rapid response team member. They also engaged volunteers in a fun word cloud exercise, asking them to tell us why they volunteer with Planned Parenthood in one word. Their answers were: sex-positivity, community, choice, inspiration, justice, welcoming, action, power, fun!, protection, and energy:
Open House: Women, Work and Community
Join Women, Work, and Community at the organization's new office space! Drop in anytime from 4:00pm-6:00pm on Friday, December 12 at South Hall on the UMPI campus at 181 Main Street in Presque Isle. Enjoy light refreshments and kick off the holiday season with Women, Work, and Community.
Click here to RSVP. Feel free to share this invitation link and bring a guest. The more the merrier!
Women, Work and Community's New Ventures Graduation Six entrepreneurs will graduate from Women, Work, and Community's New Ventures Entrepreneurship Training, a comprehensive 12-week course in business planning that guides new business owners and expanding entrepreneurs in developing a written business plan and a financial road map for their business. On Monday, December 8 from 10:00am - 12:00pm, join WWC at the Houlton Higher Education Center to celebrate their success, hear them present their business plans, and cheer on our small businesses as they start up and grow. For more information: womenworkandcommunity.org Current and former grantees of the Maine Women's Fund may send news, events, program updates or other happenings to marcie@mainewomensfund.org by the 20th of each month.
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EVENTS & GRANT OPPORTUNITIES
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Thursday, December 4, 2014 |6:00pm
Two For the Road Book Launch
The Gallery at Harmon's & Barton's, 584 Congress St., Portland
"Two for The Road: Adventures in Maine" is a collection of essays and photographs written by Tanya Whiton and photographed by fellow Portlander Heidi Killion. They are celebrating the book's publication with a reading and party and plan to donate twenty percent of the sales proceeds for the book to the Maine Women's Fund. "As female artists and travelers, we have often discussed the impact of gender on experience. It felt important to us to give back to the community of women who are trying in some way to better their lives or express their creative vision," said Whiton. We hope to see you there!
Saturday, December 6, 2014 | 9:30am - 3:15pm
Moms As Mentors: BUILD BRIDGES: Science & Engineering
Simmons Institute for Leadership and Change, Boston
For: Moms (guardians and special friends are always welcome) and daughters (K-5th grade)
All Moms as Mentors® programs offer interactive leadership & team-building activities for girls and moms, invaluable mom & daughter bonding time as well as practical tips for moms on how to be confident role models for their girls. No prior knowledge or experience on any theme is necessary; activities are designed to be accessible and enjoyable regardless of your background or experience. The main theme is to be together and have fun. Register here.
Sunday, January 25, 2015 | 9:30am - 5:00pm
Girl Scouts and Empowerment Through Sports Leadership Conference
Linda K. Paresky Conference Center, Simmons Institute for Leadership and Change, Boston
Get empowered through sports at this conference! Girls in grades 6 - 12, along with adults who support girls to succeed as female athletes can participate in workshops on topics such as nutrition, teamwork, communication, leadership, college athletics options, goal setting, conditioning and training, and balancing sports and life. Keynote Speaker: Angela Hucles, a two-time Olympian and founder of Empowerment Through Sport. Master of Ceremonies: Diana Cutaia, the founder of Coaching Peace. Other professional female athletes and content experts will participate as workshop presenters.
Register here.
RESOURCES
Waterville American Association of University Women (AAUW) Seeks Professional Women to Volunteer
The Waterville AAUW's Future Focus for 8th grade girls is returning on March 24, 2015 at Colby College is looking for women to participate in career-surfing panels as well as to lead hands-on workshops. If you're available and willing to participate in Future Focus in March, please respond to Emily Manahan at esmanaha@colby.edu or call 207-859-5315.
 National Museum of Women in the Arts Seeks Proposals for Scholarly Books
The annual $50,000 prize is awarded to the author of the best proposal for a scholarly book on an individual woman artist or subject related to the mission of NMWA. The purpose of the award is to encourage the highest quality scholarship on women artists from any time period or nationality and to enhance the role of the museum in shaping scholarly dialogue on women in the arts. Mellor Prize funds may be used to cover the costs of travel for research, translate materials not available to an English-language audience, and other costs related to creating the final manuscript. While the proposed book must be able to stand on its own, it can include other media (i.e., CD, DVD, online) as an additional component.
>>Read more
The Institute for Broadening Participation (IBP) conducts year-round outreach to students, faculty and administrators in under-served communities and underrepresented groups, publicizing posted opportunities, including K-12 opportunities, research experiences for undergraduates, funded undergraduate and graduate programs, internships, scholarships and fellowships, and opportunities for mentoring and professional development, post-doctoral placements, and early career faculty--all searchable by discipline, keyword, institution or area. IBP's family of websites receives over 130,000 visits and 400,000 page views per month during peak portions of the academic calendar. Posting your program on www.PathwaysToScience.org can help you gain a larger web presence and meet your recruitment goals. You can post your program or opportunity to the Pathways to Science site by filling out the online program form here.
Global Fund for Women CEO Musimbi Kanyoro explains why access to and control over technology is critical for the future of women's human rights, and explains how IGNITE: Women Fueling Science & Technology will change the conversation about women's role in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) and information communication technologies (ICT). >>Read moreMaine Women's Fund CEO Sarah Ruef-Lindquist recently appeared on Nonprofit Insider, a weekly radio show featuring executive directors and key leaders of Maine nonprofits. The host, David Unger, discusses the issues facing nonprofits today, as well as some of the programs and services that are offered to address these issues.
 "Every Day is Election Day: A Woman's Guide: A Woman's Guide to Winning Any Office, from the PTA to the White House" by Rebecca Sive.
Rebecca is hoping to get the book into the hands of many women leaders (and emerging leaders) as possible, and she has worked with her publisher to create a discount opportunity for participating organizations. The discounted price is 30% off for each copy purchased over the course of a year: $12.57 for hard copy, $10.49 for e-book. If your organization would be interested in this opportunity, a special organizational code would be set up. Rebecca's stated goal is to "get a useful resource into the hands of women activists for their advocacy at this critical time in our <women's leadership> movement. " For more information, visit Rebecca's website. The National Breast Cancer Coalition (NBCC) is dedicated to ending breast cancer through the power of grassroots action and advocacy. In 2010, NBCC launched Breast Cancer Deadline 2020 ® to focus resources and efforts to the areas that will lead to the knowledge needed to end breast cancer. The Maine Breast Cancer Coalition urges local organizations and leaders to become familiar with this groundbreaking campaign to end breast cancer by the year 2020. >>Read more
The Global Gender Gap Report 2014
The report, released this week, benchmarks national gender gaps of 142 countries on economic, political, education- and health-based criteria. This year is the 9th edition of the Index, allowing for time-series analysis on the changing patterns of gender equality around the world and comparisons between and within countries.
>>Read more
2014 Kids Count Report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation:
"More than one-third of Maine children live in households where parents lack full-time, year-round employment, while 21 percent of Maine children - or 54,000 - live in poverty." Read the full report here and the Maine report here. GRANT OPPORTUNITIES
Walmart Foundation Accepting Applications for Community Grant Program
Through the program, grants of up to $2,500 will be awarded to local nonprofit organizations within the service area of individual Walmart stores in support of initiatives in the areas of hunger relief and healthy eating, sustainability, women's economic empowerment, and/or career opportunities.
Deadline: December 31 >>Read moreMary Byron Project Announces 2015 Roth Award for Domestic Violence Programs As part of its annual Celebrating Solutions Awards honoring innovative programs in the United States that demonstrate promise in ending the generational cycle of domestic violence, the Mary Byron Project created the Roth Award to reward and spotlight domestic violence programs that address the needs of underserved populations. Eligible programs provide services to populations (including those based on age, race, ethnicity, gender, faith, disabilities, low socioeconomic status, sexual preference, and victims from economically comfortable suburban areas) that traditionally do not know how to avail themselves of services or who are too ashamed to find them. >>Read more AAUW Accepting Applications for Community Action Grants The American Association of University Women is accepting applications for its Community Action Grants Program, an annual program that provides funds to individuals, AAUW branches, and AAUW state organizations as well as community-based nonprofit organizations for innovative programs and non-degree research projects that promote education and equity for women and girls. Deadline: January 15, 2015 >>Read more The MetLife Foundation Launched a new global campaign to bring financial inclusion to low-income communities. Deadline: Open American Honda Foundation Invites applications for STEM programs. Deadline: Open Pollination Project Seed Grants for Social EntrepreneursFor 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 |
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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: 74 Lunt Road, Suite 100, Falmouth, ME 04105 | 41 Mechanic Street, Suite 328, Camden, ME 04843
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