MAY 2015 Table of Contents
Message from the CEO
Leadership Luncheon 2015
2015 Grantees Announced
Mother's Day is May 10: Celebrate and Support the Fund
Events, News, and Resources
Save the Date! The Power of She 10K
Read the 2013-14 Report to the Community
A MESSAGE FROM THE CEO

Greetings!

 

Within the next few weeks many of us will gather for the 2015 Leadership Luncheon which sold out in less than three weeks. We are delighted to know so many people want to be "in the room" to celebrate women's leadership on May 19 at the Holiday Inn By the Bay! We will also debut the eleven 2015 grantees selected from a pool of over $555,000 of proposals in 63 Letters of Interest received by our grants committee. Read more about them below, and the tremendous work being done to address economic security for Maine women and girls.

 

We bid "adieu" to Marcie Parker Griswold as Communication and Events Coordinator, and wish her well as she continues in a programming role at the Portland Museum of Art. Meanwhile...the Fund is hiring! Visit the MANP job board to learn more about the opportunity to join the Fund's dynamic team and become the Marketing and Communications Director for the Fund.

 

If I don't see you in person later this month to tell you, happy spring and thank you for all you do for Maine women and girls.

 
Sincerely,

Sarah Ruef-Lindquist 
CEO

 


       

 

WHEN: Tuesday, May 19, 2015
WHERE: Holiday Inn by the Bay, Portland 

Honorees: Melissa Smith, Nicole Maines, Judy Kahrl, and Lamey Wellehan
Grantee speakers and networking
Emcee: Suzanne Nance


Lead Sponsor:  

Cornerstone Sponsors: 





iBec Creative






Maine Magazine


Gift Underwriter:
Spinnaker Trust

Volunteer Underwriter
Hurley Travel Experts/Direct Travel

Video Underwriter:

Benefactor Sponsors:
Rep. Chellie Pingree and S. Donald Sussman

Supporter Sponsors:
Gayle Brazeau, Dean, College of Pharmacy, University of New England

Friend & Nonprofit Sponsors:
For sponsorship information, please contact Kelly at 207-774-5513 or via email

American Sign Language
ASL Interpretation Provided  
 
2015 GRANTEES ANNOUNCED

 

The Maine Women's Fund has awarded grants totaling $98,000 to organizations working to build the economic security of Maine women and girls. This includes grants from donor-advised funds, resources established by individuals who make recommendations as to how the funds are spent.

 

"The funded organizations serve a broad range of ages and geographic locales and apply innovative solutions to central problems faced by women and girls throughout Maine," noted Candace Walworth, MD, of Lewiston, Grants Committee chair, secretary to the board and member of the Fund's Executive Committee.

 

This grant cycle included $30,000 in funds from the Karen Moran Leadership Fund for Women and Girls, created in 2014 to honor the memory of Yarmouth resident Karen Moran, who died in 2013. Friends and family established the endowed fund dedicated to reflecting Ms. Moran's commitment to strengthening leadership capacity, which will help to ensure that women and girls of all backgrounds have access to opportunities to reach their full potential. Last year, the first grant was awarded to Waterville based nonprofit, Hardy Girls Healthy Women, to focus on leadership opportunities for girls in Maine.

 

Grant and Executive committee and board member Marilyn Bronzi of Yarmouth, a long-time friend of Karen's, explained "Whether it's girls learning to be financially savvy, girls and boys working together to prevent violence, teen mothers graduating high school, or incarcerated women being readied for work, the goal of the Maine Women's Fund is simple: provide every chance to reach full potential.  Karen would be smiling at the scope of these grants."

 

The Maine Women's Fund 2014-15 Economic Security Initiative grant recipients are:  

 

Elder Abuse Institute of Maine - Transitional Housing for Elder Victims of Abuse to provide transitional housing and support services to older victims of abuse, neglect and exploitation, including domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking.  These services are critical to helping older victims - typically an underserved population - escape abusive relationships and find avenues to live free of violence.

 

Girl Scouts of Maine - Sharing the Wealth: Financial Literacy for Girls where volunteers will be trained by GSME to deliver a series of financial literacy programs to girls 5-17.  200 volunteers could potentially participate affecting the lives of over 1,000 girls. Groups will meet at various locations. The program will be piloted with up to four events in late 2015 with 25 volunteers per session.

 

Mabel Wadsworth Women's Health Center - Supporting Mabel's Clinical Care. This project will help the Center continue seeing uninsured and clients with MaineCare through these tough economic times. These clients often delay preventative care, such as cancer screenings and birth control. The support will ensure that the Health Center can see these clients and meet their mission of providing care regardless of economic resources.

 

Maine Boys to Men - Reducing Sexism & Violence Program (RSVP). This program supports delivery and enhancement of their evidence-based Reducing Sexism and Violence Program (RSVP). RSVP empowers diverse groups of female and male student leaders to play a central role in recognizing and stopping behaviors that can lead to abuse, harassment, and interpersonal violence.

 

Maine Women's Policy Center - Advancing Women's Economic Security. Operating support for the ongoing effort to improve the economic well being of Maine women and girls.  In 2015 they plan to host the second Maine Women's Summit on Economic Security; to recruit and support Regional Leaders and local groups; to distribute Building a Prosperous Maine.

 

Next Step - Innovations in Youth Education.  Will gather information from the students about gender-based attitudes and behaviors in the school and use that information to develop and implement curriculum on domestic, sexual, and dating violence.

 

ROiL dba Maine Inside Out - Transitional employment program at Long Creek Youth Development Center. The program will help support Maine Inside Out's theater-based reintegration and transitional employment program for young women incarcerated at Long Creek Development Center.

 

SeniorsPlus - Money Matters for Women. SeniorsPlus will expand Money Minders, a financial education/support program that helps older women (low-moderate income) maintain financial independence by assisting them to create a monthly budget.  The program ensures bills are paid, connects eligible consumers to benefits, and reduces the chance of foreclosure, bankruptcy and exploitation.

 

Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Services - Bridging the Gap. During the school year, they will provide individual advocacy and support to students affected by sexual abuse and sexual assault.  When the school year ends, students do not have the same kind of access to services.  The organization will be establishing outreach sites in the summer in their communities to ensure that students have access to ongoing support.

 

Wayfinder Schools - Passages Program for Teen Parents. To advance the economic security of women and girls in Maine through support of Wayfinder Schools' Passages Program for teen parents. Passages is a home-based high school diploma program focused on academics, parenting and life skills and helping to reduce dropout in Maine.

 

Women Unlimited - WorkReady, Set, Go! Maine Department of Education certified Women Unlimited as a WorkReadyME training facility to offer standards based training and employment support.  They plan to offer the 60 hour course to incarcerated women with the intent of preparing them for employment. Women will emerge with a portfolio, employment referrals, and other tools for success.

 

 "The slate of grantees in 2015 represents the Fund's 25th year of grants of almost $2,000,000 to roughly 200 organizations improving economic security for women and girls in Maine. We know that when women and girls thrive, communities prosper, and that is our goal for Maine." said Maine Women's Fund CEO Sarah Ruef-Lindquist.

 

The 2015 grantees will be recognized at the Fund's annual Leadership Luncheon on May 19, 2015 at the Holiday Inn by the Bay in Portland.

 

MOTHER'S DAY IS MAY 10: CELEBRATE AND SUPPORT THE FUND

 

Why not skip the flowers this year and honor the mothers in your life by making a gift that helps women and girls in Maine! Make a gift to the Maine Women's Fund in your loved one's name. As part of your gift, the Fund will send the mother you honor a special card that includes a Mother's Day message. 

Double your gift by attending the Fund's ever-popular MOTHER'S DAY FUNDRAISER AT FLATBREAD!

Bring the special moms in your life for a Portland harbor-side meal of wood-fired pizza.
For every pizza purchased on Mother's Day, Flatbread of Portland will donate a portion of the proceeds to the Maine Women's Fund.



EVENTS, NEWS & GRANT OPPORTUNITIES    

 

Girls on the Run has two fun upcoming events:  

May 18 - Gelato Fiasco Scooping for Community Fundraiser for Girls on the Run! All day, mention Girls on the Run-Maine and your purchase benefits the organization. 

June 7 - Girls on the Run 5K at Cumberland Fairgrounds, 9:30 AM. This untimed, non-competitive run is the celebratory culminating event for 2015 Spring Program participants but is also open to public runners as a fundraiser for Girls on the Run-Maine. >>Register here  

 

NEWS & RESOURCES 

 

Opportunities at the Maine Women's Fund

The Fund is hiring a Communications and Marketing Director. Read the listing on the MANP job board here.

Spend your summer getting to know the Fund's work firsthand! Apply for our Summer Office Volunteer position here. Applications are due May 29th. 

  

First Installment of IWPR's 2015 Status of Women in the States Report  

Women make up nearly half of the U.S. workforce, and their earnings are essential to the economic security of families across the nation. Yet, gender equality at work remains elusive. Women who work full-time, year-round still earn only 78 cents on the dollar compared with men, and during the last decade little improvement has been made in closing the gender wage gap (DeNavas-Walt and Proctor 2014). The glass ceiling persists, and occupational segregation-the concentration of women in some jobs and men in others-remains a stubborn feature of the U.S. labor market (Hegewisch et al. 2010). These national trends show up in states across the nation. This report examines women's earnings and the gender wage gap, women's labor force participation, and the occupations and industries in which women work. It also considers areas where women have experienced progress toward gender equity in the workforce and places where progress has slowed or stalled.

>>Read the Report 

 

2015 Report on Status of Women and Girls in Maine by the PCSW 

The Permanent Commission on the Status of Women is a nonpartisan, independent advisory board, statutorily charged with: "Serving as an advocate for women in making recommendations on proposed budgetary, legislative and policy actions to the Governor, the Legislature and other officials of the State and the Federal Government with respect to state and federal policies, programs and other activities affecting or relating to women in the State." The Commission gathered surveys from more than 3,000 women and girls across the state, reviewed data and research to supplement the survey findings and worked to build consensus around policy recommendations, offering a roadmap to leaders and policy makers to move the needle on key issues affecting women.

>>Read the Report 

 

Women Unlimited Offering Job Counseling

Women Unlimited, a Maine Women's Fund grantee and non-profit organization out of Augusta is running a program that works one-on-one with both men and women in Washington County who are looking for jobs. Anne Favolise is available in the Career Center in Machias on Wednesdays to help job seekers with job searches, interview skills, mock interviews, application preparation, and resume writing.  

>>Email Anne Favolise 

 

To End Extreme Poverty, Target Women and Girls, Report Urges

To achieve the United Nations' goal of ending extreme poverty by 2030, the Sustainable Development Goals must specifically target women and girls, a report from the ONE campaign argues.

According to the report, Poverty Is Sexist: Why Girls and Women Must Be at the Heart of the Fight Against Extreme Poverty, extreme poverty disproportionately affects women and girls in the developing world, many of whom face structural, social, economic, and political barriers to improving their lives that men - and women in wealthier countries - experience to a far lesser degree. "Poverty and gender inequality go hand-in-hand," the report's authors write, and addressing gender gaps in poor countries is not only a moral imperative but also a practical one, given the growing body of evidence which supports the idea that targeting investments in girls and women can help lift entire families and communities out of poverty. 

>>Read more 

 

Celebrate Women's History Month with the New York Times Special Section

Use this page to quickly find Learning Network lesson plans, crosswords and archival materials - as well as links to current Times articles and multimedia and great resources around the Web. 

>>Read more 

 

Obama Administration Expands 'Let Girls Learn' Initiative

The Obama administration has announced that it is expanding its efforts to help adolescent girls around the globe attend and complete school. The Let Girls Learn initiative will build on existing girls' empowerment programs run by US AID, the U.S. State Department, the Peace Corps, and Millennium Challenge Corp.; leverage partnerships with public- and private-sector partners; and challenge other governments to commit resources to help adolescent girls complete their education. Today 62 million girls - half of them adolescents - are not in school and, as a result, face diminished economic opportunities and higher risk of early and forced marriage. Studies have found that, for girls, secondary school attendance is correlated with later marriage and childbearing, lower birth rates, lower maternal and infant mortality rates, and lower rates of HIV/AIDS.

>>Read more 

 

Older Women Workers and Economic Security

On average, women earn less than men with each paycheck, which causes a significant gender disparity in earnings over a lifetime. As a result, women often lack the financial resources needed in old age. This fact sheet addresses the economic needs of older women, their sources of income, and the gender wage gap by race and ethnicity. It discusses factors that impact the lower average lifetime earnings of women and policy changes that could increase the economic security of older women. Lower earnings than men for full-time work, lower likelihood than men to work full-time, and a greater likelihood than men to have had time out of the labor force because of caregiving all contribute to women's lower lifetime earnings.

>>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

The Foundation for Women's Wellness is dedicated to improving women's health by raising support for innovative early-stage research and education. To advance this mission, FWW is inviting proposals for its 2015 Women's Health Research Awards, an annual program that supports small, short-term studies with promise for improving medical knowledge in cardiovascular disease, leading female cancers, the role of hormones in disease and stage-of-life health issues such as pregnancy and menopause, and diseases disproportionately affecting women. In 2015, FWW will award two one-time research awards of $25,000.
>>Read more
 

Intel Corporation has announced a $300 million initiative aimed at boosting workforce diversity at the company and in the technology and gaming industries. Through its Diversity in Technology initiative, Intel will work to build a more robust pipeline of female and minority engineers and computer scientists; actively support the hiring and retention of more women and minorities; and fund efforts to increase the number of positive representations of these groups within the technology and gaming industries. To that end, the chip maker will collaborate with education programs focused on underserved neighborhoods and communities as well as computer science and engineering programs at higher education institutions, including historically black colleges and universities.


Launched a new global campaign to bring financial inclusion to low-income communities. 

Deadline: Open

 

American Honda Foundation

Invites applications for STEM programs. 

For 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

 

 

SAVE THE DATE! THE POWER OF SHE 10K - OCT. 11

 

READ THE 2013-14 REPORT TO THE COMMUNITY


 

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.

 

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. 

 



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:
74 Lunt Road, Suite 100, Falmouth, ME 04105 | 41 Mechanic Street, Suite 328, Camden, ME 04843

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