|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A MESSAGE FROM THE CEO
|  Greetings!
September arrived so quickly, and we've hit the ground running at the Fund! As we schedule site visits to grantees we are reminded of how critical their work is to building economic security for women and girls. Our staff, board and committee members get to hear stories that drive home the importance of our work. Whether it's building girls' self esteem, creating access to education and healthcare that put women in a position to work and care for themselves and their families, helping vulnerable immigrant populations secure legal status to reduce their likelihood of being trafficked or abused, or supporting the work to end sexual violence, it is all essential to creating a just and caring society where women and girls thrive, so communities prosper.
September also means the start of the school year and co-curricular sports, one of the great arenas for building girls' leadership skills. At the Luncheon in May we learned about young Chloe building her leadership, from her experience with 2014 Grantee Girls on the Run, a program that incorporates athletics into personal development for girls.
 Jen & Chloe Libby speaking for Girls on the Run
This month I will participate in Maine Bicycle Coalition's BikeMaine2015 and visit the six host communities along the 350 mile route with over 300 other riders, and talk and learn more about the issues facing women and girls in our state, and I'll be on a bike, in the great outdoors, soaking up the last of that warm weather. Follow my ride on Facebook and Twitter, and I look forward to sharing more about my experience with you in October. We're also planning the Leadership Luncheon for May 18, 2016. In just a few months, we will announce awardees and be planning for another inspirational event celebrating women and girls in Maine. I hope we'll see you there. We've already got lots of great ideas and plans taking shape to make this a year to remember. Save the Date! Tickets will go on sale in March, 2016.
Thank you for your support of the Fund and the work of our grantees, and for all you do for women and girls in Maine.
|
BIKEMAINE 2015: Follow MWF CEO on a 350+ mile Journey
|
The Maine Women's Fund CEO, Sarah Ruef-Lindquist, will join more than 300 cyclists as they tour the state by bicycle from September 12-19. The 2015 ride is the third annual organized by the Bicycle Coalition of Maine, founded to promote the state as a bicycling destination and to use cycling as an economic development tool for local communities.
Sarah has completed long distance rides in Maine, including the American Lung Association's 180-mile Trek Across Maine 5 times and the Tour de Cure in Bar Harbor and Tour de Farms in Wiscasset for several years. She's excited to experience riding in BikeMaine's 2015 host communities of Kittery, Old Orchard Beach, Bridgton, Bethel, Sweden, and Kennebunk. Sarah will in good company over the course of 350+ miles with fellow riders such as David Brancaccio, the host and senior editor of American Public Media's Marketplace Morning Report, and Mark Vogelzang, president and CEO of Maine Public Broadcasting Network (MPBN). She looks forward to meeting with people within those communities the ride visits to share and learn more about issues women and girls face related to economic security.
Follow her progress in-route by liking us on Facebook and Twitter.
|
SPOTLIGHT ON GRANTEE: Maine Women's Policy Center
|
In early May, members of the board and staff visited the Maine Women's Policy Center in Augusta to learn about their experience as a grantee this past year.
Over the past 25 years, the Policy Center's research and organizing efforts have built a strong constituency for change and have worked to improve economic security for Maine women and girls.
The grant (from a MWF donor advised fund) was to advance MWF's social change goal through increasing grantee capacity in areas like advocacy and community engagement with education, coaching and other training from staff at the Policy Center.
The Maine Women's Policy Center provided technical training during four, 3-hour workshops with the Fund's ten other 2014 grantees. The workshop sessions were designed after the grantees completed an extensive survey about social change knowledge, skills, and experiences. The first session included discussions about the root causes of social problems and how their organizational work relates to social change. The second meeting focused on communications and social media. The third session involved power analyses, organizational empowerment and fostering self-actualization in people touched by organizations' work. The final workshop included a recapitulation of earlier workshop session "takeaways", and exploration of potential partnerships and inclusivity efforts.
In reflecting on the workshops led by the Maine Women's Policy Center, the grantees said that the greatest value was getting to know and learning from other organizations across the state, who share a common mission supporting economic security for women and girls.
In the words of one participant, "I appreciated the workshops and found them to be quite helpful. In this type of work... we can burn out quickly. I felt empowered as a woman-and a renewed sense of why I do this work."
|
|
REGISTER NOW! THE POWER OF SHE 10K - OCTOBER 11, 2015
| |
|
|
PROFESSIONAL ADVISOR'S NEWSLETTER
|
In August, the Fund launched a newsletter just for professionals in the estate and financial planning fields. Quarterly, we plan to share information about planning ideas and opportunities that trust and estate attorneys, trust officers, accountants, investment advisors, financial planners and others can use to advise charitably inclined clients interested in economic security for Maine women and girls. The Fund offers charitable gift annuities and Donor Advised Funds along with a whole range of options to give donors as many choices as possible to fit their planning goals while creating a legacy of economic security for women and girls. To receive the newsletter use this LINK. To read the first issue, click HERE.
|
|
NEWS, GRANT OPPORTUNITIES & EVENTS
| |
NEWS
 Women, Work, and Community is now New Ventures Maine. Same Mission, Vision and Values. You can read more about the new name here.
GRANT OPPORTUNITIES
 The American Association of University Women is accepting applications for its Career Development Grants program, which provides funding to women who hold a bachelor's degree and are preparing to advance or change careers or re-enter the workforce. Grants of up to $12,000 will be awarded to provide support for course work beyond a bachelor's degree, including a master's degree, second bachelor's degree, certification program, or specialized training in technical or professional fields.
Mainebiz 2015 Women to Watch Reception
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
5:00 PM to 7:00 PM The Westin Portland Harborview, Portland Join the Mainebiz staff as we gather to celebrate the accomplishments of five outstanding women. In addition to a special presentation, guests will enjoy passed hors d'oeuvres, a cash bar, and great face-to-face networking with past and present honorees as well as other business executives. FMI 
The Power of She -- All Women's 10K Sunday, October 11, 2015 University of Southern Maine - Portland Campus Something magical happens when women gather to run together in the spirit of taking bigger steps toward a better you! FMI
 Maine Women's Summit on Economic Security Friday, October 16, 2015 8:45 AM - 4:15 PM Augusta Civic Center In Building a Prosperous Maine, we laid out a roadmap to economic security for women and our families. On October 16th, we'll come together to turn those ideas into action. Register to be a part of this energizing day with like-minded opinion leaders from across the state as we hear from thought-provoking speakers, participate in interactive workshops, and take advantage of opportunities to build our skills. FMI  The Girl Scouts of Maine Women of Distinction Gala Thursday, December 3, 2015 Portland Marriott at Sable Oaks, South Portland
The Women of Distinction Gala is an annual event that celebrates women whose individual excellence and high levels of achievement distinguish them as outstanding members of their communities and exemplary role models for today's girls. FMI
|
|
2015 GRANTEES
|
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. Read More... |
|
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
|
|
|
|
|
