Becky Boulanger appointed new Executive Director

The Women’s Fund board of directors is pleased to announce that they have named Becky Boulanger as the new Executive Director of the Women’s Fund. Becky has been with the Women’s Fund on a part-time basis since 2004, most recently as Development Manager.   

Board President Beth Flaherty said, “After much careful consideration, the Board determined that Becky was the ideal leader for the organization at this time. Becky brings the requisite qualifications to the job to allow her to lead the Women’s Fund as it continues to grow and fulfill its mission of investing in women and girls through grants, advocacy and education.”

Annual Grant Cycle:

Important Deadlines

 

The Women’ Fund will start our Annual Competitive Grants process later this month.  All non-profits who wish to be considered for funding must complete a Letter of Interest, due March 16, 2009.  Letter of Interest forms may be submitted via email to grants@womensfundfvr.org.  Agencies whose projects meet the Women’s Fund’s funding guidelines will be notified that they may continue by completing the full grant application which is due April 15.

Grant application forms and all deadlines are posted at www.womensfundfvr.org.

The Women’s Fund is pleased to announce that $65,000 will be granted to area non-profits serving women and girls during this year’s grant cycle, almost double the amount available last year.  Thanks to a year-end matching grant from the J.J. Keller Foundation, a minimum of $15,000 will be used to fund programs which align with our Financial Fluency Initiative.

Additional thanks to Great Northern Corporation for contributing grant collaboration funds to our granting pool.

Helen Spasoff Kratzer Scholarship – Apply Now

 

Established in 2006 by Helen Kratzer and her late husband, Carl, the Helen Spasoff Kratzer Scholarship provides a one time award of $2,500 to female graduates of Appleton East, North, West, Fox Valley Lutheran or Xavier High Schools who will attend a University of Wisconsin system school and major in education.

Mrs. Kratzer was herself a teacher and the first in her family to attend college. Through this permanent scholarship in her name she will help many young women achieve their dreams of going to college.

Applications must be received by April 15, 2009.  Guidelines and application forms for the Kratzer Scholarship are available from your high school guidance office or at www.womensfundfvr.org.

Year-end Success

Thank you!

Thanks to the generosity of donors like you, we raised over $40,000 during our year-end appeal.  Because of your support, we qualified to receive an additional $30,000 each from Community First Credit Union and the J.J. Keller Foundation.  That’s more than $100,000 to support the Women’s Fund and the women and girls in our community!

The Community First Credit Union and the J.J. Keller Foundation gifts will be used for grants and programs for our Financial Fluency Initiative. This initiative will build the financial knowledge of all women to help them become economically self-sufficient and build long term financial security.

The first $15,000 in grants to support our Financial Fluency Initiative was awarded in February. Recipients are:

Christine Ann Domestic Abuse Services - $2,500 for a new program for 20 women to receive individual and group financial education targeted to the financial issues faced by domestic abuse victims.

Fox Valley Technical College Foundation - $4,000 for an occupational immersion program for economically disadvantaged 7^th and 8^th grade girls. The program includes information on economically sustainable careers and navigating the financial aid process.

Harbor House Domestic Abuse Programs - $4,500 for a new program offering group financial workshops and individual eight-week assessment and training. An estimated 75 women will benefit from the group workshops and up to 20 from the individual training.

Housing Partnership of the Fox Cities - $4,000 for intensive individual financial education and case management for female headed households. Individuals receiving this service are 52% more likely to move to permanent housing.

Women to Women:
Creating Community Connections Book Project

Tell us your story! The Women’s Fund is helping to gather stories about the women who have shaped our community. Please consider sending a short story, essay or poem for inclusion in a book which will be released at our 2009 Annual Event Luncheon on September 10. Write about yourself or someone else. These short pieces will celebrate mentors, mother-daughter relationships and how the legacy of community-building is passed from generation to generation.

Submissions are due Mother’s Day, May 10. Please email your submission to: info@womensfundfvr.org.  Don’t forget to include your name, address, email and phone number. A complete project description is available on the NEWS page at www.womensfundfvr.org.

Thank you to Kimberly-Clark Corporation for underwriting this community project. 

Save the Date!

Annual Luncheon September 10th