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On Thursday, May 22, 2025, the Women’s Fund for the Fox Valley Region awarded $71,520 in grants to 11 nonprofit partners at its annual Spotlight event at The Fox Club inside the Timber Rattlers Stadium. Nearly 100 attendees gathered to celebrate the Women’s Fund’s impactful work and its commitment to empowering women and girls in the community.

Celebrating Impact and Community Investment

The evening was marked by the presentation of the 2025 Annual Impact Grants, with over $71,520 invested into the community through these grants. In This grant cycle 32 funding requests totaling over $300,000 were submitted– a powerful reminder of both the challenges facing women and girls and the demand for meaningful solutions. The grants distributed support local nonprofits that focus on enhancing economic opportunities, through continuing education, life skills supports, and mental and emotional wellness for women and girls in the Fox Valley Region.

Impact Grants awarded at Spotlight went to the following nonprofit partners:

• CESA 6: Inspire WI’s Girls Career Connection Program, $2,500
• Covey: Let’s Talk About It, $5,000
• Girl Scouts of the Northwestern Great Lakes: New Visions in Partership with Catalpa Health, $8,870
• Girls on the Run: Program Accessibility, $5,000
• Lovin’ the Skin I’m In: Life Skills, Mentoring and Support for Young Black and Brown Girls, $5,000
• Long Cheng Community Center: Nkauj Hmoob Rising: Empowering our Future Leaders. $10,000
• NAMI Fox Valley: Women’s Mental Health Support, $5,000
  (This grant is being funded by the Women’s Fund and a donor advised fund within the Women’s Fund.)
• Safe Families for Children – NE Wisconsin: Supporting Parents and Mentoring Relationships, $5,000
• Safe Haven: EmpowHER, $5,000
• Waking Women Healing Institute: Empowering Indigenous Matriarchal Futures, $4,850

These grants reflect the core of our mission: to support bold solutions, create lasting impact, and drive equity and opportunity for all women and girls.

We also awarded our first-ever Innovative Pathways Grant—a $20,000 multi-year investment in a new initiative designed to tackle systemic barriers through creative, forward-thinking strategies. This new grant opportunity was created to spark innovation and expand possibilities for those we serve.

This year’s Innovative Pathways Grant was awarded to CAP Services for their Guaranteed Income pilot project. Through this pilot program, CAP Services will utilize their Skills Enhancement Program, which supports people experiencing poverty return to school to better their circumstances, to identify Skills participants who would benefit from a guaranteed stipend that they can use at their discretion. This will allow case managers to see what clients need additional assistance with and how they can best serve them.

We’re excited to support this innovative and research-backed idea that is new to our area.

Honoring Leadership and Advocacy

A highlight of the evening was the presentation of the annual Jane Dwyre Garton Women’s Empowerment Award. This award recognizes a woman who has led the way in advocating for and empowering women in the Fox Valley honoring the legacy of the first Executive Director of the Women’s Fund.

Becky Boulanger, former Executive Director of the Women’s Fund, was honored with the award. Becky started her career with the Women’s Fund under Jane as a temporary employee as she rejoined the workforce after being a stay-at-home parent. Her drive and leadership led her to become the Executive Director. Throughout her time with the Women’s Fund, she founded two initiatives, Starting Point and Girl-Powered Giving that are still huge successes today. Becky’s dedication and leadership serve as an inspiration to others committed to gender equality and community development.

Looking Ahead

The Spotlight event was more than a celebration—it was a powerful reminder of both our impact and the continued need in our community. We’re thankful for our donors who contribute towards our grantmaking efforts, allowing us to make this impact on our community. While we were proud to invest over $71,000 this year, it’s clear that the demand far exceeds our current capacity as we were only able to support 21% of our requests.

That’s why your support matters now more than ever. Together, we can close the gap between what is possible and what’s currently being funded. With continued and increased investment, we can say “yes” to more partners, more programs, and more progress for women and girls in our region. You can help us increase our collective impact by starting your own fund to support grantmaking by contacting Julie, [email protected].

The Women’s Fund for the Fox Valley Region remains steadfast in its commitment to creating a community of equality where power and opportunity are not limited by gender.