First Round of Half Million in Grants for MN Women and Girls in COVID

Women’s Foundation Announces First Round of COVID-19 Response Fund Grants to 27 Organizations – COVID-19 Women & Girls Response Fund

(May 7, Minneapolis) — Today, the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota (WFMN) announced its first round of investment in 27 organizations through its COVID-19 Women & Girls Response Fund, for a total of $233,000 in general operating grants.

first round of half million
The Women’s Foundation of Minnesota made its first round of grants, totaling $233,000, for nonprofits supporting women and girls in Minnesota. (Image Credit: WFMN)

The COVID-19 Women & Girls Response Fund is issuing a half-million dollars in emergency grants of up to $10,000 to organizations serving women and girls experiencing gender-based violence, older women, and women and girls who need short-term financial support for everyday needs due to the effects of COVID-19 (childcare, eldercare, food, housing, transportation, health, and wellness). Grant applications are being accepted monthly and on a rolling basis, as funds are available.

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Ellevate Launches New Fellowships to Support Women in COVID

A fellowship granting fund, EllevateHER Forward equips women who have been economically impacted by the pandemic with tools and resources to return to work.

NEW YORK, May 5, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Ellevate Network, the largest community of women at work, launches EllevateHER Forward, a fellowship granting fund designed to alleviate the economic burden of the novel coronavirus pandemic on women and support their journey back to the workplace.

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Ellevate Network will provide $250.000 in matching funds to support Forward Fellows. (Image Credit: EllevateHER Forward)

EllevateHER Forward Fellows are equipped with comprehensive membership packages that include networking opportunities, a wide range of professional and personal development programming, online resources, Ellevate’s signature 12-week virtual program Squads, and access to a community of over 150,000+ women. Contributions made to the fund will be matched up to $250,000 by Ellevate Network.

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Collective Future Fund Announces $2 Mil Fund for Survivors in COVID

COVID-19 is exposing long-standing disparities and inequities created by unjust policies and systems that have left communities vulnerable, in spite of powerful mobilizations by grassroots movements. Millions of people who work in essential care and service industries including homecare workers and house cleaners, restaurant, grocery, and delivery workers, and health and child care providers, are facing risks to their own health, emotional stress, and the economic insecurity that comes with the evolving landscape of managing the coronavirus outbreak. 

collective futures fund
The Collective Future Fund has announced the launch of a 2 million fund for survivors during COVID. (Image Credit: Collective Future Fund)

Queer, trans, and cis women of color, Indigenous, and immigrant women and girls in particular make up a significant proportion of the essential workers in our communities showing up day after day to mitigate the transmission and impact of the virus. Even prior to this crisis, they faced widespread discrimination, harassment, and violence in the workplace and have been further marginalized by lack of health benefits or paid sick days, low wages, and job insecurity. 

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Consortium Providing Relief Grants to Southern Black Women and Girls

Editor’s Note: The following announcement is from the Southern Black Girls and Women’s Consortium:

Black women will, as we always have, look out for the needs of our family, friends, and community.

southern black women
The Black Girl Joy Challenge is providing awards up to $250 for girls and young women ages 12 to 25 who have an idea to spread joy virtually. (Image Credit: SBGWC)

Given the unprecedented turmoil of the COVID-19 outbreak many of us will need extraordinary help to care for our families, maintain our homes, and remind our communities to find joy, even in this.

The Southern Black Girls and Women’s Consortium (SBGWC) is a collective of funders, activists and community leaders working to advance the movements for Black girls and women in the Deep South. We are offering an immediate funding opportunity to support Black girls and women and the people who rely on them. The SBGWC COVID-19 fund will rapidly deploy resources to organizations that support Black girls and women in the South that may be experiencing financial crisis or uncertainty due to the coronavirus outbreak.

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Deborah Cullen-Morales Appointed Program Officer for Arts and Culture

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation announced the appointment of Deborah Cullen-Morales as the Foundation’s new program officer for Arts and Cultural Heritage. Cullen-Morales will join the Foundation on May 1.

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Deborah Cullen-Morales (Image Credit: Deborah Cullen-Morales)

As a program officer, Cullen-Morales will help shape and direct work in the visual arts across a range of grants and research initiatives supporting art museums, cultural heritage preservation, and conservation. 

“Having led multiple arts institutions, including museums, university galleries, and artist-run spaces, Deborah brings to the position field-wide perspective, deep appreciation of the central role of artists in shaping arts organizations, and a vast network of relationships with artists, curators, scholars, and cultural leaders,” said Elizabeth Alexander, president of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. “We are thrilled to welcome Deborah and look forward to working with her.”

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Teen Sexual Assault Education Summit Moves Online

In Honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, SafeBAE (and partners*) Moves Annual Teen Summit on Sexual Assault and Consent Education Online from April 28-May 2nd

April 21, 2020 – SafeBAE, a survivor-founded, student-led national organization whose mission is to end sexual violence and teach healthy relationships among middle and high school students, is taking their originally scheduled school-based Virginia and Maine Summits online from April 28 through May 2nd, due to COVID-19 school closures. Every session is free and will be hosted over a secure Telehealth Zoom platform, with moderators and counselors overseeing all of the attendees. The Summit is being made possible by the commitment of our youth planning committees (comprised of 14-18 year olds) and partners from both of our original locations in Arlington, VA and Portland, ME, but is open to all. 

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WPI Plugged In: Podcast Series on Gender, Giving and Tech

Philanthropy Plugged In: Exploring new research on gender, technology and giving through WPI podcast series

On April 21, the Women’s Philanthropy Institute will launch our Women Give 2020 report along with the Philanthropy Plugged In podcast series dedicated to exploring technology, gender and giving. Also included in the release is a new video and other resources.

gender technology and giving
The Women’s Philanthropy Institute will be launching a Podcast series featuring leaders and research on women and philanthropy. (Image Credit: WPI)

These themes are all the more relevant as people around the world are leveraging technology in new ways to reimagine community and stay connected.

Join WPI on Zoom for a one-hour launch event, where you’ll hear “hot takes” from leaders including:

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Ms. Foundation Announces Four New Board Members

Angela Glover Blackwell, Danielle Moodie-Mills, Lauren Embrey, and Wade Davis to Bring Expertise in Racial Equity, Public Policy, and Diversity and Inclusion to Distinguished Board

NEW YORK (March 26, 2020) – Today, the Ms. Foundation for Women announced Angela Glover Blackwell, Danielle Moodie-Mills, and Wade Davis as new members of its distinguished Board of Directors, and Lauren Embrey as a returning member of the Board. The four Board Members bring expertise in racial equity, public policy, diversity and inclusion, and more to the board of the nation’s oldest women’s foundation. 

new board members

“I am thrilled to welcome Angela, Danielle, Lauren, and Wade to the Ms. Foundation board,” said Teresa C. Younger, President and CEO of the Ms. Foundation for Women. “We are incredibly lucky to have the experience and expertise of these four individuals – from working to further LGBTQ inclusion and investing in communities of color, to advancing racial and economic equity as heads of organizations or as journalists. Their input will be crucial as we continue to center our work on  women and girls of color in order to establish full social, political, and economic equality for all women. We could not be more grateful to have them as partners in the fight for gender equality.” 

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Plan Int’l CA Raises Alarm about COVID’s Impact on Children, Girls

TORONTO, March 23, 2020 – As the world faces the worst health crisis of a generation, Plan International Canada is extremely concerned about vulnerable populations around the world – particularly children. Plan International Canada welcome’s the Government of Canada’s recent funding announcement to support humanitarian actors responding to COVID-19 and calls on governments and all responders to consider the unique needs of children, especially girls.

plan international
Plan International Canada articulates concerns for the welfare of children, particularly girls, in the COVID-19 crisis. (Image Credit: Plan)

Disease outbreaks affect girls and boys, women and men differently. Policies and interventions must be equitable, protective of human rights, inclusive of the poorest and most vulnerable people in society, and responsive to the different needs and risks faced by individuals. It is especially important to apply a gender lens at all times across all actions. Girls, especially those from marginalized communities and with disabilities, may be particularly affected by the secondary impacts of the outbreak due to their age, gender and other exclusion factors.

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NY Women’s Foundation Gives Responsive Grants to Women in COVID

(March 26, 2020) The New York Women’s Foundation is launching the 2020 Resilience-NYC: COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund to provide organizations funding to solve critical issues facing vulnerable and marginalized communities in New York City

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The New York Women’s Foundation will make $1 million in rapid-response grants to help women, transgender and nonbinary people and their families during COVID. (Image Credit: NWYF)

NEW YORK, March 26, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — The New York Women’s Foundation (The Foundation) announced the launch of 2020 Resilience-NYC: COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund, providing $1,000,000 in grants to organizations helping women, transgender, gender nonconforming, non-binary (TGNCNB) individuals, and their families most impacted by COVID-19. Marginalized populations are among the most vulnerable during times of crisis, along with the local organizations that know how to best support them. The COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund will provide vital resources to organizations on the front lines for some of the hardest hit communities to address immediate and long-term needs.

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