Frequently Asked Questions
Table of Contents:
- What is a Women's Fund?
- Why should there be a Women's Fund?
- What is the Women's Fund of Essex County?
- What is the organizational structure of the Women's Fund?
- What is the long term financial goal of the Women's Fund?
- Who is eligible to receive funding?
- How does the Women's Fund of Essex County decide who to fund?
- Why should I give to the Women's Fund of Essex County instead of directly giving to the organizations?
- Will the Women's Fund of Essex County compete with other local non-profit organizations for funding?
- What is the role of the Essex County Community Foundation in the Women's Fund of Essex County?
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The Women's Fund receives donor contributions and makes grants to organizations that focus on social, economic and educational issues impacting women and girls.
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Since 1980, more then 100 women's funds have emerged across the country. These funds take on the complex issues which affect women's and girl's lives and bring them to light through information and education. With dollars raised for each purpose, each fund works to develop solutions in a specific geographic community.
Traditional philanthropy is not meeting women's and girl's most critical needs. Seventy-eight percent of the nation's poor are women and their children, but less then six cents to every dollar donated by organized philanthropy goes to programs which specifically address the needs of women and girls.
Women's funds do not replace the existing resources they augment them. A women's fund publicly highlights the specific needs of women and girls and the inequity of resources available to address these needs. Women's funds encourage a philanthropic response from the broadest possible community.
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It is a nonprofit, grant-making fund dedicated to increasing resources, expanding opportunities and promoting positive social change for women and girls. The mission of The Women's Fund of Essex County is to raise and distribute funds to provide opportunities and promise the solutions for women and girls in Essex County.
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What is the organizational structure of the Women's Fund?
An Advisory Board has been established which oversees the activities of the Fund. It is the intent of the Advisory Board to broaden and refresh its membership to include donors wishing to become more actively engaged. Committees are also established as sub-sets of the Advisory Board to further engage donors. The Women's Fund Committee structure includes: Grants Allocations, Education, Community Outreach, Marketing, Development and Event Planning.
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The Women's Fund has the goal of building an endowment of $500,000 within 5 years.
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Any established 501(c)(3) organization that focuses on issues impacting women and girls in Essex County.
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The Grants Allocation Committee reviews proposals, conducts site visits, and makes grant recommendations to the Women's Fund Advisory Board. The decisions of that Board are forwarded to the Essex County Community Foundation (ECCF) Board of Trustees for final approval. The committee will welcome introductions to qualifying agencies in the county.
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Why should I give to the Women's Fund of Essex County instead of directly giving to the organizations?
The Fund, working closely with ECCF, has access to detailed knowledge of the needs being served by non-profit agencies in Essex County. Often donors are not aware of funding opportunities for small programs that agencies offer specifically for women and girls throughout the county. The Women's Fund researches programs that meet the funding criteria and then channels resources to meet their needs.
Working collaboratively, donations from several sources can be pooled to provide a greater impact for the benefit of programs that serve women and girls.
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Will the Women's Fund of Essex County compete with other local nonprofits for funding?
Experiences in other communities where women's funds have been established suggest that total philanthropic giving grows when funds encouraging women's philantrophyare established. One reason is that an increased number of women begin participating in philanthropy, many for the first time. Often women are drawn into charitable giving because they specifically wish to support the mission of the women's fund.
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ECCF provides the nonprofit umbrella for the Fund. It also provides administrative support, detailed knowledge of the community and responsibility for overseeing the effective management of the financial assets of the fund.
For more information about The Women's Fund of Essex County, please visit: www.thewomensfundec.org
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