New Investments Empower Women of All Ages
Kansas City, MO – Women’s Foundation today announced 2016 grants that invest in women’s economic development and empowerment. These grants support organizations that offer solutions based on Women’s Foundation’s Status of Women in Missouri and Status of Women in Kansas research studies. The key indicators of those studies include economic security, education, childcare, healthcare, and civic leadership. Women’s Foundation looks forward to collaborating with these organizations to work for change in Kansas and Missouri.
2016 recipients of Women’s Foundation investments:
Missouri State University Foundation to support the establishment of a Women’s Leadership Initiative to include programming on relevant topics to inspire and develop women leaders through speakers, mentorship advocacy, leadership, and the creation of a civic and business board pipeline.
HappyBottoms to support the HappyBottoms Diaper Distribution Program and childcare needs in Kansas City. This program is the only diaper bank in the Kansas City metropolitan area and includes a preventive care and health education program for caregivers and parents.
Women’s Employment Network to support the 2016-2017 Financial Program and Credit Building programing which ensures that women's career gains translate into increased wealth and economic security. The program includes one-on-one coaching to address achieving financial goals, overcoming debt and repairing credit, workshops for WEN clients and general community outreach and credit building assistance.
The Family Conservancy to support the Director's Leadership Academy which mentors approximately 50 women annually in their leadership role as Child Care Directors, allowing them to reach their full potential and thus be better positioned to have a successful career.
PREP – KC to support the expansion of Girls-Only Career Jumping and GirlsIGNITE events to serve 700 middle school girls during the 2016-2017 school year. These events provide the opportunity for Kansas City young women to engage in hands-on activities and dialogue with professionals from Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields about their work, education, and background. The goal of this program is to encourage middle school girls to pursue careers in STEM fields.
Amethyst Place to support on-the-job mentors, personal mentors through the Encompass program, one-on-one mentors, and parenting and life skills classes. Through partnerships with businesses, the program strives to help single mothers find meaningful employment that serves as a foundation for building self-esteem and a vision for a different, better life for her and her children.
Cornerstones of Care to support the Home Visitation Program, which delivers a nationally certified evidence-based practice for abuse prevention to new mothers who are most at-risk of maltreating their babies.
Hope House, Inc. to support the hiring of a Housing Advocate for their newly created Permanent Housing Program for domestic violence survivors and their dependents. The Housing Advocate will assess the housing needs of survivors, assist survivors in securing and maintaining permanent housing, offer financial assistance, and provide a wide variety of advocacy and support services to meet the varying needs of survivors.
Community LINC to support the Interim and Immediate Housing program. This program provides a vital hand-up to equip mothers and families to be housed and self-sufficient by providing housing and support services to approximately 150 families a year. 77 percent of the adults served in 2015 were mothers, and 79 percent of families were single-parent households, and 92 percent of those families were female head-of-households.
Missouri Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence (MCADSV) to support the Intern Resource Project, to alleviate campus sexual assault, intern sexual harassment, and dating violence. MCADSV will convene statewide and campus leadership from organizations that influence policies and practices at Missouri's post-secondary schools, including support to coordinate the implementation of a new Intern Resource web portal.
The Women’s Foundation promotes equity and opportunity for women of all ages, using research, philanthropy and policy solutions to make meaningful change. More information about the organization can be found at www.Womens-Foundation.org.
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