Organization and Purpose
Established in 2003, The Women's Fund is a donor-advised fund under the supervision of The Community Foundation of South Alabama. We are guided by the principle that, in coming together and pooling our resources, women can help one another. Towards that end, The Women's Fund seeks to encourage women to assume greater roles as philanthropists while providing a vehicle for their giving, a vehicle through which they can control and direct their donations to have a positive impact on the lives of women and girls.
Governed and Managed by Women--The Women's Fund is governed by an Executive Board made up of a small group of dedicated volunteers representing various areas of our community. These women set the direction of The Women's Fund and make final recommendations on grant awards to The Community Foundation Board of Directors. They are assisted in their efforts by members of an Advisory Board who give advice on areas of critical need, make recommendations regarding grant applicants, serve on committees and take part in fundraising activities. One of the greatest strengths of The Women's Fund is diversity. Anyone can participate, creating opportunities for women of all ages and walks of life to unite and combine their individual voices into one strong voice.
Meeting the Special Needs of Women and Girls--The Women's Fund is committed to supporting critical programs for
women and girls through grants to eligible organizations. The focus of our grantmaking is community-based initiatives
which target the special needs of women and girls. Unfortunately, many of the challenges faced by society today
are felt disproportionately by women and girls; yet, according to data provided by The Women's Funding Network less
than 5% of national philanthropic dollars in the United States goes specifically to address their needs. By supporting
programs which create opportunities for the economic, educational, physical, emotional, social, artistic and personal
growth of women and girls, we can improve the overall quality of life in our community.
A Perpetual Source of Funding--The Women's Fund differs from many other philanthropic efforts through its focus on building a permanent endowment, a fund in which every dollar donated is preserved. While grants are made from the interest earned on the fund, the principal is never spent, and growth of the fund is maximized by using only 5% of a twenty quarter rolling average for annual grant awards. This type of fund doubles the effect of each dollar donated; not only are current needs met through the annual grantmaking process, but also future needs will be met as the fund grows into a lasting financial resource which can be used to continue the legacy of The Women's Fund.
Your Support Is Needed
As a first step, The Women's Fund focused on building up its endowment through raising funds sufficient to meet a major challenge grant by December 31, 2003. Both individuals and corporations were targeted in this initial fundraising effort, and donations of any size were welcomed.
The goal of our first full year in operation will be to get the word out about our organization and to further build up the endowment through personal contact with prospective donors and various fundraising events. We have also set a fundraising goal of $200,000 by January 1, 2005 in order to award significant grants to area nonprofits that share in our vision.
More and larger grants will be given in future years as The Women's Fund and its work become better known and our donor base grows. With your help, we can create a permanent endowment of $5 million within five years. This will enable us to reach our ultimate goal of establishing a broad-based annual giving program which will meet the needs of women and girls for years to come.
Ways to Give
Some of the ways in which you can financially support The Women's Fund include cash/credit card
gifts, pledges, planned gifts or bequests, insurance, real estate, stocks, memorials or honorariums.
Click
here to print and fill out a Volunteer Contribution form.
Anyone can easily become a member of the Women’s Fund as well. The giving levels are: Friend—$25, Advocate—50, Supporter—$100, Investor—$250, Patron—$500. All gifts to the Women’s Fund are placed in a permanent endowment at The Community Foundation. From the fund, only the interest will be used toward funding programs that target specific needs of women and girls.
Financial support is vital--with a permanent endowment even small gifts become major gifts over time--but there are other ways to support The Women's Fund as well. You can help spread the word about our organization, and you can volunteer your time, talents and resources. By getting involved and putting your dollars behind your commitment, you are investing in human lives and the well-being of our community. Together we can make a difference!
