Maine Women's Fund Receives $1 Million to Advance Women and Girls of Maine; River Rock Foundation Donates Fund's Largest Gift to Date, Exemplifying Philanthropic Trend of Women Giving to Women
Maine Women's Fund, a public foundation dedicated to advancing the political, economic and social equality of women and girls in Maine, announced today that it received a $1 million gift, the largest in its history. The gift if from the five female trustees of the River Rock Foundation. The gift marks a national trend of women managing their own money and philanthropy and making major gifts, to specifically benefit women and girls.
Augusta, ME (PRWEB) May 24, 2007
Maine Women's Fund, a public foundation dedicated to advancing the political, economic and social equality of women and girls in Maine, announced today that it received a $1 million gift, the largest in its history. The gift is from the five female trustees of the River Rock Foundation, an independent foundation that invests in sustainable change for Maine.
River Rock Foundation trustees Marilyn Bronzi, Barbara Hintze, Mary Lou Michael, Karen Moran, and Carol Wishcamper, are among a growing number of women who are changing the face of philanthropy by taking an active role in managing their financial assets and directing their philanthropy to benefit women and girls. This donation is the largest gift the Maine Women's Fund has received to date, and combined with donations from others individuals and corporations across Maine, it will enable the organization to strengthen its grantmaking programs and serve more women and girls in Maine.
According to Women & Philanthropy, less than ten percent of all overall funding is aimed at programs that directly impact women and girls. "The River Rock Foundation gift is newsworthy because of the amount and because it was given by women, for the specific purpose of helping women and girls. It recognizes a strategic shift in philanthropy -- because women are the gateway to health, education, and economic decisions, when women thrive, whole communities will prosper," said Elizabeth Stefanski, the newly hired executive director of the Maine Women's Fund, charged by the Board to take the organization through an aggressive phase of growth. "It's a wonderful example of women using their wealth and philanthropy to dismantle poverty, violence and discrimination -- issues that disproportionately harm women and girls," reported Stefanski.
This donation reinforces the strong track record and reputation that the Maine Women's Fund has built in the last 17 years. To date, more than $1.4 million has been invested in about 250 nonprofits working with women and girls. The $1 million gift will help people like Lisa McLeod, a woman who used microenterprise development services at Women, Work & Community, a Maine Women's Fund grantee. McLeod started her own farm that produces high quality fresh and aged goat cheese as a way to provide income for her family and quality affordable goat's milk and cheese for her daughter with milk allergies. Women, Work and Community helped McLeod write a business plan, coordinate services from government and nonprofit sources and find capital. In two years, McLeod has increased her herd from the initial 2 goats to 13 goats and she plans to start selling her fresh cheese this spring. McLeod reported, "This agency has certainly helped me to take charge of important aspects of my life. I now feel that I am becoming a contributing member of society and that's a much better feeling than being dependent."
"We feel that Maine Women's Fund has demonstrated an impressive track record as a foundation dedicated to the development of women and girls individually and in community," said River Rock Foundation Trustee Marilyn Bronzi. "We see this contribution as a way for our work to be continued in the future acknowledging our common purpose of economic and social justice for women, and as a way to contribute to the strength of Maine Women's Fund as a philanthropic entity," reported Bronzi.
According to Women's Funding Network, more than 50 women have made gifts of $1 million or more to women's funds. There are more than 120 women's funds in the world. While no two women's funds are the same, all share the common objective of helping women and girls achieve equality in various societies. Collectively, women's funds have invested $200 million in solutions addressing gender-based discrimination, violence and poverty.
The River Rock Foundation's gift has come at a pivotal time in the life of the Maine Women's Fund. This June, Maine Women's Fund will unveil its new strategic plan, including a new promise to the community that targets specific barriers that can keep women marginalized in public and private spheres. Historically, the Maine Women's Fund has invested in projects that promote women's economic security, education, leadership development, access to health care, and violence prevention.
About the Maine Women's Fund
For 17 years, the Maine Women's Fund has invested in programs and organizations working to empower Maine women and girls. The Fund has a diverse reach and lasting results to show for its investments of capital and capacity building. Since its inception, the Maine Women's Fund has awarded more than $1.4 million to 250 nonprofits, reaching out to every county in Maine. The Maine Women's Fund has further stretched each dollar by providing technical assistance and building capacity, a collaborative approach to grantmaking and advocacy. For more information, contact www. mainewomensfund. org.
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