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Grantmaking by The Women's Fund
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Women's Fund Calls for Research Proposals: Status of Girls Health in Greater Cincinnati - Extending the PULSE Report on the Status of Women and Girls in Cincinnati. Please click on icon at left for more information.
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The Women’s Fund Supports Project to Advance Women in Politics
Suffrage gave women the right to vote almost 100 years ago. Today women still lag in the rate at which they run and are elected to office at all levels of government, and in the Cincinnati region lag in their rate of voting. A new project recently announced by The Women’s Fund of The Greater Cincinnati Foundation (GCF) intends to change this. The Women’s Fund announced its support of a collaborative project with Northern Kentucky University’s Institute for Public Leadership and Public Affairs. The goals of the project are to increase the number of women who run for and are elected to political office and to increase the number of women voters in our region.
The Advancing Women in Political Leadership project will first identify real and perceived barriers in the region to women seeking and holding elected office and obstacles to their participation in the electoral process. The project will also recognize regional programs and activities that inspire and encourage girls and women to see the value in political participation and identify the ‘best practices’ other communities have introduced to increase women’s participation in public policy formation and political life.
This initiative is a direct result of the needs identified in The Pulse Study, a study commissioned by The Women’s Fund on the status of women and girls in our region. The Pulse Study assessed the status of women in numerous areas, including government and political leadership. Positive outcomes from this initiative will include a training program for girls and women who want to serve their community in elected office and strategic recommendations to increase the rate of women voting in the region.
Roxanne Qualls, Director of Public Leadership Initiatives at Northern Kentucky University, will lead the project. “Research shows that women holding office and women voting make a difference in the types of issues and actions undertaken by government. This project will increase the number of women in positions of political leadership and the number of women exercising the hard earned right to vote.
”The Pulse Study found that the political power and leadership of women in the Greater Cincinnati region has not yet reached its potential. Although some of the results from the most recent election are not final yet, women are likely to represent less than 15% of our United States Senate with no female representation from the Greater Cincinnati region. Our United States House of Representatives will include less than 35% women. In the state legislatures, women currently represent 19% in Ohio, 18% in Indiana, and 11% in Kentucky.
“One of our strategies toward eradicating the disparities identified in The Pulse Study is to strengthen women’s voices in the formulation and implementation of public policy,” Vanessa Freytag, chair of The Women’s Fund Leadership Council said. “By undertaking this project with NKU’s Institute for Public Leadership and Public Affairs, we hope to contribute towards the goal of increasing the number of women in policy-making positions.”
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The Women's Fund Awards Grant to GROW
The Women’s Fund of The Greater Cincinnati Foundation recently completed its grantmaking cycle for 2005. One $20,000 grant was awarded to Covington Partners in Prevention. The grant will fund the new Girls Relating to Outstanding Women (GROW) program. The nine-month program will provide life-management learning sessions for sixth and seventh grade Covington girls and their mothers.
GROW’s goal is to address the roots of the challenges facing many Covington women and their daughters. GROW’s founders state that 30 percent of Covington’s families are headed by single mothers, 22 percent of these mothers have less than a high school education and 82 percent have not finished college. Under-education and lack of personal and financial management skills contribute to the poverty that puts Covington children at risk.
GROW will provide a bonding experience for mothers and daughters at a time when daughters begin making decisions that could have a lifelong impact. Sessions include self-care, auto ownership and repair, community service, education promotion/celebration and home ownership.
Covington Partners in Prevention is a coalition of community members who plan and take action to prevent and reduce drug use and violence among Covington youth.
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