Women in Philanthropy Awards $35,000 in Grants Women in Philanthropy (WIP), the initiative of the Scranton Area Community Foundation that focuses on empowering and transforming the lives of women, girls, and their families in Northeastern Pennsylvania, announces the recipients from its 2023 grants cycle, awarded after a highly competitive grant process. A total of $35,000 in grant funding was awarded to eight local nonprofit organizations during the Women in Philanthropy Quarterly Meeting held at the Century Club of Scranton on Thursday evening, April 20. The recipients included nonprofits Catherine McAuley Center ($6,000), Outreach Center for Community Resources ($5,500), United Neighborhood Centers of NEPA ($5,000), Center for the Living City ($4,500), Penn State Scranton ($4,500), The University of Scranton ($3,500), Junior Achievement of NEPA ($3,000), and Saint Joseph’s Center ($3,000), all to support innovative projects and/or programs that work to transform the lives of women or girls across the Northeastern Pennsylvania region. The grant award recipients and grant amounts were selected by Women in Philanthropy supporters, who had the opportunity to vote after hearing presentations from each of the nonprofit organizations. The Women in Philanthropy (WIP) initiative is comprised of a group of over 120 supporters committed to transforming the lives of women, girls, and their families in Northeastern Pennsylvania. WIP engages its supporters in collective decision making to help move women in the region to levels of personal empowerment and economic self-sufficiency. Since its inception in 2014, WIP has provided over $130,000 in grant funding to local nonprofit organizations; STEAM education to over 2,000 students in K-12 local public schools; $25,000 in full ‘STEAM Stars’ Scholarships to the nationally-recognized Level Up Program at Lackawanna College; loan capital and training support to help launch 15 local women-owned businesses; grant support to 21 women business owners in Lackawanna County facing COVID-19 hardships; a dollar for dollar match to women with low-to-moderate-incomes trying to build a savings; and more. To date, Womenin Philanthropy has raised over $1.6 million to benefit women, girls, and their families in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Women in Philanthropy is an initiative of the Scranton Area Community Foundation. To learn more about Women in Philanthropy, visit wwwsupportnepawomen.org.
SACF Women in Philanthropy Civic Engagement Summit Rescheduled The Civic Engagement Summit hosted by Women in Philanthropy that was previously scheduled for September 16, 2022, has been rescheduled to take place on Thursday, October 6, at the Century Club of Scranton. This new date allows Women in Philanthropy the opportunity to include additional national and regional partners in the conversation who are prepared to lend their voices in these discussions and support the local work on civic engagement and advocacy. Last week, Women in Philanthropy announced a partnership with the National Constitution Center, a private nonprofit organization in Philadelphia that will provide Women in Philanthropy with a thorough understanding of government and the importance of civic engagement. Together with experts in the field, Women in Philanthropy will host this Civic Engagement Summit to engage in valuable discussion and explore topics including how to encourage voter participation, promote the development of leadership and advocacy skills across the region, and engage youth in civic education. Participation in this event will help in creating action plans to further engage individuals and communities in civic life in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Women in Philanthropy, the initiative of the Scranton Area Community Foundation comprised of over 100 regional supporters, announced earlier this month that it would be hosting a Civic Engagement Summit to explore the topic of civic engagement and advocacy as it relates to women, girls, and their families in Northeastern Pennsylvania. After much research and many organized panel discussions with regional, state, and national experts over the past two years, Women in Philanthropy learned that the COVID-19 pandemic brought many challenges causing people to feel disengaged from civic life and from advocating for important causes. Women in Philanthropy also learned that there are a variety of ways to make a difference in the area of Civic Engagement and Advocacy that focus on breaking many of the barriers women, girls, and their families are facing. Civic engagement can look like activism, voting, volunteering, environmentalism, community and national service, running for office, service-learning, and many other activities. Civic engagement is an important part of the democratic process. It affects not just individuals but also improves entire neighborhoods and impacts societies. “What we’ve identified is that there is a tremendous opportunity to help make civic engagement and advocacy more inclusive, and to further support women and youth in the civic space,” stated Laura Ducceschi. “Women in Philanthropy hopes to advance this important topic and work to eliminate the barriers to civic engagement that exist across the region.” The Civic Engagement Summit will take place on Thursday, October 6, at the Century Club of Scranton (612 Jefferson Avenue, Scranton from 11:00 PM – 4:00 PM. Registration is $30 for the general public, $10 for students, and complimentary for Women in Philanthropy supporters. The cost includes lunch, refreshments, and an evening networking reception from 4 to 5 p.m. To become a Women in Philanthropy supporter, please visit supportnepawomen.org or call the Scranton Area Community Foundation at 570-347-6203.
