St. Cloud, Minn. – The Women’s Fund and Julianne Williams Fund of Central Minnesota Community Foundation announced today the recipients of their annual grants, totaling $59,000. The grants were awarded to eleven area organizations focusing on improving the lives of women and girls in central Minnesota. “Helping women and girls live their best lives is so important to the overall wellness of our community and we are excited to assist these programs as they do their work,” says Kathleen Crawford Bernick, chair of the Women’s Fund Advisory Board.
The Women’s Fund allocated over $47,500 to the following:
- $8,000 to assist with emergency childcare placement, guaranteed for children birth to age two, through St. Cloud Crisis Nursery.
- $8,000 to support 40 women participating in a childcare training program that includes CPR training and certification at Hands Across the World.
- $7,835 for transportation needs and health education programming for elder women at Helping Hands Outreach.
- $6,500 to expand transportation services to assist rural senior women through Foley Area CARE.
- $6,000 to support the 36-bed facility and 24-hour hotline at Anna Marie’s Alliance which provides safety and services to women and children who have experienced domestic violence.
- $5,000 to Higher Ground Church for youth programming to teach young women self-awareness and community involvement.
- $3,655 to support teen girl theatrical learning and expression through the Devised Theatre Program at GREAT Theatre.
- $2,500 for girls age 13-17 to participate in programming that addresses healthy lifestyles, making good relationship choices and avoiding risky behavior at the Village Family Service Center.
Additionally, the Julianne Williams Fund awarded $11,500 in grants to three organizations. The Julianne Williams Fund was established to honor the life of Julianne Marie Williams, reflect the essence of Julie and promote the building of self-esteem, safety, confidence and overall empowerment of girls and young woman through outdoor activities. Those grant recipients are:
- $5,500 for the continued operations of the Date SMART program though the Boys and Girls Club of Central Minnesota which teaches young people knowledge and skills to establish fun, safe and mutually supportive dating relationships.
- $4,000 to support weekly summer outreach programming with an overnight camp experience to 150 central Minnesota girls through Girl Scouts of Minnesota and Wisconsin Lakes and Pines.
- $2,000 to support outdoor experiences and recreational activities for girls with disabilities at True Friends camp.
Since 2002, the Women’s Fund of the Central Minnesota Community Foundation has been dedicated to strengthening the community by improving the lives of women and girls. The Women’s Fund has granted over $1.2 million to support local programs in three core focus areas: girls age 10-18, women in transition and elder women.
The Central Minnesota Community Foundation (CMCF), in affiliation with CommunityGiving, is a public charity that attracts and administers charitable funds for the benefit of the local community. Since 1985, CMCF has grown to over $89.6 million in assets and awarded over $93.1 million in grants to non-profits. CommunityGiving is a collaboration of community foundations united under a single framework to create efficiencies that maximize the impact of our donors. The core foundations working with CommunityGiving include the Alexandria Area Community Foundation, the Brainerd Lakes Area Community Foundation, the Central Minnesota Community Foundation and the Willmar Area Community Foundation. Collectively, CommunityGiving administers more than 700 funds totaling more than $129 million. Learn more at CommunityGiving.org/CentralMN
