St. Cloud, Minn. – The Women’s Fund of Central Minnesota Community Foundation and Julianne Williams Fund announced Friday the recipients of their annual grants, totaling $50,000. The grants were awarded to ten area organizations focusing on improving the lives of women and girls in central Minnesota.
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 Women’s Fund allocated $40,000 to the following seven organizations:
- $4,000 to Lutheran Social Services to support low-income single mothers at the St. Cloud Crisis Nursery.
- $1,600 to the Village Family Service Center for the Girls 360⁰ Group which focuses on self-confidence and self-esteem of girls age 13-17.
- $12,000 to Catholic Charities for the Domus Transitional Housing which provides temporary housing to homeless mothers of children under 12.
- $8,000 to Hands Across the World for Childcare Provider Training Program.
- $4,000 to Anna Marie’s Alliance for the Life Choices School Youth program.
- $6,400 to Central Minnesota Sustainability Project for educational gardening programs for women.
- $4,000 to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Minnesota for mentoring of young girls.
Additionally, the Julianne Williams Fund awarded $10,000 in grants to four 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:
- $3,000 to True Friends for helping girls with disabilities benefit from summer camp
- $1,500 to the Boys and Girls Club of Central Minnesota for programming to teach young people about healthy relationships
- $2,000 to Hands Across the World for the Learning Together-Afterschool program.
- $3,500 to Girls Scouts of Minnesota and Wisconsin Lakes and Pines for scholarships for girls to attend outdoor adventures camp.
The Central Minnesota Community Foundation (CMCF) has been engaging people and connecting resources to build a better community since 1985. CMCF and its partners, Alexandria Area Community Foundation, Brainerd Lakes Area Community Foundation, and Willmar Area Community Foundation, form CommunityGiving, a cohort of central Minnesota foundations who support their local communities through charitable giving. CommunityGiving administers more than 650 charitable funds totaling more than $115 million, and last year granted more than $9.7 million back into the communities it serves. Learn more at CommunityGiving.org.