Funding for Girls & Young Women
teach
What?
Since its founding, the Women’s Giving Circle of Howard County has maintained a crystal-clear mission: building a community of philanthropists and creating a permanent legacy to address the needs of women and girls in Howard County.
And girls.
Part of that focus is supporting exceptional local nonprofits that serve girls and young women through services focused on health, safety, nutrition, and shelter.
An even bigger part is supporting initiatives and partners that assist them through empowerment, entrepreneurship, philanthropy, leadership, self-confidence, STEM education, and mentorship.
Journey 2.0, JA Rising Women, Young Women’s Giving Circle (YWGC)/Youth in Philanthropy, Leadership U, Girls on the Run, Girl Power!, and Girls on Fire - each of these programs supported by the WGC engage girls and young women in unique, meaningful ways intended to develop the skills and behaviors needed for them to grow and to thrive.
The Young Women’s Giving Circle began in response to the WGC’s goal of “building a community of philanthropists”, convening a group of female high school students from across the county and teaching them best practices for both fundraising and, in turn, allocating the funds raised. Creating a hands-on educational experience allowed participants to gain valuable insights into the core concepts of collective giving, inspiring them to work together throughout the process.
In addition to fundraising, the YWGC created a Feminine Product Drive in response to learning that significant numbers of girls miss school due to lack of supplies, that they’re unable to provide period products for themselves, and that some are forced to use towels and plastic instead of proper supplies.
The YWGC merged with the Community Foundation of Howard County’s Youth in Philanthropy Program in 2020/2021, and this new blended program features a meaningful track throughout the year specifically focused on young women and women’s philanthropy.
The WGC is proud to continue the meaningful efforts of the YWGC, and launched a year-long Feminine Hygiene Drive as part of our 20th Anniversary.
So What?
We feel inspired to action by seeing others like us represented, and the more we can demonstrate to young women and girls what is truly possible, the more they’ll feel welcome to take part.
Consider Girl Power!, an event offered through the Applied Physics Lab of Johns Hopkins University that brings together successful women in STEM careers with girls and young women for a day of hands-on activities, fascinating demonstrations, and insightful conversations and discussions. Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics remain professions in which women are underrepresented. Programs like Girl Power! aim to change that.
Girls on Fire, a nonprofit founded in Columbia, MD in 2015, is “creating a space to build the self-esteem and confidence of young girls, support their emotional well-being, provide mentoring support, develop character and leadership potential.”
And Girls on the Run of Central Maryland helps girls make the connection between physical and emotional health through “fun, evidence-based programs that inspire all girls to build their confidence, kindness and decision making skills.”
There is a reason the WGC funds these enterprises and others like them: nurturing the well-being of young women and girls in developing an array of valuable life skills is every bit as important as supporting nonprofits that provide shelter, safety, and physical sustenance.
Now What?
In addition to programs serving young women and girls being traditionally underfunded, women in the United States are still seeking equality in various positions of leadership and still receive disproportionately lower pay than male counterparts.
Championing programs that allow girls and young women to enrich themselves, to gain confidence, to hone leadership skills, to pursue opportunities in STEM fields, to recognize the impact they can have via philanthropic efforts: all of this not only leads to a brighter future for each individual, it leads to a brighter future for us all.
For 20 years, the WGC has dedicated itself to leveraging our collective dollars, to amplifying the power of collective giving, to building a community of philanthropists and creating a permanent legacy to address the needs of women and girls in Howard County.
Will you join us?
Will you join us? www.womensgivingcircle.org
Be a part of our story.
#WGC20Years
#WGC20Years20Stories
teach
What?
Since its founding, the Women’s Giving Circle of Howard County has maintained a crystal-clear mission: building a community of philanthropists and creating a permanent legacy to address the needs of women and girls in Howard County.
And girls.
Part of that focus is supporting exceptional local nonprofits that serve girls and young women through services focused on health, safety, nutrition, and shelter.
An even bigger part is supporting initiatives and partners that assist them through empowerment, entrepreneurship, philanthropy, leadership, self-confidence, STEM education, and mentorship.
Journey 2.0, JA Rising Women, Young Women’s Giving Circle (YWGC)/Youth in Philanthropy, Leadership U, Girls on the Run, Girl Power!, and Girls on Fire - each of these programs supported by the WGC engage girls and young women in unique, meaningful ways intended to develop the skills and behaviors needed for them to grow and to thrive.
The Young Women’s Giving Circle began in response to the WGC’s goal of “building a community of philanthropists”, convening a group of female high school students from across the county and teaching them best practices for both fundraising and, in turn, allocating the funds raised. Creating a hands-on educational experience allowed participants to gain valuable insights into the core concepts of collective giving, inspiring them to work together throughout the process.
- “The Young Women’s Giving Circle is a group, and we are high school girls from all around the county, and we raise money for grants. We choose organizations in the community that fit our goals, just like the Women's Giving Circle, to serve young women, women and girls, and we also do community service activities.” - Isabelle Staines, Past Co-Chair, Young Women’s Giving Circle
In addition to fundraising, the YWGC created a Feminine Product Drive in response to learning that significant numbers of girls miss school due to lack of supplies, that they’re unable to provide period products for themselves, and that some are forced to use towels and plastic instead of proper supplies.
The YWGC merged with the Community Foundation of Howard County’s Youth in Philanthropy Program in 2020/2021, and this new blended program features a meaningful track throughout the year specifically focused on young women and women’s philanthropy.
- “YIP participants were able to actively learn about the entire lifecycle of the grant process from the grant submission, review, interview and award phases. In the end, they were able to gain consensus as a collective group to make decisions about contributing financially to causes they felt address basic needs in their own community. They were able to gain insight into the reasons why these non-profits were requesting the money, and how the grants would be used if selected, while becoming more aware and learning more about the various struggles these organizations and the populations they serve encounter.“ - Lee Draminski, WGC Liaison to the YIP Committee.
The WGC is proud to continue the meaningful efforts of the YWGC, and launched a year-long Feminine Hygiene Drive as part of our 20th Anniversary.
So What?
We feel inspired to action by seeing others like us represented, and the more we can demonstrate to young women and girls what is truly possible, the more they’ll feel welcome to take part.
- “We're a bunch of girls who are leaders in our community, and if we can show that we can help others and that we're powerful, too, then then we're going to portray that to other people." - Alison Curry
Consider Girl Power!, an event offered through the Applied Physics Lab of Johns Hopkins University that brings together successful women in STEM careers with girls and young women for a day of hands-on activities, fascinating demonstrations, and insightful conversations and discussions. Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics remain professions in which women are underrepresented. Programs like Girl Power! aim to change that.
Girls on Fire, a nonprofit founded in Columbia, MD in 2015, is “creating a space to build the self-esteem and confidence of young girls, support their emotional well-being, provide mentoring support, develop character and leadership potential.”
And Girls on the Run of Central Maryland helps girls make the connection between physical and emotional health through “fun, evidence-based programs that inspire all girls to build their confidence, kindness and decision making skills.”
There is a reason the WGC funds these enterprises and others like them: nurturing the well-being of young women and girls in developing an array of valuable life skills is every bit as important as supporting nonprofits that provide shelter, safety, and physical sustenance.
Now What?
In addition to programs serving young women and girls being traditionally underfunded, women in the United States are still seeking equality in various positions of leadership and still receive disproportionately lower pay than male counterparts.
- "As a young woman in society, I've been able to see that right now by law - some - we do have equal rights, but the mentality of the world that we live in is still kind of held back for women.” - Alison Curry, Past Co-Chair, Young Women’s Giving Circle
Championing programs that allow girls and young women to enrich themselves, to gain confidence, to hone leadership skills, to pursue opportunities in STEM fields, to recognize the impact they can have via philanthropic efforts: all of this not only leads to a brighter future for each individual, it leads to a brighter future for us all.
For 20 years, the WGC has dedicated itself to leveraging our collective dollars, to amplifying the power of collective giving, to building a community of philanthropists and creating a permanent legacy to address the needs of women and girls in Howard County.
Will you join us?
Will you join us? www.womensgivingcircle.org
Be a part of our story.
#WGC20Years
#WGC20Years20Stories
