Members of the WGC Advisory Board are reading "Waking Up White" as we begin our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion work.

The reading and discussion of this book is a first step in our overall DEI efforts, which is part of WGC's Impact 2024.

Impact 2024 is WGC’s five-year, $500,000 fundraising effort and focus on diversity, equity and inclusion for women in Howard County.

We are fundraising to build on our past and enhance our future by increasing our grantmaking to programs that benefit women and girls, as well as strengthening our infrastructure to grow the circle. And, we are enhancing our core values to better meet our mission by implementing a diversity, equity and inclusion lens to all of our work.

We will be enhancing our core values to better meet our mission by implementing a diversity, equity and inclusion lens throughout every aspect of the work WGC does under the leadership of WGC DEI Committee Co-Chairs Hina Naseem and Judy Smith.

This will be a meaningful and important journey for the WGC, and we look forward to many WGC donors joining us!

During this week of Thanksgiving, we give thanks to all of you - our donors and friends - who believe in pooling our funds to have a greater impact together than we might otherwise have alone.

WGC's Emergency Response Network (ERN) is an example of this. We recently sent two ERN requests to our donors that raised about $1,400 in hours to help women in need in our community. And, in the past 18 months we have sent 11 ERN requests raising just about $10,000.

The WGC's Emergency Response Network was created 15 years ago in response to the desire of many women to provide direct support to other women in need - and WGC donors have done just that by supporting women identified by our nonprofit partner agencies who serve women and girls in Howard County.
​
Thank you all!

The 2019/2020 Young Women's Giving Circle (YWGC) has determined that they will collect and provide feminine products to county residents in need for their inaugural year philanthropic project.

Sponsored by the Women's Giving Circle of Howard County, YWGC is comprised of girls in 7th - 12th grade who share the same passion: helping women and girls in need. Members of the YWGC raise money and make grants to nonprofit organizations in Howard County whose missions support  women and girls.

In a Shark-Tank style format, four groups (STEM education, Mental Health, Women’s Healthcare and Feminine Products) presented topics of interest to three judges: Barb Van Winkle, President of Nancy Adams Personnel and WGC of Howard County Advisory Board President; Nina Basu, President and CEO of Inner Arbor Trust Inc.; and Mary Jordan, Owner of Bra-La-La.  In addition to judges voting, YWGC  members voted as well. A nearly-unanimous decision was reached by the judges and girls alike to support important access to basic feminine products. 

“All of the pitches were extremely well-done and well-presented” said Lee Draminski and April Pardoe, WGC Advisory Board Members and Co-Chairs of the Youth Development Committee for the WGC of Howard County. “And in the end, the clear winner was the need to provide greater access to basic feminine products.”

Although specific organization(s) have not yet been chosen, the YWGC 2020 did determine the thrust of its philanthropic efforts will be to create a campaign drive and collection of feminine products at key access points and will be strategically distributed accordingly to women and girls as well as organizations post-collection in Howard County.  In the coming months, the group will work together to successfully market the campaign through social media and print channels, create corporate partnerships in addition to  securing financial donors, identify key collection points, and create a logistics plan on how, when and where to distribute the feminine supplies throughout the County.

“We are so proud of these young philanthropists who are committing themselves to learn more about the community and raising money to fund programs that are meaningful to them” said Barb Van Winkle, WGC Advisory Board Chair.

If you are interested in assisting with this campaign, please contact us at youth@wgchowardcounty.org.  We look forward to the collective minds and power of these highly intelligent and motivated young ladies to display the impact they can make in Howard County and in the lives of hundreds of women and girls.  

Brings Extensive Experience in Women’s Philanthropy and Giving Circles

The Advisory Board of the Women’s Giving Circle of Howard County, a fund of the Community Foundation of Howard County, is excited to announce the appointment of Buffy Beaudoin-Schwartz as its first Executive Director. The Women’s Giving Circle is building a community of philanthropists and creating a permanent legacy to address the needs of women and girls in Howard County.

“It is truly full-circle having Buffy take the helm as our first Executive Director almost 20 years after helping to start the circle as a founder, serving as Chair, and then consulting with the WGC the last two years” said Barb Van Winkle, WGC Advisory Board Chair. “As a recognized leader in the field, we are thrilled to have her energy and experience helping to guide the WGC into our 20th year and beyond."

Beaudoin-Schwartz is a philanthropic leader whose professional career, volunteer efforts, and activism have been focused on women’s issues, human rights, and social change through philanthropy. She is co-author of the award-winning book Women & Philanthropy: Boldly Shaping a Better World, has written articles on women’s giving, and is active with national groups, including Women’s Giving Circles International, Catalist, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation-funded Infrastructure Support Group for the American Giving Circle Field.

“I am excited and honored to step into this position” said Beaudoin-Schwartz. “I strongly believe that giving circles help to democratize philanthropy, and that pooling our money so we can have a greater impact together than we might otherwise have alone is a powerful way to engage in giving and invest in women and girls in our community.”

She began her career working for an international human rights organization in Washington, DC, and has served as Director of the Baltimore Giving Project, Communications Director at the Association of Baltimore Area Grantmakers (now Maryland Philanthropy Network), and is currently President of her own firm BBS Consulting, working with foundations, nonprofits and political campaigns.

Buffy has been recognized for her work in philanthropy: as part of the “Circle of Excellence” having been honored as one of Maryland's Top 100 Women three times - in 2003, 2008 and 2010 by The Daily Record. She was named an "Innovator of the Year" in 2004 by The Daily Record, and one of "40 Under 40" in 2004 by the Baltimore Business Journal. She was a first Impact Award Winner in 2012 by The Mall in Columbia and the WGC, and was honored to be inducted into the Howard County Women's Hall of Fame in 2019.

She is active in the community and has served on numerous Boards of Directors including the Community Foundation of Howard County, Women’s Giving Circle of Howard County, Hope Works, Sobar, Our Maryland, and the Friends & Foundation of Howard County Library System, and is involved in gun violence prevention efforts. She has a BA in Russian History from the University of Maryland and has lived in Howard County for almost 30 years. She and her husband Howard have four children ranging in age from 27 – 13 and a newborn granddaughter.

Find more information about the Women’s Giving Circle of Howard County at www.womensgivingcircle.org

November 11, 2019

Philanthropy Women

For the past decade, Catalist has supported the creation, development, and expansion of women’s collective giving groups, sometimes referred to as giving circles. Open to all women’s collective grantmaking organizations, the network connects and inspires a fast-growing movement of community-minded women who recognize the exponential power of collectively sharing of the experience of giving for social change. The network currently has over 75 affiliates nationwide. Globally, with the addition of groups in Melbourne and London, the movement’s combined giving is over $125 million and has involved more than 17,000 women since 1995. 

Collaboration and connection are essential elements of collective grantmaking, so every 18 months, the women of Catalist convene to be inspired and learn new tools in philanthropy. In addition to national conferences, Catalist energizes and educates philanthropists year-round through webinars, online forums, and one-to-one mentoring to foster informed grantmaking.

Read the full article ...

The Women's Giving Circle is happy to be a member of Catalist.

We had a great first meeting of the 2019/2020 Young Women’s Giving Circle at the Elkridge Fire Station!

Many thanks to Jean Parker and Jessica Chicorelli for speaking to the girls. It was a great way to kick off their giving back mind set and fiscal responsibility. A Shark Tank exercise next month will determine who they will be raising money for this year. Stay tuned to follow the girls and their philanthropic path!

​The Young Women's Giving Circle (YWGC) is sponsored by the Women's Giving Circle of Howard County and is comprised of girls in 7th - 12th grade who share the same passion: helping women and girls in need. The YWGC:

• Raises money. We raise money and make grants to nonprofits organizations in Howard County whose missions support the needs of women and girls.
• Meets regularly. We hold several fundraisers throughout the year, and have ongoing community service and volunteer activities.

• Provides grants. We have given grants to a variety of groups, including Girls on the Run of Central MD and HopeWorks.

The power of collective giving helping people in our very own community will be the focus of these philanthropic efforts with young ladies 7th through 12th grade. Join us to learn more!

Are you interested in learning more about the YWGC?  

• Follow the YWGC on Facebook and Instagram
• Fill out the YWGC INTEREST FORM 
• Contact YWGC Co-Chairs Lee Draminski and April Force Pardoe with any questions at: youth@wgchowardcounty.org

It takes a special business or individual to understand the value of investing in efforts that support women and girls.

We can’t thank all of our sponsors enough for your investment in the WGC's 2019 Annual Celebration: A Tale of Two Women and Their Rise to Equality - Shattering Glass Ceilings in Howard County, with Keynote Speakers Lisa Myers and Christine Uhlhorn, Howard County's first female Police Chief and first female Fire Chief.

Friends, please support businesses and individuals that support women and girls, thank you!

WGC Emergency Response Network Request - We Did It! Many thanks to everyone who took action today and donated to help two women in need right here in our community. We asked, and you, our network of women philanthropists, responded - and in a short period of time we raised $685. Thank you all! And, stay tuned for our next WGC Emergency Response Network request - in the last year or so we've had 10 ERN requests that have raised over $9,000 to directly help women and their families.

Exciting, and we are a part of it!

The Women and Girl's Index:

"Women’s and girls’ issues have received increased attention in recent years, but for a number of reasons, quantifying charitable giving to these causes has been challenging. Until now. With the creation of the Women & Girls Index, which identifies 45,000+ organizations in the United States dedicated to women and girls, the Women’s Philanthropy Institute can measure giving to these organizations from individuals, foundations, and corporations."

What an afternoon we had today at the JustLiving Advocacy, Inc.'s Bridges of HOPE luncheon, where the Women's Giving Circle and WGC Chair Barb Van Winkle of Nancy Adams Personnel of Columbia were honored, along with Beverly White-Seals of the Community Foundation of Howard County. Thank you to all who attended the lunch, including WGC Board Members April Pardoe, Lee Rees Draminski, Kim Mann Agnor and Hina Naseem!

Thank you so much to the wonderful Nette Stokes of JustLiving Advocacy, Inc. for this honor, and for the incredibly important work you do in our community!

And, many thanks to Howard County Executive Calvin Ball, for being there, are for these wonderful pictures, and lovely statement:

"There are many members of our community who are suffering in the dark. It is why I was pleased to join Bridges of HOPE for their community Luncheon to recognize the individuals and organizations who effortlessly help our friends in need. We need to expand the flame of opportunity and feed the fires of hope. This only happens when we work together to spread the light to those around us. Congratulations to today’s honorees Nancy Adams Personnel, Community Foundation of Howard County, and Women's Giving Circle."

The Bridges of HOPE Community Leadership Luncheon is an opportunity to recognize organizations and individuals that significantly contribute to the community through their philanthropic and life sustaining endeavors for individuals and families in need, as well as aid community businesses and organizations in their efforts to help change lives for the better in Howard County.
​
Thank you!

We had a great turn out at our YWGC interest meeting Wednesday night!

We are really pumped about our YWGC Impact Team 2020 Kick off meeting on Thursday October 17th at the Elkridge Fire Station at 7pm. If you couldn’t make the meeting Wednesday night and are still interested, contact us by October 4th!

​The Young Women's Giving Circle (YWGC) is sponsored by the Women's Giving Circle of Howard County.

Our group is composed of girls in 7th - 12th grade who share the same passion: helping women and girls in need. What does the YWGC do? We:

• Raise money. We raise money and make grants to nonprofits organizations in Howard County whose missions support the needs of women and girls.
• Meet regularly. We hold several fundraisers throughout the year, and have ongoing community service and volunteer activities.

• Provide grants. We have given grants to a variety of groups, including Girls on the Run of Central MD and HopeWorks.

​We are currently accepting applications for YWGC members for the 2019/2020 school year!  We have three opportunities for girls grades 7-12 to participate in the YWGC as part of Impact Team 2020.

The power of collective giving helping people in our very own community will be the focus of these philanthropic efforts with young ladies 7th through 12th grade. Join us to learn more!

Are you interested in joining the YWGC?  Here's several steps you can take:

• Follow the YWGC on Facebook and Instagram
• Fill out the YWGC INTEREST FORM here
• Fill out the YWGC COMMITMENT FORM here
• Contact YWGC Co-Chairs Lee Draminski and April Force Pardoe with any questions at: youth@wgchowardcounty.org

As they have in past years, delegates who attended Journey Camp for Girls this summer, hosted their Annual Tea in August where they honored five local women role models.

This year's honorees are: Katherine Rensin, Malynda Madzel, Diane B. Martin, Cathy Hudson, and Kim Agnor.​

Journey Camp for Girls, or “Journey” is a week-long camp for rising 7th, 8th, and 9th grade girls in Howard County, MD that is run by Maryland Leadership Workshops and conceived of and funded by the Women’s Giving Circle of Howard County.

The idea behind Journey is to bring girls, in their formative years together to learn about leadership, empowerment, and community. At Journey each student identifies her own leadership skills, strengths, and challenges in a supportive and fun environment that fosters self-esteem and confidence.

Congratulations to the honorees and this year's Journey Delegates!

Philanthropy Women

Maggie May

Posted on August 28, 2019

On August 20, 2019, an initiative to connect and catalyst the field of giving circles announced their intention to donate $32,000 to collective giving organizations. The funds, distributed in thirteen microgrants ranging from $500 to $5,000, will go toward circles and networks that “showcase, scale, strengthen, and sustain the field of collective giving. 
This initiative is born out of a yearlong co-design process spearheaded by the organizations Amplifier, Asian Women’s Giving Circle, Catalist, Community Investment Network, and Latino Community Foundation. 
Leading funders of the co-design process include the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Lodestar Foundation, and Bank of America.
The goal of the microgrants program is to empower organizations and networks committed to the concept of collective giving: a process in which interested donors join together, pool their financial resources, and invest in programs or organizations that strengthen their communities.”
Over the last year, these organizations identified four main strategies to amplify the field of collective giving:

• Showcasing the giving circle model, building broad awareness of giving circles and their manifold benefits;
• Helping the field scale by supporting a variety of efforts to start new circles;
• Providing resources and capacity-building to strengthen existing circles and networks; and
• Sustaining the field with collaborative initiatives, funding, and action-focused research.

​The groups selected for the $32,000 in microgrants exemplify one or more of these four main strategies.
The first group of grantees showcase the giving circle model. Through community outreach, press relations, and scaled donation systems, these organizations seek to call attention to organizations that epitomize the concept of a “giving circle.” Grantees include (from the press release):

• Next Generation of African American Philanthropists (NGAAP) will facilitate discussions about collective giving in African American communities across all 100 counties in North Carolina. NGAAP will partner with local organizations (e.g., nonprofits, faith-based orgs, colleges) across the state and hold a “table talk” in each county. These events, open to the public and broadcast on social media, will aim to expose, educate, and encourage African American communities to develop and duplicate collective giving models. (North Carolina)

• The 100 Who Care Alliance, Dining for Women, and Global Impact will coordinate across their networks for greater regional impact in the mid-Atlantic. The grantees, who each operate giving circles in the greater D.C. metro area, will harmonize their promotional efforts to garner more attention from local press. They will work together to recruit new members and refer potential members to the circle that best fits their needs and interests. (DC Metro-area)

• Radfund will develop and disseminate a toolkit to help create giving circles that use its unique “percentage” contribution model to address issues of racial and economic injustice. Radfund’s collective giving model cuts across class and economic lines by setting proportionate, rather than flat, personal annual giving targets: 1% of income, and 0.1% of wealth. This approach has already helped Radfund create a vibrant, diverse circle in NYC supporting racial and economic justice. The toolkit will help Radfund spread this model to other issue areas and geographies. (National)

The next group of grantees were selected to scale the model by creating more circles and networks. Leaning on celebrated traits that draw communities together, such as cultural practices, religious beliefs, and LGBTQIA+ support, these organizations will build giving circles and networks that support members’ philanthropic and personal beliefs. Grantees include:

• The Hmong Impact Giving Circle The Hmong Impact Giving Circle (HIGC) will build awareness and start giving circles in Hmong communities in the US. Over 350,000 Hmong live in the US, most having arrived from Southeast Asia in the past 40 years. Collective giving within extended families and clans is an established practice in Hmong culture; giving circles can help bridge the gap between that giving and more formalized philanthropy. HIGC will use this microgrant to both raise awareness in Hmong communities and create new Hmong giving circles across the US. (National)
• The American Muslim Fund The American Muslim Fund (AMF) will advance Muslim philanthropy by sharing best practices about giving circles and by starting new circles. With a nationwide footprint and a prominent voice in Muslim philanthropy, AMF is well positioned to raise awareness about collective giving and to connect disparate efforts. This microgrant will help support existing Muslim giving circles, reinvigorate some that have stalled, and capture best practices. (National)
• MakingChange will establish a gay men’s giving circle that will use Jewish values to guide its giving. This microgrant will assist in the infrastructure and operational costs of starting a circle in New York City with an initial membership focus on gay Jewish men and focused initially on giving to LGBTQ organizations. (New York City) 

The third group will strengthen existing circles and networks. These grantees are committed to diversity and inclusion, education and research, and the development of toolkits and curriculum that organizations can use to spread their message. These organizations hope to boost giving across the nation by educating the public about the benefits of philanthropic networks and giving circles. Grantees include:

• For Her: A Black Women Giving Movement for Black Girls, CoThinkk, and Circle of Joy Atlanta will collaborate to create an equity-centered toolkit for the giving circle field. This new partnership will develop a publicly-accessible guide for giving circle leaders that uses equity-centered design, a solution-focused and outcome-driven process that infuses history, research, and data; addresses power dynamics; and includes effective community engagement that builds power. (National)
• Dining for Women (DfW) will give organizational leadership anti-bias training to further diversity and inclusion in chapters nationwide. DfW has engaged over 30,000 Americans in collective giving since 2003 – 98% of whom are white women. Training provided by the Anti-Defamation League will build leadership capacity among staff and board members for an organization-wide effort to diversify DfW circles. (National)
• The Women’s Giving Circle of Howard County: The Women’s Giving Circle of Howard County will undertake foundational internal work that operationalizes its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Specifically, the circle will form a committee focused on DEI; formulate and implement a DEI policy; and revise the circle’s core values to reflect this commitment. (Maryland)

Finally, the fourth group of grantees sustains the collective giving movement through a mix of fundraising and campaigning. Funds will boost fundraising efforts for a wide variety of campaigns and organizations. They will also go toward the creation of databases, surveys, research projects, and online platforms that make the process of giving easier, more efficient, and more effective to spread to wider audiences. Grantees include:

• The 100 Who Care Alliance (100WCA) will strengthen its core financial infrastructure and survey its network. It will secure fiscal sponsorship for the network as a whole; and develop and implement a survey of its 450+ chapters, allowing 100WCA to better understand the needs and interests of its circles and their members. (National)
• Impact100 Greater Cincinnati will establish a vehicle for planned giving to sustain the circle and develop an “Equity Champion Certificate.” Impact 100 will leverage its Directors to develop a campaign for planned giving among its founding members and board, a significant opportunity to ensure the network’s  long term sustainability and a potentially useful template for the field. (National)
• The Awesome Foundation will support development of enhanced functionality of the open-source platform that drives the Awesome Foundation grant-making process and website. The Awesome Foundation’s user-friendly platform has already helped 94 chapters in 13 countries give nearly $4 million; this microgrant will add in online discussion of applications into the platform. (Global)
• The Learning by Giving Foundation (LxG) will develop a platform to assess its impact on the thousands of individuals that have completed its programs. The microgrant will fund the development of a database to record and track participant surveys that address the impacts of collective giving over time. This will allow LxG to both contribute to field-wide research and hone its own curriculum, which will be shared across the field. (National)   

When it comes down to it, this $32,000 project is really one large giving circle promoting the efforts and campaigns of multiple philanthropic network. By pooling resources — and by giving out thirteen smaller grants instead of a couple of larger ones — the twenty funders can more effectively use their collective $32,000 to make an impact in several different communities.
Many of the organizations receiving these microgrants contribute to philanthropy, giving circles, and the research and education related to them on both national and international levels. Together, these organizations will continue to expand and transform the realm of giving circles.
The focus on collective giving as a way to align with your community around key values and strategies, is an important new direction in philanthropy being driven primarily by women.
The effects of our actions, no matter how small, can have impressive and positive impacts. When we work together as a collective, we amplify the smallest of actions into something much larger.

For more information on the giving collective’s microgrants, read their press release online.
To learn more about giving circles, read about the impact of collective philanthropy as it spreads into an international movement. If you’re interested in getting more involved, sign up for “PowerUP!: The Spark that Ignites Change,” Catalist’s 2020 conference hosted in Seattle, Washington.
***
Philanthropy Women covers funding for gender equity in all sectors of society. We want to significantly shift public discourse, particularly in philanthropy, toward increased action for gender equality. You can support our work and access unlimited and premium content with one of our subscriptions.

Today is #WomenEqualityDay.

99 years ago, women finally received the right to vote. The 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote - but it only gave some women—namely, white women—that right. Almost 100 years since the 19th amendment was ratified and women are still fighting for their rights - not another minute should go by before we make this right. Today, on#WomensEqualityDay we must continue the fight for equality and pass the Equal Rights Amendment #ERANow #EqualityCantWait

For Women's Equality Day, here are 3 things to know about the suffrage movement 

13 microgrants awarded to connect and catalyze the field nationally
 
August 22, 2019
 
As part of its campaign to strengthen, expand and diversify the movement of North American giving circles, a group of giving circle networks and leaders, representing thousands of individual contributors, has made 13 microgrants to a diverse set of collective giving organizations. The grants will support the creation of new giving circles — especially among communities traditionally underrepresented in philanthropy — and help existing circles and networks create resources and build capacity to benefit the field at large.
 
The Women’s Giving Circle of Howard County has received a grant that will support efforts to undertake foundational internal work to operationalize our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. This work is part of the WGC’s new IMPACT 2024 Campaign.

“We are building on our core values to enhance our mission by implementing a diversity, equity and inclusion lens to and through our work - values that have always been important to us and that we are now prioritizing” says WGC Chair Barb Van Winkle.
 
The microgrants are part of a sustained effort, supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Lodestar Foundation, Bank of America, and 17 other funders, to diversify and democratize the field of philanthropy by amplifying the power and reach of the giving circles. Hundreds of giving circle stakeholders have been engaged in a yearlong co-design process led by Amplifier, Asian Women’s Giving Circle, Catalist, Community Investment Network, and Latino Community Foundation that has identified four strategies to move the field forward: showcasing the giving circle model, building broad awareness of giving circles and their manifold benefits; helping the field scale by supporting a variety of efforts to start new circles; providing resources and capacity-building to strengthen existing circles and networks; and sustaining the field with collaborative initiatives, funding, and action-focused research.

This effort comes as giving circles are exploding in popularity in America. A recent report from the Lilly School of Philanthropy found that the number of giving circles tripled to 1,500 between 2007 and 2017, and that giving circles have given as much as $1.29 billion in that time. Another recent study, by the Collective Giving Research Group, found that they offer a way to meaningfully engage people in giving and in engaging in their communities. 
 
Giving circles are characterized by innovation and experimentation - circles are nimble, close to their communities, and strengthened by the diversity of opinions, identities, and experiences of their members. These microgrants, totaling $32,000 to 13 circles and networks, offer an opportunity to a wide variety of circles and networks to experiment with new models, create new resources, and form new partnerships. Grant amounts ranged from $500 to $5,000. 
 
Paula Liang, a member of the core co-design team and Chair of Catalist, a network of 70 women’s funds, foundations and giving circles with 17,000+ individual members, noted that "those of us who have been in the giving circle world for a long time, often depending entirely on volunteer efforts, know how rare and important external funding can be - so we’re excited to see the impact that these new investments can produce!”
​Mcrogrants were awarded to:
 
Showcase the giving circle model

• Next Generation of African American Philanthropists (NGAAP) will facilitate discussions about collective giving in African American communities across all 100 counties in North Carolina. NGAAP will partner with local organizations (e.g., nonprofits, faith-based orgs, colleges) across the state and hold a “table talk” in each county. These events, open to the public and broadcast on social media, will aim to expose, educate, and encourage African American communities to develop and duplicate collective giving models. (North Carolina)
• The 100 Who Care Alliance, Dining for Women, and Global Impact will coordinate across their networks for greater regional impact in the mid-Atlantic. The grantees, who each operate giving circles in the greater D.C. metro area, will harmonize their promotional efforts to garner more attention from local press. They will work together to recruit new members and refer potential members to the circle that best fits their needs and interests. (DC Metro-area)
• Radfund will develop and disseminate a toolkit to help create giving circles that use its unique “percentage” contribution model to address issues of racial and economic injustice. Radfund’s collective giving model cuts across class and economic lines by setting proportionate, rather than flat, personal annual giving targets: 1% of income, and 0.1% of wealth. This approach has already helped Radfund create a vibrant, diverse circle in NYC supporting racial and economic justice. The toolkit will help Radfund spread this model to other issue areas and geographies. (National)

 
Scale the model by creating more circles and networks

• The Hmong Impact Giving Circle (HIGC) will build awareness and start giving circles in Hmong communities in the US. Over 350,000 Hmong live in the US, most having arrived from Southeast Asia in the past 40 years. Collective giving within extended families and clans is an established practice in Hmong culture; giving circles can help bridge the gap between that giving and more formalized philanthropy. HIGC will use this microgrant to both raise awareness in Hmong communities and create new Hmong giving circles across the US. (National)
• The American Muslim Fund (AMF) will advance Muslim philanthropy by sharing best practices about giving circles and by starting new circles. With a nationwide footprint and a prominent voice in Muslim philanthropy, AMF is well positioned to raise awareness about collective giving and to connect disparate efforts. This microgrant will help support existing Muslim giving circles, reinvigorate some that have stalled, and capture best practices. (National)
• MakingChange will establish a gay men’s giving circle that will use Jewish values to guide its giving. This microgrant will assist in the infrastructure and operational costs of starting a circle in New York City with an initial membership focus on gay Jewish men and focused initially on giving to LGBTQ organizations. (New York City) 

 
Strengthen existing circles and networks 

• For Her: A Black Women Giving Movement for Black Girls, Cothinkk, and Circle of Joy Atlanta will collaborate to create an equity-centered toolkit for the giving circle field. This new partnership will develop a publicly-accessible guide for giving circle leaders that uses equity-centered design, a solution-focused and outcome-driven process that infuses history, research, and data; addresses power dynamics; and includes effective community engagement that builds power. (National)
• Dining for Women (DfW) will give organizational leadership anti-bias training to further diversity and inclusion in chapters nationwide. DfW has engaged over 30,000 Americans in collective giving since 2003 - 98% of whom are white women. Training provided by the Anti-Defamation League will build leadership capacity among staff and board members for an organization-wide effort to diversify DfW circles. (National)
• The Women’s Giving Circle of Howard County will undertake foundational internal work that operationalizes its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Specifically, the circle will form a committee focused on DEI; formulate and implement a DEI policy; and revise the circle’s core values to reflect this commitment. (Maryland)

 
Sustain the collective giving movement

• The 100 Who Care Alliance (100WCA) will strengthen its core financial infrastructure and survey its network. It will secure fiscal sponsorship for the network as a whole; and develop and implement a survey of its 450+ chapters, allowing 100WCA to better understand the needs and interests of its circles and their members. (National)
• Impact100 Greater Cincinnati will establish a vehicle for planned giving to sustain the circle and develop an “Equity Champion Certificate.” Impact 100 will leverage its Directors to develop a campaign for planned giving among its founding members and board, a significant opportunity to ensure the network’s  long term sustainability and a potentially useful template for the field.  (National)
• The Awesome Foundation will support development of enhanced functionality of the open-source platform that drives the Awesome Foundation grant-making process and website. The Awesome Foundation’s user-friendly platform has already helped 94 chapters in 13 countries give nearly $4 million; this microgrant will add in online discussion of applications into the platform. (Global)
• The Learning by Giving Foundation (LxG) will develop a platform to assess its impact on the thousands of individuals that have completed its programs. The microgrant will fund the development of a database to record and track participant surveys that address the impacts of collective giving over time. This will allow LxG to both contribute to field-wide research and hone its own curriculum, which will be shared across the field. (National)   

 
#  #  #
 
Previous press coverage
The Chronicle of Philanthropy covered our project in November 2018 in “Giving Circles Grow in Diversity and Get an Assist from the Gates Foundation.”  That same month, The New York Times recognized the growing power of giving circles in “When It’s Time for Giving, Some People Circle Around.”    

Contact: Isis Krause, isis@kneadpartners.com