5 Reasons to Fund Women & Girls

By Buffy Beaudoin-Schwartz
Executive Director, Women's Giving Circle of Howard County

Investing in women and girls is crucial for a multitude of reasons that span economic, social, and health-related benefits.

The percentage of charitable giving that specifically goes to women and girls is relatively small compared to overall philanthropic contributions. According to a report from the Women’s Philanthropy Institute at Indiana University, only about 1.9% of all charitable giving in the United States goes to organizations that focus explicitly on women and girls.

This statistic highlights the need for greater awareness and targeted efforts to increase funding for causes that support women and girls, given the significant benefits such investments can yield in terms of economic growth, health, education, and social equity:

1. Economic Resilience:

• Boosting Local Economies: Investing in women-owned businesses and educational opportunities for girls helps build stronger local economies, contributing to overall national economic resilience.

2. Health and Well-being:

• Ensuring Healthy Communities: Funding healthcare and wellness programs for women and girls leads to healthier families and communities, reducing long-term healthcare costs and improving quality of life.

3. Educational Opportunities:

• Preparing the Next Generation: Supporting educational initiatives for girls ensures a well-prepared and skilled workforce, ready to meet the challenges of the future and drive innovation and progress.

4. Community Stability:

• Strengthening Families: Empowering women and girls with resources and opportunities helps create stable and thriving families, fostering safer and more cohesive communities.

5. Leadership Development:

• Cultivating Future Leaders: By funding programs that develop leadership skills in women and girls, we are investing in the future leaders of our communities, ensuring diverse and effective leadership across all sectors.

Overall, funding women and girls is not just a matter of social justice, but a strategic investment in the future prosperity and well-being of societies worldwide.

Here in Howard County, I hope you will consider supporting women and girls through the Women's Giving Circle of Howard County.

• The WGC is building a community of philanthropists to address the needs of women and girls in Howard County.

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• We have been part of the Howard County community for 22+ years, have given $1.2 M+ to our nonprofit partners through 300+ grants. We have a $1.1 M endowment from 1,700+ donors that will ensure that there are funds to support women and girls in our community in perpetuity. This year in 2024 we'll give at least $100K.

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• The WGC is a giving circle - a collective giving effort where we are pooling our dollars so we can have a greater impact together than we might otherwise have alone. We are proud to be among the thousands of giving circles across the country that have given millions of dollars to have an impact on a wide variety of issues.

• The reasons to fund women and girls are underscored by the data from WGC's State of Women and Girls in Howard County, baseline data that informs our grantmaking.

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• If you are interested in leveraging your dollars with us for greater impact, here's how you can give to the WGC and fund women and girls in our community.

Join us!
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- Multiple Variations of Prompts: "Why Fund Women and Girls" ChatGPT, OpenAI, August 5, 2024, chat.openai.com.

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