The Fund for Women & Girls makes grants to programs and initiatives that serve women and girls in the South Central PA counties of Dauphin, Cumberland, Franklin, Lebanon, Perry, and the Dillsburg Area of York County. In honor of the Fund for Women & Girls 20th anniversary in 2020, nonprofit organizations were invited to share their vision for programs, projects, and services that will create a lasting impact for women and girls in South Central PA through a special, one-time, VISIONARY grant opportunity. Five organizations were selected and were awarded a total of $100,000.
Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Harrisburg
Grant Amount: $20,000
Project: Empowering Women for Success Project
| The Empowering Women for Success Project will create opportunities for immigrant and refugee women to participate meaningfully in their communities and will feature a variety of services designed to help women integrate into their new lives and become advocates for themselves, their families, and communities. Grant funds will be used to cover personnel costs associated with the Empowering Women for Success Project. |
Christ the King Deaf Church
Grant Amount: $20,000
Project: DeafCAN!
| DeafCAN! focuses on bringing together the growing deaf Bhutanese refugee community in central PA together by using their language, foods, families, and cultural celebrations. Grant funds will be used to employ two caseworkers to provide and coordinate weekly classes social, and case management at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, assist individuals and their families throughout the week in their home or in the community with their own specific needs and challenges for housing, healthcare, and employment, ensure that each household obtains videophone and alerting devices for their homes, provide specialized Nepali Sign Language interpreting, and network and cross-train with the many health, human services, and for-profit businesses in Central PA to better understand, accept, and serve this population. |
Employment Skills Center
Grant Amount: $20,000
Project: ASPIRE Plus: Empowering Women and Girls Through Education and Training
| The ASPIRE-Plus project will host workshops to address inequities that women in Central PA face through education and hands-on learning projects. Topics will include: face issues, diversity and inclusion, domestic violence, finances, starting your own business, leadership, career choices, childcare options, women’s’ health topics and concerns, understanding legalities and rights, and community. Grant funds will be used to support instruction, and a Career Counselor who will meet with every participant in the program and maintain contact with them to ensure every woman succeeds not only during the program but for the rest of their lives. |
LGBT Community Center Coalition of Central PA
Grant Amount: $20,000
Project: GLO Harrisburg: A Safe Space for Transgender Women & Girls of Color
| GLO is a collaborative program, designed and implemented in partnership with UPMC Pinnacle, Valley Youth House, and Hamilton Health Center. It addresses the needs of our local community by creating a space where young trans women and girls of color are safe and respected, and their identities and experiences are centered. GLO will transform the health, safety, and economic opportunity for young transgender women of color in the Greater Harrisburg area. GLO provides opportunities to address basic needs and develop economic self-sufficiency through a food and hygiene pantry that is available to all participants and also provides holistic case management to help participants access resources for food, housing, and income and apply for employment and educational opportunities. Grant funds will be used to support the LGBT Center’s staff and overall programming costs for transgender women and girls of color. |
The Sexual Assault Resource & Counseling Center of Lebanon & Schuylkill Counties
Grant Amount: $20,000
Project: From Margins to Center: Community based programs for underserved women and girls
| Grant funds will be used to bridge the gap between access to services, availability of resources, and systems of culturally-specific support for female-identifying survivors of sexual violence. Expanding on the Cultivating Strength program, funds will serve LGBTQ+ individuals, incarcerated individuals, women of color, women in recovery, and other marginalized and oppressed communities. Facilitators will provide foundational skills and strategies to mitigate the impacts of trauma using a curriculum that concentrates on a knowledge and understanding of emotions, triggers, coping, healthy relationships, the psychophysiological impacts of trauma, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), and resiliency building. |
