Introduction

The needs of women and girls are underrepresented and underserved by traditional philanthropy.

Studies conducted across the nation have concluded that:

Less than six cents out of every traditional philanthropic dollar is given to organizations that

target services to women and children.

Less than five percent of all foundation grants are targeted for women and girls. (Women and Girls Fund of the Mid-Shore, MD) http://www.womenandgirlsfund.org/index.html

The Community Foundation of the Rappahannock River Region (CFRRR) has established a Women

and Girls Fund (The Fund) for the purpose of allocating money, time, and talent to address the

critical needs of women and girls in our community. The Women and Girls Fund also builds on the

principle that family and community gain strength when we advance the lives of women and girls.

Grantmaking Strategy

Grantmaking is one strategy the Fund uses to advance equity for women and girls. Over the past

twelve months, the Community Foundation has called upon the individual and collective power of

women in the greater Rappahannock region to create a fund that will have a positive impact on lives

and communities. The commitment of our Charter Members and the collaborative efforts of donors

have resulted in the first cycle of grants to tax-exempt non-profit organizations in Planning District

16 (which encompasses the city of Fredericksburg and the surrounding counties of Caroline, King

George, Stafford, and Spotsylvania).

The 2010-2011 grant cycle will begin to establish a tradition and to address how nonprofit programs

can be a driving force behind greater equity for the population of women and girls in our region. It is

our expectation that over time these grants will help create conditions for significant social change.

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Women and Girls Fund

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Funding Eligibility

Formal tax-exempt nonprofit organizations

Informal groups of women or emerging grassroots organizations that would be able to secure

the cooperation of a tax-exempt organization willing to serve as fiscal agent

Funding Restrictions

In general, the Women and Girls Fund will not make grants for the following purposes:

Programs outside of Planning District 16

Capital building expenses

Fundraising events

Endowment funds

Lobbying

Funding Focus for 2010-2011

In connection with the findings of our Report (Phase I), these are the specific areas we wish to fund

this cycle:

1. Safety—Programs that help women and girls understand when they are in potentially violent

and/or abusive situations; programs that provide access to and increase awareness of existing

community resources; programs that provide treatment to mitigate consequences of violence

and/or abuse.

2. Education—Programs that increase GED capacity and accessibility; programs that support

needs of GED students regarding transportation or childcare.

3. Employment—Programs that provide career counseling for women and girls; programs that

ensure equitable and accurate career counseling; programs that address potential of specific

careers; programs that address gender bias and inequity in careers.

4. Special Focus—Funding of in-school programs at middle, secondary, and university levels

that:

a. Increase positive body awareness

b. Teaches appropriate boundaries in dating and friendships

c. Targets teen-dating violence

Special considerations will be given to organizations or groups in which women are actively

engaged as program leaders and/or decision makers and collaborative efforts that result in greater

impact and achievements for women and girls.

Social Change Indicators/Impact Measurements

The Women and Girls Fund of the Rappahannock River Region believes that through careful grant-

making we can begin to impact social change. We believe that the accomplishments of the programs

we fund can be measured through social change indicators. Below are four indicators the Fund will

use to measure the impact of its grant-making efforts. A successful program will address one or

more of the following indicators:

1. A redefinition or reframing of issues: An issue is defined differently in the community or

larger society as a result of education and awareness.

2. A shift in behavior: People are behaving differently in the community.

3. A shift in engagement and commitment: People in the community are more engaged. The

efforts of the program have reached critical groups in the community.

4. Past gains have been maintained: Despite difficult times, past gains in terms of addressing

critical needs have been maintained.

5. A shift in policy: An institutional, organizational, or legislative policy or practice has changed

due to advocacy on behalf of women and girls.

Grant Review Process and Due dates

The Women & Girls Fund of the CFRRR will make its first round of grants in 2010. The Fund has a

thorough process for the review of grant proposals. The review is conducted by a volunteer Grants

Committee composed of Board members and qualified volunteers from the community. Fund

recommendations will be submitted for final approval from the Board of Governors of the

Community Foundation of the Rappahannock River Region.

Grant requests should come in the form of a Concept Paper that will serve as a brief preliminary

communication regarding the proposed program.

To be considered, Concept Papers must:

Show a clear link between the need and the proposed program.

Describe the expected impact of the program, activities or strategies.

Provide an activity schedule.

Describe what social change indicators will be used to show program success.

Be a maximum length of two pages single spaced.

Concept Papers due February 16, 2010—Applications must be received no later than 5:00 PM on

the due date. After the deadline, concept papers will be returned.

March 1, 2010—A letter of Request for Grant Applications will be sent to organizations whose

Concept Papers receive the consent of the Grants Committee. Additional information for submission

of full grant applications will be provided at this time.

April 12, 2010—Grant Applications due

Week of May 24, 2010—Applicants will be notified of their proposal outcomes.

Electronic forms of the Grant Application in PDF format will be available after January 21, 2010 at

www.cfrrr.org . If you have additional questions, please contact Teri McNally at 540-373-9292 or

email terimcnally@cfrrr.org . A member of the CFRRR staff may contact you if we have any

questions or need any additional information about your proposal.

Teri McNally, Executive Director

The Women & Girls Fund

Community Foundation of the Rappahannock River Region

Mailing Address:

P.O. Box 208 Fredericksburg, VA 2240-0208

Physical Address:

725 Jackson Street Suite 114

Fredericksburg, Virginia 22401