Women’s Fund Honored Grantees at Awards Reception

April 24, 2013 (Syracuse, NY) – Nine nonprofit organizations from Onondaga, Madison and Cayuga Counties were awarded grants at the Women’s Fund of Central New York’s annual grant awards reception, held on April 23, 2013. The organizations received grants totaling $25,005 to fund programs that support the advancement and full participation of women and girls in Central New York.

Boys & Girls Club of Syracuse received $2,000 to implement a SMART Girls program, which enhances girls’ physical and emotional health. The program combines informational and experiential learning activities to help girls develop the knowledge and skills necessary to practice healthy lifestyle choices.

Catholic Charities of Onondaga County (CCOC) received $3,750 to launch the new Ready, Set, Apply! program for residents of the Dorothy Day House. The program uses group meetings and one-to-one instruction to assist economically challenged women to apply for and secure employment.

Cayuga Community College received $1,875 to award tuition assistance to 15 students for the Direct Selling Women’s Entrepreneurship program. The program is a 30-hour training program that promotes personal leadership skills, entrepreneurial thinking and self-sufficiency for women.

Child Care Solutions received $1,180 to fund a one day mini-conference for women entrepreneurs to discuss the challenging issues of family childcare home business owners. The topics that will be covered include budgeting, establishing credit, workers’ compensation coverage, and wage and hour laws affecting assistants employed by the family child care providers.

Community Action Partnerships (CAP) for Madison County received $3,400 to implement the new Moms Moving Forward program. This program will consist of meetings for mothers to discuss issues such as self-care, healthy diet, financial issues, planning for the future, routine and disciplining, trying to meet needs of children, stress, anxiety management and resource development.

On Point for College received $2,000 to provide intensive, proactive outreach and financial assistance in the areas of retention and career development to 10 young women. The funding will also enhance their career development opportunities through professional networking, internships and permanent job placement.

Rescue Mission Alliance received $3,000 to send 10 girls in the Family Transitions program to Booker T. Washington Center’s summer day camp. The summer day camp offers a variety of activities to further the creativity, imagination and curiosity of children – including educational support, action-oriented learning, supervised games, dance and exercise programs, arts and crafts, field trips, sports and inspirational guest speakers.

Syracuse Northeast Community Center (NECC) received $3,000 to implement a teen parenting program that would provide a weekly skill-building meeting. The Teen Mom Time program would promote education, prenatal care and ensure pregnant and parenting teens have access to necessary resources for their children and themselves.

The Museum of Science & Technology Foundation (MoST) received $4,800 to support the new Women Scientist Summer Camp program. This program is focused on illustrating science concepts with hands-on, engaging activities, while inspiring learning and sparking interest in science.

The Women’s Fund of Central New York supports, empowers and recognizes the advancement and full participation of women and girls in Central New York through an endowment fund, grants and initiatives. Since its inception in 1998, the Women’s Fund has awarded 70 grants totaling nearly $156,000, and is in the midst of a three-year campaign to grow its endowment to $1 million. For more information or to make a donation visit: www.womensfundofcny.org.

The Women’s Fund of Central New York is a component fund of the Central New York Community Foundation. Established in 1927, the Central New York Community Foundation encourages local philanthropy by supporting the growth of a permanent charitable endowment for the betterment of the region. The Community Foundation is the largest charitable foundation in the region with assets of more than $130 million. It awards close to $6.5 million in grants to nonprofit organizations annually and since its inception has invested more than $100 million in the community. The Community Foundation serves as the steward of charitable legacies for individuals, families and corporations through the administration of nearly 600 funds. The organization also serves as a civic leader, convener and sponsor of special initiatives designed to strengthen nonprofits that address the region’s most pressing challenges. For more information, visit www.cnycf.org.