PHILADELPHIA, PA – November 17, 2011 – After three years of planning, WOMEN’S WAY is turning up the volume of its “powerful voice for women,” changing the way funds raised by the organization are distributed throughout the Greater Philadelphia region. The organization, born out of fundraising necessity for women’s issues 35 years ago, is evolving to meet the needs of a rapidly changing world. WOMEN’S WAY is a catalyst for change with three initiatives to impact women, girls, and families in our region: grantmaking, advocacy, and public education. The grantmaking program will now consist of two levels of funding: the brand new WOMEN’S WAY Action Partners (WWAP) and the Community Women’s Fund (CWF), ongoing since 2006.
Starting this fiscal year, WOMEN’S WAY will provide up to three years of general operating support for as many as six high-performing, dynamic non-profit agencies that collectively reflect the mission of WOMEN’S WAY. The organizations will be selected based on their individual merits and missions, as well as how they will complement and supplement the other agencies in the group. This innovative selection process and the longevity of a multi-year partnership mean that WOMEN’S WAY's investment in the community will have an even greater impact. In addition to the critical operating support that will be provided, WWAP agencies will benefit from WOMEN’S WAY’s technical assistance support and expertise, as well as the cross-pollination of ideas and mutual expertise from other agencies in the group.
“WOMEN’S WAY’s new model will give us maximum impact and reach in the Greater Philadelphia region with the flexibility to forge innovative relationships with agencies working on the front lines for women, girls, and families,” said Amanda S. Aronoff, Executive Director of WOMEN’S WAY. “Now our grantmaking program will utilize our expertise in women’s issues to invest in the community in a more responsive way, creating greater accountability from the grantees we support and to our donors.”
What differentiates the new program from the Community Women’s Fund (CWF) and other grantmaking strategies is that the WWAP agencies will enter into a true partnership, receiving funding and skill-building, as well as opportunities to collaborate with WOMEN’S WAY and the other funded agencies. The new model will also enable WOMEN’S WAY to advocate on behalf on women, girls, and families more substantively and effectively. In contrast to the Action Partners, the CWF’s main strength is that grantmaking decisions are made by the community itself, and WOMEN’S WAY can impact a wider variety of issues important to women, girls, and families through annual grants to approximately 25 additional organizations in the Greater Philadelphia region each year. The CWF gives grants two times a year thus enabling WOMEN’S WAY to constantly respond to changing and time-sensitive community needs.
WOMEN'S WAY will begin accepting applications for the Action Partner program in early 2012. To determine if an organization is eligible to apply to the WOMEN’S WAY Action Partners Program, visit www.womensway.org/grantmaking/womens-way-action-partners (live as of November 17, 2011) or attend one of the upcoming information sessions. The first session will take place on Monday, December 19 from 12-2 pm at WOMEN’S WAY’s office, 123 S. Broad Street, Suite 1399, Philadelphia. A second session will take place on Monday, January 9, 2012, from 8-10 am at the same location. A third session will take place in the suburbs on Tuesday, January 17, 2012, from 8-10 am at ECBM, LP, 300 Conshohocken State Road, Suite 405, in West Conshohocken. Depending on interest, subsequent sessions may occur in Southern New Jersey and other Pennsylvania suburbs.
Organizations will choose to apply to either the WWAP Program or the Community Women’s Fund. These sessions can help determine eligibility for one of the two grantmaking programs. To RSVP for one of the information sessions, email info@womensway.org.
Founded in 1977, WOMEN'S WAY is the leading grantmaking, advocacy and education organization for women in the Greater Philadelphia region, at the forefront of identifying needs, sharing knowledge and building awareness to challenge social inequities and empower women and girls. WOMEN’S WAY is a catalyst for change with three initiatives to impact women, girls and families in our region: grantmaking, advocacy and public education. All three initiatives work together to help achieve and fight for women’s equality, safety, self-sufficiency and reproductive freedom. For more information, go to www.womensway.org or call 215-985-3322. Follow WOMEN’S WAY on Facebook at www.facebook.com/womensway.
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For press information:
Cari Feiler Bender
Relief Communications, LLC
cari@reliefcomm.com or 610-527-7673
logo and slogan A POWERFUL VOICE FOR WOMEN are federally registered service marks of WOMEN'S WAY.