LATEST NEWS | Foundation Awards $163,000 in girlsBEST Fund Grants

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: MONDAY, AUGUST 13, 2007

MINNEAPOLIS - The Women’s Foundation of Minnesota, the nation’s first and Minnesota’s only community foundation dedicated solely to growing economic, political and social equality for women and girls statewide, has awarded 13 grants totaling $163,000 through its girlsBEST (girls Building Economic Success Together) Fund. The grants fall within the Foundation’s 2008 fiscal year (April 1, 2007-March 31, 2008).

As one of two competitive funds of the Women’s Foundation, the girlsBEST Fund awards grants to programs that build the future economic success of Minnesota’s girls and include critical outreach to underserved, underrepresented populations of girls around the state.

The 13 new grantees represent the Foundation’s second generation of the girlsBEST Fund program. The first generation was established in 2002 in response to statewide community input and research on the status and future of Minnesota girls. This initial five-year phase ended in December 2006, distributing a total of $1,017,045 in girlsBEST Fund grants to 17 nonprofit organizations in Minnesota.

“Our program evaluations of the first generation of girlsBEST show that strong mentoring – a critical aspect of the initiative – helps girls get to college, become entrepreneurs and succeed economically,” said Lee Roper-Batker, Women’s Foundation president and chief executive officer. “Through our grantees, we know that girlsBEST is working to break down the barriers girls face in building secure economic futures.”

At the same time, this generation of the program will build on the successes and lessons learned during the first generation of girlsBEST. This includes the kinds of programs, practices and processes that most successfully promote girls’ economic development, and knowledge of how girls grow, progress and change over time.

The Women’s Foundation’s commitment to funding communities across Minnesota is reflected in its grantmaking. Approximately 63 percent of the total funding went to nonprofits that serve girls in greater Minnesota and 37 percent to groups in the Twin Cities’ metropolitan area.

“Championing a dynamic, statewide investment in girls’ economic futures has been one of the most rewarding ventures undertaken by the Women’s Foundation. Girl-led and girl-driven, the girlsBEST Fund program is adding economic power to the lives and futures of girls throughout Minnesota,” said Roper-Batker.

FY08 girlsBEST Fund Grantees:

Centro, Inc. | $10,000 (Minneapolis), to support the Nican Tlaca Dance Academy, the Twin Cities’ first girl-to-girl Latino Dance academy. Specializing in traditional indigenous dances from Latin America, 12 Latina teens will apprentice to become dance instructors and offer a catalogue of sliding-scale dance classes for Latino children, teens and others in Minneapolis. Through the program, girl participants discover their capacity to act on behalf of their own economic well-being; develop skills, tools, and resources to claim and establish their own economic power as dance teachers; and gain opportunities to share their passion for dancing, culture, and belief in women’s economic empowerment with younger Latina girls and the larger community.

Division of Indian Work | $14,714 (Statewide), to support the "Live It" Youth Advisory Council, bringing together 10 American Indian girls (ages 14-18) from statewide reservations and the Twin Cities to participate in awareness and leadership training; co-facilitate presentations of the "Live It" Teen Pregnancy Prevention curricula; and develop and implement other advocacy and activism activities around teen pregnancy prevention.

Girls in Action | $10,000 (Robbinsdale), to work weekly with girls (grades 9-12) around a structured curriculum and interactive process with four core components – personal power, leadership, service-learning, and career coaching – to decrease violence and increase academic engagement in high school girls. Positive female role models, mentors, community leaders and career coaches work directly with the girl participants. A Service Learning Day will convene program participants to advocate for the economic and social well-being of their communities.

Girl Scout Council of Greater Minneapolis | $10,000 (Minneapolis), to support program work with African American girls across the Twin Cities, focusing on financial literacy training, leadership skills development, post-secondary educational options and financial aid, and African
American cultural heritage. Girl participants visit local colleges and universities, including historic black colleges, as well as form a Peace Steppers group to both address and increase the visibility of social justice issues within the community.

Independent Lifestyles, Inc. | $14,714 (St. Cloud), to support the GIRLS program, combining a mix of skills training, self-advocacy and mentoring for girls (grades 9-12) with disabilities. Girl participants develop leadership skills, learn about vocational options, develop relationships with women mentors who are successful community members, and learn the financial skills
necessary for self-sufficiency. GIRLS strives to help participants become confident in their own choices and directing their own futures. (In partnership with St. Cloud public schools.)

KFAI, Fresh Air, Inc. | $10,000 (Minneapolis), to support KFAI radio’s Youth News Initiative, an eight-week, intensive journalism training session for girls-of-color (ages 13-18), providing training in news research, reporting, creative writing, voice training, producing, broadcasting, pod casting, blogging, and digital recording and editing using state-of-the-art technology in radio production. Girl participants have mentors in journalism and public broadcasting to help build their knowledge base and leadership skills.

Liberian Women’s Initiatives of Minnesota | $10,000 (Brooklyn Park), to support the "College Bound" program, pairing junior and senior high school Liberian girls with professional Liberian women to mentor, guide, support and encourage college enrollment, while maintaining cultural values. Program components include general tutoring to enhance academic preparation for college; leadership skills development; college applications and financial aid information; and general financial literacy.

Pearl Crisis Center | $14,714 (Milaca), to support the TADA (Teens Against Dating Abuse) program, educating teens in the Milaca area about teen dating violence. Girl-led and girl-driven, TADA will develop a county-wide community campaign project regarding violence against women and building healthy relationships. The program will focus on how domestic violence impedes a woman’s ability to succeed and achieve economic stability, including increased risks of homelessness, impaired job performance, and inability to find and retain employment or achieve academic advances.

The Science Center at Maltby Nature Center | $14,714 (Randolph), to create a program engaging and immersing girls, ages 10 to 18, in the processes of authentic science – conducting real science in the real world. Girl participants increase their knowledge and science process skills; interact with professional female scientists who serve as mentors and role-models; develop social, leadership and teamwork skills; and enhance self-confidence as they plan, implement, and communicate the results of their research findings. (In partnership with the Girl Scout Council of Cannon Valley.)

Western Community Action | $14,714 (Marshall), to support Girls Take the Lead (Marshall) and G-Girls (Windom), to plan and lead discussions and activities geared toward girls’ financial empowerment, including direct financial education, leadership development, and self-esteem building.

WINDOW | $14,714 (Hinckley), to support the Open Window program, providing a safe, empowering environment for young women (ages 10-18) to explore the issues of domestic violence and its short- and long-term effects on individual economic well-being. Through group work and experiential learning, girl participants learn about financial management, job seeking and retention, relationships, and advocacy.

YouthCARE | $10,000 (Minneapolis), to support the Young Women’s Mentoring Program, training and supporting young women who live in low-income communities to be mentors and activity leaders for programming for young girls. Young women participants (ages 14-18) are taught employment, leadership, and self-sufficiency skills to provide young girls (ages 7-13) within the community with consistent, caring role models.

YWCA Duluth | $14,714 (Duluth), to support the Girl Power! program, providing experiential economic empowerment programming for underserved girls in Duluth, ages 9-15. Girl participants learn about alternate career exploration, money management, financial goal setting, the relationship between money and gender, employment readiness, youth philanthropy, and post-secondary educational options. An e-mentoring program matches each girl with local professional women for weekly conversations about economic empowerment.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Press Inquiries:

Mary Beth Hanson

Communications Director

612-236-1811