Nonprofit grants $282,000 to 14 organizations serving women and girls in our community

For Immediate Release (July 26, 2023) Danvers, MA - The Women's Fund of Essex County (TWF) recently announced it awarded annual grant funding totaling $282,000 to 14 non-profit organizations dedicated to transforming the lives of women and girls throughout Essex County.

"This year we focused our grant making on programs addressing some of the critical issues of the post-pandemic environment for women and girls: academic achievement gap for girls, equity and social justice, health and mental health, and leadership development," said Trish Moore, co-president of The Women’s Fund of Essex County.

“By making bold investments in a wide range of organizations working to address the most pressing issues facing women and girls throughout Essex County, we strive to be a catalyst for change in their lives,” co-president Wendy Roworth said. “We believe that stronger women and girls build stronger families, and stronger families build stronger communities.”

In the past 20 years, TWF has granted close to 500 awards totaling more than $3 million to over 150 hi-impact organizations investing in the power of women and girls across the 34 cities and towns of Essex County. From skills training and employment readiness to promoting health and wellness, financial literacy, empowerment, and mentoring, The Women's Fund supports a wide range of programming targeted toward helping women and girls find success at work, school, home, and life.

“The vision and depth of this grant round is thanks to our dedicated TWF Grant Allocation Committee members and our inspirational nonprofit partners working to meet the economic, educational, physical, and emotional needs of local women and girls,” shared the organization’s Grant Allocation Committee Chair Emily Gonzalez. Also adding, “Our generous donors allow us to fund the new and established organizations to have the resources they need for critical services and innovative programs that strengthen and empower the resilient women and girls throughout our community.”

This year TWF received an unprecedented number of applications from non-profit organizations of various sizes, with funding requests totaling $1.3 Million. After a detailed review and assessment, TWF awarded the following organizations across 16 cities and towns in Essex Count grants for their ongoing work and commitment to the advancement, self-sufficiency, and economic and social equity of local women and girls:

Three Year Grants - $24k over 3 years

  • Amirah, Inc., Lynn | Community Resource Center

  • Blessed Stephen Bellesini, O.S.A. Academy, Inc., Lawrence | Alumnae Support College Success Program

  • Catie's Closet, Inc., Lawrence | Meeting the Basic Needs of Lawrence Girls

  • Healing Abuse Working for Change, Salem | Mental Health Services for Domestic Violence Survivors

  • Jeanne Geiger Crisis Center, Inc., Newburyport | Girls Inc. Prevention Programming Expansion

  • Love Your Magic, Inc., Lynn | Be Well Retreats

  • Northeast Hospital Corporation (dba Beverly Hospital), Lynn | Lynn Women's Health

  • Notre Dame Education Center, Lawrence | Nursing Assistant/Home Health Aide Program

  • The Psychological Center, Essex County | Continuing a Journey to Resiliency through Trauma Informed Care Program

  • Self Esteem Boston Educational Institute, Essex County | Self-Esteem Skills for Success Direct Client Services

  • Youth Development Organization, Lawrence | YDO STEAM Learning for Girls: “Makehers”

One-year grants of $6k each

  • Boys & Girls Club of Greater Haverhill | Girls Empowerment Programs at BGCGH

  • Dignity Matters, Inc., Essex County | Personal products and necessities (period products)

  • LEAP for Education, Salem | Women Power STEM Club

To learn more about the work of The Women’s Fund of Essex County, and ways to get involved or support this all- volunteer organization, please visit thewomensfundec.org.

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About TWF:

The Women's Fund of Essex County is a field of interest fund of Essex County Community Foundation. Since 2003, The Women's Fund has raised and awarded more than $3 million to high-impact non-profit partners that provide local women, girls, and their families with the resources they need to find success at work, school, home, and life. The organization has been recognized with the George Peabody Award for Leadership in Philanthropy by the Essex County Community Foundation and the Champions Award for Community Impact by North Shore Community College, and the Constance Grasso Award from the YWCA of Greater Newburyport. The Women's Fund of Essex County is an all-volunteer organization supported entirely by generous donors whose philanthropy supports a portfolio of programs impacting local women and girls.

TWF Press Contact:

Joyce McMahon | joyce@mcmahoncomm.com | p: 978.430.8847