WOMEN'S FUND GRANTS
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At the end of each grant cycle, an annual dinner of the membership is held, where grantee finalists are invited to make a presentation about their funding request.
Each member of the Women’s Fund will cast one vote in person or by proxy at the annual dinner. The recipient of the impact grant will be determined by majority vote of the fund members. The awards will be announced and awarded that day.
2018 WOMEN’S FUND GRANT RECIPIENTS
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
$110,000
IMPACT GRANTJUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT
$5,500
KIDS ON THE BLOCK
$5,500
LOST RIVER CAVE
$5,500
2018 WOMEN’S FUND IMPACT AWARDEE:
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
The 2018 Women’s Fund Impact Grant will construct five affordable townhouses for low income families. These homes will be built to be 25-30% more efficient than a standard code constructed home. Volunteers and the future homeowners work side by side to construct these homes.
Homebuyers make an affordable (0% interest) mortgage payment, which helps to fund future homes. Each mortgage payment repaid with go back into our community building more affordable homes for low income families. With the development of Durbin Estates, Habitat is increasing property value in a very depressed area of Bowling Green which will in turn add over $70,000 back to the tax base for that area. Building a community where families will find stability.
The duration of this impact will be life long. We know that children of homeowners are 116% more likely to graduate from college compared with children in families who do not own their homes. We know that the affordable mortgage offers mothers the opportunity to not have to work multiple jobs to keep their family in shelter, greatly increasing the time they invest in themselves and their family. This opportunity presents these families with the opportunity to change the financial and educational trajectory of their family’s life.
Women’s Fund Work Day for Habitat
April 20 was cold, windy and wet, but that did not stop an enthusiastic crew of women from coming out to bring warmth to the new home of Kam Niang and her family! I mean that in the most literal way, they actually installed insulation to help keep their home warm and energy efficient. It was impressive to watch the homeowner and Women’s Fund volunteers work side by side to do what it takes to get a tough job done. The spirit of that work day symbolizes the commitment of all involved in this project to do what it takes to get the job done! The family for the first unit is well on their way to completing their 350 “sweat equity” hours on their home! The family selection committee for Habitat for Humanity will soon finalize their application reviews and home visits to make their final selection of homeowners for the last 4 units of this project. Our core construction crew of one employee and five volunteers have all five foundations in the ground, and two homes are dried in. One of those will be receiving its first coat of interior paint in the next few days! These men have put in hundreds of hours of their own time to see this project through! When I see these homes going up, my heart swells with pride & gratitude! While the physical construction is an amazing feat to accomplish with volunteers, I stand in awe of the collective effort of so many people to make these families dreams of homeownership come to life. Soon, the walls will be filled with family dinners, kids doing homework, laundry and all the things that make home so easy to take for granted. I am so grateful to the Women’s Fund of South Central KY for making these dreams a reality. Your support is building strength, stability and self-reliance through shelter.
2017 WOMEN’S FUND GRANT RECIPIENTS
BOYS & GIRLS CLUB FRANKLIN-SIMPSON MASON GOODNIGHT TEEN CENTER
$100,000
IMPACT GRANTTHE FOUNDRY
$5,000
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
$5,000
HOPE HOUSE
$5,000
2017 WOMEN’S FUND IMPACT AWARDEE:
BOYS & GIRLS CLUB FRANKLIN-SIMPSON
MASON GOODNIGHT TEEN CENTER
A sweet, blonde-haired boy’s words will never be forgotten by his dad: when Mason Goodnight hugged Jef after Jef didn’t win the Impact Grant in 2016 Mason said, “You’ll win next year, Dad.” Mason was right.
When Jef Goodnight, Chief Professional Officer of The Boys and Girls Club of Franklin-Simpson, and his team presented at the Annual Dinner in 2016, their passion to make a positive impact for the kids at the Club was very evident.
In fact, they highlighted that The Boys & Girls Club serves an average of 259 kids daily with a total of 613 kids coming at least once a week. Not only do they provide a safe environment for these children after school, but the Club also provides a tutoring program, hands-on gardening experience, and nourishing meals from local churches three days a week. One of the crucial programs they specifically offer teens is the Bridge Academy, which partners with local community members to help teens with resume building, applying for scholarships, mock interviewing, and much more.
Jef and his team presented again in 2017; this time, however, their passion was much more personal: the Club’s goal became not only to add a new teen center but also to carry on the legacy of Goodnight’s son. Mason passed away suddenly the previous April after contracting meningitis. Mason is greatly missed, but his legacy will continue through The Mason Goodnight Teen Center.
The Women’s Fund of South Central Kentucky is honored to be a part of this legacy, and we cannot wait to hear about all of the positive ways the teens in Franklin-Simpson will be impacted.
for more info about The Boys and Girls Club of Franklin-Simpson >>
2016 WOMEN’S FUND GRANT RECIPIENTS
The Salvation Army of Bowling Green
$90,000
IMPACT GRANTBoys & Girls Club of Bowling Green
$5,000
Boys & Girls Club of Franklin
$5,000
Junior Achievement of South Central Kentucky
$5,000
2016 WOMEN’S FUND IMPACT AWARDEE: THE SALVATION ARMY OF BOWLING GREEN
The Pathway of Hope program was also supported through this grant to provide service to families with a desire to break the cycle of crisis and enable a path out of intergenerational poverty. Pathway of Hope will employ a two-generation strategy, focusing on both the adults and the children in these vulnerable families. Through this program families and children will experience increased housing stability, increased life-skills capabilities such as household budgeting, increased school stability for children, and the greater capacity to avoid another housing crisis.
The Salvation Army’s Pathway of Hope has an opportunity to make a lasting impact on vulnerable families. A path out of intergenerational poverty is desperately needed for families here in Bowling Green. Together we can act to break the cycle of repeated crisis that traps so many of these families.
for more info about The Salvation Army of Bowling Green >>
2015 WOMEN’S FUND GRANT RECIPIENTS
Haven4Change, Inc.
$85,000
IMPACT GRANTHope Harbor, Inc.
$5,000
The Foundry Christian Community Center
$5,000
The Salvation Army of Bowling Green
$5,000
2015 WOMEN’S FUND IMPACT AWARDEE: HAVEN4CHANGE
Haven4Change provides transitional housing for women and their children, offers safe, sanitary, and affordable housing with supportive services in a nurturing environment with the goal of facilitating and encouraging successful recovery from substance abuse and its related barriers. The Haven4Change program is unique because of its ability to offer low rent housing to 17 recovering substance-abusing women and their children, enabling the family unit to be maintained. The 2015 Impact grant of $85,000 allowed Haven4Change to refurbish the entire facility. From a new roof to Interior demolition of the old tile and carpet, installing new flooring, painted interior, cabinetry repaired, new living room furniture, appliances, chest of drawers and bedding was accomplished.
for more info about Haven4Change>>
2014 WOMEN’S FUND GRANT RECIPIENTS
Family Enrichment Center
$61,500
IMPACT GRANTBoys & Girls Club
$4,000
Community Action of SKY
$4000
Kids on the Block
$4,000
HOTEL, Inc.
$4,000
2014 WOMEN’S FUND IMPACT AWARDEE: WEE CARE CHILD CARE CENTER
August 3, 2015 brought about a wonderful change for Family Enrichment Center. The dream of having all of our services on one campus came true with the opening of our new Wee Care Childcare Center. This new building allows us to expand services to offer care to 49 children and increase our “free” respite services to parents in the community. This goal from our long range plan could have never been realized without the help of the Women’s Fund of South Central Kentucky. Financial support from the grant allowed us to renovate an old, abandoned building and make it a spectacular place to care for little ones and make sure they are prepared to enter school. Thanks to the Women’s Fund, the benefits of this project will be realized on and on, long past 2015. Who knew that a group of concerned women, who envision a community where women and children are safe and have the services they need to allow them to be the best they can be, could make such big changes in such a short amount of time? Family Enrichment Center is grateful that the Women’s Fund cares about the parents and children we serve.
—Lynn Hulsey | Family Enrichment Center
for more info about Wee Care Childcare Center>>
2013 WOMEN’S FUND GRANT RECIPIENTS
Barren River Area Safe Space
$51,000
Impact GrantBoys & Girls Club
$3,000
Junior Achievement
$4000
Kids on the Block
$3,000
2013 WOMEN’S FUND IMPACT AWARDEE: B.R.A.S.S
The Barren River Area Safe Space, Inc. is a regional domestic violence shelter and program dedicated to providing safety, crisis intervention and educational programming within a trauma informed care model. The Women’s Fund of South Central Kentucky enabled the shelter to make an impact on women and children through the addition of a handicap accessible bathroom, furniture and play equipment in order to make their world a better place.