Women’s Giving Circle of Bartholomew County

Mission

Our mission is to educate, connect and inspire women to practice strategic philanthropy; using our collective strengths and financial resources to create positive change in Bartholomew County

Vision

Women’s Giving Circle is a powerful philanthropic force transforming lives in Bartholomew County.

We value

  • High Impact Grants
  • Developing Women’s Leadership
  • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
  • An Educated & Engaged Network
  • Connection & Collaboration
  • Collective Giving

2020 marks the 10th year of the Women’s Giving Circle of Bartholomew County, and as a reminder, our mission is to educate, connect and inspire women to practice strategic philanthropy; using our intellectual and financial resources to create positive change in Bartholomew County. We hope that you will join us as we celebrate the great work of the past and move into the future. We know that when we come together as women – anything is possible.

2020 Initiatives

  • Women in Crisis Micro-Loan Program – In partnership with Lincoln Central Neighborhood Family Center, WGC will provide grant funds to assist women in crisis. LCFNC will identify women in need and work to make small dollar, high impact loans with reasonable payment terms. Women will be assisted with support for items such as: unexpected emergency expenses, monthly bill assistance due to extenuating circumstances, job preparedness etc. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, these loans will now be forgivable.  We will resume the loan program in 2021
  • Bartholomew Co. Report Card for Women and Strategic Grantmaking – In order to better assess the needs of women in our community, WGC will work with strategic partners to collect key data on the status of women locally. Data will be shared with the community and used to define future initiatives and grant making from the WGC. We plan to share the report card at our 2020 fall annual meeting
  • Women’s Leadership Pipeline – In 2020, we will complete the creation of a leadership pipeline that will help to identify community leadership roles and how we can better connect local women to opportunities to lead
  • Strategic Grant Making – With your help, this year the WGC will fund a $10,000 high impact grant for an organization in our community. 2019 & 2020 members who make a gift by July 15th will be able to vote on the grant impact areas.

Women of all ages and means are invited to join in this important work with a gift to the Women’s Giving Circle Philanthropic Fund as you are able and inspired to give. The donation form is below.  Gifts from women across the community will be pooled together for greater impact in grant-making and programs.

Your support makes these initiatives possible! Thank you!

2020 High Impact Grant Information  

The coronavirus pandemic has had a financial impact on Bartholomew County not-for-profits. During this time, the services that these not-for-profits provide is critical to supporting families in need, mitigating the impacts of the pandemic on women and children, and maintaining quality of life in our community. In order to support our community during this challenging period, the WGCBC will award $10,000 in unrestricted operating funds to one not-for-profit organization in Bartholomew County engaging in efforts to positively impact women and children.

The WGCBC encourages submissions from organizations managing ongoing programs that seek to improve the lives of women and their families. Applicants should demonstrate the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on their organization’s operations and describe how a grant of $10,000 will positively impact the organization and its ability to serve women and children in Bartholomew County.

WGC 2020 Grant RFP

WGC 2020 Grant Application

Questions?  Contact Kelly Geckler at (812) 376-7772 or kgeckler@heritagefundbc.org

White Fragility Book Read & Discussion  

In light of the recent national events around racial injustice, the Women’s Giving Circle is hosting a book read and discussion with Tracy Heaton de Martinez and Brooke Hawkins as co-facilitators.

Want to get involved? 

  • Join the mailing list by sending an email to: kgeckler@heritagefundbc.org – put “Join WGC Mailing List” in the subject line
  • Follow us on our new Facebook page
  • Women of all ages and means are invited to join in this important work with a gift to the Women’s Giving Circle Philanthropic Fund as they are able and inspired to give.  Gifts from women across the community will be pooled together for greater impact in grant-making and programs.

Questions?  Contact Kelly Geckler at (812) 376-7772 or kgeckler@heritagefundbc.org