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.
  • 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.

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 grant recipient will be announced at the WGC Annual Meeting on 10/28 at 12 PM via Zoom.

2020 Women’s Leadership Pipeline Study & White Paper

In recent years, Heritage Fund’s Women’s Giving Circle has taken steps to broaden our definition of philanthropy and increase our impact in the community. We believe that to create real positive change requires more than just proving financial resources. Effective philanthropy is bringing all resources to the table including the investment of time, skill, talent, finances, intellect and leadership. We know that the unique perspective and diverse skill set that women possess add value at every level of an organization and that women’s voices deserve, and need, to be heard. Our goal through this project was to better understand and document how women are represented in leadership positions throughout our community.

In 2019 women represented 49.7% of the population in Bartholomew County – and as such, we should expect that women constitute 50% of community leadership positions. We want to see women equally represented across all sectors of leadership and not limited to those roles that have been traditionally considered “female” – children/youth serving, caregiving, etc. We believe increasing women’s access to leadership roles is core to the mission of the Women’s Giving Circle and integral to the continued advancement of the community.

For more information and the complete study findings, please read the Women’s Leadership Pipeline White Paper:  WGC Leadership Pipeline Paper

2020 Women Rising Leadership Grant Application & Criteria

The Women Rising Leadership Grant was established in 2020 by the Women’s Giving Circle of Bartholomew County to invest in the leadership growth of women and increase the number of women in leadership positions throughout our community. We know that the unique perspective and diverse skill set that women possess add value at every level of an organization and that women’s voices deserve, and need, to be heard. The scholarship is administered by Heritage Fund – the Community Foundation of Bartholomew County.

Grants are available to women passionate about community leadership, to assist in the costs of obtaining and/or providing leadership training. The grant may be used to cover items such as, but not limited to, leadership training program tuition, leadership seminar registration fees, book materials and other resources, childcare, and travel expenses. Applicants will be asked to submit a proposed budget with their grant application. Applications for The Women Rising Leadership Grant will be available beginning Nov. 2, 2020, and will be awarded on a rolling basis until funding is gone.

Recipients will be chosen on the basis of personal circumstances and potential, and the likely impact of the scholarship on improving women’s representation in community leadership.

Criteria:

  • Applicant must be a woman living or working in Bartholomew County.
  • Applicant must demonstrate need and the proposed budget must alignment with the WGC goals of investing in the leadership growth of women and increasing the number of women in leadership positions.
  • Applicant must be currently serving in, or possess the desire to serve in, a community leadership position.
  • Applicant must demonstrate leadership potential, as documented in a recommendation letter from a local community member.

Applications are due to Kelly Geckler, at Heritage Fund, 538 Franklin Street, or emailed to kgeckler@heritagefundbc.org.

Application: WGC Women Rising Leadership Grant

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