Home of the Sparrow, serving Malvern, was among the seven Chester County agencies who received grants totaling $20,000 from the Chester County Fund for Women and Girls, as part of the ninth cycle of its award-winning girls grantmaking program.

Through the Girls Advisory Board, GAB, the Fund educates a new generation of young women about the importance of philanthropy, community service, and the positive difference each girl can make in the lives of others. While serving on GAB over a three-month period, 20 high school girls from across the county, including Great Valley School District, learn about the economic, social and health needs of girls in the community. The young women set funding priorities, create a grant application, visit nonprofit agencies and recommend the programs for funding.

The girls in this year’s program awarded grants to organizations that addressed the girls’ top funding priority: helping young women and girls who are affected by
economic disparities and a lack of basic needs. These include: health care, housing, and issues of mental illness,
low self-esteem, eating disorders, peer pressure, anxiety, stress and violence. The Fund has awarded over $1.6 million total in grants, and to date, our Girls Advisory Board has awarded $170,000 over the past eight years to programs that aim to improve the lives of girls and young women in the county. 

Nobody describes the grantmaking experience better than our own GAB girls:

“GAB has changed my life and made me a better and more
aware person.” –Paige

“Before GAB, I truly wasn't fully aware of the many
challenges girls in my own community face. Now I am better educated about the needs that are out there. I gained knowledge about philanthropy, non-profits, the grantmaking process, teamwork, and have had wonderful female role models to learn from.”  - Rachel

“The most important thing I have learned was that these problems are not unfixable and that, with enough effort and will power, real results can be accomplished, which is a very empowering thing.” - Danielle 

The 2013 GAB grant recipients are:

Chester County Community Dental

$2,250.00 Girls’ Smiles Program

Chester County Food Bank

$4,500.00 Children’s Food Backpack Program

Friends Association for the Care and Protection of Children

$3,000.00 Homeless to Independence Initiative Program

The Garage Community and Youth Center

$1,500.00 Afterschool Programs for Girls

Home of the Sparrow

$3,000.00 Transitional Housing Program

Parkesburg Point

$2,750.00 Girls-to-Women in the World Program

YoungMoms

$3,000.00 YoungMoms program

Chester County Fund is a national leader in girls
grantmaking, and this year we are pleased to highlight our Girls Advisory Board through several Fund initiatives. 

The Fund was honored to serve as co-host of the first National Girls Grantmaking Conference, a three-day event in August which girls from our own Girls Advisory Board and young women grantmakers from across the country came together to learn, debate, and develop grantmaking strategies on the campus of Bryn Mawr College.

For the first time ever, we will celebrate our Girls Advisory Board at the Fund’s annual Making a Difference Luncheon, which will be held on Friday, April 19^th. With non-profit partners, individuals, and leaders, we will join together to recognize the power women can have as we work to make a difference in the lives of women and girls and their families throughout Chester County. All proceeds from the luncheon will benefit GAB! Visit www.ccwomenandgirls.org/2013-making-a-difference-luncheon/ for more details.

For more photos or information about our Girls Advisory Board, the Making a Difference Luncheon, or other Fund activities, contact Lisa V. Hancock, Director of Development, at lhancock@ccwomenandgirls.org.

The Chester County Fund for Women and Girls is a grantmaking and education foundation dedicated to addressing the needs of women and girls in the county. For over 16 years, the Fund has raised awareness about the critical needs of women and girls, and has awarded over $1.6 million to 52 non-profit organizations. To learn more about the Chester County Fund for Women and Girls visit www.ccwomenandgirls.org.