In April 2009, the Board of Directors of the Women and Girls Foundation approved a new strategic plan for 2009-2011. The strategic planning process involved reviewing past and current Foundation activities to identify organizational, funding and grantmaking priorities for 2009 and beyond. This process was informed by conversations with women and girls serving agencies, stakeholders and community members who helped determine the strategic direction of our advocacy efforts, grantmaking and coalition-building.
To achieve gender equity in Southwest PA, in 2009-2011 WGF plans to INVEST in policy initiatives that will increase women’s rights and result in long-term equity for women and girls. WGF will also be an ADVOCATE for economic equity to create a region where women can thrive economically by raising awareness of the status of women and girls and increasing equality in wages, resources, and leadership opportunities.
Thank you for casting your vote in the 2009 WGF Online Vote Initiative!
The community response to the first-ever WGF online voting initiative, designed to engage our community in the selection of the 2009 grantees, was overwhelming with more than 2,600 votes being cast. In the online vote, we asked the community to tell us which of the Top 10 proposed projects, selected by the Grantmaking Committee from a pool of 31 applications, would increase rights of women and girls in the region. For a list of 2009 grantees, please see here.
Why is gender equity important?
Gender equity is a goal that will serve our entire community. When women and girls thrive, communities prosper. Therefore we want the full community partnering with us in this struggle to achieve equity in our lifetimes: men and women. It will take commitment and enthusiasm throughout our region for true systemic change to be achieved. The Women and Girls Foundation (WGF) invests regionally in women’s rights and policy advocacy initiatives that create systemic change and increase rights of women and girls in Southwest Pennsylvania. WGF supports high-impact legislative advocacy and community organizing efforts that aim at achieving long-term systemic change that creates tangible shifts and offers systemic solutions to current inequities.
There are several key features of systemic change. Most notably, systemic change:
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Changes ideas, assumptions, attitudes, and behaviors
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Reaches beyond the immediate project or organization
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Is sustainable – change continues to occur even after direct intervention ends
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Requires the use of multiple and coordinated strategies and activities
Below are the four indicators of systemic change, which the Foundation uses to evaluate grant proposals. Does your proposed project, aim at achieving at least one of the following indicators?
1. Changing how people are thinking and talking about an issue
By the conclusion of your project, you will have raised awareness, introduced new language, and reframed the discussion of gender inequity among both program participants and community members.
2. Engaging communities in civic action
You will have inspired communities to engage in civic action to eradicate or improve a local issue of gender inequity. You will have moved the community to join with your organization in ending a form of gender inequity.
3. Developing, or changing, public or corporate policy
Systemic obstacles to equity will be overcome through the adoption of new laws, policies, or practices. These new policies, aimed at increasing the rights and equity for women and girls in Southwest Pennsylvania will be a result of your efforts.
4. Fighting back opposition to equity
As a result of your efforts, opposition to increased advancement and liberties for women and girls will lose traction.
Examples of outcomes resulting from these efforts include:
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A coalition of domestic violence victim service providers working together to pass legislation at the state-level mandating that domestic violence become a reportable incident by state hospitals and police departments.
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A youth-led effort to generate community awareness and support among teens and their parents to work together to change their local school board’s policy to include support for comprehensive sex education programs.
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A women’s reproductive health organization working to pass legislation to make contraception, midwifery, or other women’s reproductive health services covered under state health care or medical health assistance.
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A coalition of women’s or girls’ service providers that work together to apply for a grant to receive stimulus funds, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds, or state funds to support women/girl services in SWPA.
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An effort to engage low-income women in advocating for increased female participation in workforce development trainings and efforts related to the green jobs initiatives.
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Advocacy efforts related to increasing Women Owned Businesses participation in county contracting opportunities.
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Advocacy efforts to enforce equal pay and/or equal opportunity policies related to the PA State ERA, EEOC, and/or Title IX at the city, county, or state level.
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Other efforts to work with policymakers to introduce or pass legislation that will remedy inequalities facing women and girls at local, regional and/or state levels.
Last Updated: June 2010
