Women and Girls Foundation

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 in regional efforts that create systemic change and increase rights of women and girls in Southwest Pennsylvania. WGF supports high-impact projects 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:

Changes ideas, assumptions, attitudes, and behaviors
Reaches beyond the immediate project or organization
Is sustainable – change continues to occur even after direct intervention ends
Requires the use of multiple and coordinated strategies and activities

Below are the four indicators of systemic change, which the Foundation uses to evaluate all letters of inquiry (LOI) and 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:

Economic Equity

Fair and equal wages for women
Changes in policy that result in improved access to affordable child and health care for workers
Regional investment in female entrepreneurship
Increased participation in non-traditional career fields by women and girls
Fair representation for women on non-profit and corporate boards and senior management structures

Social Equity

Equal protection under the law
Equal access to educational, artistic, and athletic resources
Enforcement of current gender equity legislation
Increased awareness of public policy issues affecting gender equity
Legal protection from domestic violence
Access to safe, legal information, and services to determine their own reproductive destiny

Last Updated: August 2008


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Introduction Priority Areas Guidelines and Application Past Grantees Report Forms Girls As Grantmakers Site	GRANTMAKING Priority Areas 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 in regional efforts that create systemic change and increase rights of women and girls in Southwest Pennsylvania. WGF supports high-impact projects 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: Changes ideas, assumptions, attitudes, and behaviors Reaches beyond the immediate project or organization Is sustainable – change continues to occur even after direct intervention ends Requires the use of multiple and coordinated strategies and activities Below are the four indicators of systemic change, which the Foundation uses to evaluate all letters of inquiry (LOI) and 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: Economic Equity Fair and equal wages for women Changes in policy that result in improved access to affordable child and health care for workers Regional investment in female entrepreneurship Increased participation in non-traditional career fields by women and girls Fair representation for women on non-profit and corporate boards and senior management structures Social Equity Equal protection under the law Equal access to educational, artistic, and athletic resources Enforcement of current gender equity legislation Increased awareness of public policy issues affecting gender equity Legal protection from domestic violence Access to safe, legal information, and services to determine their own reproductive destiny Last Updated: August 2008

Changes ideas, assumptions, attitudes, and behaviors

Reaches beyond the immediate project or organization