As Women’s Fund of Central Indiana approached its grants process in 2007 to work with an eye toward helping women and girl-serving organizations improve their long-term sustainability. Women’s Fund worked with several organizations in three priority funding areas(caregiving, domestic violence and insufficient income) to help them focus on internal capacity, key competencies and financial stability.

“Several of the organizations funded by Women’s Fund since 1999 no longer exist, or no longer exist in the way they used to,” said Jennifer Pope Baker, director of Women’s Fund. The changes are not due
to diminished need in services; rather, the reason for closed doors can be traced to organizational instability. Women’s Fund wanted to use its grant dollars to ensure that the organizations that have historically done an excellent job serving women and girls will have the internal knowledge and capacity to develop and implement strategies to secure their futures.

Ten organizations were awarded a total of $337,785 in grants:

• Day Nursery Association of Indianapolis
• Domestic Violence Network of Greater Indianapolis (DVNGI)
• Dress for Success Indianapolis
• Girls Inc. – Franklin
• Girls Inc. – Indianapolis
• Girls Inc. – Shelbyville
• Indiana Women's Prison – Family Preservation Program
• Prevail
• The Julian Center
• Training, Inc.

Women’s Fund of Central Indiana was created as a fund of the Central Indiana Community  Foundation in 1996 to support programs giving opportunities, encouragement, knowledge and hope to women and girls. Women’s Fund has given more than $2.7 million in grants to more than 70 organizations since 1999. It’s now actively engaged in a $10 million fundraising campaign to further benefit women- and girl-serving organizations in central Indiana.

Read more about Women’s Fund.

Read more grantmaking stories.