The University of Maine DigitalCommons@UMaine Maine Women's Publications - All Publications Fall 1-1-2006 Funding Women and Girls (2006 - Spring) Maine Women's Fund Staff Maine Women's Fund Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/maine_women_pubs_all Part of the History Commons, Public Administration Commons, Public Affairs Commons, and the Women's Studies Commons Repository Citation Staff, Maine Women's Fund, "Funding Women and Girls (2006 - Spring)" (2006). Maine Women's Publications - All. 64. https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/maine_women_pubs_all/64 This Newsletter is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@UMaine. It has been accepted for inclusion in Maine Women's Publications - All by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@UMaine. For more information, please contact [email protected]. funding Women & Girls Newsletter of the Maine Womens Fund, Spring 2006 GRANTMAKING SEASON: INSIDE THE HEART OF OUR WORK WAGE Project ME.............. Page 2 Bangor Connections ........... Page 3 Spring is a special time for the Maine Women’s New Partnership ............... Page 4 Fund. It is the heart of our grantmaking season. For the 2006 funding round, we New Girls’ Network..............Page 5 received 41 applications, of which 16 appli­ Change in Indian Township ... Page 6 cants have been invited to submit full propos­ als. To make these very important decisions Stepping Out in Red Shoes .... Page 7 about where MWF invests its grantmaking Donor List....................... Page 8 dollars—$90,000 in 2006—a committee of board members and community members commit to thoroughly reviewing and talking MWF Board Member Vivianne Holmes (left) and Bobbie with the applicants about their proposals. McGann listen at the January 2006 Grantmaking Combating Human Committee meeting. Newcomer to the grantmaking committee, Bobbie McGann of York, enjoyed the proposal Trafficking in Maine: review process. “Reviewing the grant applications was a lesson in geography. There were requests Help For Russian from every corner of Maine. The projects were so interesting and innovative,” she said. Ms. McGann recently became involved with MWF through her daughter, former Maine Women’s Brides In Bangor Fund staff member, Shaye McGann Robbins of Bowdoinham. “I was looking for something to fW-,involved with, and this is it—this [helping MWF] is where I want to be,” said Ms. McGann In 2005, the Immigrant Legal Advocacy . a smile. Project (ILAP) received a two-year grant of $15,000 from MWF to help immigrant Now that 16 final grant proposals have been submitted, members of the grantmaking committee women who are victims of domestic violence. and all of the Maine Women’s Fund’s board members will jump on the highways and country Some of MWF’s recent support helps ILAP roads of Maine to make site visits and learn more about each of the proposals. After the site respond to a disturbing trend—the importa­ visits, the grantmaking committee comes together again to makes tough choices about who gets tion of women, coming to Maine from Russia funded and at what level. as “mail order brides.” “As a women’s fund we have created a grantmaking process that is quite different from other Beth Stickney, Executive Director of ILAP, foundations,” said Ján Broberg Carter of Portland, Chair of the Grantmaking Committee. was recently featured on Bangor’s WLBZ- “We are the only funding source dedicated to women’s and girls’ initiatives in Maine. We’re not TV station about the two “mail order bride” afraid to take risks. We love helping good ideas or “international matchmaking” companies become reality. And, we are very interested in located in greater Bangor and the effects these THANK YOU to the Maine investing in solutions that are developed by business have on the women involved. Women’s Fund Grantmaking the people affected by the problem,” said Dr. Committee members for their Carter. “We feel these strategies ensure that “We receive calls from 40-50 women each year, time, perspectives and women’s and girls’ voices are heard and sup­ many of whom are looking for ways to escape commitment to social change. ported!” abusive relationships with the men who have ‘purchased’ them as mail order brides,” said Ján Broberg Carter, Ph.D., Chair, Portland Connie Adler, M.D., Wilton Grant awards for 2006 will be announced in Stickney. While this activity is technically le­ Karin Anderson, Portland (staff) June. Thank you to our grantmaking commit­ gal, it is usually a violation of the human rights Susan Dubuque, Cape Elizabeth tee and board for their work on the grantmak­ of the young, mostly low-income women who Vivianne Holmes, Ph.D., Buckfield Lynda Means, M.D., Portland ing process, as well as to the many nonprofits are often forced, coerced, or deceived into leav­ ^slie Merrill, Portland who apply to MWF for grants. We are proud ing their homes and then sold into a life ^^oberta McGann, York to partner with so many individuals and orga­ that too often includes violence and, some­ Lisa Rideout, Cumberland Foreside nizations to make positive change for Maine Andrea Summers, Portland times, sexual exploitation and/or slave labor. women and girls. ■ continued on page 6 Houle, long time friend way in launch­ le Maine Women’s Fund Getting Even ing The WAGE the women’s community in by Karin Anderson, Executive Director Project(see Maine was recently appointed to the sidebar for list national steering committee of the On April 25th, women across the U.S. of participants WAGE Project, the brain child of Eve­ will celebrate a dubious commemoration to date). Wom­ lyn Murphy, PhD, former Lt. Governor known as Equal Pay Day (In Maine, we en’s economic of Massachusetts. Annie has com­ celebrate on the first Tuesday of April). security and piled and led a strong partnership of This day represents the 115 “extra” days women’s organizations and helped empowerment a woman must work to earn the same launched of WAGE Project ME, which are at the core of our vision of a world amount as a man earns in one year. Put is helping women be paid fairly. where all women are healthy and safe, their another way, American women still only voices are heard at all tables where impor­ earn 77 cents for every dollar men earn, in WAGE Project ME starts WAGE clubs tant decisions are made that affect their spite of pay equity laws. Over a lifetime, and offers plenty of resources to lives, and they have the resources they need this wage gap results in a loss of $700,000 help people begin to make change in to thrive. Getting paid equally for equal for a woman with a high school diploma their own workplaces-a discussion work is the baseline ingredient for this and $1.2 million for a college graduate. A guide, reference materials, and a vision to be realized. list of experts. If you would like to professional school graduate loses $2 mil­ lion to the wage gap. learn more about WAGE Project ME, As some of you know, I was in Italy on contact Annie at 874-1130 ext. 3997. vacation recently as part of a six-week sab­ Is your blood boiling yet? batical. One Sunday while I was in Rome, WAGE Project ME Core Partners: I happened upon an open air market, Evelyn Murphy’s is! The former lieutenant complete with booths staffed by members Maine Career Centers governor of Massachusetts (and economist) of political parties and volunteers with any Maine Department of Labor conducted research over eight years to number of worthy causes. One woman Maine Women’s Fund understand why the wage gap persists. Her stood alone representing WIA, which Maine Women’s Policy Center finding? Sex discrimination. Now, she is translates to the International Associa­ University of Maine Women’s waging war against the wage gap through tion for Welfare. Even my limited Italian Resource Center a national grassroots initiative known as allowed me to see that her work was on Women Unlimited The WAGE (Women Are Getting Even) Women, Work & Community Project. The book that summarizes her YWCA’s of Maine, New England research, Getting Even: Why Women Don’t Region Get Paid Like Men And What To Do About It, suggests that the wage gap will only diminish as women take action to change it. The WAGE Project helps organize women Governor Baldacci shakes Evelyn Murphy’s hand at the WAGE Project ME tea held at across the country to gather information, the Blaine House on April 4, 2006. build allies, and create change in their workplaces. Through “WAGE Clubs” of behalf of women. A t-shirt she had avail­ women who come together for personal able for a “donation” (the best 10 euros I support and to help each other take action spent the entire trip) was about valuing to close the wage gap, The WAGE Project women’s work. In our subsequent labored is empowering women to be the solution to From L to R: Anne MacLeod, Annie Houle, conversation, I conveyed that I, too, and Evelyn Murphy, getting even! the problem. Just as June Jordan reminded worked on behalf of women’s rights. She us in her beautiful tribute to South African smiled and said (at least I think this is what women constrained by apartheid, “We are she said), “If we have to work harder than the ones we’ve been waiting for.” men, at least we should be paid for it.” In Maine, we are proud to partner with Getting even. It’s about time. many of our grantees and allies to lead the Bangor Women Connect & Act w“I had never heard of the Maine Women’s financial advisory practice of Ameriprise in greater Bangor, including an Evening Fund before my friend was invited to a Financial Services.