All of the nearly 2,200 members of the Women’s Giving Fund can vote to decide which community group receives the top prize. This year, the group will give away three grants totaling $125,000.
Park City Community Foundation Member Services Manager Rebecca Blanchette says the grants steering committee received 22 applications and narrowed the field to three finalists. Of those, one will be awarded the high-impact grant of $75,000.
“We have made videos with each of those finalists, Blachette said. “And you can view those on our website. The three finalists are the People's Health Clinic, Mountain Mediation Center, and Summit Community Gardens/EATS.”
If it wins, People’s Health Clinic will provide reproductive care for uninsured community members, including family planning, contraception as well as prenatal and postpartum care.
The Mountain Mediation Center plans to provide low-income families with services to navigate housing stability and landlord/tenant mediation programs to prevent eviction and homelessness, if it wins.
And Summit Community Gardens would use the money to instill lifelong healthy eating habits and provide fresh fruits and vegetables to about 2,000 local school children through cooking, nutrition and gardening programs.
The deadline to vote is Mon., July 8 and a grant awards celebration is scheduled for Wed., July 10 at Red Pine Lodge.
To be eligible to vote, Women’s Giving Fund members make a $1,000 gift to the grant fund. New members are eligible right away, even if they pay through a monthly recurring donation.
Blanchette says members are encouraged to RSVP for next week’s grant celebration.
“We charge $25 per ticket and that is helping to cover the cost of the event,” she said. “Vail is an incredible sponsor of all of our work, and they sponsor most of that event, but as you know, the cost of labor and food have gone up and so we don't want that to come out of the fund. And so, we've just asked members to do $25. There’s an open bar, great food. A good time.”
The two-runner up organizations will each receive $25,000.
Click here for more information about Women’s Giving Fund membership, or to RSVP for the grant celebration.
