WOMEN HELPING WOMEN IN OUR COMMUNITY

The Women’s Fund is a Celebration of the Past, a Philanthropic voice for the Present, and a Gift to the Future.

After recognizing the needs of the women around us and the organizations that serve them, the Women’s Fund was established by 100 Founders in 2000.

Our vision has always been to strengthen and grow a legacy of giving that supports these groups within our community.

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OUR IMPACT

The Community Foundation Women’s Fund was founded in 2000 by a group of 100 women who saw a need in the community to champion women’s causes. 

Since it was established nearly 25 years ago, the Community Foundation Women’s Fund has been supporting causes that uplift women in our community through advocacy, partnership, and financial support. The Women’s Fund is an endowed fund, meant to provide an avenue of support for the women in our community for years to come. 

If you are passionate about uplifting women, if you are committed to providing support to women in need, if you are determined to provide compassionate support for your neighbors and friends, then the Women’s Fund is a cause you can support. 

100 Founders, 194 Partners

$1,136,291 Total Gifts Received

$638,779.46 in Lifetime Charitable Disbursements

WHO WE SUPPORT: STORIES FROM OUR GRANT RECIPIENTS

ASSISTANCE LEAGUE OF SOUTHEASTERN MICHIGAN:

Over the years, the Women’s Fund has consistently given to the Assistance League of SE MI in support of Assault Survivor Kits. Any time a woman goes to the hospital as the result of reporting an assault, her clothes become evidence. Each Assault Survivor kit provides…

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Grace Centers of Hope

Grace Centers of Hope is a faith-based, long-term life skills program for people afflicted by homelessness, chemical dependency, and abuse in southeast Michigan. GCH provides help and hope to those in need, and they operate their programs and shelter without any government funding. …

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Hope Against Trafficking

The United States is the #1 consumer of human trafficking in the world. Trafficking is a $150 billion dollar industry, affecting an estimated 27.6 million victims worldwide.

The founders of Hope Against Trafficking realized there was a lack of long-term … 

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In addition to the organizations mentioned above, the Women’s Fund has also supported numerous other organizations throughout the Oakland County and Southeast Michigan region that continually lift up women and women’s causes. 

Among the organizations that the Women’s Fund has provided financial support to over the years are Dutton Farm, the Gary Burnstein Clinic, HAVEN, Rochester Area Neighborhood House, New Day Foundation, Rainbow Connection, Families Against Narcotics, Jewish Vocational Service, Chaldean American Women of Charity, OPC Social & Activity Center, Faith Works Michigan, Paint a Miracle, and more.

The Women’s Fund has proven itself an active and dedicated community partner to many organizations, and we remain committed to continuing our legacy.

OUR LEGACY: A HISTORY OF PHILANTHROPY

Our Mission

To make a positive and lasting difference in the lives of women in our community through targeted financial support for women’s causes.

 

Our Vision

To create a legacy by providing an enduring financial resource for charitable organizations that uplift, support, and nurture women.

 

Our People

We invite all women in the community to join us by making a donation to the Women’s Fund. Our donor base is passionate, engaged, and dedicated: we are Women Helping Women. 

Our Promise

The Women’s Fund provides a permanent legacy for the future of women in our community. We continue to be dedicated to women’s health and wellness as long as there are women to support.

 

the Women’s fund is turning 25!

The Women’s Fund was founded in 2000 by a group of 100 women who saw a need in the community to champion more women’s causes. These 100 women each wrote a check, and they are now known as the founding partners of the Community Foundation of Greater Rochester Women’s Fund. 

In 2023, the CFGR Women’s Fund granted a total of $25,000 to various organizations in our communities working to help women and women’s causes:

The Women’s Fund is approaching its 25th Anniversary in 2025, and we are excited to share the mission and vision of the Women’s Fund with the next generation of donors.

The Women’s Fund is an endowed fund, making grants every year to organizations in our communities that support women’s causes:

Women Helping Women.

The Women’s Fund has been able to really direct funds to women who may be struggling, and over the years we’ve been able to help women with educational assistance, with car repairs so they can get to work, with a variety of direct financial assistance… The Women’s Fund has really been there for us when we needed to reach out to a woman who needed help.

Linda Riggs, former Executive Director at RANH

BECOME A PARTNER

The Women’s Fund is made up of Founders, Partners, and Donors. A Founder is one of the 100 original women who believed in the vision of the Women’s Fund and wrote a check for $1000.

A Donor is anyone who has ever given to the Women’s Fund.

A Partner is a Donor who has reached the threshold of $1000. If you have ever given to the Women’s Fund, if you have ever bought a ticket to a Women’s Fund event, you are on your way to being a partner.

The Women’s Fund

The Women’s Fund is a permanently endowed fund owned and administered by the Community Foundation of Greater Rochester.

The Women’s Fund was established through the generosity of 100 women, the Women’s Fund Founders, who each donated $1,000.

Since being established, more than 1,200 unique donors have contributed over 6,000 gifts, supporting the funding of $638,779.46 to local nonprofit programs and projects that help women in need.