2014 ANNUAL REPORT Finding Needs. Funding Change.
PRESIDENT’S WELCOME
IT IS CLEAR THAT NO SINGLE ORGANIZATION CAN SOLVE POVERTY ALONE. Thanks to your support of our work, agencies are now working together to help women who are ready and eager (and now trained) to move into higher-waged jobs. You are the essential puzzle piece in helping women and their children move out of financial despair and toward a more prosperous, more fulfilling life. Through your generosity, The Women’s Fund invested $525,000 in programs that helped women move themselves and their children out of poverty in 2014—double what we invested in 2013. The results are palpable: • 112 women completed or are enrolled in post-secondary educational or skills-based programs, equipping them to fill needed higher-paying jobs; • 51 women gained new employment or received raises; • 145 women are now in safe housing; and • 151 children are now enrolled in quality early childcare centers who were not before.
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The Women’s Fund boldly connects the pieces of the puzzle to allow more and more women to succeed. Thanks to our work—and your support—nonprofit and governmental agencies are working together through a two-generation approach to educate mothers and their children at the same time. JeVonne Carter is one of those moms. She recently completed the pharmacy technician program at Jefferson State Community College, going on to receive her associate’s degree in May. She now works in a local pharmacy. “Thanks to The Women’s Fund, I started something and I finished it,” she said. Stories like JeVonne’s are multiplying thanks to your investment in women and their children. It’s working! They are working! And you are transforming lives for the better—two generations at a time.
Dianne Mooney 2014 Board Chair
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OVERVIEW
THE BIG PICTURE FOR WOMEN A woman in poverty tries to put the puzzle pieces together as best she can. She works with what she has, but sometimes she’s missing a piece—missing an opportunity—and can only get so far. The Women’s Fund connects mothers and their children to the missing pieces necessary for economic security, including postsecondary education, career counseling, quality childcare, transportation assistance, and safe housing.
We support initiatives that create opportunities for all women to blaze the trail towards long-term financial independence and a better life for themselves and their families. Women have unique challenges and we fund proven solutions to move women and their families to self-sufficiency.
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OUR MISSION: The Women’s Fund inspires women to use their philanthropic power to create positive change for women and their children through collaboration, grantmaking, and advocacy.
OUR VISION: Moving women beyond poverty.
OUR REGION: Greater Birmingham (Blount, Jefferson, St. Clair, Shelby, and Walker counties)
BLOUNT
WALKER ST. CLAIR
JEFFERSON SHELBY
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2014 RESULTS
A SOLID INVESTMENT THANKS TO YOU AND OUR PARTNERS, THE WOMEN’S FUND INVESTED
$525,000
IN WOMEN AND THEIR CHILDREN VIA OUR COMMUNITY INITIATIVES.
1,524 1,254
THIS INVESTMENT SERVED
WOMEN AND
OF THEIR CHILDREN.
2014 COMMUNITY INITIATIVES • Collaboration Institute • Prescription for Success • Grantmaking • Advocacy • Stepping Into Homeownership
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IN 2014, WITH YOUR SUPPORT:
112
WOMEN ENROLLED IN POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION
151 145
SINGLE MOTHERS &
MOVED TO SAFE,
51
OF THEIR CHILDREN ENROLLED IN QUALITY EARLY EDUCATION
409
OF THEIR CHILDREN
PERMANENT HOUSING
WOMEN SECURED NEW EMPLOYMENT OR EARNED A PROMOTION
148
WOMEN OPENED SAVINGS ACCOUNTS, SAVING A TOTAL OF
$287,892
$6,184,217
IN ASSETS WERE ACQUIRED
(VIA HOMEOWNERSHIP, TAX CREDITS/REFUNDS, OR NEW INCOME)
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COLLABORATION INSTITUTE
CONNECT. COLLABORATE. INNOVATE. In 2013, The Women’s Fund launched The Collaboration Institute to bring agencies that work with women and children together to remove obstacles to success and provide comprehensive services. By acting as a catalyst and giving organizations time and resources to build programs together, The Women’s Fund increases impact by filling the holes in existing services. In February of 2014, five teams competed for funding from The Women’s Fund’s inaugural Collaboration Institute, which will be held every other year. Two teams received $25,000 each to launch their collaborative programs plus an additional $8,000 to hire a project intern; two teams received $15,000 each. For example, Nikita (right) and other women participated in Permanent Address, a Collaboration Institute-funded partnership between two agencies—Habitat for Humanity of Greater Birmingham and United Way of Central Alabama—that had not formally worked together before. Before the creation of Permanent Address, hundreds of women were declined for homes built by Habitat, but few alternatives were offered. Collaboration Institute catalyzed a program that linked a United Way matched savings program with potential Habitat homeowners and found more women permanent addresses. 8 | Annual Report 2014
“IT IS TRULY A WONDERFUL FEELING TO BE ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH SOMETHING THAT I DIDN’T THINK WOULD BE POSSIBLE THIS SOON.” With initiatives created through our Collaboration Institute, Nikita and her daughter now live in a safe home with affordable mortgage payments that allow them enough savings to fulfill Nikita’s dream of going back to school to work in the medical field. Finding Needs. Funding Change. | 9
THE WOMEN’S FUND BOLDLY CONNECTS THE PIECES OF THE PUZZLE TO ALLOW MORE AND MORE WOMEN TO SUCCEED. 10 | Annual Report 2014
2014 COLLABORATION INSTITUTE WINNERS
INNOVATION THROUGH COLLABORATION PERMANENT ADDRESS Vulcan Materials Company and Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham Innovation in Community Collaboration Award ($25,000) Collaborators: Habitat for Humanity of Greater Birmingham and United Way of Central Alabama Permanent Address empowers women in Fairfield to take a step closer to owning their own homes. In partnership with United Way, Habitat now helps women who are potential homeowners apply for matched Individual Development Accounts, leveraging a 2:1 match. Working collaboratively, Habitat and United Way now refer clients to workforce development programs. This program helped fill in a piece of the puzzle that’s often missing for women—homeownership. Through Permanent Address: • 54 women and 78 of their children found permanent housing • $3,056,804 in new assets for women acquired through homeownership • $199,515 saved by single women through 70 new matched savings accounts Finding Needs. Funding Change. | 11
PHARMACY TECHNICIAN TRAINING PROGRAM Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama Collaboration in Healthcare Award ($25,000) Collaborators: Jefferson State Community College, St. Clair County Head Start, Pell City First United Methodist Church, and the Alabama Career Center of Pell City Shahollany (right) is a single mother from Pell City who enrolled in Jefferson State’s Pharmacy Technician Certification Preparation course to enter the in-demand pharmacy field. While in class, children of these mothers attended high-quality childcare at the local Head Start; First Methodist Church of Pell City provided lunches for the women; St. Clair Public Transportation donated transit; and the Alabama Career Center offered job placement services for graduates. With all of the support provided, all 14 women passed the Pharmacy Tech course. Talk about completing the puzzle for them and their 23 children!
Shahollany is a proud mom of two daughters, ages 4 and 7. She enrolled in the pharmacy technician training program for the same reason so many moms go back to school: “To have the opportunity to help my family.” Despite being evicted from her home during the course, she received her certificate while her own mother and children watched proudly. She is now working in a Rite Aid pharmacy and is enrolled in college to pursue her goal of becoming a pharmacist. 12 | Annual Report 2014
“YOU ALL WERE THERE THROUGH THICK AND THIN UNTIL THE END MAKING SURE WE SUCCEEDED. THE WOMEN’S FUND HAS MADE A MAJOR IMPACT ON MY LIFE FOR THE BETTER.” Finding Needs. Funding Change. | 13
TRANSFORMING LIVES FOR THE BETTER—TWO GENERATIONS AT A TIME.
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GRANTMAKING
PARTNERING FOR SUCCESS Our grantmaking cycle supports a two-generation approach to ending generational poverty. We research and target organizations that understand they cannot move women ahead financially in a vacuum. Your investments support programs that increase assets for women through job skills, education, childcare support, and homeownership. These families are now well on their way to financial stability.
IN 2014, WE INVESTED $278,000 IN GRANTS TO NINE NONPROFIT PARTNERS TO IMPROVE WOMEN’S ECONOMIC SECURITY IN GREATER BIRMINGHAM, INCLUDING $100,000 TO SUPPORT MATCHED SAVINGS FOR EDUCATION AND HOMEOWNERSHIP. Finding Needs. Funding Change. | 15
2014 GRANT RECIPIENTS ALABAMA PARTNERSHIP FOR CHILDREN T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood Scholarship Program ($25,000) T.E.A.C.H. provides scholarships to 10 single women working in the early care and education field. Scholarship recipients receive a wage increase from their employer after completing their first nine credit hours.
CHILDCARE RESOURCES Childcare Financial Assistance Program ($15,000) This program reduces the childcare expenses for mothers like Ms. H. (below) who are working on a post-secondary degree or are enrolled in a job training course.
Eleven years ago, Ms. H. was diagnosed with the immune disorder lupus and told she would never be able to give birth. Despite her odds and her high medical expenses, Ms. H. had a daughter whom she calls “the light of my life.” But she struggled to find childcare and a job flexible enough to accommodate her medical condition. Thanks to The Women’s Fund’s partnership with Childcare Resources, she now has quality childcare for her daughter.
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CHILDREN’S AID SOCIETY Project Independence ($16,000) Project Independence stabilizes the families of young homeless women while helping them access living incomes by providing economic supports, including childcare, transportation, and work incentive/rewards.
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY OF GREATER BIRMINGHAM Affordable Permanent Housing for Single Mothers ($25,000) This program provides affordable, secure homeownership for low-income single mothers. Women are required to put in “sweat equity” by assisting with home building before they are eligible for a Habitat-financed no-interest mortgage.
IMPACT ALABAMA SaveFirst Program ($12,000) SaveFirst provides free tax preparation to low-income Alabamians, primarily women, and ensures their receipt of tax deductions while encouraging them to save refunds received though the Earned Income Tax Credit.
JEFFERSON STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE AND ST. CLAIR COUNTY HEAD START Job Readiness and Childcare ($25,000) This collaborative program provides pharmacy technician certification training for single mothers of children in St. Clair County Head Start at the Head Start facility. Through this course, women move into higher-wage jobs with transferable, credentialed skills.
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NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSING SERVICE Financial Empowerment and Homeownership Initiative ($25,000) NHS provides financial counseling and homeownership support to single women, particularly mothers, participating in job training programs or enrolled in higher-education courses.
THE SALVATION ARMY BIRMINGHAM Permanent Housing Program ($25,000) This program helps women move into permanent housing with supplemental support for utility deposits, rental deposits, and furniture. It also stabilizes women’s economic security by matching them with educational and economic opportunities.
URBAN MINISTRY AND ANGLICAN CHURCH OF THE MOST SACRED HEART Julia Pointer Nursing Certification Program ($10,000) This collaboration identifies nursing assistant positions in West End and recruits single mothers like Desmia and Rosemary (right) to enroll in a Certified Nursing Assistant training program. Throughout the program, women receive wraparound supports, including case management and psychosocial assessments.
Rhotunja knew she needed to go back to school to obtain a job that would give her four young children the life she wanted for them. But paying for childcare on top of her other expenses was too much of a stretch—until she found the Julia Pointer Nursing program. The program connected Rhotunja with resources for subsidized childcare and financial assistance for utility costs. Now Rhotunja can maintain a stable home environment for her children while transitioning into a
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STEPPING INTO HOMEOWNERSHIP
MORE THAN JUST FOUR WALLS Having a safe, permanent home is a crucial piece of the economic security puzzle, especially for women and children. Our Stepping Into Homeownership initiative increases women’s economic security by accruing assets through matched savings accounts or homeownership.
HOMEOWNERSHIP NOT ONLY INCREASES FINANCIAL STABILITY FOR LOW TO MODERATE INCOME WOMEN AND THEIR CHILDREN—IT ALSO STRENGTHENS THE GREATER BIRMINGHAM COMMUNITY BY DECREASING THE RATE OF MORTGAGE DELINQUENCIES AND DEFAULTS AND BY LOWERING THE OVERALL POVERTY RATE. LINKING HOUSING AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SERVICES ALSO POSITIONS WOMEN FOR SUCCESS. Made possible by a two-year grant of $420,000 from Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange, this project also includes a campaign to inform low-income women about local housing and credit services available in their communities and a 2:1 matched savings program for homeownership or post-secondary education.
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Through Stepping Into Homeownership: • 91 women now have matched savings and/or have moved into homeownership this year • Their 78 children are statistically more likely to have a future of economic stability; • $199,515 was saved through matched savings; and • $3,056,804 in assets were acquired.
Homeward (www.homewardBHM.com) is a web tool that helps break down barriers to homeownership for women. Through an interactive experience, Homeward helps users identify their particular obstacles and directs them to resources to address them, including: information about how to save, budget and general financial counseling, personal home-buying counseling, home-buying seminars, credit counseling, foreclosure prevention, and debt management counseling.
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“THIS HOME WILL BUILD STABILITY WITHIN MY FAMILY AND GIVE MY SONS SOMETHING THEY CAN GROW AND BE HAPPY IN.” A single mother of twin three-year old boys, Crystal is a Birmingham native and a graduate of Tuskegee University. Through Stepping Into Homeownership, she is now a proud homeowner and one step closer to her dream of opening a group home for at-risk teens. 22 | Annual Report 2014
PRESCRIPTION FOR SUCCESS
A REMEDY FOR A BRIGHTER FUTURE Designed specifically for single mothers, Prescription for Success combines quality childcare with training for in-demand pharmacy technician careers. The program is a collaboration between Childcare Resources, Jefferson State Community College, and The Women’s Fund that puts women on a fast track to higher wages, benefits, and opportunities for advancement while offering customized early education programs for their children. This program enrolled 30 women in job training courses and 35 children in quality, educational childcare.
THE WOMEN’S FUND SELECTED FOR NATIONAL NETWORK In April 2014, The Women’s Fund was selected as a member of the Aspen Institute Ascend Network, a new group of 50 leading organizations using two-generation approaches to disrupt poverty and create economic mobility for families. The Women’s Fund received a $50,000 grant from the Aspen Institute for Prescription for Success.
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“THERE’S NO WAY I COULD HAVE GONE TO SCHOOL AND BEEN ABLE TO AFFORD CHILDCARE AND EVERYTHING ALONE.” JeVonne, a stay-at-home mom, had always been interested in a pharmacy tech program but never felt the time was right for her to go back to school. Prescription for Success changed that by providing her with quality childcare so she could study. Today, she has a job at the pharmacy at Walmart and is pursuing her associate degree at Jefferson State—where she was named Student of the Year by the Office of Community and Corporate Education. 24 | Annual Report 2014
ADVOCACY
RESHAPING THE SYSTEM It’s not enough for us to create and support innovate programmatic solutions that combat economic insecurity for women. Without meaningful change in public policy, women will never have all the pieces for success. This is why The Women’s Fund joined the Alliance for Responsible Lending in Alabama (ARLA) to advocate for lower interest rates and more reasonable regulations of payday and title loans.
ALTHOUGH THEY ARE ADVERTISED AS SHORT-TERM EMERGENCY CREDIT, THESE PREDATORY LOANS CARRY EXORBITANT INTEREST RATES, SOME AS HIGH AS 456%. BORROWERS—USUALLY WOMEN—ARE FREQUENTLY FORCED TO TAKE OUT ADDITIONAL LOANS TO PAY OFF THE FIRST AND BECOME TRAPPED IN A VICIOUS CYCLE OF DEBT. BILLS TO CAP INTEREST RATES AT 36% MADE IT TO THE FLOORS OF THE ALABAMA HOUSE AND SENATE THIS YEAR. THIS IS THE FARTHEST THEY HAVE COME LEGISLATIVELY AND WE’RE READY TO CONTINUE THE FIGHT.
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SMART PARTY 3.0
SMART PARTY 3.0, PRESENTED BY REGIONS, RAISED MORE THAN $204,000 TO HELP WOMEN AND THEIR CHILDREN MOVE BEYOND POVERTY. THE WOMEN’S FUND SUPPORTED ADDITIONAL GRANTS THANKS TO THE GENEROSITY OF PARTICIPANTS. Smart Party is a groundbreaking live and online cocktail party. It expands the reach of a traditional fundraiser by using technology to tap into guests’ social networks, generate competition, and create positive change. Participants need not attend the event to win. Supporters raise awareness and funds to support The Women’s Fund’s mission, celebrate 10 Smart Honorees, and battle with each other for fabulous prizes. This year’s top award was a backroom tour of Google’s New York headquarters, three nights in a luxury Manhattan apartment, and plane tickets.
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SMART HONOREES KAY K. BAINS
SUSAN GREENE
KATHY G. MEZRANO
Partner Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP
Executive Director Norma Livingston Ovarian Cancer Foundation
Founder and President Kathy G. & Company
LOUISE BEARD
EILEEN MARKSTEIN
Broadway Producer Tony Award winner
Managing Director Markstein
CONSTANCE BURNES
ANDREA MCCASKEY
Director of Schools Birmingham City Schools
Vice President, Human Resources, BioHorizons Implant Systems, Inc.
MICHELE ELROD
CAROLYN SCHERER Fine Art Photographer
DR. FARAH SULTAN Founder and Medical Director Vitalogy Wellness Center
Executive Vice President and Head of Marketing Regions
HOST COMMITTEE Bebe Barnard
Liz Fry
Libby Lord
Katherine Berdy
Sarah Glover
Jaclynne Maxwell
Mimi Major Bittick
Kim Hager
Colin Mitchell
Wendy Bozzeli
Patricia Hansen
Patricia Murray
Emily Branum
Marcia Hart
Emily Naman
Laura Bright
Claire Hart
Sarah Peinhardt
Glenny Brock
Sarah Hoffman
Katie Powell
Meredith Calhoun
Stephanie Hutcheson
Christiana Roussel
Hillary Carnel
Lanier Isom
Emily Schultz
Karen Carroll
Morgan Johnston
Meredith Shah
Aimee Castro
Dina Jordan
Richelle Simmons
Megan LaRussa-Chenoweth
Diva Keshavan
Hampton Stephens
Kellie Clark
Anna Kittinger
Yvette Weaver
Sheri Cook
Ricki Kline
Karla Wiles
Cindy Fisher Crawford
Gaines Kohn
Hannah Wolfson
Carey Donaldson
Holly Lollar
Adrian Zebot
Brantley Fry
Theresa Long
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FINANCIALS 2014 INCOME
45%
12% 7%
36%
Grants.................................................................................................. $405,100 Corporate............................................................................................$110,000 Individuals......................................................................................... $326,954 Endowment.......................................................................................... $60,354 Total................................................................. $902,502
2014 BOARD Dianne A. Mooney, Chair Tracey Morant Adams Vicki L. Briggs The Honorable Agnes Chappell Lisa Engel Dr. Liesel French Linda Friedman
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Brenda Mitchell Hackney Dr. Connie Hill Alesia M. Jones Ellen Jones Tonya Jones Ricki Kline Emily Hess Levine Debra Taylor Lewis
Barbara H. Oberman The Honorable Nyya Parson-Hudson Deborah McGill Smith Lindsey F. Tanner Karla Wiles DeLynn M. Zell
2014 EXPENSES
80% 4%
36%
Program...............................................................................................$726,506 Administration..................................................................................... $32,473 Development...................................................................................... $144,257
Total.................................................................$903,236* *Some grant funds received in 2013 were spent in 2014.
STAFF Jeanne Jackson
Mary Page Wilson-Lyons
President/CEO
Program Director
Jacob L. Smith
Wright Wiggins Rouse
Development Manager
Communications & Donor Relations Manager
Kanika Manne
Hope Lloyd
AmeriCorps Member (2013-2014)
AmeriCorps Member (2013-2014)
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LEGACY CIRCLE TRANSFORMATION FOR WOMEN
HEART FOR WOMEN
TRAILBLAZER FOR WOMEN
Judy & Hal Abroms Lin Carleen, Founder Gillian Goodrich Kate & Claude Nielsen Dr. Cameron Vowell
IMPACT FOR WOMEN Brooke Coleman Judith Crittenden Lisa Engel Emily & Bob Levine Dianne Mooney Alice McSpadden Williams Jane Kaul Wilson
Candice Bagby Kay Bains Brooke & Bob Battle Dr. Martha Bidez Blair Family Fund Dr. Mary Lynne Capilouto Clarus Consulting Group Denise Dauphin Dunn French Foundation Ruth Engel Linda Friedman Ronne & Donald Hess Foundation Jeanne Jackson & Dr. Mark Lester Dr. Nancy Dunlap Johns Ricki Kline Dr. Kim Oh Barbara Royal Donna Dearman Smith
LaVeeda Battle The Honorable Agnes Chappell Dr. Liesel French Brenda Hackney Cheryl Kidd Debra Lewis Deborah McGill Smith The Honorable Nyya Parson-Hudson Dr. Isabel Scarinci Lindsey Tanner Frances Verstandig Karla Wiles Delynn Zell
L-R: Linda Friedman, Ricki Kline, Suzanne Payne, Amy Saag, Pardis Stitt at Smart Party 3.0 on October 16, 2014 at Iron City Birmingham.
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COMMUNITY SUPPORT SMART PARTY SPONSORS Regions EBSCO Healthsouth Altec, Inc. Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP Brookwood Medical Center Cadence Bank Mr. & Mrs. Raymond Harbert Tonya Jones SalonSpa Bridgeworth Financial Energen Milo’s Tea Company Renasant Bank St. Vincent’s Health System Marketry Inc. Brasfield & Gorrie Altamont School Architecture Works LLP Balch & Bingham LLP Emily & Joel Branum Corporate Realty Associates, Inc. Crowne Partners, Inc. Giattina Aycock Architecture Studio Honda Manufacturing of Alabama Joe Piper, Inc. Kianoff & Associates Ricki L. Kline Leaf & Petal Mauldin & Jenkins, LLC Maynard Cooper & Gale, PC Merrill Lynch Richardson, James Rousso Facial Plastic Surgery Clinic
2013-2014 COLLABORATION INSTITUTE SPONSORS
Royal Cup Coffee Schaeffer Eye Center Signature Health, PC Sanjay & Dora Singh Tacala LLC ServisFirst Bank Welch Financial
IN-KIND SUPPORT Alabama Power Foundation Shannon Ammons The Aspen Institute Ascend Fund BBVA Compass Birmingham Coca-Cola Bottling Company Birmingham Printing B-Metro Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham Connie Hill The Daniel Foundation of Alabama International Wines and Craft Beer Foundation Support Linda Friedman Pam Huff Hugh Kaul Foundation Robert Meyer Foundation Ms. Foundation St. Vincent’s Health System Supreme Beverages Susan Mott Webb Charitable Trust Vulcan Materials Wells Fargo Jim Wooten Y Media Works
Alabama Power Foundation Wells Fargo BlueCross BlueShield of Alabama Alabama Power Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham The Daniel Foundation of Alabama Susan Mott Webb Charitable Trust
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2201 5th Avenue South, Suite 110 Birmingham, AL 35233 (205) 326-4454 womensfundbirmingham.org
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