Full Circle Blog

AAAWGT is excited to share the results of the vote by our members to determine which nonprofits should receive 2023 grant awards. This year’s 50-member Grants Committee was challenged with the task of thoughtfully considering a record number of worthy proposals from local nonprofits. Thanks to contributions from our members (280+ currently), we were able to award grants totaling $164,305, the largest annual amount in our history. Since our founding in 2006, we have provided over $1.7M to nonprofits to help improve the quality of life for underserved women and families in Anne Arundel County.

We have worked hard over the last few years to simplify our grant application — and entire grants process — to encourage a wider range of nonprofits to apply for support. It has placed a renewed emphasis on listening carefully and learning directly from the community about the most critical issues facing women and their families and the most effective ways to address them.

Our CONGRATULATIONS to this year’s grantees:

Anne Arundel County Literacy Council, Inc: Operations Funding for the Continuation and Growth of Free Tutoring Programs for Low-Income Adults in Anne Arundel County — $6,000

Child Resource Connect (formerly Prince George’s Child Resource Center):Anne Arundel Child Care Support Services — $25,000

Community Alliance of South County: Camp, A Week of Possibilities —$13,300

Evolve KidsCare: Childcare for Parents Recovering from Substance Abuse — $15,000

Harvest Resources in Anne Arundel County: Necessities Not Covered By SNAP — $25,000

Maryland Latinos Unidos: Stages of Womanhood — Maternal Health  —$25,000

Rebuilding Together Anne Arundel County, Inc: Safe and Healthy Housing — $25,000

STAIR-Annapolis, Inc: Start the Adventure in Reading — $25,000

AAWGT is pleased to contribute the remaining amount of the grants pool, $5,005, to The Complete Player Charity: TCP and Sisters in Sync Collaborative Leadership Program for Girls.

We very much look forward to partnering with these amazing nonprofits as the year goes forward!

AAWGT held its most well-attended Open House in our history on April 19, with 40 guests and 85 members enjoying the beautiful weather and great food. AAWGT President Susan Cook thanked everyone for attending, while Sue Pitchford, Membership chair, described how AAWGT fulfills its mission to improve the quality of life for women and families in the County. AAWGT is a component fund of the Community Foundation of Anne Arundel County and its president and CEO, Mary Spencer, spoke to the group and introduced John Rodenhausen, the new director of gift planning. In addition, two members, Liz Gillette and Michelle Hellstern, shared the reasons they decided to join AAWGT. Many guests talked about the fact that having the new tiered membership levels (ranging from $175 to $1,075, with each member having full benefits and voting privileges) makes it easier to join and participate collectively in bettering our local community. You can view the slide show presented at the event here.

Looking out our windows, we see the cheerful signs of spring everywhere and are reminded that even small things – a new flowerbed, a little more sunlight each day, being able to get out more often for a walk – can have a big effect on how we experience the world. AAWGT is built on amplifying the efforts of individuals to make a difference through the power of collective philanthropy. We look forward to illustrating that at our April 19 Open House so please DO JOIN US! And take a look at the Grants update in our latest newsletter to see how the selection process is going for our 2023 grant awards.

We thank everyone who attended our March 2023 Women in Leadership event “The Impact the Pandemic Has Had on Our Collective Mental Health.”

For those who joined us, we hope the information presented by our highly qualified speakers was helpful to you. For those who were unable to join us, all is not lost! First, a recording of the presentation will be posted on our website under “Events” within the next week. In addition, a summary of the program, a list of mental health resources, and links to the panelists’ handouts are available here.

AAWGT’s mission is to improve the quality of life for underserved women and families in Anne Arundel County. In support of that mission, we present frequent education programs — like last night’s Women in Leadership event — that focus on issues impacting families in our community.

Additionally, we award grants to local nonprofits that serve women and families. Those grants have totaled over $1.57 million since 2006 and are solely funded by membership contributions. Members have the benefit of voting annually to select the nonprofits that will receive our grants. 

If you are not already a member, we enthusiastically invite you to join AAWGT — for the good of the County! Our new membership tiers make it possible for more women to join the County’s most inclusive giving circle. Please pick a membership level that is right for you (all include full voting privileges).

• Friend: $175
• Catalyst: $375
• Ally: $575
• Sustainer: $1,075
• Lifetime Member: $12,000 (contract with the Community Foundation of Anne Arundel County)

To join AAWGT and learn more about the benefits of belonging to our giving circle, click here.

Thank you for your interest in last night’s education program on mental health and for your involvement with Anne Arundel Women Giving Together.

March hints at the beginning of spring and entices us to look in new directions. Are we searching for our own personal four-leaf clover? Feel free to ‘wear the green’ but don’t forget what is going on in AAWGT this month. Our March 15 program (click here for more information) will open your eyes to a new way of looking at things and dealing with stress. The Grants Committee is focused on the 54 applications we’ve received from a wide range of exciting nonprofits. Other committees are also very busy and could really use your help! AAAWGT members: please take a look and volunteer for what strikes your fancy here. And if you’re not a member, click here to see how to join our giving circle.

February is often the month when we’ve had enough of winter cold and gray skies. But AAWGT is busy engaging members and the wider community in interesting and meaningful things to do and TO LEARN! Our Grants team is responding to new grant applications coming in (see notification below for the application deadline and the opportunity for a few more members to serve as grant reviewers). We also continue to carry out another aspect of our mission – to engage and educate about the issues affecting women and families in our community. So please plan to join us for our February 8 program A View From the Inside (click here to register) and save the date for our Women in Leadership event on March 15. Looking ahead, stay tuned for more information about AAWGT’s annual Open House on April 15.

The new year is the perfect time to take stock and consider what needs to be changed or adapted in AAWGT. Continuous improvement has been part of ourDNA since its founding as we’ve continuously evolved to find the best ways to serve women and families in our county. We are hosting a special event on January 11, “What’s New with AAWGT.” The event will highlight what we achieved in 2022 and let you know what we’re planning for 2023. The registration link can be found here.

One thing that’s new and improved for 2023 is our newsletter. It’s been simplified and will be sent out monthly. We hope you will enjoy reading it and touching base with us throughout the year. Read the newsletter here.

AAWGT held an amazing and informative education program, “Adult Literacy in Anne Arundel County,” on November 9. The full recap of the event is available here.

Our speakers were Jane Seiss, executive director of the of the Anne Arundel County Literacy Council; LaToya Saunders, Literacy Council alumna and high school diploma graduate; and Susann Felton, math and high school tutor and trainer.

The Literacy Council offers free, weekly, one-on-one tutoring to help adults build literacy skills. They have 198 active students, with 58 pursuing basic literacy, 66 English as a second language and 74 high school equivalency. Ms. Seiss explained, “We target as students the thousands of adults and out-of-school youth who cannot read at a functional level. Boosting their literacy can help them increase their self-esteem, raise children to have strong reading, writing, speaking and listening skills, and take advantage of job opportunities,” noted Ms. Felton.

Ms. Saunders gave powerful testimony about how the Literacy Council helped her receive her high school diploma.

AAWGT supported the Literacy Council in 2007 with a grant to fund one-on-one literacy training, and in 2010 to fund a tutor training workshop.

We were proud to present this education program to our members and to the public. If you’d like more information on the Literacy Council, see their website at icanread.org or call 410-269-4419.

AAWGT members and guests learned about 19 local nonprofits working with women, children and families at our annual Grants Showcase on September 13, 2022. Eleven of those local nonprofits are 2022 grant recipients. Eight of them received grants from AAWGT in 2021, and made presentations at the event.

The theme of the evening was acknowledging the power of one, multiplied by many. By that, we mean that our members’ contributions to our Grants Fund and Endowment Fund, when added together, have an amazing impact on vulnerable members of our community. In fact, since its founding in 2006, AAWGT has awarded 121 grants to 47 nonprofits totaling close to $1.6M.

“We look forward to the Grants Showcase throughout the year, not only because it gives us a chance to meet with all of you, our members and guests, but because we have an opportunity to hear first-hand from the 2021 AAWGT grantees about their inspiring accomplishments toward helping women and families in Anne Arundel County,” said Sarah Sweeny, chair of the Post Grants Evaluation Committee, which hosts the annual event.

Sarah went on to summarize the impact that our giving circle had on those served by our grantees:

• Annapolis Immigration Justice Network: provided legal and case management to 192 immigrants.
• Anne Arundel County Court Appointed Special Advocates: advocated for abused and neglected children, helping to change the lives of 30 children.
• Anne Arundel County Food Bank: expanded and stocked baby pantries serving 5,760 people.
• Charting Careers: supported young people through mentoring, and college and career readiness, improving the lives of 100 young people.
• Co-op Arundel: taught financial literacy, life and self-introspection skills to 30 women through the My Sistah’s Keeper program.
• HOPE For All: provided furniture, new beds, linens and kitchen items to 863 households.
• Marshall Hope Corporation: expanded newborn and toddler pantries serving over 3,000 people last year.
• Rebuilding Together: provided urgent home repairs and furniture for 30 women homeowners.

We are appreciative of the many hours our Post Grants Committee liaisons devote to keeping us up-to-date on the grantees’ work during the year.

Members and guests went home that night inspired by all that our grantees accomplish. You can learn more at www.givingtogether.org/impact.

Our final post about the upcoming Grants Showcase and the 2021 grantees that will present on September 13, is Rebuilding Together. They received a $20,000 grant for their Urgent Home and Critical Repairs program.  This program works to keep low-income homeowners, largely women, in their homes by providing home repairs, thereby preventing homelessness and foreclosures. The grant will help renovate 14 homes. Learn more about Rebuilding Together here: https://www.rebuildingtogetheraac.org/

Learn about our annual Grants Showcase here.