WGEF has been awarded a grant for $35,000. This grant is for funding the purchase a building for the Gulu Women’s Resource Center.

In May of 2016, WGEF will purchase a building to house the GWRC in the Gulu district of Uganda. The center will create a one stop space
where women and community members are able to access critical information and support. The mission of
the center is to advance community, equality and social justice by providing information and opportunities
in one location. The center’s intention is that it will be convenient and open to all community members. The
center will also provide support through small group educational courses, including computer training.
Additionally, the center will a house the Peer Counseling and Access to Justice Teams, the Citizen
Journalism Program and will host community interest events.

WGEF was one of the first organizations on the ground in Gulu. Their approach is unique in that the focus
will be on leadership development, understanding that women must have access to current and relevant
information, a strong voice in their communities and a seat at the table.
Funds for this grant will provide support to women, girls and community members in Gulu and neighboring
districts. Funds will be allocated throughout 2016 and 2017.
The need for the center is due to the fact that in many regions of the Global South and specifically post
conflict regions, there is a lack of democratic space. Public and Community space is critical to the
development and health of a community.

Success for the grant will be measured using quantitative and qualitative data that measures the
effectiveness and relevancy. WGEF will conduct a yearly survey on one area of the organization, rotating
different areas each year.

This Foundation is pleased to partner with WGEF and the work they are doing in Uganda. This is their second grant award.

Congratulations to Mill Mountain Theater in Roanoke, VA. They will receive a $7,500 grant for their education program. Mill Mountain Theatre will produce five plays during its 2016 season, which will encourage children of
immigrant families to read and increase their English literacy. The plays will represent a multi-year
commitment to produce productions with literary bases to help develop critical reading skills for elementary
and middle school aged students. MMT will couple the plays with free books and access to study guides to
match each play. The need for the MMT grant revolves around the fact that in order to reach untraditional audiences, they
must offer four to five productions without ticket revenue and also must be able to steeply discount mainstage
productions. Ticket sales are the primary source of support for their productions, so replacing and
reducing those prices must be offset by grants and underwriting.

Congratulations to The Foundation for Tomorrow, US organization in Tanzania. They have been awarded a grant for $25,000. Their mission is to secure quality education and emotional support for orphaned and vulnerable children so they reach their full potential. The funds will be used for The Most Vulnerable Children Household Economic Strengthening project. The project utilizes a series of micro-lending loans and forming joint group savings accounts to encourage shared accountability within the communities. This project monitors, supports and provides outcome evaluation to individuals in the program. Also a portion of the grant will support their Scholarship program.
Kathryn McQuade

Congratulations, VA Foundation for Community College Education (VFCCE) has been awarded a $25,000 Grant to continue their work to achieve their goal to have one college graduate in every VA home by 2025. The grant will be used to fund the “Rural VA Horseshoe Initiative”, to increase the quality of education in Rural VA and “Great Expectations Educational Program for Foster Youths. This Foundation is pleased to partner with VFCCE to help VA achieve the goal of a more educated populace.

The Malala Fund has been awarded a $25,000 grant to build infrastructure and increase the capacity of helping girls gain access to a secondary education through programs, communications, technology and sustainable operations.

FINCA International will receive a second grant for $25,000 to fund Stage 2 of their BrightLife Program.  Stage 2 funding will be used to develop and automate client screening and credit approval process. The hope is this innovation will overcome the cost and logistical barriers that limit the business model to FINCA’s existing borrowers.  The Stage @ solution is to design a self-sustaining solution/program/product that also generates a profit.

The Hilde Back Education Fund (HBEF) has been awarded $20,000 for scholarship funds to support 4 students in Kenya, 2 girls 2 boys, over a 4-year term.  The scholarship will cover school fees as well as provision for Psychosocial Support.  The mission of HBEF is “to assist bright children from poor families and disadvantaged communities access education by providing scholarships and other opportunities at the secondary level.”