Blog
Grant award to Roots and Wings (R & W)
Congratulations to R & W, they have been awarded a grant for $25,000 to continue their work with young adults out of the foster care system. R & W was established in 1999 in Morris County, New Jersey. Their mission is to provide young adults who age out of the foster care system in New Jersey with safe housing, educational support, case management, counseling, and life skills in order to empower them toward self-sufficiency.
Without an adequate system in place, studies show that aged out foster care youth are among the most disconnected and statistically vulnerable segment in society. These young adults typically lack the education, job training, confidence, and life skills needed to lead a productive adult life. Each year, approximately 8 to 12% of New Jersey’s foster youth population ages out of state protective care. Most of these individuals are not reunited with their families or placed in a permanent home. National research studies shows that youth who leave the foster care system without a permanent family connection are much more unlikely than other youth to receive a high school diploma and to be unemployed or underemployed.
Many former foster care youth also experience physical and mental health problems stemming from childhoods marked by physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. These youths commonly lack adequate health care as well as the basic life skills and supportive human relationships to sustain them.
R & W is requesting $25,000 for the general operations of their organization. Funding will assist with the costs of delivering their comprehensive services, including safe housing, case management and counseling.
Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada (CCSN) awarded grant
Congratulations to Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada (CCSN), they have been awarded a $30,000 grant for 3 programs. The Foundation is pleased to be a part of your work in these vital areas.
CCSN gives help and hope to people in need regardless of race, religion or creed. CCSN offers more than twenty social service programs to clients from infants to seniors. Within the range of services are the English Language Program (ELP), Immigration Services (IP) and Homeless to Home (HoH).
The goal of ELP is to help refugees achieve economic self-sufficiency through education and employment in the shortest time possible. CCSN has developed the ELP curriculum around this goal, knowing that English language acquisition is essential for newly arriving refugees and immigrants to acculturate and achieve economic self-reliance in the United States.
The IP helps individuals with applications for benefits under the United States laws. IP represents individuals in immigration proceedings, as well as assists those who are seeking administrative relief. Most of the women and children assisted are eligible to pursue asylum-based relief before the Immigration Court. They seek this relief as they have been persecuted in their home countries or have a well-founded fear of persecution. Many of these women and children are victims of street gangs and/or domestic violence in their home countries.
CCSN’s HoH Program helps families who are homeless, or in danger of becoming homeless, end the cycle of homelessness by helping them gain self-sufficiency. Homeless to Home families are typically comprised of single mothers with dependent children under the age of eighteen, which represents 86% of families served during fiscal year 2016. The HoH program is able to assist families for up to one year. Eligible clients are able to choose an apartment in a neighborhood where they feel safe and comfortable or where their child/children currently attend school. CCSN assists with finding apartments; working with the housing management companies; helping with moving the family; and working with utility companies. Once housing stability is achieved, CCSN provides intensive case management to assess additional employment barriers and needs.
Grant awarded to Center in the Square
Congratulations to Center in the Square, they have been awarded a $5,000 grant.
Center of the Square recently launched their Get Schooled! program which utilizes their atrium aquariums, their green-powered rooftop, and the Roanoke Pinball Museum to promote fun and educational learning in Math and Science. The program is available to students through on-site tours and outreach programs.
Funds from a McQuade Foundation grant will be used for sponsorships for the Roanoke Pinball Museum. The museum will offer 500 students in low-income school districts free admission into the museum. In addition to free admission into the pinball museum, students will also get to benefit from the Get Schooled! program.
The need for this grant is due to the fact that in Virginia, Standard of Learning (SOL) scores have become a very important measuring tool for both children and schools. The Get Schooled! program specially gears their teaching towards SOL based learning in areas such as: kinetic energy, speed, force, marine life cycles, and green sustainability. Access to the pinball museum and the Get Schooled! program will help students learn this SOL material.
Grant awarded to Project Gateway
Congratulations to Project Gateway, they have been awarded a $25,000 grant for their Empowerment Program. Project Gateway works in the region of South Africa due to the staggering unemployment rate and poverty levels. Funds for the grants will sponsor students to enter the program, that teaches hard skills such as woodwork, metalwork, electrical training, sewing, craft and fashion design. This program gives these women their first chance to generate income for their families. This is the second awarded grant for Project Gateway.
Grant awarded to Rising Tide Capital (RTC)
Congratulations to RTC, they have been awarded a $15,000 grant for their Community Business Academy, Business Acceleration Services programs. RTC is a nonprofit organization committed to the economic empowerment of low-income communities through entrepreneurship, Of the folks that RTC provides assistance to, 90% minorities and 70% are women. The grant will be used to cover costs associated managing, enhancing and expanding RTC’s Community Business Academy and Business Acceleration Services Programs. RTC measures success of the program in stages and performs quarterly and annual outcome measurement surveys to track the progress of their entrepreneurs. This is the second grant awarded to RTC.






Grant awarded to American Indian College Fund (AIC)
Congratulations to the AIC Fund. They have been awarded a $25,000.00 grant. This grant will provide critical scholarship support to American Indian and Alaska Native women pursuing post-secondary credentials during the 2016-2017 academic year. Funding from this
program will be designed exclusively to women, with preference for women with children. Of the almost
4,000 students the College Fund served in 2014-2015, 64% were female. Furthermore, the College Fund
supported over 1,400 women with children in 2014-2015, which equates to 36% of their target population.
Grant awarded to Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women (IEEW)
Congratulations to the IEEW. They have been awarded a $25,000 grant.
The global Peace Through Business program educates women entrepreneurs in Afghanistan and Rwanda
on an annual basis. Starting the first week in January, in-country training begins. Between 30-35 business
women from each country will meet for 10 weeks, 8 hours per week. Women learn business skills such as
creating financial statements and building a business plan. Upon completion of the in-country trainings, 15
women per country will be invited to the USA for further leadership development.
Upon completion of the program, the women can then fulfill the purpose of participating in the program, by
paying forward their experience in their own countries. To further help these women once back in their
country, each of them will have an American business women eMentor and in person mentor to encourage,
guide and support them toward a more sustainable and viable future.
The Peace Through Business program is a very hands on, detailed project. Each business woman is
evaluated on an individual basis to determine their needs. Dedicated personnel ensures the mission of
educating women economically, socially and politically.
Funds from the McQuade Foundation will be allocated in two different areas of the program.
1. Maintain a facilitator in country that can recruit new students on an annual basis and help teach
curriculum.
2. Fund the International Women’s Economic Summit & PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS graduation
ceremony and dinner in Dallas, TX
IEEW measures success based on the number of women trained that are still in business today. Which
happens to be 80% since the inception of IEEW. Other measures include number of employees per company
and the income increase on average per household.
IEEW is 100% funded by private organizations and public corporations
Women’s Global Empowerment Fund (WGEF) awarded Grant
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.
Mill Mountain Theatre
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.
The Foundation for Tomorrow
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