Women’s Grants By N. Parise – December 2009
One benefit of the current economic crisis our nation is facing is the increase in government bailout money. As stated by the National Institute of Grants for Women, the United States federal government has over three hundred and sixty billion (360,000,000,000) dollars available each year to allocate to both for-profit and non-profit organizations and businesses. A large portion of this is reserved specifically for grants that assist women in starting or expanding a small business, alleviating women’s debts, and to women-led non-profit organizations committed to positive social change. Additional grants for women are also available through local and state governments, as well as private foundations. In fact, according to USAGovernmentGrants.org there are more grants than ever available to women only, totaling over twenty (20) billion dollars in 2010 alone!
“Why women’s grants?” you might ask. Isn’t that discrimination against the other forty-nine (49) percent of the country? The truth is, though women make up fifty-one (51) percent of the population and have had the right to vote for nearly a century, they still suffer from many of the disadvantages of a minority group. Even though women perform two-thirds (2/3) of labor and produce more than half of the world’s food, they still own only about one (1) percent of the world’s property according to Womankind Worldwide. Women’s presence in corporate and civic leadership positions is often limited by gender bias, and even women in high positions make an average of seventy-five (75) percent less than their male counterparts affirms the National Institute of Grants for Women. Women in the workplace also face issues such as gender discrimination, gender underestimation, and even harassment.
Despite the many disadvantages women face today, they still manage to persevere. In addition to living longer, recent studies show that women are more likely than men to earn a college degree, launch a non-profit initiative, and start successful businesses. Women also have proven to be more financially responsible and stable. As reported by usagovernmentgrants.org, this is evident in the seventy-five (75) percent success rate of female business owners. In fact, most entrepreneurs in the United States are women and single mothers. Their statistics assert that two (2) out of three (3) new businesses are started by women, making up about five hundred thousand (500,000) new businesses a year! This is the reason for the increasing amount of grant funding becoming available for women’s grants. The allocated funding is an investment in the talent, creativity, intellect, and determination shown by women.
According to the Women’s Financial Fund, while women own over nine (9) million businesses, they receive the least amount of traditional funding such as bank loans and venture capital firm investments. Women’s grants seek to assist women in overcoming barriers that hold women back from economic independence by leveling out the playing field. Women’s grant programs challenge attitudes, values, and norms that devalue women. These grants support organizations and projects dedicated to career development, community action, and educational initiatives that seek to raise awareness about domestic violence, homelessness, and harassment in the work place. Giving to women has increased more than foundation giving as a whole because grant-makers are becoming increasingly aware of the potential for social change by investing in women. By promoting economic self-sufficiency in women, grant-makers are transforming lives, creating a more equitable and just society.
-N. Parise
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