Empowering high school girls to make impact

Posted by Press Release on May 7, 2015

Are you a Chester County girl who wants to make a difference for other Chester County girls? That is the question the Chester County Fund for Women and Girls has asked of more than 100 high school girls during the past 11 years.

The fund is currently accepting applications for its award-winning Girls Advisory Board (GAB) program. Applications are available online at www.ccwomenandgirls.org/girls-advisory-board/ and will be accepted until Monday, June 1.

The fund is looking for high school girls entering their sophomore or junior year in the fall of 2015. Girls must live in Chester County to be admitted into the program and can participate for up to two years in the GAB program.

One of only a few in the nation, the Girls Advisory Board is a unique girls’ grant-making program in which 20 local girls gain the opportunity to award $25,000 in grants to nonprofit organizations that help other young women in Chester County.

During the past 11 years, GAB has awarded over $200,000 to agencies who through innovative services target the needs of women and girls faced by issues such as poverty, illiteracy, violence, homelessness, mental illness, teen pregnancy and substance abuse.

From September to December 2015, GAB members will learn about and discuss community needs, create their own grant application, review proposals, conduct site visits, and work together as a group to award grants to the organizations they feel best address their identified priorities.

Nearly every public, private and parochial high school in Chester County has been represented on GAB, and they have all helped the Fund for Women and Girls raise awareness of the issues girls and young women face daily in communities across the county. The GAB has received the Outstanding Youth in Philanthropy award from the Association of Fundraising Professionals’ Greater Philadelphia Chapter, an award that has previously recognized projects such as Alex’s Lemonade Stand and Youthadelphia.

Contact Kate Zielsdorf with any questions about the application process at katherine@ccfwg.org.