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Regional Issues by Working Together on Solutions
FUND FOR WOMEN & GIRLS
Fund for Women & Girls
Fund for Women & Girls is dedicated to strengthening our community both now and for future generations through shared philanthropy.
Mission: A world where women and girls are safe, secure, equal and empowered. FWG works toward it by:
- Providing grants to Jefferson County nonprofit organizations for programs that support that mission.
- Bringing information about issues affecting women and their families to residents and organizations.
- Linking like-minded individuals and organizations in order to leverage community resources.
Programs:
- Port Townsend Wearable Art Show
The Port Townsend Wearable Art Show is a showcase of inspired design and serves as FWG’s annual fundraiser. The works for this juried show range from functional to fantastic, and include pieces created from all manner of traditional and non-traditional media. - Grantmaking
FWG’s Grant Committee develops and disseminates a Request for Proposal (RFP) annually. The Grant Committee then reviews submissions according to agreed-upon criteria and makes recommendations to FWG’s Steering Committee. - Education & Advocacy
In conjunction with the FWG Steering Committee, the FWG Education Committee researches current issues, challenges and concerns facing the women and girls of Jefferson County, WA. The goal of this research is to help identify an area of interest for each year, which is then reflected in the focus for the annual grantmaking. Education programs, in alignment with the annual focus, are presented to the community with the intent to raise public awareness of the needs of Jefferson County Women and Girls.
UNITED GOOD NEIGHBORS
United Good Neighbors
In 1957, United Good Neighbors was founded as an independent nonprofit to create a pool of funds for granting to organizations that serve the basic needs of people at risk in Jefferson County. In 2017, UGN became a Field of Interest Fund of JCF.
HOUSING SOLUTIONS NETWORK
Housing Solutions Network
HSN was founded in 2018 through a generous grant from the First Federal Community Foundation and serves as a response to the growing housing crisis in Jefferson County, Washington. HSN works:
- To facilitate connectivity, communication and the co-creation of new strategies to increase the availability of affordable and attainable housing in our region.
- Alongside local housing champions – both individuals and institutions – by providing support and capacity building to ensure success.
HSN has directed new grant dollars to housing efforts through the Jefferson Community Foundation and provided scholarships for grant writing workshops, as well as offered coaching and board development support for local organizations. In addition to our Housing Action Teams, we have convened groups of stakeholders to identify and act on local issues of concern, including local workforce and affordable housing developers, community advocates, systems engineers and government staff.
OLYMPIC CARBON FUND
Olympic Carbon Fund
Olympic Carbon Fund is dedicated to helping farmers and other land stewards engage with the soil in ways that sequester atmospheric carbon while restoring healthy soils and ecosystems. As the OCF grows and matures, it will support all aspects of regenerative agriculture and other natural, carbon-sequestering activities. One program already up and running is biochar.
Produced locally in Port Townsend, biochar is a major low-hanging fruit with regards to carbon sequestration, being an extraordinarily stable form of that element. It is essentially a shortcut to achieving long-term carbon-rich soil, and it is produced in Port Townsend as a byproduct!
Biochar is essentially charcoal, but made with an eye to optimizing its use in agriculture rather than its energy content, and can be made with a broader range of materials, such as crop residues or manures as well as wood. Like charcoal, it is made by burning wood or other organic material under conditions of low oxygen, a process called pyrolysis. Biochar is a particularly recalcitrant (stable) form of carbon. With half-life estimates ranging up to 1,000 years, it is ideal for carbon sequestration.
COVID RESPONSE & RECOVERY FUND
COVID Response & Recovery Fund
Active March 2021 – July 2022- Total Amount Raised: $955,844
- Donors & Fundholders = $677,278
- Local Businesses = $1,066
- Grants to JCF = $77,500
- Total Amount Allocated: $953,810*
- Organizations Funded: 53
- Proposals Funded: 60
- Community Outreach & Public Education: $10,648
Grants Committee
To ensure funding decisions are informed by deep local knowledge, JCF assembled an esteemed Grants Committee, comprised of community-minded, seasoned professionals, to review and respond to proposals and direct funds. Members include:
- Meredith Wagner, the former Executive Director of the Jefferson County Rural Library District
- Kathleen Kler, the former Jefferson County Commissioner District No. 3
- Jean Baldwin, a former Public Health Nurse, and the former Jefferson County Public Health Director
- Rose Lincoln Hamilton, the former President & CEO of the Greater Tacoma Community Foundation, and the current Chair of the Jefferson Community Foundation Board of Directors
