The 100WomenStrong 2024 Grant Cycle application window closed on November 1st. Please see our Grant Process page for more information about the application process. Nonprofits who were selected to move on to the next stage will be notified by December 18, 2023.

100WomenStrong Responds to COVID-19 Crisis, Refocuses 2020 Giving on Groups Filling Immediate Essential Needs in Areas of Food, Shelter and Health

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Margaret Brown margaret@mlbpr.com 703-898-9443

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More than $119,000 initially allocated for nine Loudoun County nonprofits
and to purchase PPEs for first responders, additional grants to be made in coming months

Leesburg, Va. (April 14, 2020) – 100WomenStrong has changed its strategy for its 2020 competitive grant cycle in response to COVID-19 and is distributing $119,500 to nine area nonprofits, as well as to emergency responders, that are meeting the immediate essential and emergency needs of Loudoun County residents. The philanthropic group plans to continue to assess needs in the areas of food, shelter and health over the coming months. It will distribute funds in stages to nonprofits it has vetted and approved from past and current grant rounds.

The group will continue to monitor COVID-19 relief efforts on a monthly basis and invite some of its current or past grant recipients to apply for funding based on what is deemed necessary for the upcoming month. This strategic approach will allow them to support these efforts while preserving funds for the uncertainty of the months ahead, according to Karen Schaufeld, Founder and President of 100WomenStrong.

“The global COVID-19 pandemic not only has threatened lives, but also has forced businesses to close and threatened the livelihoods of millions. The people losing jobs and shuttering businesses are our next-door neighbors and friends, and the financial and emotional toll is very high,” said Schaufeld.

“As a group, 100WomenStrong knew that we had to react quickly to alleviate as much of the suffering as we possibly could. To that end, we will work to support the Loudoun County community now and in the near future by re-focusing our 2020 grants to those nonprofits and first responders that are directly responding to needs created by COVID-19,” said 100WomenStrong Member and Grant Chairwoman Stephanie Place.

The group plans to distribute funds in phases as long as there are needs and funds available. They chose the following recipients for the first round of grants:

 

Up to $50,000 also has been allocated for the purchase of personal protection equipment (PPEs) for area volunteer firefighters and EMTs.

100WomenStrong Member Kim Wagner said the decision to change focus wasn’t made hastily, but with great discussion and reflection.

“As this pandemic spread, we knew that we had to shift from considering the proposals submitted for our competitive grant cycle to using those grant funds to first support groups that are working so hard to fill needs created by the COVID-19 crisis,” Wagner said. “In our next round, we will continue to look at all of our past grantees and plan to expand our funding a bit to those that provide a safety net to help those most vulnerable in our community.”

The group is only considering nonprofits it has vetted and approved from past and current grant rounds, as those groups are known to them and have been closely vetted. They plan to allocate a second round of funding in early May and will continue to provide funding on a monthly basis to organizations that are invited to submit applications.

About 100WomenStrong

Formed in 2008, 100WomenStrong is a group of concerned philanthropists seeking to strategically invest in organizations and programs that enrich the lives of Loudoun County residents. They are committed to improving the quality of life for residents of Loudoun County, Virginia, through strategic grants to non-profits working in the areas of shelter, health, hunger and education. Members of 100WomenStrong connect and collaborate to leverage their philanthropic resources as a component fund of the Community Foundation for Loudoun and Northern Fauquier Counties.

For more information about 100WomenStrong, visit www.OneHundredWomenStrong.org or contact Pam Ray at Pam@OneHundredWomenStrong.org

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