We select our grant partners based on many criteria, but one key factor is how well their programs create true social change. How do we measure social change? We believe the evidence comes in the form of a shift. Five shifts, actually.

A Shift in Definition. The issue is defined differently in the community or larger society.

A Shift in Behavior. People behave differently in the community.

A Shift in Critical Mass or Engagement. People in the community are more engaged in the issue.

A Shift in Policy. Specific organizational, local, regional, state or national policy has changed.

And sometimes a Shift can simply mean holding the line. Earlier progress made on the issue has been maintained in the face of opposition.

2012 Grant Partners

CMAA Refugee Services: Capital Park Women’s Empowerment Project

The Capital Park Women’s Empowerment Project will impact 380 families living in Capital Park Apartments by empowering and training Somali refugee women to become leaders around the issue of safety in their surrounding neighborhood.

Doma International: Freedom a la Cart

Freedom a la Cart is a social enterprise project which will provide women exiting the sex trade with workforce development skills through a catering and food cart business. Women will train for a family-sustaining livelihood while the general public becomes educated about human sex trafficking.

Girl Scouts of Ohio’s Heartland Council, Inc.: Power Up: Doing Nothing? Not an option!

The Power Up program will reach third-through-fifth-grade girls in Fairfield County, empowering girls to resist bullying and defend against it. Girls are specifically taught how to move from a bystander to a powerful, confident defender of girls.

Hard Hatted Women: Leadership Development for Tradeswomen TOOLS

This program will train women working in underrepresented fields, such as energy, utilities, transportation, construction, logistics, and skilled manufacturing, to become speakers, mentors and advocates. These women will then work with employers to increase the number of women working in high-wage earning fields, while helping build the pipeline of women coming into the trades.

HelpLine of Delaware & Morrow Counties and Youth to Youth: Thank Goodness I’m Female (TGIF): The Year of GAL

A teen led and developed approach, Thank Goodness I’m Female (T.G.I.F.), emphasizes the development of healthy female friendships and peer relationships. High school and middle school girls use open dialogue, skill building, youth mentoring, art exhibitions, a social-norm campaign, and social networking “Youtube-like” videos to change aggressive attitudes and behaviors among girls.

John Glenn School of Public Affairs: NEW Leadership Ohio

NEW Leadership Ohio is a week-long residential summer program  for college students throughout the state, addressing the underrepresentation of women in elected office. NEW Leadership Ohio inspires and challenges women to run for office, take on public leadership roles, and support other women in their endeavors to do the same.

Mental Health America of Licking County: Licking County Bridges Out of Poverty Initiative

Bridges Out of Poverty engages the whole community in conquering the systemic causes of poverty. Women in poverty learn the hidden rules of the middle class, public institutions change policies reinforcing poverty, and businesses, churches, and other organizations volunteer as Allies to help low-income women escape from poverty.

Otterbein University: Women’s Leadership Network

The Otterbein Women’s Leadership Network will provide educational, networking, and transformational leadership opportunities for middle school girls, college students, and community leaders to create a pipeline of support that will increase women’s upward social and economic mobility.

PAST Foundation: The GEM Project: Girl Empowerment Mural

The Girls Empowerment Mural (GEM) will help young women of the Linden community create and manage community murals. Public art as social change will transform the perception of girls’ roles in the community, redefine their place in Linden, strengthen their community, and provide a unifying voice for women to continue to be agents of change.

Planned Parenthood of Central Ohio: Peer Education Project

PPCO will engage teenage women as Peer Educators, developing them into informed leaders that will provide comprehensive sex education to their female peers and advocate for change in government and school policy. The educators focus on delaying sexual activity, non-violent relationships and protection from sexually transmitted diseases.

Ruling Our Experiences, Inc.: Ruling Our eXperiences Empowerment Program for Girls (ROX)

The ROX Ruling Our eXperiences program empowers young women on issues of self-esteem, self-concept, body image, gender roles, female leadership, career development, dealing with harassment and discrimination, healthy relationships, sexual violence, and physical self defense.

Rwandan Women in Action: Refugee Women Transitional Support Program

Refugee Women Transitional Support, in collaboration with Children’s Hunger Alliance, will certify refugee women to become childcare providers and start their own cooperative daycares.

To read the full list of our grant partners, please click here.