On April 1 the Fifty Women Strong organization celebrated a successful year with a gala evening to award funds to selected organizations in Erath County. Fifty Women Strong raised $57,000 this year and 100% of the funds were awarded. Twelve different organizations submitted grants and the winning submissions were decided by the organization members in a secret ballot.
Fifty Women Strong is a new foundation established for the purpose of raising funds to benefit Erath County. This new foundation gives a voice to a diverse group of women from all walks of life within the community who want to create a legacy of improvement in the community through philanthropy. Membership in the foundation is open to any woman donating $1,000 to the foundation.
Payment options are available, but total membership fees must meet the December 31 deadline. Each year the membership votes to fund requests from different organizations, groups, and people in Erath County. One hundred percent of the amount collected through membership is distributed. The organization’s focus is to provide financial support to smaller, grassroots organizations who historically don’t have major fundraising capabilities.
Photos by Patti Locke
Fifty Women Strong is a donor-based, advised fund through Boucher, Morgan, and Young. All donations are 100% deductible.
Areas of Focus are: Culture and Beautification, Education, Environment, Family, and Health and Wellness. Fifty Women Strong does not consider religious or political requests and focuses on unmet needs and quality of life issues.
Dr. Rita Cook states, “We want to give grants in the average of $10,000 so that our support can make a difference in an organization. This is our first year but we expect to increase our membership and grow the amount we can award each year. We want to encourage women in our area to join us so we can grow women in philanthropy and leadership in our community.”
Grants awarded this night were:
- Anything’s PAWsible $10,000
- Blessed Communities, Inc. $10,000
- Erath County Humane Society $10,000
- Historical Society $10,000
- Paluxy River Children’s Advocacy $ 5,000
- Restoration Advocates $ 8,500
- Stephenville 20th Century Club $ 3,500
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