On Monday March 25th I, along with 25 other women, participated in the Giving Circle annual Grants Committee meeting for a review and first-round vote on the grant applications. This year we received 29 grant applications. After an initial review, 13 applications were excluded because they did not meet our base requirements. An application might be rejected if the applicant is a for-profit entity, if the applicant has a religious focus, or simply because the organization mission did not align with this year’s focus on Improving Early Literacy.
In early March, sixteen (16) applications advanced to the Grants Committee and were assigned to sub-groups for reading, review and recommendations. At the March 25 meeting, a team leader for each review sub-group presented on the strengths and weaknesses of the application they reviewed. The full Grants Committee engaged in question and discussion of each of the sixteen (16) applications. At the end of almost 4 hours of presentation and discussion, we voted.
My goodness, at a time when in our larger world, partisan divides in government cause gridlock, incivility runs rampant, and so many systems around us appear non-functional and crumbling, how refreshing and impressive it is to get things done, to get GOOD things done! Our GC grants meeting struck me as democracy in action. We didn’t all agree on the merits of each application, but we approached the task with courtesy, grace, preparation and intelligence. Through participatory discussion and guided by the oversight and attentive coordination of Carol Williams, our Grants Committee Chair, we voted to advance twelve (12) grant applicants for site visits.
At our next meeting on May 1, the site teams will report back, and a second vote will be taken to choose our finalists. The group of finalists will be presented to you --all our voting donors. You will have time to review the finalists, and I hope everyone will share their voice and vote at the finalist selection meeting, which is May16, starting at 4 p.m. via Zoom.
Brava to Carol Williams, also to Patricia Renfro and Marcia Garell – who assisted Carol on the Grants Committee, and to everyone who contributed and worked so hard as readers and reviewers. Our participants enable our process.
I can’t say enough how proud I am to work with such amazing women.
On an additional note, please scroll down to read the summary below of the Donor Appreciation Event we held on March 21st. Sixty-eight (68) women enjoyed delicious refreshments, shared conversations with GC friends, heard presentations from ASAP (After School Activities Partnership) and YASP (Youth Art & Self-Empowerment Project) and learned about some volunteer opportunities and found out about the recent SUPER impressive grant to 12Plus. Thanks to Susan Bleiberg and Karen Melikian, our dedicated and talented Events Committee, for running the Donor Appreciation event, and to our presenters for sharing their time and information.