Programs in diversity, mental health, arts, addiction recovery benefit from Women's Philanthropy Leadership Council grants
Programs in diversity, mental health, arts, addiction recovery benefit from Women's Philanthropy Leadership Council grants
Tuesday, June 30, 2020
IUPUI program GoBabyGo provides modified, battery-powered vehicles to children with motor and cognitive developmental delays.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Indiana University Women’s Philanthropy Leadership Council (WPLC) awarded grants Thursday, June 4, 2020, totaling $99,995 to 14 programs affiliated with six IU campuses. Many of the proposed projects resonated with our council, inspiring a number of members to come forward after the grant presentations to provide an additional $33,554 in personal funding. Ultimately, our 2020-2021 grant finalists were awarded a total of $167,549, which also includes the Well House Society partnership of $25,000, and the Bridging the Visibility Gap’s partnership of $9,000.This year marks the council’s ninth grant cycle, with cumulative awards totaling more than $1,123,000 since 2012.
Awards range from $2,000 to $20,000 and support projects that aim to improve public health, support women’s leadership initiatives, promote STEM disciplines, develop a culture of philanthropy, increase opportunities for diverse and underserved populations, and provide global experiences for students at IU Bloomington, IU East, IU Kokomo, IUPUI, IUPUC, IU South Bend, and IU Southeast.
“As we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the WPLC and reflect on a decade's worth of impactful programs, it is indeed an honor for the WPLC to fund this year's grant finalists,” said Amy Balcius, WPLC Grants Chair. “We're proud to be a part of these projects and witness first-hand the positive impact these grants have across our communities, the state of Indiana, and our country.”
The WPLC reviewed 40 applications for funding this year and invited 14 project leaders to present their programs to the full council. In partnership with the Well House Society—one of the IU Foundation’s donor recognition societies—all 14 finalists received at least partial funding for their projects.
Members of the Well House Society Advisory Board reviewed this year’s WPLC grant applicants to ensure selected projects answer urgent needs and opportunities, demonstrate widespread impact on the university, and align with the priorities of For All: The Indiana University Bicentennial Campaign.
“We had many noble projects to consider and are thrilled to spread support between four causes that align with our Well House Society priorities,” said Well House Society Advisory Board Grants Committee Chair, Michelle Brawner. “We also considered the needs that have been amplified due to the pandemic, particularly the need for qualified nurses and laptops for underrepresented IU students. The impact of certified trainers in Mental Health First Aid is critical for the health and growth of the community, and will reach far beyond southeastern Indiana. Additionally, the collaboration between several skilled departments at IU through GoBabyGo’s modified vehicle program will bring life-changing experiences to children with motor and cognitive developmental delays. We are excited to partner once again with Women’s Philanthropy to bring lasting impact to our communities and beyond.”
“As the Women’s Philanthropy Leadership Council grant program successfully concludes its ninth year, the council responded to critical needs and inspiring initiatives proposed by IU students, faculty, and staff not only with allocated granting funds this year, but also with their hearts,” said Rebecca Resetarits, executive director of Women's Philanthropy at Indiana University.“With so many members of the council personally moved to provide additional funding, we never could have predicted such a powerful response to our grant recipients.We also remain deeply grateful for the continued support of our partners in the Well House Society, which has provided an even greater impact on the many crucial projects and exciting ideas presented by Women’s Philanthropy Leadership Council grant applicants."
The 2020 IU Women's Philanthropy Leadership Council grant recipients are:
Domestic Violence Oral Health Care Outreach Program: Funding will be used for underserved individuals who are victims of domestic violence to restore their oral health care function and to alleviate oral pain and discomfort. Funding will also be used to address community outreach and advocacy in order to decrease barriers in accessing oral health care for any and all domestic violence survivors, especially those most possibly stigmatized by such abuse, such as those in the LGBTQ+ community.
Diversity on the Walls: Funding will be used to employ a summer intern to collect and write the biographies of notable IU School of Medicine women physicians and scientists. Funds will also be used for travel among the IU campuses, data entry and reporting, and creation of a virtual gallery of 18 inspiring women leaders in medicine and science, which will eventually become a permanent gallery.
GoBabyGo at IU: GoBabyGo provides modified, battery-powered vehicles to children with motor and cognitive developmental delays. Physical therapy and Mechanical Engineering students work alongside licensed therapists and faculty advisors to screen and evaluate recipients of cars. Funding will be used to purchase ride-on, battery-powered vehicles that serve as the base for all of the vehicles, as well as the materials most commonly used in modifications for the children, such as tape, batteries and pool noodles. Additional funds will be used to purchase tools for future builds and marketing materials to expand their presence in the community.
Course Material Transformation Fellowship: This project addresses IU students’ needs for affordable course materials. Funding will be used to support a Project Coordinator position who will be responsible for implementation of a Fellowship Program to incentivize instructor customization, creation and adoption of affordable course materials. Fellows will act as ambassadors, informing their colleagues of affordable course material services, in turn reducing student costs and increasing retention within their department or school.
Education Experiences Supporting The Art of the Character: Highlights from the Glenn Close Costume Collection: Funding will be used to support educational programs for 3,800 Indiana University students, PreK-12 students, teachers (including rural teachers), and community members of all ages. The proposed educational experiences are poised to reach diverse and underserved audiences and to develop a sense of belonging in museums.
Voices of Muslim Women in Global Perspective: This project seeks to enhance the accessibility and diversity of the perspectives of Muslim women through multiple avenues including podcasts, interviews, formation of a student advisory board and public photography exhibitions, performances and talks. Funding will support compensation for the contributions of IU faculty and a student serving as the project’s Media Editor; support for participating media professionals and campus speakers; travel costs for the campus speakers supporting student curricular and co-curricular engagement.
Auditorium Kids on Campus: Previously, Auditorium Kids on Campus welcomed a combined total of over 4,000 local middle school students to the Auditorium for special performances by modern dance companies. Auditorium Kids on Campus 2021 aims to reach an increased number of students from communities both in and outside of Monroe County. Funding will cover crucial operational and administrative costs, including bus transportation to ensure that this event is free for all schools and students to attend, an allocation towards a part-time educational outreach coordinator salary, and to cover expenses for the Auditorium’s back-of-house crews for the Auditorium Kids on Campus daytime performances.
Expanding Access to Undergraduate Research Using Federal Work-Study Funds – An Engaged Learning Initiative: This program allows undergraduate students to receive compensation via the federal work-study program for engaging in mentored research, with an aim toward increasing opportunities for low-and moderate-income students to advance their academic careers through research. At present, most undergraduate positions are unpaid, making them unrealistic for many low- and moderate- income students and thus, this program will be an important step in promoting equity in access to engaged learning opportunities at IU.
Collegiate Recovery Community: The Collegiate Recovery Community at IU aims to support the needs of students in the process of recovery from problematic substance abuse, through services including counseling, recovery coaching, weekly group meetings, academic support, wellness enhancement, substance-related education, sober events, service opportunities, campus outreach initiatives and family support. Funding will be used to hire a part-time Master level clinician as the program assistant to plan and coordinate student activities and events, reach out to diverse and underserved populations, assist with engaging student leadership and provide peer-to-peer support for students.
Providing Laptops to Support Learning of Incoming Underrepresented College Students: The Groups Scholars Program was established in 1968 as a way to increase college attendance among first-generation, underrepresented students attending IU, providing academic, financial and social support to help students attain a Bachelor's degree. Funding will be used to purchase laptops for students in the Summer 2020 Groups Scholars cohort.
Michelle's Little Hearts Children's Theater Program: 2020-2021 Production: Funding will be used to underwrite production expenses, including the acquisition of materials to build sets and flexible-fitting costumes for a children’s production that will be seen by 8,000 school children from local public schools in St. Joseph County.
The productions will be available for a six year rotating cycle, part of a strategic implementation plan to be more sustainable by recycling costly theatrical production materials.
The Three Rs of Teacher Education: Funding will help with personnel to visit schools, engage and instruct students, faculty travel to area high schools, transportation to carry students to IU Kokomo for on-campus classes, scholarship support for qualifying students to continue undergraduate coursework at IU Kokomo, and new teacher preparation materials.
Mental Health First Aid for Youth: Funding will be used for the tuition and fees associated with staff members becoming certified in the youth version of Mental Health First Aid from the National Center for Behavioral Health.Funding will then be utilized to provide this training on an ongoing basis to students, faculty, and staff of the IU Southeast campus, as well as members of the local southern Indiana community, including staff and administrators at area elementary, middle and high schools.
Supporting underemployed non-STEM bachelor degreed returning adult learners through career transition into critical and hard-to-fill nursing (STEM) leadership careers to improve public health: This program offers services to individuals in the Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree track to support their overall student education and career transition success, ultimately helping fill the healthcare workforce pipeline with capable and culturally competent nurses. Funding will assist with inter-professional education simulation with various healthcare clinicians, mileage expenses, pre-entry program materials, career advising, professional development and wellness coaching.
About the Women's Philanthropy Leadership Council grant program:
Grants are awarded on an annual cycle from the Women's Philanthropy Leadership Council Fund, which is administered by the Indiana University Foundation. Council members, alumni and friends of IU support the fund with annual contributions. Applications for 2021 grants will be available in December 2020. For more information about grant criteria and applications, contact Charla Stonecipher, associate director of Women's Philanthropy at Indiana University, at ckstonec@iu.edu.
The IU Women's Philanthropy Leadership Council was convened by the Indiana University Foundation Board of Directors in 2010. The council's mission is to lead fundraising and engagement efforts that inspire women to give of their time, talent, and resources to Indiana University and to develop women leaders in philanthropy.
Founded in 1936, the Indiana University Foundation maximizes private support for Indiana University by fostering lifelong relationships with key stakeholders and providing advancement leadership and fundraising services for campuses and units across the university.
Indiana University Foundation social media channels
The Indiana University Foundation solicits tax-deductible private contributions for the benefit of Indiana University and is registered to solicit charitable contributions in all states requiring registration. For more information, please review our full disclosure statement. Alternative accessible formats of documents and files on this site can be obtained upon request by calling us at 800-558-8311.
