The Maine Women's Fund (MWF) seeks to create lasting social change "by investing in the power of women and the dreams of girls." Since its founding in 1989, the fund has made $1.4 million in grants to help women and girls become more financially secure, healthy, escape violent relationships and take a leadership role in their personal lives and in the community.

The MWF supports projects that are conceived and led by women and girls, such as Hardy Girls Healthy Women. Last winter, this Waterville-based advocacy group supported several girls in their quest to hold Kmart accountable for selling T-shirts depicting violence against women. The Maine Women's Fund began as a fund at the Maine Community Foundation. In the past two years, MaineCF donors have made five grants to the fund in support of general operations and the Women Standing Together program.

To learn more about the Maine Women's Fund and its grantees, visit www.mainewomensfund.org.

Read the Maine Community Foundation Winter 2008 newsletter
and other MaineCF publications here.