Welcome
Greenville Women Giving is a philanthropic organization serving Greenville County, SC and founded on the idea that women, informed about philanthropy and about needs in their community, collectively can make a real difference. We are committed to strengthening our community through the collective resources of our members by awarding high-impact grants in five areas: arts and culture, education, health, human services, and environment. Begun in 2006, we are modeled after successful similar organizations in other communities, including Seattle, Charlotte, Nashville, and Asheville.
GWG is a special initiative of the Community Foundation of Greenville, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2006. In recognition of that milestone, the Community Foundation agreed to match the contributions of the first 50 GWG members, increasing the impact of the group's grants during its own inaugural year. Appropriately, the matching monies are coming from the Jean Harris Knight Fund at the Foundation, a fund made possible by the generous bequest of a Greenville woman.
As we entered our second year, the Community Foundation agreed to contribute another $50,000, provided we were able to increase membership to a total of 200 women or more before the end of the 2007 calendar year. We are at 259 members, as of August 2008!
Membership in the new organization is open to any woman who commits to donate $1,000 per year for 3 years to the collective fund. In addition, there is a $100 annual charge to cover GWG's administrative costs. Grants are made annually to local charities after GWG members research local needs and vote for their preferences. In addition, GWG offers educational opportunities throughout the year so that women can learn about community needs and the organizations attempting to address them. And while our goals are serious, we intend to have a lot of fun together while reaching them.
Upcoming Educational Sessions - 2008-2009
Six Educational Sessions addressing issues relevant to our Community have been scheduled for the 2008-2009 Fall-Winter.
Please Remember that guests are always welcome - bring a prospective new member!
Click here to be directed to the page with details about each of the new sessions.
Summer Homework
Our group is now 259 strong, and, of course, we would like to encourage more women to join us.
Your summer "homework" is to find them. While you're by the pool, on the beach, cooling off in the mountains, or simply running errands, please think about who might be interested in joining us and tell them about GWG.
We have set an ambitious membership goal of 350 women for next year.
Think about it: if we reach that goal, and if the Community Foundation contributes another $50,000 to our effort, we could be giving our community $400,000 next spring!
You may direct any prospective members to the Membership & Organization portion of our website, where they can download our Membership Commitment form.
Please know how much we have loved working with you in GWG. We hope your summer is one filled with friends and family, and time to appreciate what they mean to you.
Our best to you all,
Frances, Harriet, and Sue.
$287,000 Awarded to Local Organizations on May 20, 2008
We are happy to report that $287,000 was awarded to local organizations during our Second Annual Meeting Luncheon.
This amount, added to the $185,000 in grants awarded for 2007, brings the total of our collective giving to $472,000!
For details about the projects funded this year, please click here.