What is 1000 Woman? We are a group of passionate women philanthropists with a desire to fund projects that greatly benefit Southern Arizona's women and children. By pooling our resources, we create a cohort of strong and educated women and a model for our daughters, granddaughters and other communities from one generation to the next.
Our goal is to build a $1 million endowment in one year by creating a community of 1000-plus women and girls that will give $1000 or more each, and vote annually on how the grant(s) will be distributed.
How big will the grants be? 1000 Women will make a best effort to distribute high impact grants ranging in size from $25,000 - $50,000 annually subject to investment performance of the fund.
Who manages the fund? The endowment fund is invested with SEI investments, a professional investment management company in a well-diversified portfolio designed for long term growth.
A spending rate, currently 4%, is used to calculate the amount available each year for giving grants to the organizations chosen by 1000 Women and its members.
Using a spending rate enables the endowment to give grants each and every year regardless of investment performance. It also enables the endowment to grow over time, thereby increasing its impact on women and children in Southern Arizona.
An endowment of $1 million will have $40,000 to grant in its first year alone!
How are the grant recipients chosen? Who will receive the grants? When will the first grant be awarded? Any nonprofit (501c3) serving women and/or children in the Southern Arizona area can apply for a grant. The grants committee will look through all the grant submissions and agree upon a few finalists. The finalists' proposals will then be presented to the entire membership. The entire membership will vote on which finalist(s) will be granted support from 1000 Women.
It is our expectation that if we reach our goal of 1000 women and girls and $1 million by December 2015, we will be able to award our first grant in 2016.
How will the grants committee be chosen? Each year we will create a grants committee. The committee will consist of a group of members of all ages. The Steering Committee is currently looking at different models and best practices in grants committee selection and structure.
A professional staff will manage the committee to ensure best practices are followed and that the process is fair and transparent.
What does it mean to be a founding member? All members will be able to vote on the grant(s) awarded each year.
How can I make a donation? You can make a donation by check or by credit card online by clicking GIVE above. Please fill out a pledge form and submit it with your donation.
Can I honor someone else and donate in her name? How does this work? Yes! Many people are honoring their daughters, mothers, wives and other important women and girls in their lives, or they are donating in memory of someone. To do this, please fill out a pledge form with your information, as well as the name of the person you would like to honor. You can do this as an individual or you can collect funds from a group to honor one person. The important thing to remember is that each member gets to vote on grant(s) distributions annually. Please make a note as to who will be the member.
Can I honor a business? Yes. The name listed in collateral materials will be your business's name. However, a representative of the business will be the voting member. Please provide us with contact information for that representative when you fill in your pledge form.
