The Women Building Community (WBC) grant recipients for 2020-21 have been announced by the board of the City Federation of Women’s Organizations (CFWO).

The CFWO announced that the following projects, coordinated by the designated organizations, are the WBC Grant recipients for 2020-2021:

• Urgent Needs Flexible Fund (Advocacy Center); Open Doors English Sponsorship Program (Center for Transformative Action)
• Removing Roadblocks-Basic Needs and Postpartum Support (Child Development Council)
• Gaia Circle (Ithaca Children’s Garden)
• Single Mom Scholarship Fund (Ithaca Community Childcare)
• 2021 Ithaca Free Clinic Healthcare and Diagnostic Services (Ithaca Health Alliance)
• College Initiative Upstate: Wise Women (Offender Aid and Restoration)
• Well-Read Black Girls Book Club (Southside Community Center and Buffalo Street Books)
• and Technology Devices and Technology Support (Women’s Opportunity Center).

Grants are awarded on the merit of the program, quality of the application, and available funds for the cycle. The grants for this cycle totaled $43,500. More than half the grant applications for 2020-21 grant cycle sought financial aid related to challenges raised by the current pandemic

The CFWO also made a special gift to the 2-1-1 Fund (United Way of Tompkins County) to assist with COVID-19 support in Tompkins County.

The mission of the WBC Grants is to support all women and girls regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, and socioeconomic status; and to act as a catalyst for the improvement of the lives of all women and girls in Tompkins County, thus making a contribution to the entire community.

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