CHICAGO (July 22, 2010) The Asian American Leadership Council at Chicago Foundation for Women is proud to announce $10,000 in grants to three Chicago-area nonprofits. The funded programs address domestic and sexual violence as well as access to health services and information, and two of the grants also recognize Asian American women’s leadership.
“Our goal is to promote and expand women’s philanthropy and leadership in Chicago’s Asian and Asian American communities, and our success is thanks to our members’ strong community ties,” says Sheena Panoor, co-chair of the Asian American Leadership Council.
The council’s Silk Fund granted $5,000 to Korean American Women in Need, or KAN-WIN, which provides free bilingual, bicultural and comprehensive services to Chicago-area women and children experiencing domestic and sexual violence.
The fund also gave $2,500 each to two organizations which have Asian American women executive directors: Rape Victim Advocates (Sharmili Majmudar) and Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health (Soo Ji Min). Both women received Chicago Foundation for Women’s Impact Awards earlier this year, honoring their leadership on behalf of women and girls.
The council raises money for the Silk Fund through membership dues, fundraising events and donations. The council also promotes and cultivates leadership among underrepresented women and engages the local community through events and collaborative partnerships.
“The power is not in the amount of money–we don’t have millions to give, and never will,” says Sandhya Krishnan, co-chair of the Asian American Leadership Council. “What we can give is community solidarity and the passion to continue lifting up new leaders.”
The council’s future plans include the 8th Annual Breaking Barriers Awards on April 14, 2011, honoring Asian American women leaders in Chicagoland selected from community-submitted nominees.
The five Leadership Councils at Chicago Foundation for Women – African American, Asian American, Latina, Lesbian and Young Women’s–raise money for grantmaking funds that support programs serving women and girls in diverse communities. In 2010, the councils broke all previous grantmaking records by collectively awarding $42,000 through 12 grants.
Chicago Foundation for Women raises money to fund and support organizations that help women and girls – it’s all about making smarter connections between need, money and solutions. We believe that when women and girls are secure, whole communities are made better. We improve the lives of women and girls through grants, advocacy, leadership development, and public and grantee education.
Since 1985, we have given more than 2,800 grants totaling more than $17 million and helped thousands of women and girls become philanthropists. Learn more about the Foundation at www.cfw.org.
