What brought you to ninety-nine girlfriends?
Molly Cliff Hilts. Molly was the first friend I made in 1994, when I moved from Manhattan to Portland. We met in a water aerobics class, were both pregnant, and we became fast friends. We lived in different parts of the city, started a very eclectic book club, each had two sons, and lived our lives meeting here and there over the years. Then, we reconnected in 2016, when she invited me to the home of Jinx Faulkner to learn about a new all women’s nonprofit called ninety-nine girlfriends. That group of smart, funny, kind, and accomplished women was inspirational. I joined to learn more.
Share Your Matching Funds
Do you have access to matching funds? We’d love to help you access those to amplify our work. We’ve been able to do great things in the past as a result of the generosity of our members and their matching funds. We’ve increased our grant pool, used them for the Fellows, tried out a scholarship program, and more. We guarantee if you share your matching funds with ninety-nine girlfriends they will be used with wisdom and discretion. Let us know if you’d like to learn more or if we can help you access matching funds.
Register by May 11 for Girlfriends’ Reunion & Orientation!
It’s time! Whether you’re new to ninety-nine girlfriends or returning, you belong at the Girlfriends' Reunion & Orientation!
Wednesday, May 18, 6 - 7:30 PM
Doors open at 5:45 PM
Contributing to Our Community
Our 2022 grant-making cycle is now open and we are excited to announce that we are investing $450,000 in our community this year. We will grant one Impact Award of $70,000 and one Finalist Award of $15,000 in each of our five focus areas. Plus, all semi-finalists that don't advance to the next round, will receive a recognition gift of $2,500.
Our Equity Statement
We continue learning and embedding racial equity in all that we do, and would like to share our new Equity & Inclusion statement which was spearheaded by the Racial Equity Committee. In addition, the Outreach Team has connected with more nonprofits that identify as indigenous or Native American to invite them to learn about our grant opportunities and we are creating space for indigenous people to share their voices and perspectives with our members at our events as an addition to our land acknowledgment. We will continue to learn and incorporate inclusive ways that we can embed racial equity in our work. If this work interests you, reach out and learn more!
Fellows Program Update
Many of our new and continuing Fellows, Fellows grads, and program leaders got to meet each other at an in-person event, co-hosted by Year 2 Fellow Liz Starke (Development Director at grantee partner Rose Haven) and recent Fellows grad Mikayla Posey (Manager at the Hostel Cafe right across the street). A few of us also took a walk, thanks to Year 2 Fellow Kathleen (Kay) Porcello, at the Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge.
Another Great Group of Girlfriends!
We are thrilled to share that we have 379 members for 2022! In addition to the 312 Girlfriends who renewed, 67 new Girlfriends decided to join us. Welcome to all of you! (Although this number is smaller than last year, don’t be dismayed. Women’s giving circles have retracted a little bit nationally over the past year as a result of COVID and our model is to make the biggest impact we have with whatever number of Girlfriends join us in any given year.)
Grantee Partner Highlight: POIC + RAHS
I learned so much about the origins of this 50+ year old organization which began by providing education, work experience, and opportunities to primarily Black adults in underserved communities. Their work is now centered on providing those same opportunities to youth who are at risk. With four school campuses many students have experienced homelessness, poverty, violence and the criminal justice system.
Grantee Partner Highlight: Constructing Hope
My visit with [2021 Impact Partner] Constructing Hope was a great experience. I spent a little over an hour there, got a tour of the facility, and had lots of time to chat with [leaders] Pat Daniels and Courtney Jenkins.
Also, they welcome guest speakers when classes are in session and inquired whether any Girlfriends might have expertise in these areas: HR and job interviewing, general life skills/balance, nutrition and physical fitness, financial planning, and strategies for dealing with stress and anxiety. They seemed very happy with their experience with ninety-nine girlfriends and are thrilled about the partnership." Betty, Impact Partner Liaison
Grantee Partner Highlight: Bradley Angle
There’s a lot going on at Bradley Angle. Renovating the Bonnie Tinker shelter is a big project for the organization, as the facility was long overdue for updates. They have worked to make trauma-informed upgrades, prioritizing the shared spaces, and are raising additional funds for the phase-two upgrades to the other areas of the facility.
Passionate About Democracy
In the spring of 2015, six women gathered in a Southeast Portland kitchen and formed a regional giving circle, called ninety-nine girlfriends. A year later, Lisa Adatto and Laura Rogers met for the first time as co-leaders of one of the new organization’s grant review teams. While working together in pursuit of strongly held values, their friendship grew and after the 2016 grant-making cycle they continued to stay in touch. In June of 2021, they met to catch up. In short order, Rogers realized it was to be a consequential exchange “so I took notes and saved them.”
Six New Fellows Join Our Philanthropy Program for Younger Leaders
Since 2017, ninety-nine girlfriends has recruited women ages 20-35 into our Fellows Program, a three-year learning and networking experience. Ninety-nine girlfriends is thrilled to welcome our six new Fellows: April Jay Unterberger, Brianna Babbitt, Hanna Lilly, Josie Greer, Katrina Machorro, and Tuyen Ta.
2022 Grant Applications Are Open!
Ninety-nine girlfriends 2022 grant making cycle is now open! We are thrilled to announce that we will invest $450,000 in our community this year. We will grant one Impact Award of $70,000 and one Finalist Award of $15,000 in each of our five focus areas. Plus, semi-finalists that don’t advance will receive a recognition gift of $2,500.
Volunteer Spotlight
JEANETTE SWAFFORD
What brought you to ninety-nine girlfriends?
Five years ago I was getting my hair cut by Fahti and began chatting about a small giving circle that I was participating in. Fahti shared that she had just joined this amazing group of women who were also experimenting with giving, but on a larger scale with transformative amounts. I used to work in tech start-ups and that fresh energy of building something new was exciting to me. I didn’t know anyone aside from Fahti, but I loved the idea of change-makers out there stirring it up. These were women that I wanted to know!
Help Spread The Word!
This year, ninety-nine girlfriends will fund organizations from five focus areas that are working to dismantle systemic racism, advance anti-racism, and move our region towards racial equity. These FAQ and definitions provide additional information about our 2022 Funding Priority and process. Funds may be used for general operating or project support and impact partners can choose to have funds disbursed in one year or over the course of two years. Our Timeline provides key dates for application review, decision-making, and payment.
Don’t Miss Your Chance to Join a Grant Review Team (GRT) This Year!
Sign up for the GRT Info Session to learn about the experience and the time commitment required, including the key dates listed below. This virtual Info Session is mandatory if you want to participate on a GRT. If April 28 doesn’t work with your schedule, please register anyway to access a recording afterwards. Register here.
Let Your Thoughts Be Known: Take the Member Survey
New Member Number Coming Soon
As you know, our deadline to renew for 2022 was April 23. We are in the midst of finalizing our membership number and are excited to share that with you soon. Before I joined the membership committee, I wondered why it took extra time to figure out how many members we have. In case you’re curious too, here’s my short answer. We have a lot of different ways Girlfriends join and pay. With the rush of renewals at the end, it takes us a while to sync those up. And we usually need to reach out to a few members with questions.
We Welcome Our Six New Fellows!
The Fellows Program is thrilled to welcome our six new Fellows: April Jay Unterberger, Brianna Babbitt, Hanna Lilly, Josie Greer, Katrina Machorro, and Tuyen Ta. Earlier this month, we also hosted a virtual graduation for third-year Fellow Mikayla Posey – featuring customized Zoom backgrounds, spring tulips, inspiring poetry, and a gift certificate for a professional photo. Thanks to everyone who celebrated with us!