In less than a decade, The Women's Fund of Herkimer and Oneida
Counties has raised over $300,000 and has awarded over $65,000
in grants to worthy causes for women and girls. We seek to create
opportunities for economic, educational and personal growth for
women of all ages and to encourage advancement and full
participation in the community.
The Women's Fund of Herkimer and Oneida Counties
Why A Women's Fund Is Needed Here!

Women make up 51% of our population, but nationally, less
than 5% of the $1.2 billion of philanthropic giving goes
specifically to programs for women and girls.

Women face a wage disparity, earning 76 cents on the
dollar that men earn. This difference and the fact that
women may stay home to care for children or aging parents
carries over into retirement, when they have less social
security, less retirement income — and live longer.

Women's problems continue to plague communities:
inadequate and unaffordable child care, domestic violence
and poverty for both women and children.
Women's problems ultimately become their children's
problems, affecting their development and that of
successive generations.


Did You Know…
In Herkimer & Oneida Counties:

  • There are over 152,000 women & girls
  • There is a decline in our population in the under 45
    age group
  • The baby boomers (age 45-64) have increased 15%
    in the last 10 years
  • The 85+ population grew at a faster rate than any
    other adult group in the last 10 years
  • For women age 65+, one in four lives alone
  • 1 in 5 women age 18+ lack a high school diploma or
    its equivalent
  • Over half of the women, made between $10,000 and
    $24,999 in 1999
  • 41% of families with female heads of households live
    in poverty
  • 58% of those families have children under age 18
  • 48% in Herkimer County and 31% in Oneida County
    have children under age 5


Our Structure

The Women's Fund of Herkimer and Oneida Counties is
managed by a volunteer Board of Directors. The
organization functions through six standing committees:
Grants, Development, Finance, Nominating, Public Relations
and
Status of Women, with additional sub-committees as
needed. The Women's Fund welcomes interested women to
explore the areas where they may volunteer and make a
contribution of their time and talents. For further
information, you may contact us at our E-mail address:
womensfundhoc@centralny.twcbc.com.

Grants
The purpose of this committee is to oversee the grant
making process of The Women's Fund. This is done by
soliciting proposals to identify potential projects for funding
and to make recommendations to the Board for grants to
be funded. The committee will monitor funded projects,
receive and review fund reports and evaluate the results of
funded grants. It may periodically identify those community
needs that may be a target for grants and serve as a
catalyst for action in these areas.

All grants are awarded only to organizations of Herkimer
and Oneida counties in New York State.

Development
The role of this committee is to raise the funds necessary
to create opportunities for women and girls.
Major activities include:
  • Annual Spring Luncheon
  • Awareness gatherings
  • Letter appeals
  • Leadership Circle

Status of Women
To establish a clear picture of the status of women and girls
in our community, this committee studies the specific needs
and resources available to assist them. The Status of
Women committee has developed a report based on a
three-year research project which provides a more in-depth
look at women and girls in our two counties. With this
knowledge, The Women's Fund is able to direct resources
to organizations that fill these gaps and enhance the well-
being of women and girls.
The Women's Fund Board of
Directors 2006
The Women's Fund Status of Women Report 2005-2006
The Women's Fund Status of Women Report 2003
Phone/Fax: 315-381-3072