We are pleased to announce that WomenNC has recently received 3 important and generous grants that will move us forward with renewed resources to support our next cohort of scholars to improve the lives of women and girls in North Carolina.
WomenNC has received generous general operating support funding from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation for “state-level systematic change.” WomenNC will use the funds to hire an Outreach Coordinator who will build the advocacy component of our Leadership Training Program bolstering our scholars’ ability to execute actionable research, giving them the resources to advocate for women across the state. Dr. Wendee Wechsberg, WNC’s Board President, said upon receipt of the grant, “the Foundation understands, as WomenNC does, that improving the lives of women and girls means that all North Carolinians will be better off, including and especially children, but men as well. We will use these funds wisely and in support of our vision to create a world free of gender discrimination.”
WNC has also benefited from the generosity of the Warner Fund whose grant will support scholars in the upcoming cohort to address women’s access to reproductive health resources and maternal and child health in North Carolina. This is the second year of the Fund’s support of WomenNC and continues its emphasis on supporting educational endeavors. Janine Zane, a Warner Fund Board member who has lived in Raleigh for more than two decades, said, “WomenNC’s Leadership Training Program is a perfect fit for the Warner Fund. We believe that by training young adults to prioritize research and advocate for all women, we create the conditions for the next generation to prosper.”
Finally, WomenNC is also pleased to announce that we have received significant funding from the Research Triangle Foundation via the RTP Charitable Fund/DEI Collective to support work in STEM fields with an emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion. WNC Executive Director, Maria Murray Riemann said, “We are so pleased to be a first-time recipient of the Foundation’s generosity and look forward to using these funds to strengthen the emphasis of our scholars’ research on rigorous social scientific methods while continuing to expand the range of colleges and universities from whom we recruit scholars, including more from HBCUs.”