Big Heavy World Receives Grant from the Vermont Women’s Fund

Press releases by Big Heavy World and the Vermont Women's Fund.

BURLINGTON April 23, 2017 Big Heavy World recently received a $9,937.00 grant from the Vermont Women’s Fund at the Vermont Community Foundation. The grant will enable a broadcast media literacy program for teen girls that trains them to host a radio program and operate a community radio station. Also supported is a public panel to explore gender-related issues in Vermont’s music industry and community.

James Lockridge, Executive Director of Big Heavy World, said, “We all want our next generation to be empowered, critical thinkers. We’ll be imparting media and communication skills to teens and the self-confidence to use them. We value the contribution our youth can make to society because we experience it everyday in our work to support local music. This grant will help amplify that message while giving local teenagers skills that will serve them throughout their lives.” Big Heavy World operates WOMM-LP 105.9FM The Radiator, a low-power community radio station built in collaboration with Lee Anderson, proprietor of Radio Bean.

Big Heavy World is a nonprofit, volunteer-run, independent music office that archives and promotes original music from Vermont, inclusively. It works to strengthen the state’s community of musicians. The organization will be hosting a Vermont Music Summit in November, 2017, which will explore gender-related issues in our regional music industry. www.bigheavyworld.com. Contact: James Lockridge, jim@bigheavyworld.com, (802) 865-1140

The Vermont Women’s Fund is a statewide organization committed to supporting the advancement, self-sufficiency, and economic and social equality of women and girls ages 15-25. Learn more at www.vermontwomensfund.org.

The Vermont Community Foundation is a family of hundreds of funds and foundations established by Vermonters to serve their charitable goals. It provides the advice, investment vehicles, and back-office expertise to make giving easy and effective. The Foundation also provides leadership in giving by responding to community needs, mobilizing and connecting philanthropists to multiply their impact, and by keeping Vermont’s nonprofit sector vital with grants and other investments in the community. Visit www.vermontcf.org or call 802-388-3355 for more information.

Photo: Radiator programmer Delainey LaHood at the broadcast console. Photo by James Lockridge. High resolution version available at https://www.bigheavyworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Delainey-LaHood-1.jpg

More information about the recent Vermont Women's Fund grants is found the press release, below.

Press release by the Vermont Women's Fund.

The Vermont Women’s Fund Announces $124,000 in Grants

April 14, 2017 The Vermont Women’s Fund, a component fund of the Vermont Community Foundation, awarded $124,000 through its competitive grant round this spring to 14 organizations working to improve the lives of young women and girls in Vermont. The grants support programs across the state that provide young women and girls ages 12-25 with opportunities to gain financial literacy, job-training skills, mentorship, and experiences that expand their vision for the future.

“For many young women in Vermont, these programs are essential to their success,”says Meg Smith, director of the Women’s Fund. “Without  family supports or strong role models, many young women are quick to fall through the cracks of cyclical poverty. We applaud all the program providers who give their time, energy, and love to help Vermont’s young women create a new future for themselves.”

The Vermont Women’s Fund was established in 1994 as an enduring resource to support women and girls throughout Vermont. Since its founding, the Fund has granted more than $2 million to organizations and projects in support of its mission. Visit www.vermontwomensfund.org to learn more.

Vermont Women’s Fund 2017 Competitive Grants

Big Heavy World received $9,937 to support a broadcast media immersion program for teens, which will expose young adult women and nonbinary participants to broadcast radio, new media journalism, and community service, helping them build skills, self confidence, and community engagement.

Capstone Community Action received $10,000 to support a project that provides young women exposure to viable careers, financial literacy coaching, and more, empowering them as mothers and role models for their children, and helping to to break the poverty cycle.

Center for Women & Enterprise received $5,000 to provide 12 women in the Northeast Kingdom with entrepreneurial education through a program that helps participants improve financial literacy, start new businesses, create jobs, and drive economic growth.

The Family Place received $10,000 to support the Families Learning Together Program, a program for young parents and pregnant teens living in poverty which promotes participant success through education, worksites, parenting classes, crisis support, counseling, and on-site childcare.

Gedakina received $5,000 to support Braiding Sweetgrass, a multi-generational system of mentoring and exchange that seeks to nurture and encourage young women and girls by bringing women together to identify needs and challenges and develop strategies and activities together.

Governor's Institutes of Vermont received $10,000 to help girls from low-income backgrounds attend residential co-ed and single-sex academic and creative learning experiences, which raise confidence, self-esteem, and academic and career aspirations among young women.

Green Mountain Habitat for Humanity received $10,000 to support a project where a team of young women interested in the construction field build a home for a low-income family, helping  participants build skills for careers in construction.

Howard Center received $10,000 to support Northern Lights, a program providing housing and support to help women transitioning from prison to the community to build the foundation necessary for a sober, healthy, and independent life for themselves and their families.

John Graham Shelter received $10,000 to support Destined for Something Big, a program that will help homeless girls and women build resiliency, explore career options, and envision a safe and abundant future through weekly peer groups, skills training, career field trips, and network of role models.

Southeastern Vermont Community Action received $10,000 to support Ready for Work, a program that will help young women with limited income, little or no work history, and barriers to entering the workforce obtain core workplace skills, find available jobs, identify further training to advance their careers, and more.

Southern Vermont Area Health Education Center received $10,000 to support MedQuest, a program where high school women are immersed in healthcare career exploration, broadening their educational goals and establishing connections to students in health professions and professionals.

Spectrum Youth & Family Services received $5,000 to support a weekly gathering for young women of color (ages 14-22) to strengthen social connections, learn about community resources, and affirm their diverse identities.

United Way of Lamoille County received $10,000 to support New Foundations Transitional Housing Program, an innovative, two-year residential program designed to provide educational and employment opportunities to low-income single parents to enable them to earn higher wages to support their families.

Vermont Technical College received $9,745 to support Vermont Tech Girls’ Coder Camp 2017, a day camp designed to give girls entering grades  8-10 the chance to bring their creativity and translate that into an active software coding environment.