Iowa Juvenile Home Foundation
Toledo, Iowa area       $5,000

IWF funds will be directed to girls in the program. A large number of those girls are victims of abuse or neglect and many are also victims of sexual abuse

YWCA - Ames/ISU
Ames, Iowa       $2,800

For their "Girls Power" leadership development mentoring program for girls ages 11-13.

YWCA - Clinton
Clinton, Iowa       $2,150

For their "YWise Girls Leadership Program," providing leadership training skills for girls, grades 3-8.

Waypoint Services for Women, Children & Families
Cedar Rapids, Iowa       $1,500

For their "Outreach proogram for Madge Phillips Homeless Shelter." A post-shelter outreach program providing follow-up to women exiting the shelter, with emphasis on the development/enhancement of financial counseling and education.



Anti-Sexual Assault/Anti Domestic Violence Grant

The Domestic/Sexual Assault Outreach Center
"Empowerment Station"
Fort Dodge, Iowa area       $5,000

This project seeks to provide information and help regarding issues of bullying, dating violence and/or sexual assault to youth in a six county area, through an interactive website and the funding of a Youth Advocate position.

Anti-Racism/Anti-Oppression Grant

Family and Children's Council of Black Hawk County
"Women's Empowerment Advocacy Training Project"
Black Hawk County, Iowa       $4,950

This project will offer training in leadership and advocacy skills to low-income African-American women through a Leadership Training Program, building on and expanding an already existing Women's Empowerment Program.



Young Women's Task Force: Celebrate Young Women Conference

Creston, Iowa       $5,300

In 2002, 85% of Iowa girls felt safe at school, but 46% felt they were not treated with respect. A collaboration of young women (students) and adults (teachers, coaches, service providers, and mentors) will organize and sponsor a conference for approximately 280 high school aged women from 10 counties in rural south-central and southwest Iowa. The keynote focus will be female aggression and its implications for girls' lives. Gender specific mini-sessions will feature such topics as healthy relationships, date rape and sexual abuse, stress management, female aggression, depression and suicide, sexual decision-making, and healthy lifestyle choices.

Team 236: Domestic Violence Response Team Safety and Accountability Audit

Cedar Rapids, Iowa       $1,000

2,070 sex offenses were reported to Iowa law enforcement agencies in 2003. Between 20,000 and 40,000 Iowa woman suffer abuse in their homes each year. The Linn County Family Violence Response Team, also known as Team 236, is a collaboration of community agencies (Cedar Rapids Police Department, Linn County Sheriff's Department, Linn County Attorney's Office, St. Luke's Child Protection Center, Healthy Linn Care Network, Partnership for Safe Families, Linn County Department of Human Services (DHS), and Waypoint Services for Children and Families) dedicated to preventing domestic violence (particularly re-abuse) in Linn County through collaboration, education, safety, and accountability. The team plans to utilize IWF funding to provide consulting services during the planning of necessary social, policy, and procedural changes determined through a comprehensive auditing of each of the agencies' systems.

The White House Project

National       $5,000

Iowa is one of only two states that have never elected a woman governor or U.S. Congressperson. It shares this distinction with Mississippi. Less than a quarter of the state's legislators are women. In 2004, 15.2% of all judges in Iowa were women.

The White House Project, a nonpartisan not-for-profit organization, aims to advance women's leadership in all sectors, up to and including the U.S. presidency. On a local level, The White House Project mobilizes women to vote and trains women to run for political office, thus channeling a richly diverse, critical mass of women into the leadership pipeline. On a broader scale, The White House Project works to enhance the perception of women as leaders, change notions about women in our culture, and honors those who take steps to advance the way women are perceived in media.



Window of Joy

Fort Dodge, North Central Iowa       $7,090

To change systems and practices in providing services for mature women (ages 55 and over) who have been affected by domestic violence.

Window of Joy, a program of the Domestic/Sexual Assault Outreach Center will recruit and educate a core group of mature women to act as peer educators and/or mentors to women who have been assaulted by a family member. This program will cover a six-county region that has a population that is older than both the state and the national averages. Window of Joy will work to challenge attitudes and beliefs about domestic violence, particularly among older women.

Informed Choices: Entrepreneurship for Women and Girls with Disabilities

Centerville, Southeast Iowa       $5,000

To expand vocational choices to include entrepreneurship for women and girls with disabilities

Informed Choices: Entrepreneurship for Women and Girls with Disabilities, a program of The Abilities Fund serves a population that the Iowa Women's Foundation had not yet funded prior to this grant cycle. The project focuses on intersections of marginalizing factors (gender & disability) and will serve approximately 500 women statewide.

KPVL Voices of Women

Postville, Northeast Iowa       $9,000

To develop programming on the multi-lingual community radio station that specifically relates to women's issues in northeast Iowa

Voices of Women will be a half-hour weekly program hosted by a volunteer on the Northeast Iowa community radio station, Radio Postville. This innovative project will serve a diverse population of approximately 1,500 women and has potential for replication and uploading to other NPR affiliates.

Girls Bill of Rights Marketing Campaign

Sioux City, Northwest Iowa       $4,000

To inform all Siouxland girls of their rights and spark community dialogue about the value and potential of girls

The Girls Bill of Rights Marketing Campaign, a project of Girls Incorporated, actively involves girls in the planning and implementation of this marketing campaign projected to reach approximately 800 girls and has potential for replication. Girls involved in this project will learn about the Bill of Rights and media and marketing methods, then design the marketing plan and materials, pitch the project to local media and advertising outlets for airplay, and finally promote the project throughout the community.

Latinas! Stay in School

Des Moines, Central Iowa       $4,877

To examine and combat the reasons that Latinas in Des Moines drop out of school at a rate much higher than the national average

The national drop out rate for ninth through twelfth grade Latinas is 30%. Latina girls in the Des Moines Public schools drop out at a rate of 49%. This project, sponsored by the Young Women's Resource Center, will work with Mariposa, a leadership support group for high school-aged Latinas, and the Latina Advisory Council of the Des Moines Public Schools to discover the factors that contribute to this high drop-out rate and address these at the middle school level.

Girls on the Move

Calmar, Northeast Iowa        $2,800

To develop and expand enrichment activities for 7th and 8th grade girls in rural northeast Iowa

Girls on the Move, a project developed by Northeast Iowa Community College, is an enrichment program for middle school girls. Numerous organizations will collaborate to present a girls conference for 150 seventh and eighth graders from six counties focusing on increased choices and non-traditional opportunities for girls.

IWF's 2004 Recipient of the Robbie Steinbach Fund for Women and Girls in the Arts

Act Like a Dreamer

Des Moines, Central Iowa       $5,000

To encourage girls to explore the power of their creativity, take risks to explore their talents, and work with other girls and women to create a performance that provides a positive message to girls and women about body image, self esteem, and embodying our dreams

A collaborative project between Children and Family Urban Ministries and The WILD Girls, a gender specific after school program for 6th-8th grade girls at Moulton Learning Center in Des Moines, 'Act Like a Dreamer' is a drama workshop providing opportunity for girls to work with a professional actor & director to write an original script about their experiences.





What's $$ Got To Do with It? Economic Power for Immigrant women

Des Moines          $5,000

To increase economic self-determination of immigrant women and increase access to asset-building strategies, micro-enterprise development, and job training opportunities.

This program, sponsored by the Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence, builds upon work of the economic literacy program that the IWF funded in 1999. Once again, the Personal Economic Planning Curriculum will be used. Peer leaders from immigrant communities will be trained in this curriculum and will receive support to implement financial training workshops. The workshop sites are located in Des Moines (two sites), Davenport and Muscatine, and Sioux City. Three of these sites work with Hispanic women, the fourth works with women from Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Supporting and Empowering Women

Cedar Rapids          $5,000

To provide school-based services and education addressing gender violence and dating violence.

Metro High School and Waypoint in Cedar Rapids will collaborate to provide school-based peer and staff training about dating violence. Additionally, Waypoint will provide on-site services to young women who are in controlling or abusive relationships. Although young women at Metro can access these services at Waypoint, information indicates that high school women are less likely to seek services outside of their school environment.

Pathways to Progress: Microenterprise Program for Incarcerated Women

Mitchellville          $5,000

To introduce incarcerated women to self-employment and business ownership as a post-release career option.

The Institute for Social and Economic Development (ISED) will provide women in the Iowa Correctional Institution for Women (ICIW) with an introduction to entrepreneurship, formal entrepreneurial training, and technical assistance. Self-employment is presented as viable employment and self-sufficiency option for released women inmates. Among the goals of this program is to establish microenterprise training as an approved vocational avenue within Iowa's correctional system and for Iowa's Correctional System to address the unique needs of female inmates.

Different Colors of Violence Conference for Youth

Des Moines          $2,220

To provide information on prevention and services concerning sexual violence for youth in communities of color.

This two-day conference, sponsored by the Iowa Coalition Against Sexual Assault, was developed to improve the ability of youth to address issues of sexual violence among their peers. The conference is specifically marketed to middle school and high school students. Prevention education is a core component of this conference for both young women and young men. The conference is planned by the Women of Color Advisory Council and the Youth Advisory Committee and is an annual event.

Girlz

Jackson Junction Real          $5,000

To support after-school programming to expand opportunities for rural middle school girls.

The Girl Scouts of Conestoga Council will provide after-school and weekend programming for middle school girls in the Turkey Valley Community School District, which reaches into Winneshiek, Howard, and Chickasaw counties. The biggest barrier to programs for middle school girls in this area is transportation, which, along with programming and staffing expenses, will be covered by this grant.

Window of Joy

Fort Dodge          $7,140

To change systems and practices in providing services for mature women who have been affected by domestic violence.

Window of Joy, a program of the Domestic/Sexual Assault Outreach Center, will recruit and educate a core group of mature women (for the purposes of this program, women aged 55 or older) to act as peer educators and/or mentors to women who have been assaulted by a family member. This program will cover a six-county region that has a population that is older than both the state and the national averages. Window of Joy will work to challenge attitudes and beliefs about domestic violence, particularly among older women.

Latinas! Stay in School

Des Moines          $4,750

To examine the reasons that Latinas in Des Moines drop out of school at a rate much higher than the national average.

The national drop out rate for ninth through twelfth grade Latinas is 30%. Latina girls in the Des Moines Public schools drop out at a rate of 49%. This project, sponsored by the Young Women's Resource Center, will work with Mariposa, a leadership support group for high school-aged Latinas, and the Latina Advisory Council of the Des Moines Public Schools to discover the factors that contribute to this high drop-out rate and address these at the middle school level.

2003 Programming Initiatives

Indicators for Women's and Girls' Well Being          $7,765

The Iowa Women's Foundation (IWF) and the Iowa Division United Nations Association will convene individuals and organizational representatives from throughout Iowa to develop a set of common goals and indicators of progress. This project will build upon the research presented in the Status of Women in Iowa report that the IWF co-published last year.

Sponsorships

Iowa Women Initiating Social Change: Safe Streets, World Peace: Men Taking a Stand-Working Together to End Violence A public rally to educate about gender-based violence.

Iowa City $50

Iowa Commission on the Status of Women

Pay Equity-It's a Family Issue: An ICN event addressing the issue of equal pay.

Statewide          $50

Collaborative Programming

Money, Money, Money A badge workshop for Girl Scouts that addresses issues of finance, financial careers, credit, and money management.

Presented with the Girl Scouts of Mississippi Valley and Iowa State Bank and Trust.





Allamakee County Women & Children's Resource Center

Waukon          $5,000

To support dating violence education and prevention programming.

The Allamakee County Women and Children's Resource Center will provide education prevention tools through presentations and discussions of "The Yellow Dress," a play that depicts a high school girl's experience with dating violence.

For information on "The Yellow Dress" click here.

Centro Latino

Council Bluffs          $5,000

To support expansion of childcare services for mothers attending English as a Second Language (ESL) classes.

Centro Latino is a bi-lingual resource center that provides interpretation and translation services, housing, legal, and education referrals, and childcare for mothers attending English as Second Language (ESL) classes. This grant will enable Centro Latina to expand the times that it can offer child care for women attending these classes.

Young Women's Task Force

Creston          $5,000

To organize and sponsor a Young Women's Conference for 250 high school young women in Adams , Adair, Clarke, Decatur , Madison , Montgomery , Ringgold, Taylor , and Union Counties.

The Young Women's Task Force is a collaboration of young women and adults from area agencies, organizations, and schools. It will meet regularly to plan and sponsor a one-day conference to address education, leadership, and physical and mental health issues that affect high school young women. The young women on the Task Force will select the topics of the keynote and workshop sessions.

Latina Leadership Program

Sioux City          $5,000

To enhance the services provided to area Latina women and to support leadership development in the Latina community.

The Council on Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence (CSADV) will provide volunteer training to Spanish-speaking women to provide increased access of services by Latina women. Additionally, the CSADV will partner with women in the community to organize a Latina Leadership Conference to bring together women from the region and across the state to learn to effectively organize to address the issues of violence and oppression of women in their communities.

Girls and Computers Decorah          $3,010

To support a hands-on training and instruction on computer hardware parts, problems, and repair.

This after-school program, sponsored by the Decorah Public Library, will provide girls, ages 12-14 the opportunity to develop skills with understanding and repairing computer hardware. Refurbished computers will be donated to area agencies and residents.

http://www.decorah.lib.ia.us/

Dubuque/Delaware County Coalition Against Domestic Violence

Dubuque          $8,100

To support a community awareness and education campaign addressing violence against women.

The Dubuque/Delaware County Coalition Against Violence will sponsor a one-day conference with Jackson Katz, an activist who works with men and boys on gender violence prevention. After the conference, the Coalition will sponsor community round-tables to develop community-based activities and responses to address the issue of violence against women.

For information about Jackson Katz: www.jacksonkatz.com

Robbie Steinbach Grant for Women & Girls in the Arts:

Gearl Jam Project

Iowa City          $900

To support young women's involvement in the creation and production of musical, video, and visual arts.

Gearl Jam is a program at United Action for Youth (UAY) that involves young women in electronic arts and music recording. The young women have access to a sound studio, as well as music and studio production instruction. With these resources, the members of Gearl Jam will produce a compilation CD of original music with themes related to the issues that they face in their lives, they will support video productions by young women, and they will sponsor at least two art exhibits in UAY's gallery.

Forum Theatre as a Tool of Violence Prevention

Cedar Falls          $2,960

To use forum theatre with the residents of Quakerdale to address the issue of relationship violence.

Students at the University of Northern Iowa will work with young women at Quakerdale in an after-school program using forum theatre performances and discussion groups. The scenes in the forum theatre exercises will address the issue of relationship violence.



The Status of Women in Iowa          $5,000

The Iowa Women's Foundation (IWF) and Chrysalis Foundation, co-publishers.

Edited by the Institute for Women's Policy Research and the Iowa Advisory Committee.

Sponsorships

Colombian Communities Under Attack: Nimia Teresa Vargas and the Women of Choco: a public lecture and discussion forum.

Iowa City          $250

Open Minds, Open Doors: a one-day conference for middle school girls to explore math, science, and technology.

American Association of University Women Cedar Rapids          $200

Collaborative Programming

Ads Subtract: Advertising and Girls-From Awareness to Action: a media and marketing awareness workshop for girls ages 11-14.

Iowa City

Presented with the Women's Resource and Action Center (WRAC), The Emma Goldman Clinic, Domestic Violence Intervention Program (DVIP), Women in Science and Engineering, Rape Victim Advocacy Program (RVAP), United Action for Youth (UAY), and the Iowa City Public Library.

The Women and Money workshop series: a program to expand financial knowledge and skills.

Iowa City

Presented with the Women's Resource and Action Center (WRAC) and the Iowa City Public Library.





Girls on the Move

Calmar          $5,000

To develop enrichment activities for 6th-8th grade girls.

Girls on the Move is a new project developed by an informal collaboration of rural women. It will provide enrichment activities to 6th-8th grade girls in Howard, Allamakee, Winneshiek, and Clayton counties.

Lesbian Outreach Project - www.safefromabuse.com

Sioux City          $4,300

To address homophobia and heterosexism as they contribute to the specific needs of battered and sexually victimized lesbians.

This program, sponsored by the Council on Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence, will build on the groundwork started in 2000 to continue training staffing and volunteers on issues affecting the lesbian and gay population. The project will also offer in-depth training sessions for medical professionals, service providers, and advocates of area domestic and sexual violence crisis centers.

Latina Outreach Project

Ottumwa          $4,440

To provide educational presentations and a regular family planning clinic in Spanish.

The Southern Iowa Family Planning Clinic serves a ten-county area in southeast Iowa. To better serve the women in this area, the Clinic will ensure that its informational materials are available in Spanish; it will train staff to work with non-English speaking clients, and will hire a Latina outreach worker to provide education and referrals.

Creative Discovery

Cedar Rapids          $1,770

To hold a retreat and to conduct ongoing art therapy to work with residents in transitional housing.

This program seeks to incorporate artistic self-expression into life-skills training, goal setting and other programs and experiences the women have during their stay at the Catherine McAuley Center for Women.

Crisis Intervention Services of Mahaska County

Oskaloosa          $5,000

To expand its direct service areas to include Keokuk County.

Crisis Intervention Services provides services to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault in Mahaska County. The shelter in Ottumwa asked this organization to expand its service area into Keokuk County (part of Ottumwa's nine-county service area), thereby providing more comprehensive domestic violence support in southeast Iowa.

Just For Girls

Eldora          $1,500

To provide after-school programming to fourth- to sixth-grade girls.

The Home Connection, a school-based youth services program, will provide programming that will include sessions discussing body image, health, peer relationships, decision-making, and goal-setting. The programming will also include mother/daughter evenings to enhance family communication.

Victory Temple Minority Women's Health Initiative

Iowa City          $3,000

To support this community-based project that focuses on promoting health and preventing the onset of health problems in minority women.

The project coordinates community-based activities for outreach and education, health screenings, and referral advocacy. It also works to address the traditional barriers that minority populations experience in accessing health care, including lack of health insurance, the high cost of medical care, language and cultural barriers, childcare, transportation, stereotypes, and lack of trust.

RVAP Latina Outreach Project

Iowa City          $3,158

To provide comprehensive serves to victims of sexual violence.

The Latina Outreach Project is designed to create an environment in which women whose first language is Spanish are able to fully participate in all aspects of the Rape Victim Advocacy Program (RVAP) including service delivery, victim services, and educational programming. RVAP materials will be translated into Spanish, and trained volunteers will deliver educational presentations in Spanish to members of the Latina community.



Drawing a Sentence: Empowering Incarcerated Women Through Art

Des Moines          $3,212

To provide special needs women and girls in prison therapeutic art activities.

This project will provide a therapist to work with women and girls in a group setting to enhance self-esteem, development of social skills, and problem solving, thereby reducing anxiety, and reconciling emotional conflicts. Special needs inmates are defined as individuals who have been diagnosed with a mental disorder and are unable to function in the general prison population. Additionally, all prisoners below age eighteen are in this unit.





Una Familia Saludable

Waterloo          $5,000

To support a program for Hispanic women and their families.

The YWCA of Black Hawk County provides programming to support Hispanic women. The core of this program is a free twice-a-week ESL (English as a Second Language) and health classes for Hispanic mothers, with transportation and childcare provided. Other goals of the program include: provision of access to community resources, provision of social opportunities to alleviate social isolation in a new community, and education on parenting and health issues, including understanding the American system of health insurance.

Rural Iowa Crisis Center (previously Project Cope)

Creston          $1,500

To provide funding for a laptop computer for use by the project's three domestic violence/sexual assault counselors.

The Rural Iowa Crisis Center serves victims of domestic violence and sexual assault in five southwest Iowa counties: Union, Adams, Clarke, Decatur, and Taylor. Crisis response and counseling services are available at outreach offices in each county. The program has three counselors responsible for staffing these offices who share a single computer.

Lesbian Outreach Project - www.safefromabuse.com

Sioux City          $2934

To address homophobia and heterosexism as they contribute to the specific needs of battered and sexually victimized lesbians.

This program, sponsored by the Council on Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence, will provide the lesbian and gay population, and the general community with prevention, education, and resource information for victims of same-sex domestic violence and sexual assault.

Creating Voice for Young Women and Girls in Iowa-Graffiti Theatre

Iowa City          $4,000

plus a Technical Assistance grant for organizational development: $2,000

To expand the Speak Out project for Young Women and to initiate a 10-week group for 11 and 12-year-old girls.

Young Women's Speak Out and Girls' Speak Out will address issues of gender, race, class, ability, and sexual orientation, exploring the ways that these topics affect the lives of girls and young women. Teens from the Young Women's group will serve as facilitators for the 10-week group for girls. Both groups will work to create a mural that depicts the life experiences of girls and young women. The mural will travel with Graffiti Theatre as they perform for schools and audiences throughout the Midwest.

What We Think

Des Moines $5,000

To develop and implement an attitudinal survey of adolescent girls across the country conducted by and for adolescent girls.

This project, sponsored by the Boys and Girls Club of Central Iowa, will be girl-focused and girl-driven. The young women will design and lead the development of a survey, compile the results, and design methods to disseminate the information gathered through local communities.

Girl Talk II

Burlington          $650

To hold an overnight retreat for mothers and their daughters 13-15.

The Planned Parenthood of Southeast Iowa will sponsor an overnight retreat for mothers and their daughters, ages 13-15. The purpose of the retreat is to strengthen the lines of communication between mothers and daughters, and improve decision-making and goal-setting skills. Additionally, the facilitators of the retreat will work to help participants understand the correlation between drug and alcohol use and the occurrence of unplanned sexual activity.

Victory temple Minority Women's Health Initiative

Iowa City          $3,000

To support this community-based project that focuses on promoting health and preventing the onset of health problems in minority women.

This community-based program will collaborate with The University of Iowa College of Medicine and College of Nursing to increase awareness of health problems faced by minority women due to obesity; to educate participants on effective, healthy ways to combat obesity; to facilitate access to quality health care services; and to promote cultural competencies in providing health care to women of other cultural, racial, and ethnic backgrounds.

Outdoor Involvement

Waterloo          $2,000

To provide outdoor challenge activities to young women in residential treatment.

Girl Scouts of Connestoga Council and Quakerdale, which provides residential treatment and support services, will work together on an outdoor challenge activity, which will expose the girls to a challenge course and rappelling tower. The goal of this activity is to increase the participants' sense of personal confidence, and provide them an opportunity to learn and explore their abilities in a supportive atmosphere.