The Zonta Club of Denver has been fortunate to be the recipient of bequests from several members, two of which were of significant size. These gifts enabled the endowment of a 501(c)(3) organization founded by the club, now known as the Zonta Club of Denver Foundation (ZCDF).
ZCDF supports international service projects of Zonta International and local projects of the club, all of which are focused on the empowerment of women. The club has historically donated a third of ZCDF income, together with proceeds of club fundraising, to the Zonta International Foundation to support women worldwide. The remaining two-thirds are used primarily to support charitable organizations in the Denver metro area that provide services to position local women and girls for self-sufficiency and better lives for them and their family members.
Applying for a Grant
501(c)(3) organizations can apply for grants from ZCDF to fund a new or ongoing project within the Denver metro area that is focused directly on improving the status and quality of life of Denver at-risk women. The Grant Funding Application is here.
In 2020, Zonta Club of Denver Foundation distributed a total of $52,731.
Of the total, $18,731 was given to the Zonta International Foundation for the following Zonta International programs:
Amelia Earhart Fellowships – $10,000 (one full scholarship)
These fellowships are awarded annually to 30 women pursuing Ph.D./doctoral degrees in aerospace engineering and space sciences. The fellowship may be used at any university or college offering accredited post-graduate courses and degrees in these fields. Since the program’s inception in 1938, Zonta has awarded 1,603 Amelia Earhart Fellowships, totaling more than $10.3 million, to 1,174 women from 73 countries.
International Service – $2,910
In the more than 90 years since its first international service project was funded, Zonta International has contributed nearly $19.2 million to projects benefiting women in 35 countries. This funding has provided training, education, health, sanitation, agricultural and micro-credit assistance to women, primarily through projects implemented by the agencies of the United Nations and other recognized non-governmental organizations.
Jane M. Klausman Women in Business Scholarships – $2,911
Women have made great strides in the pursuit of education, careers and leadership roles they were once denied. However, they still comprise a minority of leaders in the business world. According to a December 2019 list from Catalyst, 21.2 percent of S&P 500 companies’ board seats are occupied by women, and just 5.2 percent of the companies’ CEOs are women. The Jane M. Klausman Women in Business Scholarship program helps women pursue undergraduate and master’s degrees in business management and overcome gender barriers from the classroom to the boardroom.
Zonta International Strategies to End Violence Against Women (ZISVAW) – $2,910
The most pervasive and least recognized human rights violation worldwide, gender-based violence affects women and girls of every race, class, culture, ethnicity, age and country. Zonta strives to promote and protect the human rights of all women and girls and reduce the incidences of violence against them. The ZISVAW Program has provided more than $9.5 million to support projects to prevent and end violence against women and girls in 46 countries.
Locally, $34,000 in grants were awarded to the following community organizations:
Open Door Ministries — Te Veo House
Open Door Ministries is a nonprofit Christian community development organization created in 1997. Open Door provides practical help and hope to people in urban Denver who are homeless or low income. Zonta’s $10,000 grant will help to support The Te Veo House, a new project of ODM. “Te Veo” translated from Spanish to English means “I See You.” Te Veo House offers short-term sanctuary to women who are trying to leave homelessness and to supply them with tools they need to take the next step toward self-sufficiency. These tools include safe shelter, provisions for basic needs, job coaching and life skill development classes to help them transition out of “survival mode” to a mind set of independence.They currently have capacity for eight women and hope to expand to sixteen.
Denver Children’s Choir-Expansion of Ongoing Project: Summit Singers
Denver Children’s Choir (formerly Rocky Mountain Children’s Choir) provides opportunities to children from ages 7-18 to sing with Denver groups, at various events, and tour in the U.S., Canada and Europe. It serves metro Denver in various neighborhood school programs, offering choir experiences to the children and providing excellence in choral music through their performances and tours.
Summit Singers is an ongoing city-wide ensemble choir. However, recruiting women from Lincoln High School is new. The $8,000 Zonta grant is for six at-risk girls who come from impoverished homes. While they qualify for the choir, they cannot move to the next level due to lack of funds. This grant will assist in providing for the girls to tour not only with the choir in the mountain west but nationally and internationally. This opportunity provides incentive to the girls as well as broadens their horizons.
Extended Hands of Hope- New Project: Simply Good Cakery
The mission of Extended Hands of Hope is to offer safe housing and supportive services to sex trafficking survivors, empowering them to move forward with hope and dignity. Simply Good Cakery provides an economic empowerment program to create pathways toward strengthening the livelihoods and wellbeing of not only human trafficking survivors themselves but their community as well. While the women are provided therapy and support, they will also learn all aspects of running a business. Zonta is providing $8,000 that will help purchase a vehicle to transport the women to and from work, classes, appointments and court.
Boys Hope Girls Hope–Ongoing Project: Academy Scholar Program
Boys Hope Girls Hope of Colorado helps academically motivated middle and high school students rise above disadvantaged backgrounds to earn a high school diploma, entry into college, and a college degree through mentoring, tutoring, and scholarship. By helping these students earn both their high school and college degrees, the program is effectively breaking the cycle of poverty.
The Academy Program is a comprehensive approach to breaking the cycle of generational poverty and poor academic achievement among youth living in poverty by providing them with a strong college-preparatory foundation. This program includes year-round classes at Aurora Central High School and Regis Jesuit High School and support as well as transportation and food. Scholars are matched with tutors who help them reach their academic potential and mentors who share their life experience; they are enrolled in extracurricular activities designed to help them discover themselves and the world around them; and they engage in community service projects that teach them the value of living a life committed to serving others. A college degree is the primary goal for each scholar. Zonta’s $8,000 grant will support 36 female scholars.
For information about community awards in prior years, click here.