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 2021, Zonta Club of Denver Foundation distributed a total of $50,371. Of the total, $33,000 in grants were awarded to the following local community organizations:
Focus Points Family Resource Center through their first social enterprise the Comal Heritage Food Incubator. Comal Dinner Box Program – $10,000
The Comal Dinner Box Program is an entrepreneurship program that transforms immigrants and refugee cultural heritage cooking skills into the foundations for successful food businesses and thereby educating and sharing wonderful food with a larger audience. The Dinner Box program expands the existing earn-while-you-learn model to provide a dinner to-go service in response to reductions in revenue from the lunch service due to COVID-19. “The Dinner Box project will sell dinners to-go for Denver’s evening take-out clientele. It expands training opportunities in nimble business development and provides a continuous stipend for program participants to support their families.” This will impact 15 women entrepreneurs and their families.
Friends of the Haven – Project IMPACT (Improving Maternal, Pregnancy and Child Treatment Outcomes) – $8,000
This funding will provide funding for contracted doula support services for up to eight pregnant women residing at the Haven Mother’s House. The program has been modified based on the evidence-based Health Connect One Community-Based Doula Model. The goals of the proposed project are to 1) improve the quality of care provided to pregnant clients, 2) improve the delivery experience of pregnant clients, and 3) improve pregnancy and child health outcomes.
Rocky Mountain Micro Finance Institute – Project Idea, Launch Thrive Program for Denver Women – $7,500
RMMFI will serve 35-50 women in this project of entrepreneur capacity building by the women participants exploring their business concepts and with RMMFI expertise will plan and launch their businesses. Entrepreneurs come to RMMFI having experienced incarceration, immigration, generational poverty, limited education and discrimination due to race, ethnicity and gender. Twenty-five women will be served in RMMFI’s Project. Idea – the women will access their business idea, their readiness for business ownership and the best timing to pursue business launch. Launch – the women will receive a hybrid of virtual and in-person classes and mentorship, and launch or re-launch businesses. Thrive – these women will also be receiving individualized mentorship and micro loans.
The Blue Bench – Safe Bars Project – $7,500
The Blue Bench is metropolitan Denver’s only comprehensive sexual assault prevention and care center. They raise awareness of sexual assault through door-to-door education, they partner with hundreds of schools and organizations to provide scientifically-supported sexual assault prevention programs, and they offer comprehensive services to sexual assault survivors. Sexual assault remains a critical problem in our community. Safe Bars is a sexual assault prevention training module provided to staff who work in establishments that serve alcohol and that Zonta Club of Denver has supported in the past with a grant. The Safe Bars training prepares staff to recognize and respond to incidents of sexual harassment and assault that are occurring among patrons of their business. The Blue Bench is one of a few organizations across the country providing this curriculum which is critical to keeping people safe when alcohol is present.
In addition, $17,371 was given to the Zonta Foundation for Women 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 – $7,371
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 – $1,500
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. A $1,500 scholarship will be awarded by the Zonta Club of Denver to a qualifying student in 2021, and that student will be eligible to compete for a District and International scholarships.
For information about community awards in prior years, click here.