Happy 10th Anniversary to Women’s Giving Circle

A full decade of gathering and giving! What an accomplishment! The Fulton County Women’s Giving Circle (FCWGC) has been empowering Fulton County women since 2010 by providing them with the unique opportunity of pooling their contributions to support local charitable organizations.

10 years ago, members of the Fulton County Community Foundation, spearheaded by Judy Climie and Barb Lutterbein, decided it was time for Fulton County women to become a part of this widespread initiative. The group began contacting individuals they felt would want to contribute to forming a women’s giving circle of their own. Soon, a steering committee was formed and invitations to the first gathering were mailed.

The first FCWGC meeting had over 100 women attend! Each table of 12 was able to discuss and award a $100 Fulton County Community Foundation (FCCF) grant to the local philanthropic organization of their choice. Little did the women know, this event was only the beginning of a decade of gathering and giving!

Each year since, women continue to support the community by pooling their $120 dues to award grants and grow their endowment fund with FCCF. By endowing half of their dues each year, the FCWGC is able to ensure that they will have grant dollars to support Fulton County forever. The other half of the dues is granted out the same year to the finalists chosen by the women at their annual event.

Since inception, the FCWGC has been able to grant over $51,000 to local philanthropic organizations. With over $52,000 in the endowment, the FCWGC is thriving and will continue to benefit the community for good, Forever. This past year, the women gave grant dollars to Kewanna-Union Township Public Library, Times Theater, Inc., Kosciusko County Shelter for Abuse, and Riddle Elementary School, making a difference in four different aspects of the community.

The FCWGC has had some major accomplishments in its past. For example, some of the largest individual grants ever given were in 2016 and 2018 and each worth $2,500! These were awarded to Fulton County Council on Aging and Girls on the Run Michiana. However, the largest grant totaling $3,000 was just recently given in 2019 to the Times Theater, Inc. Great work ladies! Women of the FCWGC are dedicated to helping a wide variety of applicants and always strive to award grants to as many organizations as possible. It is their mission to inspire a better community in which we live.

It is the hope of FCWGC that membership will continue to climb and that younger generations will become involved and realize the true value of philanthropy. Through their endowment at the FCCF and the generosity of Fulton County women, the FCWGC can be sure that it will continue to improve the quality of life in Fulton County for decades more to come.

Interested in being a part of this incredible group of women’s second decade? Join now at https://www.nicf.org/fulton-county/womens-giving-circle/ or contact Brian Johnson at fulton@nicf.org or (574) 223-2227 for more information.