New fund launched to empower women and girls in Coventry and Warwickshire
A pledge made on International Women’s Day to launch a dedicated fund to support women and girls in the West Midlands and Warwickshire has been met just five months later.
The Heart of England Community Foundation has launched the Women and Girls Fund, seeding it with £50,000 from its own funds and the Foundation is now calling on businesses and individuals across the region to back the initiative by donating towards its appeal.
The pledge to create the fund was made by Tina Costello OBE, Chief Executive of the Heart of England Community Foundation, during an event at the Ikon Gallery in Birmingham on International Women’s Day in March 2024.
Moved by the stories shared by women from diverse backgrounds, Tina – who was recently awarded an OBE for services to charities and the voluntary sector - vowed to establish a fund dedicated to supporting women and girls across the region.
Tina said: "There are some frightening statistics out there about the plight of women and girls in our region.
“In the West Midlands, police received 32,000 calls last year to their helpline for women – each one a cry for help. A quarter of all women will suffer from domestic abuse at some point in their lives. Women earn around 18 percent less than their male counterparts, and 26 percent of girls aged 16 to 19 are suffering from mental health issues.
“I couldn’t sit there and hear such a range of stories and do nothing about it, so I made a pledge that night that we’d launch this fund. Here we are, just a few months on, and thanks to the support of so many people we’re able to do it.”
The fund was officially launched at a special event hosted by Tyndallwoods Solicitors in Edgbaston. The event also featured Jacky Mulveen, project manager with WE:ARE Women’s Empowerment and Recovery Educators, who shared her personal story of overcoming domestic abuse and how she established her organisation in memory of her son, Carl.
Jacky said: “It’s our 21st anniversary this year and we are grateful for the support we’ve had from the Heart of England Community Foundation and everything it does to help grassroots organisations like ours.
“This fund can help the Foundation to do even more from women and girls in our region who desperately need support.”
The Foundation will use the fund to provide grants to a range of women and girls projects across the region over the next 12 months. The fund will support activities that improve access to sports and recreation; tackle domestic violence; create opportunities through training, work, entrepreneurship and volunteering; support reproductive rights, sex education, and promote positive mental health and self-esteem.
Tina continued: "We need support to reach our goal of £100,000. Every donation will be matched up to £50,000, doubling the impact. We can also claim gift aid on qualifying donations. By contributing to this fund, your donations will mean we can support many local charities and initiatives that empower women and girls across the region."
For more information about the Fund please visit www.heartofenglandcf.co.uk or contact the Foundation directly.
Donations to the fund can be made online at: https://heartofenglandcommunityfoundation.enthuse.com/cf/wgfund
