Jewish Women's Foundation of Greater Pittsburgh

Girls Computer Science Initiative – Year 2 Pre-Reader Expansion
Women are severely under-represented in the computer science fields, which have become a large part of available employment. Beginning last year, Hillel Academy launched the “Girls Computer Science Initiative” with a targeted approach to spark students’ interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). JWF funded last year’s program, which focused on girls in Grades 2+. This year the program will be expanded to include pre-readers through Grade 1. The program will impact 169 girls.

Jewish Healthcare Foundation – $17,162

Stand Together Against Stigma
One in five children in the United States has a diagnosable mental health condition, and at least 85% of those in need do not receive treatment. JWF is partnering with the Jewish Healthcare Foundation to strengthen the mental health safety net for adolescent girls and their families in the Jewish community. Stand Together Against Stigma is a program supported by the Allegheny County’s Office of Behavioral Health and provides anti-stigma training and service-learning experiences. Students work to “stand together” to increase awareness, increase social inclusion and encourage each other to talk to an adult if they are concerned about their own or another student’s mental health. The program will be implemented with middle and high school girls at the Yeshiva Girls School, Community Day School and Hillel Academy.

National Council of Jewish Women – Center for Women – $10,000

Program Evaluation — Continued
Program evaluation is an essential part of ensuring that organizations carry out their mission. NCJW has embarked on an effort to build a comprehensive program evaluation model for the Center for Women, JWF’s Signature Grant. The grant will continue JWF’s 2018 support of this effort. Work will include refining pre-and post assessment tools, developing protocols for evaluation data management and analysis and creating reports and conducting analyses to determine program effectiveness.

Tzohar Seminary – $5,000

Tzohar Arts Integration
How can our Jewish community support young women to discover and develop their unique talents as a foundation for their Jewish identity? The guiding belief of the Tzohar Arts Integration program is that creative thinking and artistic expression within Jewish education, by giving each student a voice, transforms learning into a personal and purposeful endeavor. Arts Integration is a study, teacher training and community outreach program, with classroom fieldwork at the Yeshiva Girls School, Weinberg Terrace and new for this year, the Friendship Circle and the Holocaust Center. Tzohar is currently developing a replicable arts integration program for Hebrew and Day School of all Jewish denominations across North America.

Yeshiva Girls School – $10,000

Healthy Women: Financial, Physical, Emotional and Mental Well-Being
The growth in technology and robotics jobs, coupled with the widespread support for engaging women in these fields, marries well with Yeshiva’s vison of graduating world-ready women. Building on the success of the pilot with robotics and coding, which was supported by JWF, Yeshiva is expanding and increasing its programming in this area. Yeshiva’s desired outcome is to create systemic change within a traditional culture by empowering women to make strong career choices that enable them to support themselves and others. The project will support 5th -12th graders (100 girls).

General Community Grants & Contributions

Allegheny Health Network – $5,400

AHN Women’s Behavioral Health Childcare Program – Continued Services
In the case of perinatal depression, lack of childcare ranks in the top three barriers to accessing services, followed only by lack of time and stigma. The Women’s Behavioral Health Childcare Program provides on-site childcare at no cost, removing this significant barrier for mothers seeking crucial treatment for mental health services throughout pregnancy and following delivery. Financial needs to pilot a no cost childcare program during 2019 were met by a grant from JWF and others, and AHN is seeking to develop a long-term sustainable model.

Angels’ Place – $10,000

Early Childhood Education and Emotional Well-Being
Since 1984, Angels’ Place has provided high-quality early childhood education, child care and family support services for single parent families in need, impacting two generations and breaking the cycle of poverty. Services are offered at no cost to students and significantly reduced rates to working parents. The focus is on helping single parents, mostly women, achieve economic independence while providing strong educational support to their children.

HEARTH – $5,000

A Safe Place Matters
HEARTH provides supportive services and housing to empower homeless women and their children who are survivors of domestic violence or other trauma, helping them become independent, economically self-sufficient and adequately housed. It is the only transitional housing program for women with children in Allegheny County.

PAAR (Pittsburgh Action Against Rape) — $6,800

Mini-workshops as a Strengths-Based Approach to Intervention
For many, it may be surprising that sex trafficking – exploitation of people for the purpose of commercial sex – happens in Allegheny County. Yet it does. The victims are as young as 13, all genders, some are immigrants, but most are domestic youth. This program works with this vulnerable population, primarily young women, living in out of home placement centers or at Shuman, to prevent sex trafficking and make them aware of services if they have been trafficked. The workshops help to change beliefs and norms among youth on what healthy relationships look like, identify strengths and promote self-esteem.

Three Rivers Rowing – $5,000

First Row
First Row aims to develop well rounded female athletes, focusing on improving physical and emotional health, academics and self-esteem. First Row recruits 8th through 12th grade girls attending Pittsburgh Public Schools. Many of the participating students face several at-risk factors, including but not limited to single parent, multi-generational households of low income with low levels of education. The program is offered at no cost to the participants, and transportation is provided. Participants have a 100% high school graduation and college acceptance rate, and many are the first in their families to attend college.

Women's Center & Shelter – $10,000

Increasing Hotline Accessibility for Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence
The Women’s Center & Shelter provides access to a 24-hour Hotline, with the goal of providing 1,000 hours of counseling over the phone to 4,000 duplicated crisis callers. In 2018 that number reached 5,137 callers. This grant will support the technology needed to offer the option to contact the Hotline via text message and will encourage more survivors to reach out. Text messaging provides a secure and confidential alternative and will also meet the needs of those victims who are hearing impaired.

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