Lowell – The Women Working Wonders (WWW) Fund, a permanently endowed fund of the Greater Lowell Community Foundation, has announced the recipients of $60,000 in grants to support local nonprofit programs that empower women and girls in the community.

“Women Working Wonders is proud to support these six outstanding organizations in their work to effect positive change in the lives of women and girls in Greater Lowell,” said Marcia Cassidy, Women Working Wonders board president. “Every year the need grows for funding of programs to support women and girls, and every year Women Working Wonders answers that call.”

Recipients of the 2023 WWW grants (each for $10,000): 

• Boys & Girls Club of Greater Lowell for “Within Reach” to empower the girls served at Boys & Girls Club of Greater Lowell to develop aspirational goals
• Challenge Unlimited for Equine Assisted Therapeutic Programs for Female First Responders
• Community Teamwork for Financial Foundations for Women
• Greater Lowell Health Alliance for It Takes a Village: The Breastfeeding-Friendly Communities Project
• International Institute of New England for IINE-Lowell Family Literacy Class – English and Empowerment for Refugee Women
• Mill City Grows for Merrimack Valley Growers’ Aid to provide access to land, training, and technical assistance to growers who identify as women

Women Working Wonders, an all-volunteer group of women dedicated to effecting positive change, provides annual grants in three key areas: assisting women in transition, providing leadership development in girls and women, and/or contributing to the beautification of the environment to benefit women and girls. Founded in 2004 by a small group of women coming together to form a collective giving organization that focused on women’s issues, the fund has made more than $370,000 in grants to organizations supporting women and girls in the Greater Lowell area.

One of the 2023 grant recipients, Mill City Grows, received funding for their Merrimack Valley Growers’ Aid project. This program will provide access to land, training, and technical assistance to 12 growers who identify as women.
“To ensure that people have food to eat, we need to make sure that farmers have land and tools to grow that food. We are excited to provide training, support, and land access to BIPOC women farmers who are providing food for our community,” said Jessica Wilson, executive director, Mill City Grows.

The Women Working Wonders Fund’s Power of the Purse 2023 event, which raises funds to support the annual grants, is scheduled for October 19. For information about WWW Fund and the upcoming event, visit www.womenworkingwondersfund.com.