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Meet Your Neighbor: Nevada Women’s Philanthropy
By Callie Thomas
Books have been written, wars have been fought, and mountains have been moved–all because of the power of women. If there’s a will, there’s a way, and the determination of an exceptional group of women has had an overwhelming influence on the health and well-being of the people of Nevada.
In 2006, six women harnessed their exceptional abilities to create the Nevada Women’s Philanthropy (NWP). Dena duBoef, Heather duBoef, Marcelle Frey, Dana Lee, Trina Pascal and Tawny Sanders joined forces to launch an organization that would grant nonprofit dream projects to address the needs of the greater Las Vegas community. The motivated women support emerging issues facing the community, from art and education to the environment, social services and health. “We started NWP to create a large impact grant with pooled funds from our members,” said founding member and past president Dana Lee. “Through the help and wisdom of our members, NWP has matured into an organization that has become more meaningful than any of us had ever dreamed.”
NWP, which is now 71 members strong, was originally modeled after the Everychild Foundation in Los Angeles and is based on the belief that a group of women can put mind over matter and award grants that make a serious difference in the community. All of the funds for the organization are derived from member dues in lieu of fundraising events. Individual donations are pooled to provide one large grant that will create an impactful investment in the community.
NWP President Susie Lee considers each donation as a valuable investment. “Each grant is a reflection of NWP’s faith in that nonprofit organization,” she said. “We look for responsible organizations that are serving a critical un-met need. It’s an extremely intense process for all of us.”
Each year Southern Nevada nonprofits are invited to the NWP Outreach Symposium where the committee and nonprofit representatives discuss the grant amount, past winners and project criteria. The Grant Screening Committee scrutinizes each proposal and narrows the list to half a dozen for site visits. From there, just two candidates are selected as finalists. After each organization presents their ideas to the entire NWP faction, votes are cast by secret ballot, and the group that receives the most votes receives the grant. Grant amounts have ranged from $180,000 to $450,000 each year. Over the course of its existence, NWP has granted $1.9 million to deserving nonprofits. This year the Salvation Army received a $325,000 grant, and the Community Counseling Center of Southern Nevada was awarded the NWP Founders Grant for $30,000. Past recipients include the Rape Crisis Center, NWP Signs of Hope Counseling Center, Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada (LACSN) and the Public Education Foundation, to name a few.
NWP members have had profoundly personal experiences while supporting Nevada charities. Member Robyn Ratcliffe-Mancini learned about LACSN during the NWP grant screening process. “They shared with our team the serious challenges faced by children in our foster care system, which includes numerous placements per child, no automatic representation and examples of kids with special needs,” she said. “My husband and I were moved to support them independently as well. NWP opened the door for my family to connect with LACSN, and I’ve joined their board of directors. My daughter, a Girl Scout, volunteered over 80 hours with the organization and helped create a resource book for teens in foster care to help them navigate the system. She was one of four girls in Southern Nevada to earn the Girl Scout Gold Award in 2011.”
Members are proud of their contribution to the state and helping to improve the lives of others. “It has been an honor to be an active member on the board of NWP since its inception,” said incoming president Carrie Henderson. “The evolution of our organization continues to inspire me with what a group of individuals can create with a common vision to make a difference in our community.”
