County’s First Endowment for Women, Girls Created : Grants: Launched with $40,000 in pledges and cash, effort will target such issues as domestic violence, teen-age pregnancy and illiteracy.

Responding to what they see as a critical under-funding of programs for women and girls, the Ventura County Community Foundation has created the county’s first permanent endowment for women.

The Women’s Legacy Fund, launched Wednesday with $40,000 in pledges and initial cash gifts, will be a community-based resource designed to fund programs that target issues facing women, such as domestic violence, teen-age pregnancy, illiteracy, homelessness and breast cancer.

Founders of the Women’s Legacy Fund--numbering about 25 prominent Ventura County women--hope to raise at least $100,000 by the end of the year.

Although details have not been ironed out, the founders plan to award annual grants to groups and agencies striving to meet the needs of women and girls.

“I see more accessible funding for women’s issues that haven’t been there before,” said Camarillo resident Roz McGrath, a Women’s Legacy Fund founder.

“All you have to do is look at the [county budget] shortfall to realize there have been some drastic cuts,” she said. “The one that jumps out at me is mental health. Women are part of that population that is underfunded.”

Ventura County agencies that work with women say such an endowment is needed.

“Money is drying up in a lot of places,” said Colleen Duncan, an Interface coordinator who works with battered women. The family services agency served 3,000 battered women and their children last year, she said.

“We always need more funds,” she said. “Something more locally based would be a benefit for our county.”

Legacy Fund organizers hope the new endowment will help fill funding gaps left by county budget cutbacks.

“This was not just some philanthropic idea,” said Leone Webster of Ojai. “This came from doing research in our community of needs that were not being met.”

A comprehensive study released in January reported that every city in Ventura County needed to improve the delivery of health and human services to its residents.

Among many issues, the study evaluated child care, education and unemployment and found that even relatively wealthy cities were not meeting the needs of residents.

“I think a lot of issues are identified, but there is no funding,” said Joanie Young, a Westlake realtor and Women’s Legacy Fund founder. “There are free clinics for breast screening, but what’s the next option? We have immediate help for abused women, but you need more.”

Mary Kaiser, president of United Way of Ventura County, said the Women’s Legacy Fund will be a tremendous way for the private sector to identify and meet the needs of women in the community.

“There are lots of issues because of budgets cuts that perhaps this fund can cover in the form of grants,” she said.

“I don’t think there are enough givers or enough contributors in the county,” Kaiser said. “Perhaps this will be an additional outreach to reach those who do not currently give.”

Legacy Fund founders, who each paid $1,000 and are actively recruiting additional members, have not yet determined how many grants will be awarded or how much they will be worth.

“Once the $100,000 is reached we will then start on the development of the grant-making portion,” said Kate McLean, president of the Ventura County Community Foundation, which will administer the fund’s finances.

The foundation was established eight years ago to accept and administer charitable gifts to benefit Ventura County residents. The foundation manages and invests more than 100 funds totaling $11 million.

“The money we are gathering now is strictly endowment,” McLean said. “The only thing we will be spending is the earnings.”

The establishment of such a fund in Ventura County is unique, McLean said. There are only 30 similar funds across the nation that address women’s issues. “We are joining a select group around the country,” she said.

Organizers hope creation of the Legacy Fund will encourage more women to become involved in philanthropic efforts, and in a manner that goes beyond old-fashioned fund-raising activities.

“Hopefully, it sends a message of empowerment for all women,” Eloise Cohen of Thousand Oaks said.

Young agreed.

“I would hope this will engender a desire on the part of women throughout the county to help others less fortunate than ourselves,” she said. “And one day, by helping those people we are going to be able to empower them to help someone else.”

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FYI

To donate or receive more information on the Women’s Legacy Fund or the Ventura County Community Foundation, call 988-0196.