News & Events

Power of the Purse (POP) Kick off Meeting and Applications Are Now Open!

December 8, 2022

The Power of the Purse in Berks County (POP) in Berks County held its 2022-2023 kickoff meeting at Berks County Community Foundation. POP is a women’s giving circle where donations are pooled to create an impact in the Berks County community. In the meeting, there was a discussion on how to improve the lives of women and girls that included explaining The University of Pennsylvania’s Center for High Impact Philanthropy’s XX Factor Framework. Based on this framework, there are five dimensions that women look to thrive in their community: health, education, economic empowerment, personal safety, and legal rights.  

  • Health: Women are free from disease and pain and able to live full, flourishing lives.  
  • Education: Women have access to knowledge and education opportunities to cultivate learning and expand their possibilities in life.  
  • Economic Empowerment: Women are enabled to achieve economic success and have agency over financial decision-making.  
  • Personal Safety:  Women are free from violence and other harmful practices that undermine bodily autonomy and well-being.  
  • Legal Rights: Women have rights under the law that enable them to thrive (including in the other four dimensions).  

“Collectively, if there is not an impact on all five, women cannot thrive. Progress in one will create a domino effect with the other dimensions,” explains Katherina M. Rosqueta, Founding Executive Director for the Center for High Impact Philanthropy, School of Social Policy & Practice, University of Pennsylvania. 

The Power of the Purse in Berks County Fund of Berks County Community Foundation awards grants to programs that break the cycle of poverty by eliminating or addressing barriers for Berks County girls and/or women who want to enter or re-enter the workforce or seek education they need to do so.  

The deadline to apply is January 24, 2023. 

This funding is made possible by the generous women who are members of the Power of the Purse in Berks County, which was started in 2012 to improve the lives of local women and children. 

You can learn more about POP, how to apply for a grant, how to donate to the group, and what grants have been previously awarded at https://bccf.org/pop/

 Apply for a grant directly at http://bccf.link/grants. The deadline to apply for funding is January 24, 2023. 

Share On Social