Fund for Mary Washington Impact Grant provides campus initiatives and programs with funding for special projects

by MARTINA PUGH

Staff Writer

Last semester, UMW’s Office of Advancement and Alumni Engagement announced the Fund for Mary Washington Impact Grant. This grant allowed university community members to create initiatives that would be funded through a $25,000 grant that came directly from donors. This grant was dispersed among eight different initiatives ranging from $1,200 to $5,000.

All initiatives required a demonstrated need for funding, achievable goals, a clear plan for sustainability, a target audience and a detailed outline of how the budget would be used. 

Before being chosen, each initiative was selected to present their proposals in front of UMW’s Alumni Association Board of Directors who made the final funding decision with input from the Young Alumni Council.

“Giving the proposal was definitely nerve wracking, especially because I was only in my second semester here at Mary Wash,” said Sarah Tyree-Hermann, a sophomore women’s gender and sexuality studies and political science double major who is a part of the UMW Votes initiative that received funding. “However, everyone there, from the alumni to the other presenters, were all super supportive, which gave me a lot more confidence when I was presenting.”

Each presenter was given five minutes to propose and answer questions about the initiative. 

“It was also super encouraging to see and hear how many people really care about the work that UMW Votes is doing; it reassures our team that the work we are doing is not only important, but that it matters to the whole Mary Wash community, including our alumni,” said Tyree-Hermann.

Presenting proposals in person allowed students to showcase their initiatives on a platform that reached an audience outside of the student-body and obtain valuable skills that will translate to post-graduate professional settings. 

“What I loved most about this process was the opportunity that it provided students gaining experience developing a grant proposal and engaging in the process of seeking funding for projects that are important to them and that improve different aspects of campus life,” said Vice President for Advancement and Alumni Engagement Katie Turcotte.

Initiatives that received funding included but weren’t limited to projects such as preventing period poverty by the Student Government Association and women and gender studies, supporting student civic engagement through UMW Votes, helping fight food insecurity with the Gwen Hale Resource Center and enhancing accessibility through the Digital Knowledge Center. 

With the grant, SGA and the Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies Club reformed the free pad and tampon distribution initiative. ADA compliant Aunt Flo pad and tampon dispensary machines can be found across campus in the Eagle’s Nest, Cedric Rucker University Center, Hurley Convergence Center and the Fitness Center. 

The Gwen Hale Resource Center, which is located on the fifth floor of Lee Hall, provides students with food, clothing and toiletries. The funding they received seeks to help tackle food insecurity in the UMW community.

“The grant money made it possible for the GHRC to purchase a wide variety of nutritious foods, more consistently providing in each food group,” said Dee Chasten, the coordinator of the Resource Center. “Keeping our shelves stocked is our main goal and this grant has definitely made an impact on our students which in turn, I believe positively impacts how they are able to perform in our communities.”

UMW Votes used part of their grant funding for marketing initiatives like free merchandise to give away at events. 

“We have used the grant to get stickers with a positive voting message that we hand out at our events, as well as to rent the Fredericksburg Trolley on election day to give students who are registered on campus rides to and from the polling place at Dorothy Hart Community Center,” said Tyree-Hermann.

The Digital Knowledge Center used their grant funding to upgrade dated equipment and improve the workspace located on the fourth floor of the Hurley Convergence Center.

“The grant funds were used to purchase an upgraded broadcast panel for the Charnoff Production Studio,” said Director of the Digital Knowledge Center Cartland Berge. “This one device replaced a ton of outdated and bulky equipment, freeing up floor space to allow wheelchair access in the studio’s control booth.” 

While not every grant applicant received funding, the proposal process boosted engagement amongst donors and connected students with potential resources that may be beneficial in the future.

“Beyond the $25,000 that were awarded through the process and the Fund for Mary Washington, some of our alumni donors engaged in the process also made gifts to projects that weren’t funded to help further expand the impact, which was really fantastic to see,” said Turcotte.

The grant allows students and organizations to cultivate solutions to problems they see across campus.

“I definitely think that anyone who has a mission here on campus that they believe works towards the betterment of UMW as a whole should apply for the grant, because if they care about their mission enough to continue to work at it, then there is a very good chance that other people connected to the UMW community will care about it too,” said Tyree-Hermann.

The applications for new initiatives will reopen in Oct. 2024 and close in Jan. 2025.