(November 2009)

Vermont Works for Women (VWW), a local organization which helps women and girls explore and pursue their full potential through education and training programs that lead to financial independence is one of four to receive a BPW Foundation grant. The grant is part of BPW Foundation’s initiative to connect women with green jobs and increase their participation in the emerging green economy. Burlington BPW member, MaryClaire Carroll, who has been on the board of VWW for many years commented, “I was really happy to see the Foundation support a program near and dear to my heart and one in Vermont.”
The other organizations who received grants were CLIMB Wyoming, a nationally recognized training model that provides innovative and comprehensive services to economically disadvantaged single mothers and their families; Philadelphia Veterans Multi-Service and Education Center (PVMSEC), which provides employment, training and related educational services, especially in green jobs, to all honorably discharged veterans; and Women in Non-Traditional Employment Roles (WINTERGreen) which provides training and services to low-income women and youth in Los Angeles who can benefit from receiving the skills and support they need to pursue genuinely gainful employment.
“It's a fabulous program of which our state should be very proud. Congratulations VWFW!!” added former Burlington BPW president Jennifer Nachbur
Moving from Red to Green: Working Women in the Green Economy, is a BPW Foundation initiative with generous support from the Walmart Foundation. The pilot program awarded $60,000 grants to four organizations to expand their capacity to engage and train women for green jobs.
BPW Foundation is committed to creating successful workplaces and strengthening the U.S. workforce. To achieve this, the workforce must be inclusive. The work of BPW Foundation strives to increase the number of women in better-paying, non-traditional fields and ensure that careers of the future are pursued equally by all genders. The "Moving from Red to Green: Working Women in the Green Economy" initiative will explore women's demand for green jobs and how to ensure that they are recruited, trained and retained in the sustainable jobs of the future. In particular, the project will support opportunities for women with specific needs and challenges, including low and moderate income women, displaced women workers, under-represented populations and women veterans in different geographical locations.