Full Circle News

Make your gift today to the “One More Grant” Initiativeand your dollars will impact a deserving local organization focused on improving life for women and families in Anne Arundel County (AAC)! Gifts of all sizes count. Your impact will be doubled!! Make your tax-deductible gift this month and the Brian & Patricia Giese Foundation joined by an anonymous donor will match it – doubling the impact of your gift. Help meet our $50,000 goal in order to increase our grant making in 2025.  Join us as we reach the milestone of more than $2 million of grants to more than 54 different AAC organizations (since 2006). Be part of the collaborative giving movement! Have your $25 or $1,000 gift make more of an impact with us than it can on its own!! Celebrate the Season of Giving with us!

Grants application is now available for preview on our site!

It’s that time of year … just one month until our 2025 AAWGT grants process opens and we prepare to award both operating and program grants that support our mission to improve the quality of life for women and families in Anne Arundel County.

Again this year we have made the full grant application available online early so those interested can preview it before completing their application next month. In addition, the entire grants process, including this preview, is being made available in Spanish.

AAWGT remains committed to helping women and families in Anne Arundel County address challenges that impact the quality of their lives. And we strive to embed the principles of DEIAB (diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, belonging) and trust-based philanthropy within our organization and our grantmaking process – these principles are reflected in our application. 

The online portal to submit a 2025 Grant Application will open on January 2, 2025 – completed applications must be received no later than Friday, January 31, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. Only nonprofits with gross annual revenue less than $1,000,000 (excluding in kind revenue) are eligible to apply. An informational workshop for all applicants will be held on January 7, 2025, on Zoom. Participants can choose between two identical 90-minute sessions at 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Register here for the morning session. Register here for the afternoon session.

For more details about applying for an AAWGT grant, you can scroll through the information accessible through the Grants tab on our website. We are grateful to all AAWGT members for supporting this important work. Special thanks to our grants reviewers for their dedication and time.

In service,

Margaret Davis, President
Michelle Hellstern, Vice President

AAWGT Receives Its Largest Underwriting Gift

Cheers of appreciation to the Brian & Patricia Giese Foundation  (giesefoundation.org) for making its Platinum Underwriting gift – the largest in AAWGT’s history. Watch this space for a future Full Circle News story on this important investment in AAWGT. The Brian & Patricia Giese Foundation is helping to boost AAWGT’s grant impact in Anne Arundel County by encouraging more donors to give to AAWGT and have their dollars go farther by matching them. They will also be the exclusive underwriter of the 2025  Grant Showcase in September and will be assisting AAWGT extend our reach into the community for our education event. Join us in a New Year’s Toast of deep thanks to the Brian & Patricia Giese Foundation!!

Anonymous Donor Boosts AAWGT Endowment Past $300,000 – Inspiring Others!

Wow! Join us in sending your mental message of thanks to a dedicated anonymous donor for her recent $25,000+ personal contribution to AAWGT’s endowment. As she told Full Circle News, “When I heard that AAWGT’s endowment was close to $300,000, I said, ‘Let’s get it there!’ and hopefully inspire others to join us with their gifts, too!” And she will! The AAWGT endowment is becoming an even more powerful engine joining annual member contributions and Life Memberships to drive grants to community organizations focused on women and families. Thank you, Ms. Holiday Elf!

Heather Cassity is the founding principal and CEO of Cassity Consulting, which she established last year to work with nonprofits and small businesses in the Baltimore-D.C.-Annapolis area. She has 25 years of operational and management experience. Heather previously spent more than seven years with Anne Arundel County’s The Light House Homeless Prevention Support Center. The final two years, she was the executive director of The Light House. Prior to working in the nonprofit industry, Heather served in the United States Navy, working as a linguist, analyst, and instructor, and supporting operations. 

Heather got interested in AAWGT, having experienced its giving to The Light House. Says Heather, “The Giving Circle’s inclusivity and future directions sparked my interestin being a member because I wanted my donation to go to well-deserved community nonprofits and this looked to be the place to make this happen.”

Heather currently is the assistant chair of the Education Committee, which she says has been an amazing experience. “I’ve gotten so much from committee participation and have made great friends and connections. AAWGT women really put their heads together, and get things done!”

Her family: Heather met her husband, Brian, in the Navy and settled in the Annapolis area.They have two daughters, both of whom are in the AACPS Magnet Apex Arts Program: Rachel (13) is in the Visual Arts Program at Brooklyn Park and Norah (15) is in the Film and Media Program at Annapolis High School. We love to go to see the Annapolis Blues, play music, travel, and “get messy,” painting in our unfinished basement.

“Foremost, however, is ensuring a life of service and giving back to our community. My job at TheLight House was life-changing in this regard. Helping our underserved neighbors is my passion. I’m looking forward to what 2025 will bring. I’m getting all my ducks in a row so that I can bid on a government contract and offer services to nonprofits at discounted rates. Nonprofits are the backbone of our community, and I know how hard it is for them to make ends meet, serving their mission. I firmly believe we are going to need the support of nonprofits more than ever in the coming years. Anything we can do to strengthen their sustainability and resilience will better us all.