Organizational Profile
Soroptimist, a 501(c)(3) organization headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, offers programs that improve social and economic conditions for women and girls. Programs include the Women’s Opportunity Awards, which provides cash grants for head-of-household women seeking to improve their lives with the help of additional education and training. Each year, more than $1 million is disbursed through this award-winning program. In recognition of the power of women and their dreams, Soroptimist also sponsors the Live Your Dream campaign. Visit the campaign's online home at: www.liveyourdreamcampaign.org. Visit Soroptimist’s main site at: www.soroptimist.org to learn more about the organization and its work on behalf of the world’s women and girls.

Organizational Mission
Soroptimist’s mission is to improve the lives of women and girls, in local communities and throughout the world.

Soroptimist Club Grants for Women and Girls
Started in 1997, the Soroptimist Club Grants for Women and Girls program provides between $1,000 and $100,000 in grant monies for outstanding Soroptimist club projects that positively impact the lives of women and girls. Soroptimist clubs apply for the grants that enable them to start or continue innovative projects in their local communities. Since the program began, more than $1.4 million has been disbursed to 228 Soroptimist club projects, benefiting more than 100,000 women and their families.

In 2007, the Soroptimist Club Grants for Women and Girls program was named overall winner of ASAE & The Center for Association Leadership’s Associations Make a Better World award.

Sample Club Grant Projects
The following Soroptimist clubs received grants to help women and girls in their local communities:

• In 2007, Soroptimist International of Cumberland County, New Jersey, received a $10,000 grant to help 217 women and girls recovering from drug and alcohol dependency. Many of these women had been at Seabrook House, an addiction treatment center, and were transitioning into the community. The club used the funds to purchase job-training equipment, including computers, printers and educational software. They conducted a variety of workshops, such as GED training and resume writing. In addition, members established Jane’s Closet, a room with business attire and accessories offered to the women at no cost.
  
  
• Soroptimist International of Mesa Inc., Arizona, received $7,500 in 2007 to help 200 women and children at a domestic violence shelter. The club remodeled and furnished the laundry room, which included painting and purchasing washers, dryers, linens, cribs and laundry supplies. Club members organized the storage of donated items to the shelter and participated in activities and educational programs for children staying at the shelter. The club also purchased a computer for the resource room.
  
  
• Soroptimist International of Kyoto-Miyako, Japan, received $3,500 in 2007 to construct a new room at a domestic violence shelter, helping 30 women. This project is particularly noteworthy in that domestic violence is not widely recognized or discussed in Japanese society, although this is beginning to change thanks to Soroptimist and other women’s organizations in Japan.