Women Inspired Network (WIN), an initiative of the Starved Rock Country Community Foundation, has opened its grant application period, which runs through September 30.

Local nonprofits whose programs empower and improve the lives of women and children in the Starved Rock Country region are encouraged to apply at https://srccf.org/women-inspired-network-grants/. Grant finalists will be announced and funds awarded during WIN’s annual Celebration of Giving.

To date, WIN has raised more than $147,000 and awarded 19 competitive grants and scholarships totaling more than $97,000. In 2023, the La Salle County Sheriff’s Office Chaplain Division received $4,500; Safe Journey’s Women Employed/Women Empowered program received $4,500; and Our Saviors Lutheran Church Packs for Pal program received $2,633. WIN members also established an endowment fund in 2017 to support the organization in perpetuity and launched the Young Women Leaders Scholarship in 2021.

The Women Inspired Network welcomes new members to its group of caring and dedicated women. Annual donations are made in various amounts to support the scholarship program. For more information on charitable giving through WIN, visit https://srccf.org/women-inspired-network/. To join WIN, contact SRCCF Operations Manager Janice Corrigan at 815-252-2906, extension 2, or via email at [email protected].