There are many resources available to women in Manitoba, but invisible gaps do exist. Sometimes there are barriers which stand in the way of a woman being able to access certain supports and resources.  For the Shameless Circle, this means finding a way to assist in situations in which there seems to be a niche need.

The Empower Me fund provides personalized monetary assistance for a specific need that would not otherwise be covered by another organization or agency.

The maximum amount that can be applied for is now $100 per applicant, per month.

Rather than providing a handout, the Shameless Circle believes in providing a hand up. We will consider any request which can potentially assist in empowering a woman to better herself and/or her family. For this reason, we have created three pillars in which Empower Me Fund requests should fall under.

The pillars are as follows:

• Access to Mental Wellness
• Self-Care
• Professional Development
  
  

Imagine… a woman who has never been permitted to get her driver's license due to the controlling domestic partnership she was in. She is now living on her own, but finances are tight as she adjusts to her new way of life. She has been studying to be able to take her written drivers test, the next step towards independence, and the only thing standing between her and her beginners license is the cost to take the test. What difference could a beginner’s driver’s license make in her life?

Imagine… a young woman has recently been accepted into a program to learn valuable construction skills, and now the only barrier is the cost of a pair of steel-toed boots.  What difference could a pair of boots make in her life?

Each Empower Me Fund application will be assessed on a case-by-case basis and will be decided on by the members of the board.

We ask women to think outside the box when it comes to their own empowerment. For this reason, the potential for various application requests is endless. We urge applicants to spend time reflecting how the funds will be most beneficial to them before applying.

• Women currently on Employment and Income Assistance (EIA) will need to report the gift as unearned income to their worker, but at this time EIA will not deduct the amount from their monthly payment.
• Applications must be submitted by the last calendar day of the month to be eligible for the following month’s gift. Selected applicant will be contacted by email.