What is the Empower Me Fund?

We are now accepting applications for the Empower Me Fund. Applications must be submitted by the last calender day of the month to be  elegible.  Selected applicant will be contacted. 

The workshops that the Shameless Circle have facilitated have been met with an overwhelmingly positive response and we are so proud of what has been done, but we know that we can do more. 

In addition to creating a sense of community, we want to work towards creating a sense of Empowerment. 

The Shameless Circle wants to be able to support women the best way possible, but invisible gaps in services do exist.  Often there are barriers present which stand in the way of women being able to access certain supports and resources.  For the Shameless Circle, this meant finding a way to assist women in situations in which there seems to be a niche need.

This is where the idea for  the Empower Me Fund was born.

Winnipeg has so many fantastic services and resources for women in all walks of life, and in talking to the women that we have met through our Shameless Circle events, it has become apparent that in times of high stress or transitions, what people need most is someone to share information regarding sources of supports, services, and resources, as well as  guidance in accessing what is available. The Shameless Circle is available to refer and educate and provide this guidance. Where the empower me fund comes in, is to provide personalized monetary assistance with a specific need.

The Empower Me Fund works as a one-time step up tool, through which women can apply for financial support towards something specific that would not otherwise be covered by another organization or agency. 

Currently, the maximum amount that can be applied for is $50 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 her family. For this reason, we have created three pillars in which Empower Me Fund requests should fall under. We urge applicants to spend time reflecting on and writing about what they are requesting, and how the funds will benefit them.

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 that 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 her beginners drivers license make in her life?

-Imagine a 65 year old woman who took care of her husband who had cancer for the past two years who has recently passed away. For the past two years she devoted all of her time and energy into caring for her husband and in doing that she lost friendships and stopped participating in hobbies.  She has now taken steps to enrol in a free program for senior citizens at her community centre, but still doesn’t quite feel like herself as she hasn’t taken care of herself in far too long.  What difference could a haircut and style make in her life?

-Imagine a young woman who received funding and was accepted into a program to learn valuable construction skills and gain experience in the field but the only thing standing in between her taking the program is the cost of a pair of steel toe 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. When the applicant is selected through our needs-based system, their need will be addressed by the Empower Me Fund.

We ask women to think outside the box when it comes to their own empowerment, and for this reason the potential for various application requests are endless, which is also what makes the Empower Me Fund so unique.

Best,

The Shameless Circle