Girls Giving Grants (g3) has just concluded its 2018 Grant cycle with an $8,200 award to Foster Angels of Central Texas. The 2019 Grant year members are signing up now, and all girls in 8th-12th grade in Central Texas are welcome to join. Click "Girls Giving Grants" to learn more and sign up today to be a part of the excitement and fun that is g3.
Akshara Anand served as President of g3 this past year, and kindly shared her Girls Giving Grants experience!
“Four years ago, a friend told me I should join an organization called Girls Giving Grants (g3). She had participated the previous year and told me that it would be one of the best organizations and experiences I could be a part of. I joined rather reluctantly with little idea of the organization’s mission or what I would be doing.
I attended my first meeting in September with few expectations and was surprised when I was greeted by friendly advisors and given a packet filled with information. I spent those two hours learning about a variety of needs in the Austin community and started to understand philanthropy. I left with a great sense of purpose and giddy excitement about the experience to come. Each meeting my first year taught me something new through training, gave me leadership opportunities, and I learned interpersonal and communication skills in my application review committee.
Four years later, I can confidently say that g3 has been the most rewarding experience of my high school years.
Girls Giving Grants taught me that when we think of issues that need to be solved, poverty and homelessness may come to mind quickly. I had never thought, however, about the lack of mental health services for underprivileged youth, or how the high expense of diapers can contribute to disease and a lack of hygiene in lower income areas. There is so much work left to be done and I am forever grateful to g3 to giving me a gateway to the passion I now have for finding solutions to improve our communities.
I also learned how inventiveness and simple solutions are driving the incredible nonprofits we learned about. These organizations begin with a possible solution and a great deal of motivation to address whatever problem they have made their mission to solve. While each approaches their mission in a different way, they have one thing in common. Every nonprofit has a passionate team working with the same guiding vision. At our site visits in April, I was impressed by the commitment and passion each organization displayed.
Serving as g3 president this last year and secretary the previous year, I learned how to delegate tasks effectively, speak up and make my voice heard, to manage differing opinions during grant reviews, and how to have an unbiased and open attitude. These skills have translated into founding my own nonprofit organization, The STEMInnovation Program, which provides computer science education to young women in underprivileged middle schools. Site visits gave me insight into how successful nonprofit organizations function and I was able to apply this knowledge to my own organization.
I am forever grateful that I made the decision to join G3. I enjoyed collaborating with young women from all over Austin, speaking with the bright and enthusiastic advisors, reading grants from nonprofits that are addressing the most pressing issues in our communities, and becoming a more educated and aware citizen. My philanthropic journey has just begun, and I can’t wait to see where g3 will continue to take me in the future.”
