Women United in Philanthropy is New Jersey's first giving circle launched by the United Way in 2005. In six years, WUiP has given a total of $465,000 to change the lives of countless women today and an untold number of children tomorrow.

The giving circle is a new kind of philanthropy, based on the passion for giving, and a belief in the collective power of women. Membership is open to women of all ages, interests and means, by contributing $1000 or more annually to a pooled fund. From this fund, the membership votes to award large-scale grants to benefit programs serving the needs of women in Bergen County. 100% of the fund goes to the grant recipient.

Grants have been awarded to open a new transitional house in Teaneck for single mothers and provide financial workshops, educational scholarships, computers, and after-school care for women and children living in family shelters; to start Caring for You/Caring for Me, a program in southern Bergen for older women who have no one to care for them, teaching them how to navigate life alone through weekly classes, an online support group, an onsite medical team, and in-home volunteers; to launch Zoe’s Cupcake Café in Teaneck, a revenue generating bakery business and training program for teen moms needing job training, skills and experience to earn a living wage and care for their babies; to help local servicewomen returning from Iraq and Afghanistan to make the transition back to life at home by offering remedial pre-college education, career services, and family legal assistance; and to move homeless women from shelter to a permanent place they can call home.

In October, WUiP members awarded an $80,000 grant to Shelter Our Sisters to open a multi-cultural outreach center for victims of domestic violence

There are currently over 8600 women’s giving circles throughout the country that have demonstrated the power of the purse – that women have the power to effect change. For more information about how you can get involved, click here.