Making Difficult Decisions As We Uplift Women
None of us are strangers to the weight of a difficult decision. Research has shown that the average individual makes an average of 35,000 decisions per day–approximately 200 of which are about food. With so many conscious and subconscious decisions to choose from, it is probably easy to think of a handful of decisions that you’ve wrestled with. From deciding whether or not to take a new job to choosing a name for a new pet, we’ve all made decisions that have lasting impacts on our lives, as well.
At Uplift, we have a committee who reviews and responds to every grant application within 72 hours. This committee is faced with several difficult, heavy decisions as they choose how to allocate the funds that our generous donors have trusted us with. The reality is that we want to transform the lives of every woman who applies for a grant. But unfortunately, we cannot say yes to everyone.
We review every application based on a rubric, which evaluates the level of crisis a woman is in and whether or not children are involved. Additionally, we review applications based on the type of crisis they are facing, because we have designated funds for each of our four focus areas: basic needs, health and wellness, education and training, and emergency and crisis. If you give to Uplift, you can choose which of these funds to direct your donation towards!
On average, our applicants request around $1,500. The most rewarding part of our work is seeing how this money truly transforms lives. You can read about these transformations in our 2023 annual report. From providing a “deep breath of relief” for a woman who recently lost her job to providing emergency housing for single mothers, Uplift is actively changing lives every day.
But the most challenging part is saying no to other women who deserve similar moments of Uplift. Last year, we were only able to approve 12% of our grant applications. This year, we know that we can do more.
So today, we want to invite you to consider a difficult decision. Would you give to support more moments of Uplift for women in crisis around the country? It doesn’t take $1,500–our average gift is around $26. We know that together, we can transform lives. Will you join us?
