The William G. McGowan Charitable Fund's vision is to impact lives today, create sustainable change, and empower future generations to achieve their greatest potential. The foundation brings their vision to life through grant-making efforts in three program areas: Education, Human Services, and Healthcare initiatives. The foundation gives priority to programs that have demonstrated success, have measurable outcomes and plans for sustainability, and aim to end cycles of poverty and suffering. Resolute in their belief in the power of partnerships or collaborative efforts to maximize impact, they embrace opportunities to work with other funders in their program areas. They look for funding opportunities that share their philosophy and explore the possibility of joint projects with other nonprofit organizations.
Education: The McGowan Fund focuses on innovative programs that show measurable improvement in addressing achievement gaps, improving teaching and learning, and reducing disparities among students. The Fund focuses on:
- Out-of-school Programs
- Charter, faith-based, and alternative schools
- Scholarships for high achieving students in private education.
Healthcare: Lack of healthcare can be a barrier to work, education, and a family's mobility out of poverty. The foundation funds programs that seek to remove this barrier by providing quality care to those who may not have other care options. Areas of support in this initiative include:
- Primary Care
- Dental/Vision
- Mental Health Services
- Pharmacy
Human Services: The cycles of poverty and homelessness can seem intractable. Homelessness attenuates access to food, health, and work; this limited availability in turn hinders access to long-term housing. Recognizing the complexity and dependencies of the problem, the Fund focuses on projects that address basic human needs and stabilize individuals and families. Areas of support in this initiative include:
- Stabilized housing
- Food/clothing security
- Adult education (e.g. ESL, Financial Literacy, GED Attainment)
- Homelessness Remediation/Prevention
Recent grants through this Foundation can be seen at https://williamgmcgowanfund.org/what-we-do/recent-grants/
The foundations looks to partner with organizations that are rooted in evidence-based methodology and focused on long-term sustainable change for program participants.