The Women's Fund for Scotland

Annie Lennox, JK Rowling, Scarlett Johansson, KT Tunstall and Joanna
Lumley all care about Scottish women. They've all chosen to support the
Women’s Fund for Scotland (WFS).

What is the Women’s Fund for Scotland?

The Women’s Fund for Scotland (WFS) is dedicated to improving the lives
of women and girls across Scotland. The Fund raises money from individuals and organisations, which is then distributed in the community as grants to local charities working with and for women. Since their launch in 2002, they have awarded more than £650,000 in grants to over 270 projects from Orkney toDumfries and Galloway.

The funding has helped women who face a wide range of challenges associated with disability, ethnicity, single parenthood, ill health, age and domestic abuse.

Why Do We Need a Women’s Fund?

• 1 in 4 Women in Scotland will experience domestic abuse
• In the UK every 3 days a woman is killed by a violent partner or expartner
• Almost a third of domestic violence starts during pregnancy, and existing
   violence often escalates during it
• In 90% of cases in Scotland, children are in the same or the next room
  during an attack on their mother
• Scotland has one of the highest rates of unwanted pregnancies in Europe
• Women make up 89% of lone parent families in Scotland and 53% of lone
  parent households are in poverty
• In Scotland women in full-time employment still earn on average 75% of
  the average of their male counterparts
• Women in Scotland are 70 percent more likely to commit suicide than
   women in other parts of the UK
• At least one in ten young people have mental health problems
• Young women who had significant depression symptoms as a teenager
   were 85% more likely than their non-depressed peers to report serious
   partner violence five years later
• Over half of 15 year old girls in Scotland consider themselves as “too fat”
 

Impact of the Women’s Fund

The fund has an immediate impact on women and girls in Scotland by bringing inspiration, hope and transformation to their lives. By supporting women’s development, self-sufficiency, and economic and social equality,  the community at large is strengthened by an increased awareness of some of the unique issues women face. In the long term, all women young and old stand to benefit from the empowerment the fund brings to women.

To find out how you can help the Women’s Fund or to apply for a grant please visit the website www.womensfundscotland.org or call 0131 524 0300