The Long Island Fund for Women and Girls is a nonprofit organization in Bethpage that funds organizations run by women and that serves women on Long Island. The organization was established in 1991. It began with a small group of women from Nassau and Suffolk County meeting over brown-bagged lunches to discuss pressing issues affecting women and girls on Long Island. One major issue discussed was the cutting of women's programs due to lack of funding. On the LIFWG website it states, Úquot;78 percent of the nation's poor are women and their children, but less than 6 cents of every dollar donated by organized philanthropy goes to programs that specifically address the needs of women and girls.Úquot; This fact ultimately led to the establishment of the LIFWG, which this year provided $150,000 in grant money toward women's programs.

The fund does more than provide money. One of the LIFWG, projects is the Gender Equity in Education project. This program was created to work with Long Island school districts to examine their programs and practices for gender fairness. The program encourages girls to pursue a career in math, science and technology by providing funding for these programs. Every year, the foundation holds the Gender Equity in Education Conference in March. Diane Cohen, executive director of the LIFWG said, Úquot;We have this conference annually so people can share. If someone has an excellent program for teaching math to girls, or science, or technology, this is a vehicle for sharing that.Úquot; Everyone is able to attend; this year's conference will be held at Stony Brook University on Tuesday, March 15. The focus will be on leadership. Additionally, the GE project offers a gender audit program for Long Island school districts, which allows schools to self-assess their programs, pinpointing areas where gender equity is lacking, and where additional work is needed.

At the Women Achievers Against the Odds annual breakfast, five of Long Island's most successful women are awarded, and grants are given to various organizations run by and working for women. Last year's 10th Annual Breakfast held at the Crest Hollow Country Club on Nov. 10, honored Louisa Thomas Hargrave, co-founder of Hargrave Vineyards; Felisha Legette-Jack, Head Women's Basketball Coach at Hofstra University; Deborah Tascone, executive director of North Shore/Long Island Jewish Health System; Janet Walsh, founder of LI Alzheimer's Foundations and CEO of Memory Concepts and lastly, the Young Woman Achiever in Activism award went to Hillary Wool, a student at Paul D. Schreiber High School in Port Washington. These five women were awarded because they achieved high standards in the face of obstacles; for example, Deborah Tascone is the first women to become an executive director for the North Shore/LIJ Health System.

The Women's Expo, an all-day showcase featuring products made and distributed by Long Island women, is a joint initiative of the LIFWG and the Middle Country Library Foundation. Last year's Expo was Oct. 7, at the Middle Country Public Library in Centereach. The Expo has been called a small Úquot;United NationsÚquot; with over 60 women entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds all selling unique items. A wide array of products were featured such as handbags, clothing, jewelry, decorative art glass and baby journals. Additionally, the Expo offers educational workshops to teach women the necessary skills for operating their business.

Last year on Sept. 23, the LIFWG co-sponsored the White House Projects program, Úquot;Vote, Run, Lead,Úquot; designed to get more women involved in politics, and led by Marie Wilson, former president of the Ms. Foundation. Úquot;Women make up 14 percent of the Congress,Úquot; Diane Cohen said. Úquot;We are 51 percent of the population. If you look at where we rank in the world, we are number 52 in the world in the number of women legislators.Úquot;

When asked if she thinks women are making progress, Cohen replied, Úquot;There has been so much progress, look at the corporate world, look at the legal and medical professions, there has been remarkable progress.Úquot;

In the future, the LIFWG would like to continue to increase the amount of grant money they can offer, and build an endowment so they have a permanent source of support. If you would like to make a donation, are interested in becoming a sponsor or would like to volunteer for the LIFWG, visit www.lifwg.org or call 622-FUND.