Take the Challenge, November 30-December 7
Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Women’s Fund and This Way UP have announced the first-ever statewide Vermont Woman Owned Challenge to encourage shopping at women-owned businesses beginning Wednesday, November 30 and going through December 7, 2022. The challenge is made possible with This Way UP’s searchable map that includes over 2,680 businesses owned and operated by women in the state of Vermont. Users can use the map’s search tool to locate goods and services from women-owned retailers and suppliers by industry, by region, and by business name.
“The Vermont Woman Owned Challenge is a fun way for holiday shoppers to discover a wide range of businesses, support Vermont women, and boost our local economy,” says Meg Smith, director of the Vermont Women’s Fund, a component fund of the Vermont Community Foundation. “For the first time, Vermonters can actually see on the map the thousands of women-owned businesses that drive our economy.”
The searchable map feature is a recent upgrade to This Way UP’s website and survey that launched in late November 2021 to count and identify women-owned and women-led enterprises in Vermont. Vermonters who take the challenge to shop Vermont Woman Owned for a week can post about their experience on social media and tag the Vermont Women’s Fund to be entered to win a basket of gift certificates for local goods produced by a collection of This Way UP businesses. The searchable map and additional information on entering to win the gift basket can be found at thiswayupvt.com.
This Way UP: there’s power in our numbers is an initiative of the Vermont Women’s Fund, a nonprofit that raises philanthropic resources to advance gender equity and economic justice in Vermont. This Way UP’s database features over 2,680 women-owned businesses and aggregated, self-reported information on earnings, job creation, and customer base. The survey includes questions about funding, life experiences, and what women business owners need to be successful. The survey can be found at thiswayupvt.com and results can be viewed at thiswayupvt.com/full-data-report.
The Vermont Women’s Fund is the first and largest philanthropic resource in the state founded specifically to advance women and girls in Vermont. Founded in 1994, it is a component fund of the Vermont Community Foundation and awards annual grants to nonprofits around the state that serve women and girls with programs that promote economic self-sufficiency, career development and systems change. Learn more at vermontwomensfund.org.
The Vermont Community Foundation was established in 1986 as an enduring source of philanthropic support for Vermont communities. A family of more than 900 funds, foundations, and supporting organizations, the Foundation makes it easy for the people who care about Vermont to find and fund the causes they love. The Community Foundation and its partners put more than $60 million annually to work in Vermont communities and beyond. The heart of its work is closing the opportunity gap—the divide that leaves too many Vermonters struggling to get ahead, no matter how hard they work. The Community Foundation envisions Vermont at its best—where everyone can build a bright, secure future. Visit vermontcf.org or call 802-388-3355 for more information.
