Authored By Staff Report

The Nightingale Network of the Women’s Fund of Greater Chattanooga has announced the three finalists for the 2018 Nightingale Network Grant Award. They are Chambliss Center for Children, Family Promise of Greater Chattanooga, and The Children’s Advocacy Center. Each of these area non-profits is seeking funding for a program or project to significantly help women and children in the greater Chattanooga community. Chambliss Center for Children serves at-risk children and families in the Chattanooga area by providing childcare for low-income and single-parent families. Chambliss is seeking the Nightingale Network grant to create an emergency assistance fund for moms who cannot afford their child care payment because of unexpected or emergency financial hardship. Family Promise of Greater Chattanooga strives to help homeless families with children achieve and sustain independence; Family Promise applied for Nightingale grant funds to transition homeless mothers and their children into permanent housing. The Children’s Advocacy Center serves those affected by alleged child abuse or neglect by offering help, hope, and healing, and is asking for Nightingale Network grant funds to be used to help the agency provide intervention services, including forensic interviews, for female child victims of sexual abuse. The Nightingale Network is a membership-based giving circle empowering local residents to participate in community philanthropy. Nightingale Network membership fees, ranging from $50 to $200, are matched up to $5,000 by a local philanthropist to fund the annual grant. The grant funds a local project that improves the status of women and girls in the area and advances gender, racial, economic, and social justice. Nightingale Network events are free and open to the public, but only members get to vote for the grant recipient. The 2018 grant winner will be announced at The Women’s Fund of Greater Chattanooga’s annual luncheon on Oct. 3 at Stratton Hall. Individuals have until Sept. 18 to join the Nightingale Network for 2018.