THE AURORA FOUNDATION
GIVING CIRCLE.
GIVING CIRCLE
What is the Giving Circle?
The Aurora Women’s Giving Circle is a welcoming and diverse group of women - moms, professionals, activists, and everyday changemakers—who believe in the power of collective giving.
Together, we pool our resources, share our voices equally, and fund local organizations supporting women and girls in Greater Hartford.
No minimum donation. No red tape. Just impact.
Every dollar goes directly to local non-profit groups doing urgent, life-changing work. Learn about our 2025 Focus below.
Our year-long membership includes
four powerful sessions held virtually each spring where we:
- Dive into a pressing issue affecting women and girls
- Hear directly from community organizations tackling the issue we're focusing on
- Learn how our collective giving can make the greatest impact
Topics are informed by Aurora's relationships and research, so we're making data-driven decisions about where funds will have the greatest impact.
Whether you give $1 or $1,000,
you belong here.
Every voice matters.
Every gift counts.
This is more than giving.
It’s learning. It’s community. It’s action.
Members also learn that philanthropy can be tough—there’s never enough money to solve everything. But we show up anyway, with open hearts and shared purpose, because
we believe in a world where women and their families not only survive - but thrive.
Quick Facts:
- No minimum donation
- 100% of funds go to local organizations
- 4 purposeful, inspiring sessions
- A warm, inclusive, action-oriented community
Got questions?
📧 Marie McNamara:
marie@aurorafoundation.org
THE AURORA FOUNDATION
WOMEN'S GIVING CIRCLE
2025 FOCUS
Supporting Immigrant & Refugee Women
with safety, stability & strength
WHY?
Right now, in our own communities, women and families are living in fear and uncertainty. The need is urgent—and deeply human.
Community Partners tell us stories of:
- Mothers skipping food pantry visits, too afraid to ask for help
- Children missing school—not because of illness, but because of fear
- Survivors staying silent, unsure where it’s safe to turn
- Families navigating complex paperwork and legal aid is stretched thin
This is not happening far away, it’s happening here, in Greater Hartford.
This is the power of convening.
Which is the heart of Aurora.
We responded with compassion, care, and collective action.
Because every woman deserves to be seen, heard, and supported.
Donations ranged from $5 - $5,000 resulting in:
$40,000 raised by 70 members

2025 Giving Circle Grant Awards
CT Students for a Dream - $10,000
Make the Road CT - $10,000
Hartford Deportation Defense - $10,000
Angel of Edgewood - $10,000
Thank you to the members of the
2025 Steering Committee
Chloe Carlson
Anne Carroll
Michele Dyson
Sandra Fischer
Sivan Hines
Leah Murchie
Chef Renée Williams
2025 GIVING CIRCLE MEMBERS
Yvonne Alston
Amber Anthony
Janet Bailey Faude
Sharon Barrett
Melody Bernhardt
Karen Binkhorst
Michele Brophy
Cynthia Brown
Eileen Buell
Carlene Bush
Chloe Carlson
Anne Carroll
Nicole Castelli
Mary Carangelo
Samantha Castillo-Davis
Vilma Barillas-Chang
Susan Clemow
Christina D'Amato
Natalie Demers
Jill Dulitsky
Michele Dyson
Kate Eikel
Courtney Feingold
Sandra Fischer
Tracey Flynn
Tammy Freeberg
Ann Gowdey
Betty Ann Grady
Tracy Graham
Katherine Hall
Kara Hart
Nicole Heiden
Sivan Hines
Ann Hoffman
Carolyn Hoffman
Princess Hyatt
Kasey LaFlam
Jane Leary
Suzanne Levere
Becky Lowry
Sarah Martz
Mickey Mattei
Katherine McCarthy
Dave McCarthy
Marie McNamara
Amy Miller
Leah Murchie
Michelle Murphy
Nancy Murray
Ann Newbury
Ann Nichols
Michelle Palmer
Pam Pestretto
Sara Pierce
Trisha Pitter
Sharon Pope
Ellen Robinson
Gilda Roncari
Mary Sanchez
Alison Scherer
Nancy Shaich
Christina Smith
Donna Sodipo
Donna Stout
Claire Shalov
Rachel Taylor
Ann Thomas
Pat Walsh
Linda Wright
Chef Renée Williams
2024 FOCUS:
REPRODUCTIVE EQUITY
In 2024 we addressed the inequity in access to reproductive care that disproportionately impacts low-income people and people of color.
Newly released data shows that maternal mortality has doubled in the United States. We explored how we can center women’s reproductive health—to benefit women, their families, and our community. Together, we learned how to help increase access to care that will make a difference by allowing women to be healthy, make decisions about their bodies, plan their families and ultimately fully participate in our communities.
Donations Ranged from $30 - $5,000
resulting in:
$30,000 raised by 70 members
Funding Awarded
Mutual Aid Hartford - $10,000
Diaper Bank - $7,500
Reproductive Equity Now - $7,500
Planned Parenthood of Southern New England - $5,000
FOCUS FOR 2023:
Women in the Workplace: Moving from Covid to Economic Security
The 2023 Aurora Women's Giving Circle focused on the devastating impact COVID-19 has had on working women. Members asked the question: "How can we help women in the workforce coming out of the pandemic?" The continuing concentration of women, especially women of color, in low-wage service jobs means they struggle to support their families, especially with the rising costs of everyday essentials, as well as expensive and hard-to-find childcare. Large numbers of women left the workforce during the pandemic, and we may lose the hard-earned gains that we’ve been working on in corporate America. This could lead down a path where we see even more inequality in the workplace.
Awarded $6,000
Awarded $6,000
Awarded $4,000
Awarded $4,000
The 2022 Aurora Women's Giving Circle funded programs that addressed the ongoing effects that the pandemic has had on girls, particularly girls of color, their education, access to mentors and role models, and social/emotional intelligence.
The group pooled their resources to raise over $20,000 and made an impact on programs that will reach hundreds of girls in Greater Hartford.
Our 2021 Women's Giving Circle identified childcare, housing and mental health as the focuses for 2021 funding.
2021 Grant Recipients included:
GIVING CIRCLE
WHAT WILL I GET OUT OF IT?
GIVING CIRCLE
GIVING CIRCLE GRANTMAKING
The 2019 Giving Circle voted to award a $5,500 grant to Strong Girls Camp at the Albany Avenue Branch of the Hartford Public Library. This six-week summer program will serve 25 Hartford girls and offer them lessons in gender inequality, body image, building self-esteem, and intersectionality. The program addresses the social and emotional obstacles young women face and helps them to overcome them and express themselves.
The 2018 Giving Circle voted to award a $6,500 grant to Girls for Technology, a Hartford-based organization whose mission is to inspire and increase girls’ interest in STEM through educational enrichment programs and partnerships with area business leaders. Funds from the Women’s Giving Circle will support a bi-monthly Math and Science Academy serving up to 100 low-income girls from Hartford’s North End.