Awards - GFWC

GFWC gives awards for outstanding achievements on an annual or biennial basis at our Annual Convention. Awards are given to clubs and State Federations to recognize their efforts in the program and partnership areas within each GFWC Community Service Program and Special Program. In addition to the GFWC Community Service Program and Special Program awards, GFWC provides awards to recognize individual member accomplishments, club activities, and community improvement efforts. You can see a full list of our most recent award winners here.

State Federation awards are based on membership category, which is determined by the number of individual dues-paying members in each state.

You can download Award Entry Forms from the Club Manual.

Community Improvement Program Award

Our longest standing project, the Community Improvement Program Award is the heart and soul of GFWC and aims to meet the needs of individual communities. The Community Improvement Program Award provides a vision for the future of the relationships between clubs and their communities. You can download the Community Improvement Program Award Entry Form from the Club Manual.

National CIP Awards

First Place	$5,000
Second Place	$3,500
Third Place	$2,500
Fourth Place	$1,500
Fifth Place	$500
International Affiliate Award	$250
Total National Monetary Awards	$13,250

GFWC State Awards

First Place	$50
Second Place	$35
Third Place	$25
Total Per State	$110
Total for 50 State Federations	$5,610

GFWC Jennie Award

The GFWC Jennie Award honors one clubwoman from each GFWC Region for outstanding commitment to club, community, and family. They are chosen by their clubs to compete at state, region, and national levels for their outstanding personal commitment to club, community, and family.

The GFWC Jennie Award is named in honor of GFWC’s founder, Jane Cunningham Croly, who wrote for national newspapers under the pseudonym, “Jennie June.” The award highlights those extraordinary clubwomen who epitomize her spirit of independence, courage, and persistence in purpose through their roles as volunteers within their clubs, elsewhere in the community, and as members of a family or extended family. Although GFWC has many awards for states and clubs, the GFWC Jennie Award is the only national honor that recognizes individual members for personal excellence. In fact, it is the highest honor bestowed by GFWC.

Croly Award

The Jane Cunningham Croly Award for Excellence in Journalism Covering Issues of Concern to Women recognizes journalists who best capture the courage, vision, and spirit of Jane Cunningham Croly. Jane Cunningham Croly was a pioneering journalist who devoted her life to helping women improve their lives and expand their rights. The Croly Award winner must demonstrate a concern for the rights and the advancement of women in our society; an awareness of women’s sensitivity, strength, and courage; and/or an attempt to counteract existing sexism.

The Croly Award is a biannual competition. The next award will be granted at the 2019 Annual Convention.

Charlotte Emerson Brown Award

The Charlotte Emerson Brown Award for Excellence in State Leadership will recognize the exemplary service of State Presidents to their State Federations and the General Federation of Women’s Clubs. GFWC will celebrate the 2018-2020 honorees during the GFWC Annual Convention in Atlanta, Georgia in June of 2020. If multiple nominees meet the criteria, multiple awards will be presented. The purpose of the award is to recognize GFWC State Presidents who have demonstrated leadership and commitment that goes above and beyond basic expectations. The 2018-2020 Administration nomination form is available here.

Special Program, Community Service Program, and Advancement Area Awards

For more details regarding the Awards Program, contact the GFWC Programs Department at Programs@GFWC.org.

Blog

October 16

Volunteers in Action: GFWC Illinois; GFWC Florida; GFWC Manchester CT Women’s Club

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Featured Member

Minnie Bell Johnson

Minnie Bell Johnson is described by her fellow clubwomen as the happiest person they know, with a smile that brightens the whole room. Having just celebrated her 100th birthday, she has many reasons to smile. During her time with the Portland Woman’s Club (Oregon), she has served as both the club treasurer and club president. She’s still an active member to this day, voting on issues and club elections, and participating in projects like handing out personal care products to homeless women at the Rose Haven Women and Children’s Day Shelter.

Full story

Success For Survivors Scholarship

Each year, GFWC awards scholarships to help intimate partner abuse survivors obtain a post-secondary education that offers a chance to reshape their future by securing employment and gaining personal independence.

Learn More

Featured Club

GFWC Millington Junior Women's Club

Each year April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. Kathleen Sweeney, Executive Director/Forensic Interviewer of The Child Advocacy Center of Tuscola County (CACTC), spoke at GFWC Millington Junior Women's Club (Michigan) monthly meeting and told members that 10% of the 235 reported cases of child abuse in 2017 in Tuscola County were from Millington Township, including Millington. It inspired them to take action with the "Color Me Blue" Project.