SPRINGFIELD — The O’Dell Women’s Center recently hosted a celebration honoring the organizations it supports and the people at those organizations who work every day to create greater economic stability for women.

During the celebration, founder Keely Krantz noted that, “next year, the O’Dell Women’s Center will commit $750,000 in funding, bringing our total giving to $1.5 million since the founding of the O’Dell Women’s Center. This reflects both the urgency of the need and the strength of our collective commitment to creating meaningful pathways to economic stability for women.”

Event organizers also welcomed community leaders, including Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno, state Rep. Carlos Gonzalez, and state Sen. Adam Gomez, strong advocates for women and the issues that impact their economic well-being.

“We think of this work as building a path — brick by brick — toward economic stability,” the O’Dell Center noted. “Some women need support in overcoming immediate barriers, while others need help navigating longer-term challenges such as access to education, workforce entry, career advancement, and the ‘cliff effect’ that can make financial progress difficult. This work requires bold leadership, strategic investment, and strong partnerships. No one organization can do this work alone, which is why we are proud to support organizations helping lay those essential bricks.”

These organizations include Bay Path University, Dress for Success Western Massachusetts, Girls Inc. of the Valley, the Gray House, It Takes a Village, MassHire Holyoke, Tech Foundry, and United Way of Pioneer Valley.

“We believe in our mission to create a path for low-income women through career advancement and education to economic stability,” the center added. “Together, we are building stronger pathways toward brighter futures for women, their families, and our community.”

SPRINGFIELD — In its second year of grantmaking, the O’Dell Women’s Center Foundation announced it will award $500,000 in grants to nonprofit organizations that support low-income women in Springfield. As the city’s first dedicated women’s center, the foundation will provide grants ranging from $10,000 to $75,000 to amplify the work of local nonprofits advancing educational, workforce, and career development opportunities for low-income women.

Nonprofit organizations that address systemic barriers, such as food insecurity, childcare access, transportation, and housing instability, will also be eligible for funding. Applications will be evaluated based on innovation, feasibility, and potential impact.

Grant applications open on July 1 and are due Sept. 5. Award announcements will be made on Nov. 7. Click here to register for an information session on Tuesday, July 8 at 1 p.m.

“In our second year, we are doubling our investment because we’ve seen the demand and the potential,” said Keely Krantz, founder and president of the O’Dell Women’s Center. “Low-income women in Springfield deserve more resources, support, and access to opportunity. We are excited to deepen our commitment to organizations working to make that vision a reality.”

Margaret Tantillo, executive director of the O’Dell Women’s Center, added that “our goal remains to be a strategic, long-term partner to nonprofits lifting up low-income women. By working together, we can create a Springfield where every woman, regardless of her background, has the opportunity to thrive.”

For more information about eligibility and application materials, visit www.odellwomencenter.com. Questions can be emailed to [email protected].

SPRINGFIELD — The O’Dell Women’s Center (OWC), Springfield’s first nonprofit women’s center, announced it has granted a total of $250,000 to eight other nonprofit organizations in Springfield to support programs that empower and create opportunities for low-income Springfield women. This funding will enhance access to educational resources, career development, and community support services, creating pathways for financial stability and self-sufficiency.

The O’Dell Women’s center received 37 grant applications from Springfield area nonprofits. Of those applications, the OWC grant committee selected the following organizations for its 2024 grant awards: Dress for Success Western Massachusetts, Girls Inc. of the Valley, the Gray House, Holyoke Chicopee Springfield (HCS) Head Start, Hope for Youth and Families, Parent Villages, South End Community Center, and United Way of Pioneer Valley.

“This annual grant initiative reflects the O’Dell Women’s Center’s commitment to fostering economic stability for low-income Springfield women through support of educational advancement and workforce readiness,” said Margaret Tantillo, executive director of OWC. “We were inspired by the volume and ambitiousness of all our grant applicants and are excited to announce we plan to significantly increase the dollar amount distributed through our grant program in 2025.”

Through the 2024 grants, OWC will support several educational programs for Springfield women. The grant to Girls Inc. of the Valley’s Eureka! program will expand access to a five-year STEM initiative for girls from grade 8 through high school, offering first-hand experiences in science, technology, engineering, and math. This program aims to inspire confidence and prepare participants for higher education.

Hope for Youth and Families received a grant to fund a college success manager, providing high-school students with college-readiness resources and financial-aid guidance. Grant funding to Parent Villages will establish a program encouraging teens and young adults to explore educational and vocational opportunities, with a goal of 100% enrollment in livable-wage career pathways.

To advance workforce development and career growth, OWC provided three grants to career-readiness programs. HCS Head Start Workforce Development will deliver job-skills training to help women overcome professional and social-emotional challenges. Dress for Success Western Massachusetts received funding to strengthen its comprehensive workforce-development program, which includes résumé building, professional attire, digital-literacy training, mentoring, and monthly skill workshops through the Professional Women’s Group. Additionally, OWC made a grant to United Way of Pioneer Valley’s Wellness in the Workplace initiative to offer financial-literacy coaching to support women in achieving lasting economic mobility and navigating benefit eligibility changes that accompany salary increases to mitigate the cliff effect.

OWC grant funding also addresses essential needs like food security, childcare, and language skills. The South End Community Center will use its grant to expand its after-school programs, transportation services, and vacation camps, providing safe environments for children of working mothers. A grant to the Gray House will support its Adult Education Program, which offers English-language and life-skills training, empowering women to work toward self-sufficiency. Previous grant funding to the United Way Pioneer Valley extended the hours of the Springfield Food Cupboard, ensuring an additional 375 individuals each month have access to essential nutrition.

The O’Dell Women’s Center’s mission is to provide opportunities for women of Springfield to improve their lives through a community of support systems that will create access to higher education, career opportunities, and advancement, while helping women achieve financial stability.

SPRINGFIELD — The O’Dell Women’s Center Foundation announced that it will grant $250,000 to nonprofits serving low-income Springfield women.

Springfield’s first-ever women’s center will award grants of $5,000 to $50,000 to amplify the efforts of local nonprofit organizations that advance educational and career opportunities for low-income women. Nonprofit organizations that address obstacles facing low-income women, such as food insecurity and childcare access, will also be eligible for grant awards.

The application is available at odellwomenscenter.com/grants and must be received by Sept. 13. Applications will be evaluated based on innovation, feasibility, and potential impact, and grant award winners will be announced on Nov. 15.

“The O’Dell Women’s Center was founded with the mindset that low-income women in Springfield deserve greater access to opportunities that will help them earn a livable wage and create a path to financial stability,” said Keely Krantz, founder and president of O’Dell Women’s Center. “We are looking to partner and invest in forward-thinking community organizations that want to extend and increase their impact.”

The O’Dell Women’s Center is a philanthropic initiative founded in 2023 with a mission to help low-income women achieve financial stability through improved access to educational and career opportunities.

Located in the heart of Springfield, the O’Dell Women’s Center is a 10,000-square-foot facility that offers low- or no-cost ‘residencies’ and community collaboration spaces to nonprofit organizations that focus on improving the lives of low-income women. The first nonprofit residency has been granted to Dress for Success Western Massachusetts, an organization that empowers women to establish careers and advance within their careers through skill development, professional attire, mentorship, and other programming.

“Our goal with this grant program is to establish the O’Dell Women’s Center as a dedicated partner to the network of Springfield nonprofits serving low-income women,” said Margaret Tantillo, executive director of the O’Dell Women’s Center. “We believe that, together, we can create a future where every woman has the opportunity to succeed.”

Applicants are encouraged to attend a Zoom information and Q&A session on Wednesday, July 31 at noon. Registration information can be found at odellwomenscenter.com/grants.

SPRINGFIELD — The O’Dell Women’s Center, Springfield’s first nonprofit women’s center, appointed Margaret Tantillo as its executive director. The O’Dell Women’s Center, dedicated to helping low-income women secure educational and career opportunities, is a philanthropic initiative founded in 2023 and located at 45 Lyman St.

In her previous position as executive director of Dress for Success Western Massachusetts, Tantillo directed five distinct programs designed specifically for low-income women that resulted in hundreds of women finding gainful employment. These programs included workforce development, mentorship programming, and trainings in financial literacy, digital literacy, and dressing for the workplace.

Toward the end of her tenure, she relocated Dress for Success Western Massachusetts to 45 Lyman St. as the anchor institution of the O’Dell Women’s Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization that offers low- and no-cost residency spaces to nonprofits that support its mission.

Tantillo started her career working for the Girl Scouts. During her 13-year career with that organization, she rose through the ranks, started the first Girl Scout Advocacy Day at the Capitol in Hartford, Conn., and served in a senior leadership position, transitioning five independent nonprofits into one statewide organization with more than 65,000 members.

“Margaret’s effective and passionate advocacy for low-income Western Massachusetts women aligns perfectly with our mission,” said Keely Krantz, founder of the O’Dell Women’s Center. “With Margaret’s leadership, I am confident the O’Dell Women’s Center will become an integral part of the Springfield community devoted to economic upward mobility for women.”

Tantillo’s volunteer leadership roles in Springfield include serving on the core economic mobility hub of the Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts and the coordinating committee of the Alliance for Digital Equity, and as a member of the core partners of Springfield WORKS. She earned her undergraduate degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo and her master’s degree from Springfield College.