The application period for Wray Ward’s fourth annual EmpoWWer service-grant program is now open. EmpoWWer was created to support 501(c)(3) organizations and initiatives in the greater Charlotte area and continue the agency’s tradition of giving back. Framed by the program’s three pillars — creativity, shelter and advancement — the agency dedicates strategic and creative marketing services to numerous organizations that empower, uplift and enrich the community. Recipients are selected based on a demonstrated need for the agency’s resources, the organizations’ alignment with EmpoWWer’s pillars and their ability to show how the outcome of the partnership would create substantive change.

“EmpoWWer fuels our creative spirit and our agency’s indomitable hunger for using our gifts for good,” said Jennifer Appleby, president and chief creative officer of Wray Ward. “I’ve always believed there’s something special about the work we do for our community partners. Together, we can accomplish great things.”

Since EmpoWWer’s launch in 2018, the agency has assisted 11 Charlotte-area nonprofit organizations, providing integrated marketing communications assistance that was integral to their business and marketing goals. This year’s recipients include the Charlotte Bilingual Preschool, which prepares Spanish-speaking children for success in school and life by providing superior dual-language, multicultural early childhood education; Girls Rock Charlotte, which works to empower girls, women and gender-diverse individuals through music and film education; and Hospitality House of Charlotte, which provides the comforts of home for families of seriously ill loved ones by offering affordable accommodations in the heart of Charlotte’s medical community.

The EmpoWWer program provides the opportunity for these deserving organizations to apply for the agency’s resources of industry expertise, time and talent through services such as strategic planning, positioning, identity creation, creative development, public relations and social media.

“We’re deeply proud of the work we do for our community. We’re also grateful for what EmpoWWer gives to our employees,” Appleby said. “The program is a chance to do good, give back and be an agent of change for our neighbors who need it most.”

EmpoWWer service grants are competitive and designed for nonprofit organizations holding 501(c)(3) status for two or more years. Projects and initiatives must align with one or more of the EmpoWWer pillars. All organizations approved for EmpoWWer service grants will be contacted in January 2022.

The 2022 EmpoWWer application closes on December 31. To learn more about the EmpoWWer program and the 2022 grant application process, please visit Wray Ward’s EmpoWWer page. For questions regarding the EmpoWWer program, please contact empowwer@wrayward.com.