Mission
Mission
To motivate, train, and provide ongoing education and information to women
running for elected office at all levels, and to women seeking appointive positions on public policy boards and commissions; to offer women officeholders and appointees access to women leaders and other resources that will help them serve ably; and generally to raise public awareness of the unique contributions women make to political discourse and action.
The Southeastern Institute for Women in Politics is a non-profit organization registered with the State of South Carolina. It is the only 501(c)(3) in the Southeast that is certified by the Internal Revenue Service to encourage and train women to run for office and become more deeply involved in politics. Contributions to the Institute are tax-deductible.
The Institute's primary purpose is to train women to become active and powerful participants in the political and governmental process. One unique element of our capacity is demographic, electoral, and attitudinal research that provides realistic information to women candidates about where, and at what level, there is potential for running and winning legislative, county, and local elections. Another is the development of a system of connecting women candidates with women political leaders who can draw upon their own experience in South Carolina politics to provide counsel.
Recognizing the challenges women face once they are elected or appointed to positions of power, the Institute plans to provide additional educational and informational resources to women officeholders. To paraphrase author Carolyn Heilbrun in Writing a Woman's Life, we understand that it is not enough to have women sitting at the tables where policy decisions are made. We must make sure that women's voices are heard, and that what they have to say matters in the public discourse that affects the lives of all South Carolinians.