The Women’s Fund
The Community Foundation’s Women's Fund, a field of interest fund, was created to improve, through purposeful philanthropy, the status and quality of life for all women.
Field of interest funds aggregate multiple gifts from many donors who have a strong desire to address a particular concern or constituency providing focus yet flexible grants.
2024 Women's Fund Advisory Committee:
Sheila Squier (Chair)
Stacey Murphy (Past Chair)
Courtney Owens (liaison with Community Foundation Board of Directors)
Marie Beshures
Liza Burger
Aly Evans
Shine Gonzalez
Susie Gutenberger
Sherri Koski
Tierra Labrada
Dorothy Lovelace
Alice Moore
Emily Russell
Kary Young
Objectives
- Promote educational, economic, social, and political equality for women
- Enable women to achieve economic self-sufficiency
- Ensure that women have the necessary resources for healthcare
- Honor local women who have made our community a better place in which to live
History, Grants, and Endowment
Created in 2004, the Women’s Fund at the Community Foundation seeks to make a significant difference in the lives of individual women and the work of organizations in our community. There have always been local women who were philanthropists. They brought food to the needy, nursed the sick, and contributed funds to those causes close to home. Groups like the Ladies Benevolent Society provided a safe place to live for elderly women, which has evolved into McGraw House. Working together, women founded the Children’s Home, a refuge for youngsters in need, and helped create such institutions as the Reconstruction Home, Women’s Opportunity Center, The Cancer Resource Center, and many others.
Why I Give to the Women’s Fund
The Community Foundation’s Women’s Fund aims to continue this important tradition through the establishment of the Women’s Fund Endowment. The Women’s Fund Endowment has achieved our goal of a new milestone, now over $1 Million. The Women’s Fund Endowment continues to fuel annual grants totaling over $300,000 since inception (March 2004). Donors can make at gift by Clicking Here and entering the fund: Women’s Fund Endowment.
2024 Women’s Fund Annual Luncheon and Celebration PHOTO GALLERY
2024 Laura Holmberg Awardee, Mary Pat Dolan’s Remarks
2023 Women’s Fund celebrating women’s empowerment, service and impact
2023 Women’s Fund Luncheon and Celebration
PHOTO GALLERY
Healthcare Inequities Chat with Dr. Salahshor
2022 Women’s Fund Celebration: Women Leading in Times of Unprecedented Change
2022 Women’s Fund Luncheon and Celebration PHOTO GALLERY
2019 Women’s Fund Annual Luncheon PHOTO GALLERY
2018 Women’s Fund Annual Luncheon PHOTO GALLERY
2017 Women’s Fund Annual Luncheon PHOTO GALLERY
Is It Imposter Syndrome or Is It Racism? 2022 Women’s Fund Educational Workshop Resources
CLICK HERE: Take a Look at Our September 2019 Philanthropy Magnified Impact Report: Cultivating Confidence and Building Skills
CLICK HERE to learn more about the Women’s Fund February 2018 Gathering
2017 4th QTR Women’s Fund Dashboard
Select 2016 Women’s Fund Grantee Impact Reports
2020 Spring Cycle Grantees Serving Women (sourced from the Women’s Fund, in addition to multiple other funds)
2021 Spring Cycle Grantees Serving Women (sourced from the Women’s Fund, in addition to multiple other funds)
2022 Spring Cycle Grantees Serving Women
2023 Spring Cycle Grantees Serving Women
Friends of Ithaca Sea Scouts
Open Doors English
Village at Ithaca
Women’s Opportunity Center of Tompkins and Onondaga Counties
Community Foundation Women’s Fund Volunteer Interest Form
Laura Holmberg Award Recipients
2024 Mary Pat Dolan
2023 Susie Ferris Hatch
2022 Lynnette Scofield
2021 Sandy True
2020 Ana Ortiz
2019 Heidi Goldstein
2018 Diane Shafer
2017 Joan Abrams
2016 Phoebe Brown
2015 Joan Barber
2014 Schelley Michell-Nunn
2013 Beverly Baker
2012 Carol Kammen
2011 Mimi Melegrito
2010 Jennie Graham
2009 Rebecca Elgie
2008 Betsy Darlington
2007 Sara Pines
2006 Joan Ormondroyd
2005 Rachel Siegel
Donor Recognition
- Donors will be recognized as a member of the Beverly Baker Society for each year in which you give at least $1,000 in that year.
- Donors making an annual gift of $500-$999 will be recognized as a Patron of the Women’s Fund.
- Donors making an annual gift of under $500 will be recognized as a Supporter of the Women’s Fund.
- Donors that have given $1,000 and above received the special permanent recognition of Women’s Fund Endowment Founder, the fund has reached $200,000; the recognition of Founder is now retired and ceases to be available to subsequent donors.
Please join us in building this lasting legacy in our community, and more importantly, in making sure that women have the opportunities they deserve to improve the quality of their lives. Make a gift to the Women’s Fund Endowment.
Below is a listing of Women’s Fund Endowment Founders:
- Suzanne Aigen
- Beverly Baker
- Mary Berens
- Rose Bethe
- Christine Brouwer
- Barbara Caldwell
- Mary Call
- CFCU Community Credit Union/Lisa Whitaker
- Elissa Cogan and Barry Chester
- Lauren Comley
- Priscilla Crispell
- Robin Davisson
- Jerry Dietz
- Mary Pat Dolan
- David and Peggy Dunlop
- Maria Eisner
- Jennifer Engel and Larry Young
- Joanne Florino
- Maria Cristina Garcia
- Vicki Gayle and Karen Comstock
- Jean and Carl Gortzig
- Jennie C. Graham
- Brad and Mary Grainger
- Janice Hertel
- John and Robin Moss Hinchcliff
- Anna Holmberg
- David Holmberg and Kathryn March
- Eric Holmberg
- Bonnie Howell
- Martha Hsu
- Barbara Hulbert
- Alfred and Mary Kahn
- Joanne James
- Carol Kammen
- David Kuckuk and Sheila Danko
- Frederick Laub
- Nancy Leeming
- Perri and Mick LoPinto
- Karen Macier
- Ann Mathews
- Nina Miller
- Barbara Mingle
- Risa Mish
- Alice Moore and Robert Smith
- Susanne Morgan
- Susan Murphy
- Nancy Potter
- Elizabeth Reed
- Jeanette Shady
- Susan Robinson
- Kimberly Rothman
- Helen Saunders
- Ruth Schapiro
- Carol Scheele
- Elizabeth Schermerhorn-Apgar
- Caitlin Schryver
- Nancy Schuler
- Lynnette Scofield
- Shelley Semmler
- Diane Shafer
- Ann Shumate
- Rachel Siegel
- Robert Sprole II
- Pamela Swieringa
- Carol Travis
- Jeffrey True and Susan Schattschneider
- Jerome True
- Jay and Sandy True
- Sally True
- Carol True Palmer
- Julie Waters
- Thomas Weiler
- Ida Wolff
- Amy and Stephen Yale-Loehr
- Gene and Jeanne Yarussi
- Mary Ziegler
The endowment and fund generated grant awards totaling $12,800 in 2017. Grants of an additional $7,500 from donor advised funds make the total for this year’s cycle $20,300
1-To promote educational, economic, social and political equality for women
$3,300 for Motivated Sisters of Strength teem girls empowerment group to GIAC
$3,500 for the Building Equity and Self-Sufficiency program to Groundswell Center for Local Food & Farming
2-To enable women to achieve economic self-sufficiency
$3,500 for women to have short term supportive residential placement to build self-sufficiency to Catholic Charities
$3,500 for transportation support to the Child Development Council
3-To ensure that women have necessary healthcare resources
$3,500 for healthcare and diagnostic services to the Ithaca Health Alliance
$3,500 for moderators training to Mama’s Comfort Camp
$1,800 for low income women in cancer treatment to provide free wigs to the Cancer Resource Center
Downloads
- 2016 Women's Fund Grants Celebration Grant Cycle Awards $32,445 from Women’s Fund, Crime Victims Fund and Two Donor Advised Funds Celebrating 17 grants to 12 organizations
- Women’s Fund Information UPDATED March 2024: Grantees, award recipients, advisory committee members, and volunteers
- 2024 Gift Form Use this form to make a pledge gift, a recurring gift or a one time gift.
