It’s hard to believe that two months have passed since we hosted PowerUP! The Spark That Ignites Change, the national conference for the network of our sister organizations across the country. These biennial conferences are intended to provide basic information for women leading and running collective giving and grantmaking organizations – from membership recruitment and retention strategies…more
We asked WA Women’s Fdn Board member Patricia Kiyono to share her reflections from the PowerUP! Conference. Patricia has been a member of WA Women’s Foundation since 2014 and has served on the Pooled Fund, Partner Grant, Impact Assessment, and Intersect Planning Committees as well as Cabinet. In social isolation at home, I am recalling three days of social connection in mid-February, when nearly 400 women philanthropists from around the country convened for…more
Philanthropy, both institutional and individual, is being asked to play a significant role during this time of crisis. Across the sector, we are seeing organizations and funders coming together, leaning into what we have always known at WA Women’s Foundation – a collective response is the best way to address urgent needs. With the need being so great and immediate,…more
Since the first of March, the Foundation’s Board of Directors has had two virtual meetings, a 7-hour video conference “retreat” (in lieu of our annual Board and staff retreat) and a special meeting earlier this week. The primary focus of these meetings has been determining the allocation of funds contributed by our members last year for grantmaking this year. As you may…more
We’re excited to share another update from the 2020 Pooled Fund Grant Committee! Since our last blog post, your fellow members adapted to the global coronavirus pandemic to discuss the 25 proposals submitted to Washington Women’s Foundation online. Together, they thoughtfully reflected on the updated grant criteria to make decisions about which 14 organizations would receive a…more
In my last post, I reported that the Foundation’s staff and Board of Directors were researching different COVID-19 Rapid Response Funds and evaluating our available resources to contribute beyond the funds you contributed last year to the Foundation for our collective grantmaking. I am pleased to announce that our Board of Directors has authorized a…more
It is during times like these that I am proud to be a part of Washington Women’s Foundation, working to advance equity, reduce disparities, and support communities across Washington State. For 25 years, we have collectively addressed the most pressing community issues and funded innovative solutions to drive transformational change. Today, we are facing a…more
Less than two weeks after WA Women’s Foundation hosted the Catalist 2020 Conference for our sister affiliate collective grantmaking and giving organizations from across the country, I have more exciting news to share! WA Women’s Foundation has agreed to assume the grantmaking role of Women’s Funding Alliance in Washington State. For the past several months,…more
The Pooled Fund Grant Committee began reviewing LOIs in January and has selected 25 organizations to submit full proposals. This fall we revised our grant criteria slightly in response to feedback from members and nonprofit organizations. To learn more about those changes, read this blog post. We seek to support and collectively make grants to…more
We are pleased to announce the award of the 2019 Fall Diversity Partner Grant focused on Arts & Equity. Our committee of 12 participants selected the Washington Center for the Performing Arts in Olympia to receive our full award of $12,500. Committee members included: Diane Altman Dautoff, Julie Burg, Betty Drumheller, Pamela Eakes, Marianne Emerson, Jill Hearne,…more