Yesterday, Washington Women’s Foundation members announced five recipients of $100,000 grants from the Foundation’s Pooled Fund and five $5,000 Merit Award winners, totaling $525,000 in grants. In the 24 years since the Foundation’s inception, our members have influenced transformation in communities across Washington State by collectively granting over $17 million. Our focus this year was to…more
As conference co-chairs, we’re thrilled to share our excitement for the fantastic speakers lined up for the Catalist 2020 National Conference, PowerUP! The Spark That Ignites Change. We are expecting that 350 women, who are engaged in collective giving and grant making all over the United States, will come to Seattle to learn and network….more
The 2019 Pooled Fund Grant Committee is learning a lot as we implement the following new grant criteria around increasing equity and reducing disparities this year, funding organizations that are: Focused on providing services to communities affected by inequity due to race, gender identity, and/or other characteristics historically linked to discrimination and/or exclusion. Accountable to…more
We are well on our way to designing a conference that will bring powerful voices to highlight the theme PowerUP! The Spark that Ignites Change! We are excited to announce that Tricia Raikes, the co-founder of the Raikes Foundation and a long-time WaWF member will be the keynote speaker at our opening plenary dinner on…more
We’re excited to share another update from the 2019 Pooled Fund Grant Committee! Since our last blog post, this group of 65 members have been reading and discussing the 25 proposals submitted to Washington Women’s Foundation. Using new curriculum and updated resources, they thoughtfully reflected on the new grant criteria to make decisions about which organizations to…more
We asked Erika Washburn to share her reflections from our book discussion event. Erika has been a member of WA Women’s Foundation since 2011 and has served on the Pooled Fund Grant Committee (Education, Environment, and Health). “It is a book we need to discuss. We can’t just read it.” – Attendee “The book plowed…more
In February 2020, Washington Women’s Foundation will be hosting one of the largest gatherings of women philanthropists in Seattle. The planning for this national conference is now in full swing! The conference provides an incredible opportunity for all who identify as women to come together to learn and share ideas to expand the impact of…more
This week marks the start of the second phase of work for the 2019 Pooled Fund Grant Committee. Proposals from our Top 25 are due this week, and the Grant Committee Work Groups will be reconvening to discuss how these proposals reflect work being done to increase equity and reduce disparities in communities throughout Washington…more
Since the beginning of January, members of the 2019 Pooled Fund Grant Committee have been reading and discussing 368 Letters of Inquiry submitted to Washington Women’s Foundation this past fall. Using new curriculum and updated resources, they thoughtfully reflected on the new grant criteria to make decisions about which organizations to invite to submit full…more
Happy New Year! It’s hard to believe that it’s already February – where did that first month go? When we reopened the office after the winter holiday, we started a new fiscal year with a new financial model. Specifically, we are now investing the full $2,500 annual contribution from each member into our collective work…more