Letters from the President Strategic Planning Women in Leadership Building Momentum for Women and Girls Across Washington June 23, 2026 / August 18, 2026 by Jeri Lehto As we continue moving through this “Year Zero” of our new plan, we are building on decades of collective giving while sharpening our focus on the future: women funding women and girls across Washington State. Read more »
Board of Directors Strategic Planning Women in Leadership The Grace to Slow Down: Business Plan Year Zero, Quarter One April 16, 2026 / September 14, 2026 by Maria Kolby-Wolfe Executive Summary: In the first quarter of 2026, Washington Women’s Foundation launched its new business plan and began the important work of putting it into practice. We applied our updated grant criteria to 156 applications and piloted our first place‑based grant in Yakima. We also surfaced key learnings about what it truly means to center women and girls and to pursue systems‑level change. This quarter we continued to […] Read more »
Moments with Maria Philanos Network Uncategorized Women in Leadership WaWF Goes to Texas: Hearing from our sisters at the Philanos Conference February 18, 2026 / September 14, 2026 by Maria Kolby-Wolfe By Maria Kolby-Wolfe It’s hard to believe we’re already nearing the end of February. The first few weeks of the year have moved quickly at WaWF as we introduced our new flexible membership options, our new grantmaking process, and as we get ready for another year of collective grantmaking, learning, and connection. Last week, I had the chance to jump into […] Read more »
Moments with Maria Women in Leadership Maria’s Musings: Welcome to 2025 January 21, 2025 by Jeri Lehto By Maria Kolby-Wolfe, President & CEO of WaWF Incredibly, we’re setting out for another trip around the sun together! I want to take a moment to thank you all for being part of this shared path. If the first two weeks of this year are any sign, we are once more living through some historic […] Read more »
Letters from the President Moments with Maria Women in Leadership When You Trust Black Women: The Rest and Repair Awards February 28, 2024 by Maria Kolby-Wolfe In 2023, WaWF completed the second round of Rest & Repair Awards. I shared some initial reflections last February and am now honored to introduce you to this year’s awardees and share some additional learnings. We have learned things along the way that we hope to bring more fully into the way our foundation […] Read more »
Educational Programming Member Reflection Women in Leadership Reflecting on the 2023 Philanthropy Series October 12, 2023 by Katherine Bryant Ingman By Catherine Gelband Each session of the 2023 Philanthropy Series caused me to reflect upon how I make philanthropic decisions and challenged me to examine long held assumptions. What an engaging learning opportunity! After some personal reflection, I am happy to share some key takeaways, in the hopes that we continue this conversation as a community. […] Read more »
Grantmaking Women in Leadership The Power of Yes. February 17, 2023 by Isabelle Shively The evening of February 2nd was extraordinary. I am not sure when I was last in a room filled with so much joy and love. I have also never received so many comments from eventgoers expressing both surprise and thanks for an award ceremony that moved them to tears. What a celebration! The evening of […] Read more »
Educational Programming Women in Leadership How is Philanthropy Enriching Your Life? March 8, 2018 by Aki Shibuya On Tuesday, February 27, 2018, Washington Women’s Foundation and Brighton Jones, a Seattle-based wealth management firm, co-hosted a dynamic conversation about women living richer lives through philanthropy. Our featured panelists included three long-time members of Washington Women’s Foundation, Leslie Decker, Kathy Edwards, and Stephanie Ellis-Smith, and Jean Johnson, who is a founding member of the […] Read more »
Educational Programming Women in Leadership Controlling Nervousness for Public Speaking April 11, 2016 by Aki Shibuya Did you know that public speaking is thought to be as stressful as divorce?? Yikes! And yet, it is one of the most important professional skills that leaders can have. So how can we calm our nerves, reduce our stress and succeed as public speakers? Last week, we welcomed back Arden Clise, the Pacific Northwest’s resident expert in business etiquette, to […] Read more »
Educational Programming Women in Leadership 9 Business Etiquette Tips for Women Leaders December 3, 2015 by Aki Shibuya We were thrilled to welcome Arden Clise, the Pacific Northwest’s resident expert in business etiquette, to share her knowledge with our members and guests. As more women are stepping into leadership roles than ever before, the essentials of business etiquette are critically important in order to help make any professional, networking or board-related interaction more effective. Here are […] Read more »
