About the Women's Fund: Our History
In 1975, less than 1% of all foundation giving in the U.S. went to programs that addressed specific issues facing women and girls. Research shows, however, that women and girls are disproportionately affected by poverty, violence, and wage- and workplace-inequities. In the 1970s and early 1980s the idea of "women's funds"—organizations focused on granting money to women and girls—gained momentum.
Over the past 30 years, women’s funds have been established in many forms, including private foundations, public foundations, and donor advised funds. Women’s funds have generally been founded by women, with the purpose of supporting the lives of women and girls across race and class lines. Words such as “entrepreneurial, progressive, collaborative, and effective,” are often used to characterize a women’s fund. Women’s funds both raise money and give it away.
In addition, the funds serve as a learning lab for innovative, community-based philanthropy and bring much-needed attention to today’s issues. There are more than 90 women’s funds in the nation and over 100 globally, united as members of the Women's Funding Network.
The Women’s Fund of New Hampshire is one of the younger women’s funds, having been founded in 1998. During this time, Women's Fund of New Hampshire visionaries Molly Scheu and Barbara Zeckhausen traveled throughout New Hampshire talking with residents, asking whether they felt that the needs of women and girls were adequately met in the State. The concerns they encountered were many: a lack of childcare and elder care, at-risk teenagers and young adults, homelessness, abuse, low wages, lack of healthcare, and very little job training. They discovered that schools and non-profit organizations had their funding cut or eliminated. Government at all levels did not fill the need.
Molly and Barb assembled a great group of founders and began the work of the Women's Fund's earliest grants and events. In 1999, the Women's Fund provided 9 grants totalling $25,000. Thirteen years later, we are united by our shared belief in the power of women and girls to be strong agents of change on every pressing social issue we face today. Since 1999, we have awarded over a million dollars in grants to more than 200 nonprofit programs touching every county in New Hampshire . These grants, which average $5,000 each, support projects that address basic human needs, including housing, safety, health, and economic security. Our funding impacts over 50,000 residents of New Hampshire each year. The Women's Fund of New Hampshire is proud to have come so far in such a short time, and to be a catalyst for positive change in communities across New Hampshire.