History in the Making: Sixteen Years of Growth and Success

Women's Fund was founded in 1996 and celebrated our sixteenth anniversary last week, including a celebration with past and current board members, which I shared about in my last post. Although I have only been engaged for a relatively short time as a staff member at Women's Fund for the last four years, it has been fun to learn about and revisit some key moments. View a detailed history of our first ten years, or read on for highlights from all sixteen years:

1996-1999: Diane Brashear, Advisory Board Chair
1996

• February 28 - Press conference announcing the creation of Women's Fund
• May 4 - First Women's Fund dinner
• $2 million contribution from Lilly Endowment
• On Shaky Ground: The Status of Women and Girls in Central Indiana published

1997

• Bates USA Midwest developed award-winning marketing campaign pro bono
• Second Women's Fund dinner - 1,100 in attendance

1998

• Women's Fund hires first Director, Jennifer Pope Baker
• Three study groups formed: economic empowerment, health, and self-development

1999

• Endowment reaches $4 million
• Third Women's Fund dinner - 1,800 in attendance
• Women's Fund makes first grants (complete history available here)
• Study group findings published

2000-2001: Jane Schlegel, Advisory Board Chair
2000

• OPTIONS created
• GO: Girls Outreach created (now GO: Give Back)
• First newsletter, Women's Fund Focus, published

2001

• Fourth Women's Fund dinner raises $1.6 million

2002-2003: Yvonne Shaheen, Advisory Board Chair
2002

• First operating grants distributed
• First Donor Connection event
• OPTIONS Alumnae created
• First OPTIONS scholarships distributed

2003

• Operations and governance planning
• Still on Shaky Ground published
• Johnson Grossnickle & Associates hired to conduct historical assessment and campaign feasibility study

2004-2005: Wendy Yerkes, Advisory Board Chair
2004

• First Power of Girls event
• Finance and Partners Committees created

2005

• Advisory Board became active in fundraising
• Leadership Society created
• Irving Moxley Springer Society, Women's Fund's planned giving society, created

2006-2007: Karen Gentleman, Advisory Board Chair
2006

• Endowment campaign announced
• Women's Fund endowment reaches $10 million
• Three bold and transformative grants, $150,000 each, are announced
• $1 million gift and match from the Lilly Endowment announced
• Still on Shaky Ground - 2006 published

2007

• GO: Girls Outreach becomes GO: Give Back as funds for boys are first established
• Women's Fund meets Lilly Endowment match
• Organizations central to women and girls in central Indiana are funded to create organizational sustainability plans

2008-2009: Julie Davis, Advisory Board Chair
2008

• First GO: Give Back Family Philanthropy Day hosted
• Women's Fund office moves from the English Foundation Building downtown to the Women's Fund IPL House at CICF's Broad Ripple campus
• Wee Ones Nursery opened at Indiana Women's Prison with funding from Women's Fund
• WF Society created

2009

• Women's Fund creates emergency fund for organizations in financial distress
• Endowment campaign ends

2010-2011: Ann Murtlow, Advisory Board Chair
2010

• OPTIONS 10th Anniversary (read a blog by Raquel Richardson or view a video here)
• Women's Fund website launched
• Online giving offered
• 2010-2015 Strategic Plan launched

2011

• Indianapolis branch of Grameen America established
• Partnership with Indy's Super Cure, as part of Indianapolis Super Bowl XLVI, established
• Still on Shaky Ground - 2011 published

When I look at this list, I am amazed. We have been able to accomplish so many great things thanks mainly to the visionary leadership of our Advisory Board and our generous donors. Thank you for your support now - and for the next sixteen years!