Our History

The Women's Foundation was founded on the principle that women, working together, can help enhance the physical, social, and financial well-being of all women and girls.

It all started with a tea...

The story behind The Women’s Foundation is a story of incredible growth fueled by inspiration, community and action in support of women and girls in our area. After seeing an influx of women’s foundations launching in the United States as part of a “women’s funding movement” and also seeing a critical need for Washington, D.C. to be a part of a rapidly growing agenda to address the equity and empowerment of women across the nation, a group of women decided to take action.

What started as an invitation for afternoon tea, soon became a movement that revolutionized the philanthropic sector and our community, ultimately transforming into what we know today as Washington Area Women’s Foundation.

OUR HISTORY

Rooted in trust and driven by a belief in the power of community, The Women's Foundation stands as a beacon of support for emerging leaders and organizations throughout the Washington metropolitan region.

Join us in commemorating our 25th anniversary year as we pause to reflect on transformative moments that have shaped our foundation's journey. These pivotal instances not only define our past but also illuminate the path forward, inspiring us to continue creating positive change in the lives of women and girls of color.

1997

Washington Area Women's Foundation was incorporated on April 3. 1997.

1998

We held our first Leadership Luncheon with 139 attendees. Additionally, we awarded our first grants, investing in local women-leading nonprofits, totaling to $17,000.

2000

Anne Mosle was named president of The Women's Foundation.

2002

We launched our first women’s philanthropy conference: Women and Philanthropy: The Power of Giving.

2003

We published seminal research, A Portrait of Women & Girls in the Washington Metropolitan Area, generating the first $1M grant.

2003

Our Rainmakers Giving Circle launched.

2004

Our African-American Women's Giving Circle launched.

2005

Stepping Stones, our signature grantmaking program to increase the economic stability of women and girls in the Washington, DC Region, launched.

2007

We named Phyllis Caldwell President and CEO of The Women's Foundation.

2008

We launched our Early Care and Education Funders Collaborative, a network of corporate funders dedicated to increasing the quality of and access to early care and education.

2008

We joined the Women’s Economic Security Collaborative.

2009

We launched our Be That Woman Campaign.

2010

We named Nicky Goren President and CEO of The Women's Foundation.

2012

The Women's Foundation rebranded.

2013

We expanded our Stepping Stones grants to include two-generation strategy.

2014

We named Jennifer Lockwood-Shabat President and CEO of The Women's Foundation.

2015

We joined Prosperity Together, a first of its kind partnership with the Women’s Funding Network and 26 other public U.S. women’s foundations. The investment helped move 476,000 women and girls living in economic hardship to a place of economic security.

2016

We committed to advancing our mission with both a gender and racial equity lens.

2016

We attended the White House Summit where more than 5,000 women from across the country convened to celebrate how far we’ve come while committing to changing the #StateofWomen for tomorrow.

2016

We launched our ECE Workforce Network.

2017

We launched the Young Women’s Initiative, a city-wide effort to improve life outcomes and increase opportunities for young women, girls, transgender women, and gender non-conforming youth of color between the ages of 12-24.

2017

We launched our award-winning “Our 100 Days” Campaign.

2017

We launched our D.C. Family Planning Initiative.

2018

We held our first GirlsLEAD Summit with approximately 600 women and girls in attendance.

2018

We released our A Blueprint for Action report featuring the collective voice of more than 250 young women on how to address challenges identified by young women of color living in the District.

2019

We celebrated our 20th Anniversary.

2019

We launched our 20 for 20 campaign.

2019

We announced the recipients of our 2020 Rock Star Fund, a grant that provides young women and gender-expansive youth of color between the ages of 12 and 24 living in DC with up to $2,000 to invest in their own learning, leadership, ideas, and community project.

2020