The Women's Fund was established with the Topeka Community Foundation in 2006 with the mission "To promote women's leadership in philanthropy, increase charitable contributions and strengthen their value through collective giving, and encourage a new generation of philanthropists."
What is The Women’s Fund? The Women’s Fund is a donor-advised fund of the Topeka Community Foundation. The goals of The Women’s Fund are to create a new pool of funds from women interested in becoming philanthropists through the power of collective grantmaking and to prepare the next generation of philanthropists.
Who can be a part of The Women’s Fund? Any woman can become active in The Women’s Fund by making a contribution. The Fund will be governed by a board of directors and all members of The Women’s Fund will have an opportunity to be involved in committee work as they wish. Every member will have direct participation through an opportunity to vote on all proposed grants.
What will The Women’s Fund support? Annually, The Women’s Fund will seek projects and programs which benefit women and children in our community. Grant recommendations will be based on research, community collaboration and a thorough grant application process. The final grantmaking decisions will reflect the diverse interests of The Women’s Fund membership.
Who decides what The Women’s Fund supports? Every member will help decide – through her vote on the proposed grants. Additionally, women will be given opportunities to make site visits, attend panel discussions, grant applicant interviews and other educational opportunities prior to allocation decisions.
What percentage of money contributed to The Women’s Fund will be used for grants? One hundred percent of the contributions will be available for grants. The Topeka Community Foundation’s Board of Directors is committed to The Women’s Fund and has provided separate funding to cover all administrative and marketing expenses. For every dollar donated, 50 cents will be granted in the current year and 50 cents will go into an endowment fund – which will be invested and a portion used for grants each year. This will ensure The Women’s Fund impacts our community in perpetuity.
How will we know if the grant dollars are used for the stated reasons? Accountability and evaluation are the cornerstone of grantmaking at the Topeka Community Foundation. Procedures are already in place to ensure appropriate spending of grant dollars.
How can I get more information about The Women’s Fund? Contact the Topeka Community Foundation at 785/272-4804.
