Records of the Boston Women's Fund, 1966-2014

The Boston Women's Fund was founded in 1984 by a group of women frustrated with the devaluation of women by mainstream charities and also with the feminist movement's focus on issues important to white middle class women: Jean M. Entine (former executive director of Women for Economic Justice), Rachel Burger (founder of Transition House), Cindy Chin (executive director of the Coalition of Battered Women's Service Groups), Marion Lill (feminist attorney), Brinton Lykes (professor of women's studies at Rhode Island College), Renae Scott Gray (Haymarket People's Fund), and Kip Tiernan (founder of Rosie's Place and the Poor People's United Fund). The purpose of the Boston Women's Fund was to help women by providing both grants and training in fundraising and organizational development to grassroots women's organizations working to improve women's lives. It was the first women's foundation in Massachusetts. In fall 1984 the first Boston Women's Fund grantees received a total of $8000 in funding. By fall 2007 the grantees for that cycle received a total of $100,000 in funding. Between 1984 and 2017 the Boston Women's Fund has given over six million dollars in grants to organizations and programs in the greater Boston community.

The Boston Women's Fund has always had a small paid administrative staff, whose work is assisted by volunteers. Volunteers are welcomed and encouraged to participate in all committees. In the early 1980s a Coordinating Committee was in charge of the vision and purpose of the Fund, incorporation, obtaining tax-exempt status, by-laws, and funding guidelines; this body was discontinued by 1989. An Advisory Board was composed of 29 members of diverse race and class from across the greater Boston area. The Board met several times a year to provide assistance with long-range planning and fundraising; this body was discontinued by 1989. The Allocation Committee is drawn from the diverse communities the Fund intends to serve (women of color, women with disabilities, lesbians, etc.) Members read grant proposals, conduct interviews with grant seekers, and visit organizations. The Development Committee ensures fundraising goals are met and makes recommendations to the Board of Directors about the strategic development plan. The Finance Committee oversees the financial well being of the organization, assists in preparing the annual budget, and assists in conducting the annual audit.

Throughout the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s grants were made available to organizations in the greater Boston area that were controlled by women; demonstrated a commitment to working toward a society free from all forms of inequality; had a policy-making body and staff that reflected the constituency served in terms of race, class, and sexual preference; and were organized in a non-discriminatory manner. Priority was given to groups working on issues of race, gender, class and sexual preference; projects that focused on organizing for social change; and organizations with budgets under $60,000. The Fund was most likely to fund groups that worked with or were led by low-income women, disabled women, lesbians, women of color, older women, or girls. Between 1984 and 2016 the Boston Women's Fund gave grants to a wide variety of organizations working on issues such as welfare reform, health care, child care, domestic violence, reproductive rights, homelessness, immigrant rights, sexual harassment, homophobia, teen empowerment, and racism. Today the Fund continues to prioritize projects by women and girls that further racial, economic, and social justice.

The Boston Women's Fund's budget came almost entirely from individual donations. In 1991 the Fund created the 2000 Club, a fundraising campaign that set out to find 2,000 donors who would pledge $100 a year for five years. The goal was to create an endowment of one million dollars by the year 2000. The Fund sought to break down stereotypes about who a donor can be and receive donations from people of all racial, economic, and community backgrounds. The fundraising goal was achieved in 1999.

The Boston Women's Fund organized a variety of events. From 1985 through at least 1992 the Fund hosted "Women Helping Women," a biannual workshop series that provided individual technical assistance to women's organizations needing assistance with program development, fundraising, fiscal management, outreach, and other topics. From 1986 through at least 1994 the Fund hosted "Women, Money, and Social Responsibility," an annual conference aimed at women with investment income. It included seminars and lectures on topics such as socially responsible financial planning, wealth and work, and investing. Featured speakers for this event include feminist Gloria Steinem (1989, 1994), feminist ethicist Carol Gilligan (1989), investor Joan Bavaria (1989), entrepreneur Sophia Collier (1992), and Massachusetts State Senator Dianne Wilkerson (1993). "Take A Stand" was the Fund's annual fundraiser and awards ceremony to honor women and girls dedicated to promoting a more just society. Honorees include political activist Angela Davis (1998), first chief of a major North American tribe Wilma Mankiller (1998), Gloria Steinem (1998), poet and activist June Jordan (2001), economist and author Julianne Malveaux (2006), political strategist Donna Brazile (2006), and musician and actress Queen Latifah (2010).

In 1998 the Boston Women's Fund created the Young Sisters for Justice program, a paid internship for young women between the ages of 15 and 21. Participants were girls of color from lower-income or working-class backgrounds who were recruited through youth and community organizations, public housing, and health centers. The Young Sisters served on the Allocation Committee and participated in the grant-making process. They also participated in leadership workshops and learned about social change, social movements, organizing, community education, and issues impacting young women's lives. As of 2017 the program is known as the Young Women Ambassadors.

Also in 1998 the Boston Women's Fund partnered with the Haymarket People's Fund (a Boston-based foundation that provides grants to grassroots social change organizations in New England) to create the Women of Color Fundraising Institute, a program for women of color who run or are on the boards of women's organizations to network and learn new skills in areas such as financial management, public speaking, computer usage, and philanthropy. The Institute encouraged participants to recognize the special qualities of their ethnic background and use them as an asset in creating social change. The Women of Color Fundraising Institute became its own nonprofit organization in 2003.

Between 2006 and 2009 the Boston Women's Fund collaborated with the Haymarket People's Fund, the Women of Color Fundraising Institute, and the Women's Theological Center to create Our Public Spirit: A Report on the Giving of African American and Asian Pacific Islander Women in Greater Boston. The published research project explored the giving patterns and traditions of African American and Asian and Pacific Islander women in order to increase their support for social change and social justice work.