Fund for Women at the Delaware Community Foundation

Our Story In 1993, sixteen visionary women philanthropists were concerned about a lack of support for women and girls in poverty in Delaware. They researched the status of women and children in poverty and learned that services were limited and underfunded. The group proceeded to gather a core of women Founders and created the Fund for Women at the Delaware Community Foundation. The group's initial goal was 1,000 women contributing $1,000 each to establish a $1 million endowment. Their goal was reached in 2010 and now the Fund for Women (FFW) has far surpassed their goal with an endowment of over $5 million and over 2,275 "Founders.” Swingin' With a Star (1993-2012), a local women's golf tournament, made the Fund for Women a beneficiary of their annual fundraiser. Their contributions added over $1 million to the endowment fund. The first grants, totaling $2,500, were distributed in 1994 to two organizations: Girls, Inc., and the University of Delaware. To date, we have distributed over $3,400,000. As the FFW grew, the organization actively worked to establish committees in each of the three Delaware counties to ensure that the FFW reaches women statewide in both Founders and grant recipients. Each county maintains a development committee responsible for growing the Founder base in their area.