IWF Celebrates Black History in Iowa: Pauline Brown Humphrey
Pauline Brown Humphrey was the first African American woman to own and operate a certified cosmetology school in Iowa and the first certified to teach cosmetology in the state. Myrise Pauline Robinson Brown Humphrey was born in Des Moines, Iowa. She attended the Madam C.J. Walker school in Chicago in 1935. Upon returning to Des […]
IWF Celebrates Black History in Iowa: Minnie Robinson London
Minnie Belle Robinson was born in 1862, in Lexington, Missouri. In 1891, 23 year old Minnie arrived in Muchakinock, Iowa with her sister, to teach grammar school. She also married miner turned businessman William Henry London that same year. London taught at the 5th street and 11th street elementary schools in Muchakinock. After moving to […]
IWF Celebrates Black History in Iowa: Ann Toney
We want to thank the African American Museum of Iowa for providing these African American women who made an impact in Iowa. Cecile Cooper and Ann Toney both owned and operated beauty salons in Davenport and were tireless fighters for civil rights for minorities living in Davenport and the Quad Cities area. Cecile Cooper was […]
IWF Celebrates Black History in Iowa: Vivian Smith and Murda Beason
During the mid-1910s, the women’s suffrage movement was on the rise in Iowa thanks in large part to women’s clubs. The clubs consisted of middle-class, educated women with time to devote to social causes, education, and philanthropy. African American women also took part in their own clubs. One of the largest was the Federation of […]
IWF Celebrates Black History in Iowa: Grace Allen Jones
This is a studio portrait of educator and advocate Grace Morris Allen Jones. Born in Keokuk, Iowa, in 1876, Jones was raised in Burlington, Iowa. she received her teacher’s certificate from the Normal School in Burlington and taught in Missouri for three years. Jones returned to Burlington, and established the Grace M. Allen Industrial School […]
IWF Celebrates Black History in Iowa: Gertrude Rush
Gertrude Elzora Durden Rush was born in Navasota, Texas, the daughter of a Baptist minister. The Durden’s were part of the Exoduster movement in late 1870s settling in Oskaloosa, Kansas. Between 1898 and 1907, Rush was a teacher in Kansas, in governmental schools in Indian Territory (later Oklahoma), and in Des Moines, Iowa. After marrying […]
Meet Our 2021 Grantees
Previous Next Help us celebrate these amazing grant partners across the state of Iowa who are daily working to break down the barriers that keep woman and girls from achieving economic self-sufficency. Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Iowa Smart Girls Location: Polk County Barrier: Education/Training The SMART Girls program strategically focuses on providing academic […]
IWF to Spearhead Regional Effort to Bolster Women’s Economic Mobility
The Iowa Women’s Foundation (IWF) will lead the state of Iowa as part of a new national effort to support women and girls amidst the financial fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. In June, the Women’s Funding Network (WFN) announced they are launching the Regional Women’s Economic Mobility Hub project to increase the support and resources […]
For Essential Workers, Nothing Is More Essential Than Child Care
This guest column from IWF Executive Director, Dawn Oliver Wiand was originally published in the Gazette Thursday, April 2nd. For the last three weeks, our country has grappled with the question, “In a crisis, what can’t we live without?” We’ve had to make tough calls in our attempts to answer this question—millions of Americans are […]
Cambridge and TrafFix Devices Make Major Contributions to New Child Care Center
We are so excited to hear that Cambridge Investment Research and TrafFix Devices have pledged major contributions ($1.25 million from Cambridge and $500k from TrafFix) to Jefferson County Kids Inc’s, future child care center! These companies are creating a model of how the business community can come together and work to increase the availability of […]
