Be a Part of Our Legacy
The Iowa Women’s Foundation is launching a Legacy Campaign to grow our operations and increase our grantmaking impact by more than 50%.
Help us improve the lives of ALL Iowa’s women and girls by giving to the Legacy Campaign. Like and Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for updates on our progress.
Our History
Since our founding in 1994, the Iowa Women’s Foundation (IWF) has worked to improve the lives of ALL Iowa’s women and girls. In just over 25 years, we’ve awarded more than $1.3 million to projects benefitting women and girls in every one of Iowa’s 99 counties. As a united voice for Iowa’s women, we advocate for change in rural and urban communities alike. And through on-the-ground research, we uncover the barriers to women’s economic self-sufficiency, which we combat directly through targeted grantmaking.
The Next Chapter
The Legacy Campaign will propel IWF into the next chapter of our history. With a vastly expanded operational and development budget, we can sustain our efforts for years to come while expanding our work through increased staffing, upgraded technology, and public outreach. With ongoing revenue from the Legacy Fund, we will increase our annual grantmaking by more than 50%, allowing us to make larger grants, fund more projects, and provide emergency funds to support women and girls where and when they need it.
Be a Part of Our Legacy
Whether you’ve been at our side since the very beginning, or you just learned about our organization—you can be a part of IWF history.
Invest in Iowa’s women and girls by giving to the Iowa Women’s Foundation Legacy Campaign. Your contribution will help us create the largest and only fund of its kind in the state. Our combined strength and resources will amplify our grantmaking efforts. And together, we will make a life-changing difference to women and girls from Sioux City to Keokuk, from Decorah to Red Oak, from Davenport to Council Bluffs—and in every one of Iowa’s 99 counties.
Pledge Now to Become a Champion for Iowa’s Women & Girls
Our Legacy campaign pledge levels were named in honor of the trailblazing women whose efforts continue to inspire countless generations of Iowans. Now it’s your turn to leave your mark—become a life-long advocate for women and girls in our state by giving at one of our Champion levels.
All Legacy donors will receive:
- Permanent recognition on a commemorative plaque at the IWF office
- A thank you in the 2023 edition of OVATION: A Tribute to Iowa Women and Girls
- Verbal and written acknowledgment at all Legacy campaign events
- Credit and appreciation in our annual report, in campaign reports, on the IWF website, and in other materials (as requested)
Champion Giving Levels
Expand the Champions level to see who has generously pledged their contribution to the campaign.
Elizabeth Catlett Champions | $500,000 and above
Anonymous
An accomplished artist who documented the Black American experience, Catlett became the first African American woman to earn a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Iowa.
Carrie Chapman Catt Champions | $250,000 – $499,999
Linda Bergquist
Stephanie Clohesy
A leader in the women’s suffrage movement who founded the League of Women Voters, Catt was the only woman to graduate in her class from Iowa State University.
Christine Grant Champions | $100,000 – $249,999
Anonymous
Paula Overland Brandt
Betty DeBerg
Ellen Failor Estate
Joy Smith and David Rust
The first Women’s Athletic Director at the University of Iowa, Dr. Christine Grant was a pioneer for gender equality in sports who testified before Congress as a consultant for the Civil Rights Title IX Task Force.
Edna M. Griffin Champions | $50,000 – $99,999
Kay and Mace Braverman
Phyllis Change and Judy Gerlitz
Geraldine Felton
Nancy Hauserman
Victoria Quinn-Stephens
Liz and Alan Swanson
Lois James
Chelle and Michael Lehman
A lifelong civil rights leader who organized Iowans to join the March on Washington with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Griffin’s important work influenced Iowa civil rights legislation.
Janet Guthrie Champions | $25,000 – $49,999
Dolores Gutierrez
Jean Jew
Judy Leavitt
Jill Olsen
Linda Paul
A pilot, flight instructor, aerospace engineer, and race car driver—Guthrie was the first woman to compete in the Indianapolis 500 and Daytona 500.
Jean Jew Champions | $10,000 – $24,999
Diane Benoit
Peggy Doerge
Martha Easter-Wells
Susan Frye
Jo Jones
Mary Lea Kruse
Mark Ruggeberg and Robert Brooks
Pat Schnack
Jean Trainor
Buffie and Dick Tucker
Dawn Oliver Wiand and Jerry Wiand
Susan Young
A professor, researcher, and scholar, Dr. Jean Jew set a precedent for women everywhere after filing—and eventually winning—a decade-long suit challenging sexual harassment in the workplace.
Mary Louise Smith Champions | $5,000 – $9,999
Kathy Bachmeier
Evalyn Berger
Kate Hawkins
Linda and Nate Hopkins
Jean Lloyd-Jones
Belinda Lantz Marner
Rachel and Jason Napoli
Polly Pagliai in memory of Kay Shive
Jane Schildroth
The first woman ever to chair the Republican Party in 1974, Smith was a staunch supporter of the Equal Rights Amendment who co-founded the Iowa Women’s Political Caucus.
Kate and Trish Varnum Champions | $1,000 – $4,999
Nancy Ann Carl
Meg Egington Carmichel
Mary Donegan-Ritter
Mandy Engel-Cartie
Alison Ames Galstad
Ellen Heywood and Paul Ingram
LaShonda Kennedy
Michael Lensing
Marnell Lyle
Della McGrath
Brenda Myers
Jaimie Miller
Stan Miller and Kathy Polvi
Teresa Morrow
Jen Neumann
Ann Parker
Barbara and Philip Peterson
Anne Rierson
Linda Schreiber
Susan Shullaw
Sashi Solomon
Vicki Walch
The Varnums were the lead plaintiffs in Varnum v. Brien, a landmark court case recognizing same-sex marriage in Iowa considered to be the tipping point for marriage equality in the US.
Jean Adeline Morgan Wanatee Champions | Below $1,000
Barb Baker
Kari Blomberg
Rebecca Brown
Daniel Campion
Kim Casko
Nicole Crain
Jennifer Crimmins
Brianne Cummins
Carol and Michael Daly
Jane Dohrmann
Susan Drake
Katie Featherston
Lori Freudenberg
Abbey Furlong
Kandi Gelner
Sarah Halbrook
Diana Harris
Elizabeth Holm
Jennifer Horn-Frasier
Polly Horton
Jody Hovland and Ron Clark
Lynette Jacoby
Jennifer Jordan
Danette Kenne
Sarah and Tim Krumm
Julie Kunkel
Paula Laube
Holly Lauer
Victoria Lim
Rachel Marquardt
Tina McCoy
Linda McGuire and Anne Burnside
Amy Nolte
Carrie Norton
James Olson
Ann Romanowski
Rosemary Russell
Deb Schmidt
Nancy Sharp
Annette Shaw
Rebecca Skalsky
Greg Slessor
Melissa Tully
Stacy Van Gorp and Chris Denison
Tanya Villhauer
Shanell Wagler
Kimberly Warren
Jan Waterhouse
Terri Wiley
Lisa Williams
Laurie Zaiger
A Meskwaki language specialist and champion for the rights of Native women, Wanatee became the first woman elected to the Meskwaki Tribal Council.