Who We Are

The Women’s Fund of The Capital Region is a dynamic collaboration of The Community Foundation for the Greater Capital Region and United Way of the Greater Capital Region. Our programs and grants serve women and girls in Albany, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady and Schoharie counties.

How the Women’s Fund Works

By investing and working together through the Women’s Fund, we can make a difference in the lives of women and girls in our region. Women often face discrimination, domestic violence, difficulty finding high quality child care and inadequate employment training. Initially the Women’s Fund supported projects that help overcome these obstacles, including programs that:

• develop careers for underemployed women
• ensure older women’s financial stability and independence
• help women start successful small businesses.

In the fall of 2010, in a continued effort to achieve the greatest impact for women in our community, the Women's Fund committed to a new 3-5 year, sharply focused education initiative, to help motivated but struggling adults achieve their degree goals. Committed to career advancement through higher education, they still face obstacles to degree completion as they juggle home, work and school.

 

Our Steering Committee Our Steering Committee is a group of women who are community leaders and philanthropists. Each brings a commitment to creating opportunities for women and girls in the greater Capital Region.

photo by: JoanHeffler.com

Susan Haigh Houpt, Chair, Community Volunteer
Karen L. Bilowith, Community Foundation for the Greater Capital Region
Mary A. Shaheen, United Way of New York State
Tricia Tauss, GE Corporate

Founding 500 Members

Please join the proud group of people who are the founding force behind the Women's Fund of the Capital Region: the Founding 500! Each member of the Founding 500 contributes $500 or more to support the work of the Women's Fund.

Our Financial Goals

• Raise funds to award scholarships that make a difference for women in our communities
• Build an endowment of at least one million dollars that will support initiatives for women and girls for generations to come
• Grow this endowment through careful investment management so that it will sustain the Women's Fund into the future

Of the total, up to 60% of each gift is awarded for the following year; 30% of each gift is deposited into the Women’s Fund Endowment; and 10% is used to cover direct administrative costs (all staff time is provided in-kind by the founding partners and volunteers).