About Us
Overview
The Women’s Foundation of Boston, Inc. is a nonprofit public charity that creates, funds, and accelerates high-impact economic and leadership programs that equip Greater Boston women and girls to be financially independent and successful leaders. WFBoston is becoming the primary vehicle for investing in women and girls in Greater Boston, and is building a fast-growing network of female nonprofit and business leaders.
WFBoston awards high-impact grants to nonprofits that economically empower women and girls in Greater Boston. The grants target new programs or new groups served by the expansion of existing programs, and have a transformative effect on the grantee nonprofits and their beneficiaries. Grants typically range from $10,000 to $100,000 annually for one to five years. During 2020, grant awards included funds specifically designated for COVID-19 relief. As of December 31, 2021, WFBoston has committed almost $3M to eighteen nonprofits serving women and girls in Greater Boston.
WFBoston creates and operates programs including: the Women’s Nonprofit Network (WIN), a partnership with the Red Sox Foundation to convene and connect women leaders of local nonprofits in order to promote sharing of best practices, strategies and resources, and advance leadership and mentorship; and the Young Women’s Leadership Program, a year-long professional development program for Boston’s next generation of nonprofit women leaders.
The Women’s Foundation of Boston, Inc. is a nonprofit public charity that creates, funds, and accelerates high-impact economic and leadership programs that equip Greater Boston women and girls to be financially independent and successful leaders. WFBoston is becoming the primary vehicle for investing in women and girls in Greater Boston, and is building a fast-growing network of female nonprofit and business leaders.
WFBoston awards high-impact grants to nonprofits that economically empower women and girls in Greater Boston. The grants target new programs or new groups served by the expansion of existing programs, and have a transformative effect on the grantee nonprofits and their beneficiaries. Grants typically range from $10,000 to $100,000 annually for one to five years. During 2020, grant awards included funds specifically designated for COVID-19 relief. As of June 2023, WFBoston has committed $6.1 million to 30 nonprofits serving women and girls.
WFBoston creates and operates programs including: the Women’s Nonprofit Network (WIN), a partnership with the Red Sox Foundation to convene and connect women leaders of local nonprofits in order to promote sharing of best practices, strategies and resources, and advance leadership and mentorship; and the Young Women’s Leadership Program, a year-long professional development program for Boston’s next generation of nonprofit women leaders.
I have worked in the nonprofit world for over 30 years and I truly believe that the creation of the Women’s Foundation of Boston is one of the best things that has ever happened for nonprofits that serve girls and women in Massachusetts.
– Linda Driscoll, CEO Dream Big!
Our Timeline
Women's Foundation of Boston Established
The Women’s Foundation of Boston was established by longtime Boston residents and philanthropists Kim Boucher, Ami Kuan Danoff, Christina Gordon, and Christina Suh. Motivated by the massive gap in philanthropic giving to nonprofits dedicated to serving women and girls in the community, these four women started Boston’s first nonprofit dedicated to this mission.
$2M in seed funding raised
In early 2018, we raised over $2 million in seed funding – including contributions from every member of the foundation’s staff. Our overhead and administrative costs are covered by private donations so 100% of every gift goes directly to our grantee partners.
First grant made to Science Club for Girls.
Women in Nonprofit (WIN) Network launched
The Women In Nonprofit (WIN) Network begins as a joint initiative between the Women’s Foundation of Boston and the Red Sox Foundation to better connect female leaders of Boston-area nonprofits.160 Executive Directors join, sharing best practices and learning from each other.
Implemented six-step process to evaluate grant applicants using criteria such as impact, innovation and leadership vision.
COVID Response Fund Created
Board of Directors Established
WFBoston established Board of Directors, expanded into Gateway Cities (Lowell, Lynn, Lawrence, New Bedford, Worcester).
Hired first employee.
Fundraising and Grantmaking Milestones
June 2022 grant cycle awards $1.3 million to 10 nonprofits for an average term of 2.6 years.
Inaugural Make Her Mark fundraising event at the Museum of Science raises over $1.1 million.
WFBoston awards $275,000 in new supplemental Catalyst Grants to 11 local nonprofit organizations exclusively serving women and girls. The Catalyst Grants were outcome-driven, one-year funding opportunities intended to act as a “catalyst” impacting an entire nonprofit and propelling it forward in fulfillment of its mission.
Largest Grant Cycle to Date
WFBoston earns a Gold Seal with Candid, formally known as GuideStar. To earn Candid’s Gold Seal of Transparency, the Women’s Foundation of Boston shared financial details and information about leadership, goals, strategies, metrics, and impact.
Over $1.7 million is awarded to 10 local nonprofits as part of the June 2023 grant cycle, the largest single grant cycle in the organization’s history.
Laurie H. Glimcher, MD, was named President and CEO of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in 2016. She is also Director of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center and the Richard and Susan Smith Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Previously, she was the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean and Professor of Medicine of Weill Cornell Medicine and Provost for Medical Affairs of Cornell University. Dr. Glimcher is a distinguished immunologist, widely renowned for her work in one of the most promising areas of cancer research.
Linda Henry is the CEO of the Boston Globe Media Partners. She is a co-founder of HUBweek, a civic collaboration between the Boston Globe, Harvard University, Massachusetts General Hospital, and MIT that explores the future being built at the intersection of art, science and technology. Linda is also an early-stage impact investor, an Emmy-Award winning television producer with two shows currently airing, and a community activist. She serves as a director of the Red Sox Foundation, is a trustee of the Liverpool Football Club Foundation, chair of the Boston Globe Foundation, and chairman of the John W. Henry Family Foundation. In addition, she is a founder of the Boston Public Market, serves on the advisory board of MassChallenge, and is on the board of the Engine at MIT. She earned a BS from Babson College and her MS from MIT.
Bekah Salwasser joined the Red Sox Foundation as the Executive Director in January of 2018. She earned her B.A. in Psychology from Brown University and has extensive experience in philanthropy and both professional and semi-professional sports. After four years working as Community Relations Director for the Boston Celtics, Bekah went on to lead Scholar Athletes as its Executive Director, a program that supports public high school athletes with both their athletic and academic achievements. Earlier in her career, Bekah served as a professional soccer player for the Boston Breakers and as Executive Director of the Charlestown Lacrosse and Learning Center.
Kimberly Fay Boucher is a business executive who has driven high performance organizations in technology, consumer products and social enterprise/nonprofit industries over the past 25 years. She is currently the Technology Commercialization Business Leader for the CTO at Analog Devices, where she is responsible for driving new technologies from incubation stages to successful businesses. Kim is also a Senior Lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management, where she teaches Disciplined Entrepreneurship in the Martin Trust Center. She holds a BS in Management Industrial Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and an MBA from Harvard Business School. She is a NCAA Academic All-American Women’s Basketball player and has been inducted into the WPI Hall of Fame.
Ami Kuan Danoff (Co-Founder and CFO) is a private investor and the trustee of a foundation. She is a Harvard Quantum Founder and a member of the Harvard FAS Dean’s Council. Ami earned a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University in Visual and Environmental Studies and holds a dual master’s degree in Applied Economics and International Finance from the Sloan School of Management at MIT. She was a portfolio manager in global equities at Putnam Investments and co-manager of the Putnam International New Opportunities Fund, and also worked as an international equities analyst at Fidelity Investments.
Christina Heenan Suh holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania in English and Marketing and a master’s from Columbia University. A former management consultant, her work focused on strategy and implementation projects for Fortune 100 clients. She was also an account executive at Hill+Knowlton (WPP) marketing consumer packaged goods. As an Executive Board Member of the Brookline Education Foundation, which funds professional development in the Brookline Public Schools, Christina led their Grant and Oversight Committees. She currently sits on the board of the Brookline Library Foundation and teaches ESL at Rosie’s Place in Boston.
Christina Gordon (Co-Founder and CEO) holds a dual master’s degree in International Finance and Applied Economics from MIT’s Sloan School of Management. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Boston University and also studied for a joint master’s degree in Women’s Studies and Sociology at Brandeis with a focus on women in the workplace. Christina is a former assistant fund manager and technology industry equity analyst at Wellington Management. She also worked as a stock analyst at Fidelity Investments. She is a trustee of a private foundation, a member of Women Moving Millions and currently sits on the board of Rosie’s Place, a sanctuary for poor and homeless women in Boston.