In fall 2001, a group of committed women partnered with the Rhode Island Foundation to create a field of interest fund. The Foundation invested staffing and financial resources. The women volunteered their time, expertise and enthusiasm. And the result? One of the leading women’s funds in the U.S., according to insiders in the movement.

This partnership was the first of its kinds for the Rhode Island Foundation. And it was a first in the community foundation sector too: no other community foundation had invested so much money in a women’s fund.

In spring 2005, with the encouragement and support of the Rhode Island Foundation, the Women’s Fund became independent. We obtained our 501© (3) status from the IRS, and hired its first executive director. The Women’s Fund endowment – supported by a grant of $2.5 million by The Rhode Island Foundation – is managed and invested by the Foundation.