We believe that:

·        Our community will be healthier, stronger and more sustainable if women and girls participate fully in all aspects of community life.

·        Women and girls are disproportionately affected by a number of issues, including access to health care, domestic violence, abuse and lack of financial resources; all of which limit their ability to participate in the community.

·        Women and girls carry the majority of responsibility for care of children, sick or disabled family members, and aging parents and relatives; which also may limit their ability to participate in the community.

·       Financial resources dedicated to solving these problems are limited.  Of the national foundations who keep statistics, less than 6% of grants are made to programs and services specifically designed for women and girls.

·        Women and girls, who volunteer time and money to improve opportunities for women and girls, will give generously across all income, racial-ethnic and age groups.  We believe that men, especially when offered the chance to honor or memorialize the important women in their lives, will give generously for this purpose as well.

·        To be effective, opportunities to participate in the Fund and its work must be available to the widest spectrum of women.  We are dedicated to diversity of age, income and racial-ethnic background on our Advisory Committee, our Grant Committee and all other groups working to raise and distribute grants for the Fund.

·        Every single gift, from $1 to $100,000 is important to the success of the Fund and its goals. Every contributor is welcome and valued.  We intend to reach out to donors from every age, income and racial-ethnic group.

·        We have much to learn from other women in this process and we welcome the opportunity to build new friendships and create new understandings.