Women’s philanthropy group gives more than $239,000 to ASU
ASU Foundation’s Women & Philanthropy program awards six grants to university programs and scholarships, including first-ever six-figure grant
TEMPE, Ariz. — A mobile health clinic that brings much-needed healthcare services to some of the poorest areas of the Valley. A summer educational program that will open doors for 20 under-represented students from the Sonoran region. A break-through treatment for breast cancer that could reduce drug toxicity and side effects. These are just three initiatives underway at Arizona State University designed to help the university address some of the greatest challenges of our time.
They’re also three of the six ASU programs that recently received vital grant funding from the ASU Foundation’s Women & Philanthropy program. The awarded grants totaled $239,779 and included, for the first time in Women & Philanthropy’s seven-year history, a $100,000 grant titled the Women & Philanthropy Cathy Dickey Leadership Award in honor of the organization’s outgoing co-chair.
This year marked one of Women & Philanthropy’s highest-ever funding totals, which was generated from the individual contributions of the more than 210 investors in Women & Philanthropy. Every year, each investor gives a minimum gift of $1,000 that is then pooled with contributions from the rest of the membership. Combining resources in this way allows the group to have a greater impact on ASU program and scholarships, and it empowers each investor to steward her single gift in a much greater way.
“Being a member of Women & Philanthropy gives me a wonderful sense of accomplishment and fulfillment through the realization that I have truly made a difference to help ASU pursue real-world research, break down barriers for deserving students and provide programs that make a real impact on our community,” said Ina Manaster, co-chair of the Women & Philanthropy investment committee and a Women & Philanthropy member since 2006.
The Women & Philanthropy investment committee is responsible for reviewing all annual grant proposals — this year there were more than 30 proposals submitted for funding. Once the committee evaluates each initiative or program, it votes to select a handful of finalists. This group of finalists is then taken to the entire Women & Philanthropy membership, which votes on the programs and scholarships they want to fund.
Below are the ASU programs that received a 2008–09 Women & Philanthropy grant.
Wellness on Wheels Mobile Clinic (WOW van)
College of Nursing & Healthcare Innovation
ASU at the Downtown Phoenix campus
$100,000 — Women & Philanthropy Cathy Dickey Leadership Award
Women & Philanthropy funds will provide salaries for a family nurse practitioner and a bilingual medical assistant, as well as medical supplies and other operational expenses for the WOW van. The family nurse practitioner and bilingual medical assistant will deliver care and supervise 48 ASU and UofA health professions students on the WOW van, which delivers broad access and vitally needed healthcare to underserved children and families in the Valley.
Sonoran Consortium for Student Success
Office of the Executive Vice President and University Provost
$50,240
Women & Philanthropy funds support an eight-week summer consortium designed to promote student success and will specifically cover summer stipends for students, learning materials and partial support of one conference presentation. This program will serve 20 first-generation, under-represented, low-income freshman and sophomore students from the transborder-Sonoran region who typically do not participate in significant research opportunities or apprenticeships with faculty.
Innovative Ceramic Breast Cancer Drug Carrier
School of Materials, Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering
ASU at the Tempe campus
$50,000
Women & Philanthropy funds will be seed money for an innovative research project that will contribute to the development of a delivery platform that combines therapy and molecular imaging in the same nanovector to specifically target breast cancer. Benefits of this delivery system include reduced drug toxicity and side effects, lower dosage and enhanced drug potency, as well as an increase in the number of drugs that can be utilized as therapeutic agents — all of which could ultimately improve breast cancer survival rates.
ASU and Teach for America Partnership
Office of University Initiatives
$28,242
Women & Philanthropy funds will be used to transition the ASU and Teach for America (TFA) partnership components from University Initiatives to the College of Teacher Education and Leadership (CTEL). This partnership has positioned ASU as the lead higher education partner of TFA and is considered by TFA to be a model for all university partnerships.
Sonia Kovalevsky High School Mathematics Day
Division of Mathematical and Natural Sciences, New College of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences
ASU at the West campus
$6,797
Women & Philanthropy funds support the Sonia Kovalevsky High School Mathematics Day, a program that encourages local young women to pursue degrees in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields.
The West campus of ASU will play host to high school female students for a day of lectures delivered by female ASU professors, stimulating math competitions with their peers, networking with new mentors and role models, and fun.
Write On, Downtown!
School of Letters & Sciences, University College
ASU at the Downtown Phoenix campus
$4,500
Women & Philanthropy funds support production costs and stipends for two editors-in-chief for “Write on, Downtown!” This publication showcases meritorious compositions, analyses, professional writing and created pieces by all levels of student writers.
This year’s Women & Philanthropy co-chairs were Dr. Sybil Francis and Cathy Dickey. The investment committee, co-chaired by Ina Manaster and Marlene Lahr, included Aileen Osofsky, Alice Colston, Anne Donahoe, Cindy Watts, Judy Ackerman, Laura Roskind, Myra Page, Paula Hardison, Susan Barnes and Terry Shoumaker.
The mission of the ASU Foundation’s Women & Philanthropy program is to inspire and empower accomplished women — by providing educational, networking and philanthropic opportunities — to become visionary donors and a collective, significant force supporting Arizona State University’s creation of meaningful change in the world. Since its first year of funding in 2002, Women & Philanthropy has granted more than $1.2 million to support 46 ASU programs, initiatives and scholarships. To learn more, visit asufoundation.org/womenandphilanthropy.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Jennifer Kennedy
480-965-0540 (office)
jen.kennedy@asu.edu