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Marguerite Rawalt signs the incorporation documents for BPW. |
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The Business and
Professional Women’s Foundation was formally organized in February 1956 by the
National Federation of Business and Professional Women’s Clubs and was hailed as the first exempt
Foundation
and research center devoted exclusively to the interests and advancement of workingwomen. BPW Foundation was
incorporated under the laws of the District of Columbia on February 27, 1956.
BPW Foundation was granted a
tentative exemption under 501(c)(3) from the Internal Revenue Service and would be entitled to permanent
exemption by operating in accordance with the representation in the application.
The Spencer House at 2012 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC, was purchased by BPW Foundation for $150,000 for National
Headquarters.
The Lena Lake Forrest Fellowship
Fund of the National Federation, whose purposes were to "promote research in problems which are important
to the business and professional woman and to encourage graduate study in fields of work in which the
Federation would like to enlarge the activities of women," was turned over to the Foundation for
administration.
The first BPW Foundation
grant
from the Lena Lake Forrest Fellowship Fund was awarded to Dr. Margaret Cussler for research on The Woman
Executive and for the publication of a book by that title.
BPW Foundation has focused on making strides with gender biasness throughout the decades, the Earnings Gap was an article published
describing the role that women share in occupational settings.
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WomanPower
Survey, the first major "pilot project" by the Research & Library Committee on the interests
of working women, appeared on the December issue of National Business Women.
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The Automotive Safety Foundation presented the first grant ever awarded to BPW Foundation in
the amount of $10,000 for the first nationwide survey on Design for Living, a traffic survey.
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The Internal Revenue Service granted permanent tax exemption under 501(c)(3) to the BPW Foundation.
The BPW Foundation Library was established as a center for research into the economic,
educational, social and psychological interests and problems of business and professional women; establish
methods for searching, preserving and disseminating materials in that field.
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Seminars were held during the 1960s with topics
ranging
from Middle Management Seminars to the Dynamics of Community Self-Surveys by Organized Women’s Groups: High
Level Women Executives to Career Opportunity. These seminars were held in various states, such as,
California,
Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan and New Mexico.
A card (union) catalog was purchased from the Library of Congress. This catalog included, as
nearly as possible, a listing of every article, book or reference pertaining to women.
A Collection of Oral History tapes, including interviews with Past National Presidents, the
1919ers and notable women, was assembled.
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An Allstate Foundation grant of
$15,000 funded Economic Seminars in Cincinnati, OH & Denver, CO.
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The Sally Butler International Scholarship Fund for Latino Research of the National Federation
was turned over to the BPW Foundation for
administration.
BPW Foundation co-sponsored with the University of Michigan, the First Leadership Seminar ever
held exclusively for Top Women Executives.
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The Research and Education Committee was requested
to establish a General Scholarship Fund, which subsequently became the Career Advancement Scholarship Fund.
Second Annual Leadership Seminar for Woman
Executives at Michigan State University.
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Georgina Smith, with the help of the Lena Lake
Forrest Fellowship, published her thesis, "An Empirical Investigation of Demand and Supply in a Local Job
Market for Women."
Management and Leadership
for the Executive Woman Seminar held at the University of Southern California.
Third Annual Seminar for
Key Women Executives held at Michigan State University.
Seminar for Women Executives, University of Georgia, presented through Allstate
Foundation grant.
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A Washington Post article in the For and About Women section
titled Women’s Woes Fill a Library, Hundreds of Books Fill a Library, highlighted The Library and
its
collection dealing specifically with the subject of women.
A grant supporting women of color was awarded to Mrs. Leota Jean Brown to study Negro
disadvantaged girls and their future employment.
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The Foundation Library contained 1,032 bound volumes, in addition to
dissertations on microfilm and reference indexes.
Published Bibliography: "A Selected Annotated
Bibliography: Women in Positions at Managerial, Administrative and Executive Levels"
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Published Bibliography: "Continuing Education for
Women"
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BPW Foundation sponsored
three Young Career Women from England, Belgium and Finland to take part in the Young Career Woman program at
the 1968 BPW/USA National Convention.
A permanent card file was established for information pertaining to grants under the Lena Lake
Forrest Fellowship Fund.
Published bibliography Working Mothers.
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BPW Foundation sponsored
three Young Career Women from Australia, Netherlands and Canada to take part in the Young Career Woman
program
at the 1969 BPW/USA National Conference.
The BPW Foundation accorded new status as a Public Foundation under the Tax Reform
Act
of 1969.
Published bibliography Sex Role Concepts: How Women and Men See Themselves and Each
Other.
Published bibliography Working Mothers.
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1970s: Six bibliographies were prepared by BPW Foundation staff:
Women Executives; Career Counseling: New perspectives for Women and Girls; Working Women: Homemakers and
Volunteers; Women and Work in U. S. History; Work Force Entry by Mature Women; and Where the Jobs Are. The
Women Executive was updated and supported a bibliography entitled “Women Executives: A Commentary and
Bibliography from the Center for Social Sciences, Columbia University.
The first scholarships were awarded to 25 women for a total amount of $7,947.
A survey, Profiles of Business and Professional Women, was completed and available for
$2.50 each.
A seminar for Young Career Women was held at the University of Hawaii with 28 girls from various
states attending. BPW Foundation sponsored three Asian Young Career Women to attend this seminar.
The first grant in the amount of $5,000 from Pittsburgh Plate Glass Industries was received for
the Career Advancement Scholarship program.
Published Women Executive bibliography.
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BPW Foundation sponsored
three Young Career Women from Canada, Central America and South America to take part in the Young Career
Women
program at the 1971 BPW/USA National Conference.
The first Certificates for BPW state organizations with the highest per capita contribution for
the BPW Foundation were awarded at the 1971 BPW/USA National Convention to Hawaii, Massachusetts and South
Dakota.
First Mobil Foundation grant to a women's organization for $25,000 for Career Advancement
Scholarships.
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The Foundation sponsored a series across the
country on "Dynamic Management of People in Situations", "Solving Specific Management Problems" and "New
Patterns of Effective Management".
Published Career Counseling: New Perspectives
for Women and Girls bibliography.
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Bloomington, Illinois, and Reno, Nevada, were chosen for the pilot project
Career Awareness Project. This project's aim was for an individual to know how to make
occupational
decisions based upon the knowledge and understanding of occupational opportunities.
BPW sponsored the 1973-74 Management and
Advanced Management Seminar Series in Chicago, IL; Los Angeles, CA; West Point, NY; Portland, OR; New
Orleans,LA; Phoenix, AZ; Richmond, VA; and Louisville, KY.
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The Graduate Business Education revolving loan fund was established by the
Sears-Roebuck Foundation. This loan was dissolved in 2002 with the funds distributed among the Lena Lake
Forrest and Sally Butler research/grant funds and the Jennie C. Mock and Winifred Brady Scholarship funds.
The Clairol and BPW Foundation relationship was established—a relationship that would last more
than 10 years.
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The publication Hours of Work When Workers Can Choose resulted from the first BPW
Foundation Research Internship. This was an early survey of major corporations and government agencies using
flex time.
BPW Foundation sponsored the 1975-76 Management Seminar Series. View brochure.
Published bibliography "Working Women: Homemakers & Volunteers."
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The Women in Graduate Engineering Studies loan fund was established with funding from the
Exxon
Education Foundation. This loan was dissolved in 2002 with the funds distributed among the Lena Lake Forrest
and Sally Butler research/grant funds and the Jennie C. Mock and Winifred Brady scholarship funds.
Published bibliography Women and Work in United States History.
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Published Bibliography: "Work Force Entry by Mature
Women"
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Employer Advising Conferences held
in
1978 and 1979 featured seminars on Women's New Challenges-New Rewards in Management. "Situation Management:
Effectively Managing Challenge" and "Career Development and Advancement" seminars were also given in 1978 and
1979.
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The library was renamed the Marguerite Rawalt Resource Center and
was dedicated January 1980 in Honor of Her Outstanding and Continuous Service to the Business and
Professional Women’s Foundation.
In 1979 and 1980, "Money in Motion" became the topic for "Seminars for Economic Effectiveness"
in Denver, CO, Louisville, KY and Baltimore, MD.
Published bibliography Where the Jobs Are.
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1980s: Two bibliographies were prepared by BPW
Foundation staff: Women Managers in the US: Research and Analysis and Work Force Entry by Mature Women:
Career
Choice.
Published Info-Digest - Updates on
Women's Issues.
Published article - Sexual Harassment at
Work: Why It Happens, What to do about It? View bibliography
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Published Determinants &
Consequences of Maternal Employment: An Annotated Bibliography, 1968-1980 and Woman Manager in the
United States: A Research Analysis and Bibliography.
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The Foundation published issue papers entitled
The Wage Gap and Women and Poverty: Research Summary.
In February, the Sally Butler International
Scholarship was renamed the Sally Butler Memorial Fellowship for Latina
Research.
Published bibliography Women in American
History.
Published bibliography Battered
Women.
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Published Info-Digest - Where
the
Jobs Are: Selected Careers for Women.
Published The Equality Center - Sex Discrimination and Health and
Disablility Insurance.
Published Info-Digest - Who to Call in the
Federal Maze
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A New York Life scholarship fund was established for women studying in the
health
professions without a bachelor degree. New York Life provided funds through 1999 with a total funding of
$1,000,000.
Published Recent Research on Women in
Management, by David Van Fleet & Julie Saurage.
It was decided that the Executive Director serving BPW Foundation will be the same Executive
Director serving the BPW Federation. Prior to this date each organization had its own Executive Director.
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Published article What is Flextime?
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The Avon Company provided funds for Career Advancement Scholarships for a two
year period.
Published Info-Digest - Women in
Engineering View resources
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A Women’s Thesaurus was published.
Published Work Force Entry by Mature Women: Career Choice.
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Two fundraising programs for the renovation of Headquarters at 2012
Massachusetts
Avenue, NW, Washington, DC, were Bucks for Bricks with diamond, gold, silver and bronze bricks available and
memorial windows.
A project of the Girls Clubs of America to promote the study of science, math and related
technologies (Project SMART) was adopted by BPW Foundation.
The St. Paul Foundation provided funds for minority training. BPW Foundation funded this program
for one year.
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The loan from Signet bank for the renovation of 2012 Massachusetts Avenue, NW,
was increased from $1,500,000 to $1,700,000.
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1990s: Seven issue papers were prepared by BPW Foundation on Reproductive Rights: A Political, Professional
and Personal Issue; Crime of Power Not
Passion: Sexual Harassment in the Workplace; You Can’t Get There From Here: Working Women and the Glass Ceiling;
Financing Your Future: Women and Retirement Income; Work and Family Policies: Options for the 90s
and Beyond, and Women in Primetime:
Employment Issues for Middle Age Women
Grand Opening of Restored 2012 Headquarters, March 7th, 1990.
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A partnership was entered into with
Proctor and Gamble to develop a consumer education project on solid waste and other environmental
concerns.
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The Foundation published a paper entitled
Reproductive Rights: A Political, Professional and Personal Issue.
Published issue
papers: Crime of Power Not Passion:
Sexual
Harassment in the Workplace; You
Can't Get There From Here: Working Women and the Glass Ceiling and Financing Your Future: Women
and Retirement Income.
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A Study of the Factors Which Aid
and Deter Married Women in the Continuance of Higher Education was made by Doris H. Ruslink, with the
help of the Lena Lake Forrest Fellowship.
The first installment of "75 Facts on the Status of Working Women" was produced in conjunction
with BPW/USA's 75th Anniversary. This publication would later be known as, "101 Facts on the Status of
Workingwomen."
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The first Magnificent 7 award function was held by BPW Foundation. Zoe Baird, Aetna Life and
Casualty Co.; Nancy Donovan, NOVUS Financial Corporation; Annabelle Fetterman, Lundy Packing Company, Helen
Hahn, Dreamworks SKG; Lillian Katz, Lillian Vernon Corporation; Susan Keating, NationsBank of Maryland; and
Dr. Barbara Ross-Lea, Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine, were the first recipients of the
award.
These awards were presented annually through 2002.
Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories provided a program on Understanding Menopause, which was sponsored by
BPW Foundation and developed with the American Medical Women’s Association.
The Making Workplaces Work roundtable was held in 1994 during National Business Women’s
Week.
Published issue paper on Women in Primetime: Employment Issues for Middle Age
Women.
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The theme of BPW
Foundation’s 40th anniversary was Strengthening the Fabric of Women’s Lives, which was
designed
to heighten awareness of the Planned Giving Program and to raise visibility as to the impact BPW Foundation
has had on women’s lives.
A partnership was entered into with the Equitable Life Assurance Society with regard to the
Financial Education Awareness Program. By 1999, more than 100 local organizations had used this program
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Eli Lilly provided a grant, Freedom from Fear, for a program on
depression entitled Depression and Woman, Dispelling the Myths.
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The Avon Foundation supported an Empowerment Scholarship for Women designed to
help women move off welfare by earning a college degree. This was a two-year pilot project in the Los Angeles
area.
A summary volume, The Duality of Work and Family Roles, of the first Academic Symposium
on Work and Family was published.
A Resource Guide for Women Entrepreneurs was published.
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The American Management Association published a summary of findings from a
survey
research project designed to explore gender differences in compensation/benefit issues existing in the
corporate culture.
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The Foundation partnered with the
American Management Association on a survey research project designed to explore gender differences in
compensation/benefit issues existing in corporate culture. The findings were pulished in 1999 by the American
Management Association.
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The 2000 Academic Symposium, "Work
and Family: Expanding the Horizons" was held in San Francisco, co-sponsored by the Center for Working
Families
at Berkeley and the Sloan Foundation.
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2012 Massachusetts Avenue was sold for $6,500,000.
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The final report and preparation for the grant proposal was prepared on the
Womenomics pilot program.
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The governance of BPW Foundation was reorganized to have 13
trustees, three of whom are the BPW/USA senior officers, and 10 of whom are elected as trustees; of these 10,
at least 6 must be BPW members.
During the 75th anniversary of National Business Women’s Week, BPW Foundation presented a
national
WOMENomics program at the
National Press Club in Washington, DC.
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BPW Foundation defined a new mission: To empower workingwomen to achieve
their full potential and to partner with employers to build successful workplaces.
Workingwomen Speak
Out, the results of a survey of women across the country about their work place security and quality
of life, was published.
American College Testing was chosen as the outsourcer for the operation of the scholarship
program; selection of scholarship recipients remained within BPW Foundation.
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BPW Foundation launched a new employer initiative with a National Employer Summit on “Workplaces &
Workforces in Transition,� which included leading employers from across the country.
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In honor of the 50th
anniversary of the BPW Foundation, the DeLonais Foundation agreed to match $25,000 in contributions from
BPW/USA members to establish a first time scholarship endowment with an initial value of $50,000.
BPW Foundation released Resources and Policy Changes Needed to Create
Successful Workplaces, reccomendations from the 2005 innaugural Workplaces and Workforces in
Transition: A National Employer Summit.
BPW Foundation published series of discussion guides to encourage dialouge around issues
impacting 21st Century workingwomen. These included Forces Shaping 21st Century Workplaces and
Workforces, 2006 WOMENomics
Discussion Guide, 2006 WOMENomics
Planning
Guide, the 2005 National Employer Summit Discussion Starters.
Launched phase one of the Rawalt Online Resource Center, a web-based
clearinghouse featuring the BPW Foundation's extensive archive of research papers, issue briefs and articles
as well as links to the latest resources for workingwomen and employers.
BPW Foundation programmed a special research and education day at the 2006 BPW/USA Policy &
Action Conference, opening a new venue for foundation programming.
BPW Foundation programmed an entire day of workshops and plenary sessions for the 2006 BPW/USA
National Conference. To expand its educational reach, workshop materials were housed on the Rawalt
Online Resource Center.
In June 2006, BPW Foundation published its first issue paper in a decade. An update of the
1993
paper, Work and Family Policies: Options for
the 90s and Beyond. The 2006 publication was titled: The State of Work-Life Effectiveness.
A Summer/Fall audio conference
series, featuring workplace experts on work-life effectiveness, diversity, and felxibility and aimed at
employers, workingwomen and policy makers was launched by the BPW Foundation.
In December 2006, BPW Foundation sponsored the 2nd National Employer Summit in conjunction
with
Workplace Flexibility 2010 of Georgetown University Law Center. Titled Raising Profits and Potential: Return on
Investment for Work-Life Effectiveness, Workplace Equity and Diversity the event brought together a
cross-sector network of employers, workingwomen, researchers and policy makers to discuss promising workplace
practices and public policy options.
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