For more information, please contact the Chair
of the IFW Leadership Council, Sue Faerman at ifw@albany.edu.
Initiatives For Women benefits women students, faculty, and staff - and the University at Albany and our community as a whole - by providing them the means to advance their educational and professional goals. Through individual donations, corporate and foundation contributions, Initiatives For Women supports women in a variety of ways:
Since its founding in 1993, Initiatives For Women has been featured in the news many times, and additional background information about Initiatives For Women work is available.
Initiatives For Women makes awards on an annual cycle. Generally, applications are accepted early in the calendar year (early to mid-March). Recipients are notified in early May, and the awards ceremony is held during the summer (usually July). Any person or group affiliated with the University at Albany, SUNY, and supporting the advancement of women or women's concerns at the University may apply for an Initiatives For Women award. Applicants must be a current student or employee at the University at Albany both at the time of application (spring) and when the activities occur for which the award will be used (for expenses incurred in spring or the following academic year). In addition, Initiatives For Women coordinates the Avon-Initiatives For Women Life Impact Scholarship Program.
Initiatives for Women enables women students, staff and faculty to realize their academic and career potential. The program builds on the University at Albany's tradition of providing equal educational opportunity to women by supporting three categories of awards for women of promise: general or presidential or endowed awards. Women may apply in every category for which they are eligible.
The Initiatives For Women awards generally range from $500 to $1,000 depending on need. In 2001 for the first time, two awards of $2,500 each were given. The Initiatives For Women Awards Committee reviews all requests submitted and may request interviews with finalists in making the selection of an award recipient.
Award recipients from previous rounds include:
The first round of 10 Initiatives for Women awards was given in 1994. By 2000, the total amount of money distributed by Initiatives For Women had surpassed $100,000, and in 2001 the total number of Initiatives For Women awards pushed over the 200 mark. As of the latest (eighth) round of awards given in 2001, Initiatives For Women has distributed just over $129,000.
Any person or group affiliated with the University at Albany, SUNY, and supporting the advancement of women or women may apply. To apply for one of these awards, you must submit an application packet of supporting evidence including the application form, a cover letter, two letters of recommendation, an itemized budget sheet, and a résumé or curriculum vitae. Initiatives for Women committee members welcome the opportunity to assist you in the development of your application.
Application materials for the 2006 IFW awards cycle are now available online. The deadline to be considered for this year's awards is Friday, February 17, 2006. Click here for the application materials.
The Summer Celebration honoring of the 2005 Initiatives For Women award recipients was held on Thursday, July 21, 2005 in the Empire Commons Community Building. Recipients from the last eleven years are listed below.
Donors to Initiatives For Women have a variety of reasons for supporting Initiatives For Women. A person may want to honor a special individual with a named award. An organization may want to support the overall goals of Initiatives For Women. Others might have a specific academic cause to further, see also established Funds and Donations. Here are some profiles of a few of the Initiatives For Women donors.
You can help Initiatives For Women by making a general donation, by contributing to one of the IFW's existing endowment funds, or by creating a new endowed fund of your own. If you would like to "support her dream" by giving to Initiatives For Women, please contact:
Carol F. Bullard
IFW Steering Committee
Corporate and Foundation Relations
University Administration 213
University at Albany
1400 Washington Ave.
Albany NY 12222-0001
phone (518) 437-4977
In the spring of 2005, Initiatives For Women adopted a shared leadership model to replace the existing structure. Drawing from the skills and expertise of IFW members, the Leadership Council includes eight women who serve as Chairs for the following committees: application process, events, finance, fundraising, membership and public relations. In addition the Leadership Council also includes a primary IFW spokeperson who also serves as the Leadership Council Chair and a Campus Leadership Liaison. The other IFW members offer their time and talents to the various subcommittees. The Leadership Council convenes the general body of the organization once every semester while the subcommittee Chairs organize committee meetings when needed.
If you are interested in volunteering please contact Shai Brown, IFW Membership Chair.
For more information, please contact
Initiatives For Women.
Webmaster Joy D. Ewing.