Our Story
Who We Are
The Women’s Foundation of Massachusetts is a statewide nonprofit public charity dedicated to economically empowering women and girls throughout the Commonwealth. Established by four longtime Boston philanthropists and businesswomen, the Foundation creates and funds high-impact leadership and economic programs in partnership with MA women’s and girls’ nonprofits.
Why We’re Different
Our model focuses on economic empowerment, creating ripple effects that benefit entire communities. We award large, multi-year grants that allow nonprofits to maximize long-term outcomes. Drawing on the founders’ business expertise, the Women’s Foundation applies rigorous investment principles to philanthropy through strategic, data-driven grantmaking.
Why Women and Girls
Only 1.3% of all philanthropic dollars go to MA nonprofits…
Dedicated to women and girls—yet the return is exponential. Investing in women uplifts families, strengthens communities, and creates ripple effects that last for generations.
Building Our Impact
Motivated by the massive gap in philanthropic giving to nonprofits dedicated to serving women and girls, longtime Boston philanthropists and businesswomen Kim Boucher, Ami Kuan Danoff, Christina Gordon, and Christina Suh start the Women’s Foundation of Boston dedicated to the economic empowerment of underresourced women and girls.
After raising over $2 million in seed funding, the Women’s Foundation made its first grant to Science Club for Girls.
The Women In Nonprofit (WIN) Network began as a joint initiative between the Women’s Foundation of Boston and the Red Sox Foundation to better connect female leaders of Boston-area nonprofits.
Established the only COVID Response Fund specifically benefitting women and girls in Greater Boston, directly impacting over 5,000 women and girls during the pandemic.
Program grants expanded the Foundation’s impact into Massachusetts Gateway Cities such as Lowell, Lynn, Lawrence, New Bedford and Worcester. Previously solely run by volunteers, the Foundation also hired its first employee.
Foundation reaches first $1 million grant cycle and introduces additional Catalyst Grants. $275,000 Catalyst Grants (one-year funding opportunities) additionally awarded to 11 nonprofits. Inaugural Make Her Mark fundraising event at the Museum of Science raises over $1.1 million.
First multi-year grant initiative concludes. Grants impact nearly 2,000 local women and girls with $800K in funding despite pandemic challenges. Foundation awards over $1.7 million to 10 local nonprofits in the 2023 grant cycle.
Foundation commits $2.2 million across multiple funding streams—multi-year grants, Catalyst Grants, sponsorships, and STEM kits. With 24% of 2024 awards in Western MA, geographic expansion is solidified. Foundation earns Candid’s Platinum Seal of Transparency.
The Women’s Foundation evolves its name to reflect its statewide impact and the growing needs of women and girls across the Commonwealth.
The Women’s Foundation annual grant cycle awards over $3 million for the first time. Research begins with the Wellesley College Center for Women to better understand the challenges facing women and girls in the state.
“I have worked in the nonprofit world for over 30 years and I truly believe that the creation of the Women’s Foundation is one of the best things that has ever happened for nonprofits that serve girls and women in Massachusetts.”
Linda Driscoll, CEO, Dream Big!
Linda Henry is the CEO of the Boston Globe Media Partners. She is a co-founder of HUBweek, a civic collaboration between the Boston Globe, Harvard University, Massachusetts General Hospital, and MIT that explores the future being built at the intersection of art, science and technology. Linda is also an early-stage impact investor, an Emmy-Award winning television producer with two shows currently airing, and a community activist. She serves as a director of the Red Sox Foundation, is a trustee of the Liverpool Football Club Foundation, chair of the Boston Globe Foundation, and chairman of the John W. Henry Family Foundation. In addition, she is a founder of the Boston Public Market, serves on the advisory board of MassChallenge, and is on the board of the Engine at MIT. She earned a BS from Babson College and her MS from MIT.
Laurie H. Glimcher, MD, was named President and CEO of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in 2016. She is also Director of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center and the Richard and Susan Smith Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Previously, she was the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean and Professor of Medicine of Weill Cornell Medicine and Provost for Medical Affairs of Cornell University. Dr. Glimcher is a distinguished immunologist, widely renowned for her work in one of the most promising areas of cancer research.
Bekah Salwasser joined the Red Sox Foundation as the Executive Director in January of 2018. She earned her B.A. in Psychology from Brown University and has extensive experience in philanthropy and both professional and semi-professional sports. After four years working as Community Relations Director for the Boston Celtics, Bekah went on to lead Scholar Athletes as its Executive Director, a program that supports public high school athletes with both their athletic and academic achievements. Earlier in her career, Bekah served as a professional soccer player for the Boston Breakers and as Executive Director of the Charlestown Lacrosse and Learning Center.
Kimberly Fay Boucher is a business executive who has driven high performance organizations in technology, consumer products and social enterprise/nonprofit industries over the past 25 years. She is currently the Technology Commercialization Business Leader for the CTO at Analog Devices, where she is responsible for driving new technologies from incubation stages to successful businesses. Kim is also a Senior Lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management, where she teaches Disciplined Entrepreneurship in the Martin Trust Center. She holds a BS in Management Industrial Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and an MBA from Harvard Business School. She is a NCAA Academic All-American Women’s Basketball player and has been inducted into the WPI Hall of Fame.
Ami Kuan Danoff (Co-Founder and CFO) is a private investor and the trustee of a foundation. She is a Harvard Quantum Founder and a member of the Harvard FAS Dean’s Council. Ami earned a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University in Visual and Environmental Studies and holds a dual master’s degree in Applied Economics and International Finance from the Sloan School of Management at MIT. She was a portfolio manager in global equities at Putnam Investments and co-manager of the Putnam International New Opportunities Fund, and also worked as an international equities analyst at Fidelity Investments.
Christina Heenan Suh holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania in English and Marketing and a master’s from Columbia University. A former management consultant, her work focused on strategy and implementation projects for Fortune 100 clients. She was also an account executive at Hill+Knowlton (WPP) marketing consumer packaged goods. As an Executive Board Member of the Brookline Education Foundation, which funds professional development in the Brookline Public Schools, Christina led their Grant and Oversight Committees. She currently sits on the board of the Brookline Library Foundation and teaches ESL at Rosie’s Place in Boston.
Christina Gordon (Co-Founder and CEO) holds a dual master’s degree in International Finance and Applied Economics from MIT’s Sloan School of Management. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Boston University and also studied for a joint master’s degree in Women’s Studies and Sociology at Brandeis with a focus on women in the workplace. Christina is a former assistant fund manager and technology industry equity analyst at Wellington Management. She also worked as a stock analyst at Fidelity Investments. She is a trustee of a private foundation, a member of Women Moving Millions and currently sits on the board of Rosie’s Place, a sanctuary for poor and homeless women in Boston.