About

Community-powered.
Women focused.

Overview

Why Women?

A U.S. Chamber of Commerce report from late October of 2022 stated that Alabama had 143,000 job openings, but only 53 unemployed workers for every 100 open jobs. It hasn’t gotten any better. With more than 80,000 women missing from the state’s workforce, helping women get to work is a critical part of the solution to this crippling economic problem.

Our mission

Finding needs. Funding change.

Women’s Foundation of Alabama is the leading voice and philanthropic engine for women in the state, driving a mission of gender and economic equity. A trusted leader in the philanthropic sector for more than two decades, in recent years, we have strategically expanded power and influence beyond Greater Birmingham and even beyond philanthropy, creating systemic change through ground-breaking research and legislative advocacy statewide.

The Women’s foundation of Alabama has invested more than $8 million in initiatives, research, and policy to strengthen our community by building equitable opportunities for women.

Driven by research, we identify and fund innovative solutions to address critical needs and remove barriers to create deep, lasting change for our region and state.

As Alabama’s first and only philanthropic foundation focused solely on addressing the needs of women and girls, we leverage the resources of generous individuals, nonprofits, corporate partners, and community leaders to build a world where all women thrive.

By accelerating opportunities for all women, we also strengthen entire families and communities today and for generations to come.

Mission: Women’s Foundation of Alabama is a community-driven foundation impacting the world around us by accelerating economic opportunity for women.

Vision: We envision a society where power and possibility are not limited by gender, race, or place.

Values: Insight, Advocacy, Impact, Equity, and Inclusion

About us

Our History

1996

Lin Carleen seeds $20k matched by 19 additional women to create The Women's Fund of Greater Birmingham as a component fund of Community Fund of Greater Birmingham

2003

Contract to scale The Women’s Fund pilot program to train hairdressers to recognize signs of domestic abuse

1994

Sheila Blair and Frances Verstandig attend Women & Philanthropy Conference in Indianapolis

1996

Lin Carleen seeds $20k matched by 19 additional women to create The Women's Fund of Greater Birmingham as a component fund of Community Fund of Greater Birmingham

1998

Hires first full-time director and makes inaugural grant to fund an assessment called Portraits

2003

Contract to scale The Women’s Fund pilot program to train hairdressers to recognize signs of domestic abuse

2010

Publishes research study on the scope of sex trafficking in Greater Birmingham and funds training for first-responders

2012

Publishes data-driven platform to guide funding for programs that strengthen women’s economic security

2007

Giving Circle of lawyers funds efforts to reduce domestic violence and clear case backlog

2010

Publishes research study on the scope of sex trafficking in Greater Birmingham and funds training for first-responders

2011

Becomes an independent 501(c)3 non-profit organization operating separately from Community Fund of Greater Birmingham

2012

Publishes data-driven platform to guide funding for programs that strengthen women’s economic security

2017

Completes $5M campaign marking the 20ᵗʰ anniversary as an independent nonprofit

2019

Launches inaugural statewide, comprehensive policy agenda for women resulting in The Women’s Fund's first-ever legislative victories including Equal Pay & public private partnership with the State of Alabama to scale 2Gen strategies

2013

Launches inaugural Collaboration Institute, bringing the Aspen Institute’s 2Gen approach to Greater Birmingham

2017

Completes $5M campaign marking the 20ᵗʰ anniversary as an independent nonprofit

2018

New leadership voice and strategic vision, The Women's Fund makes largest community investment to date, including first-time funding for statewide public policy advocacy

2019

Launches inaugural statewide, comprehensive policy agenda for women resulting in The Women’s Fund's first-ever legislative victories including Equal Pay & public private partnership with the State of Alabama to scale 2Gen strategies

2021

Publicly announces statewide expansion and rebrand with Academy Award-Winner, Regina King. Funds record number of high-impact organizations across nine counties, and launches inaugural Women’s Policy Institute, training army of advocates to lead public policy change statewide

2022

Launches targeted growth strategy with key new hires, expanded Board, new community-inspired office space, and elevated community engagement to propel into new markets, including Decatur, Huntsville, Montgomery and Mobile. That same year, releasing a seminal report - the state’s first Women’s Economic Impact Study landing the CEO at the helm of the legislative Workforce and Wage Gap Task Force.

2020

Mobilized critical resources for COVID: saved 30+ childcare centers from closing, sustained families and women in the workforce in the midst of pandemic Transitioned endowment under our own control and birthed first investment committee.

2021

Publicly announces statewide expansion and rebrand with Academy Award-Winner, Regina King. Funds record number of high-impact organizations across nine counties, and launches inaugural Women’s Policy Institute, training army of advocates to lead public policy change statewide

2022

Statewide Expansion Announced, Becomes Women's Foundation of Alabama

2022

Launches targeted growth strategy with key new hires, expanded Board, new community-inspired office space, and elevated community engagement to propel into new markets, including Decatur, Huntsville, Montgomery and Mobile. That same year, releasing a seminal report - the state’s first Women’s Economic Impact Study landing the CEO at the helm of the legislative Workforce and Wage Gap Task Force.

1994

Sheila Blair and Frances Verstandig attend Women & Philanthropy Conference in Indianapolis

1996

Lin Carleen seeds $20k matched by 19 additional women to create The Women's Fund of Greater Birmingham as a component fund of Community Fund of Greater Birmingham

1998

Hires first full-time director and makes inaugural grant to fund an assessment called Portraits

2003

Contract to scale The Women's Fund pilot program to train hairdressers to recognize signs of domestic abuse

2007

Giving Circle of lawyers funds efforts to reduce domestic violence and clear case backlog

2010

Publishes study on the scope of sex trafficking in Greater Birmingham and funds training for first-responders

2011

Becomes an independent 501(c)3 non-profit organization operating separately from Community Fund of Greater Birmingham

2012

Publishes data-driven platform to guide funding for programs that strengthen women’s economic security

2013

Launches inaugural Collaboration Institute, bringing the Aspen Institute’s 2Gen approach to Greater Birmingham

2017

Completes $5M campaign marking the 20ᵗʰ anniversary as an independent nonprofit

2018

New leadership and strategic mission, The Women's Fund makes largest community investment to date, including first-time funding for statewide public policy advocacy

2019

Launches inaugural statewide, comprehensive policy agenda for women resulting in The Women’s Fund's first-ever legislative victories including Equal Pay & public private partnership with the State of Alabama to scale 2Gen strategies

2020

Mobilized critical resources for COVID: saved 30+ childcare centers from closing, sustained families and women in the workforce in the midst of pandemic Transitioned endowment under our own control and birthed first investment committee.

2021

Publicly announces statewide expansion and rebrand with Academy Award-Winner, Regina King. Funds record number of high-impact organizations across nine counties, and launches inaugural Women’s Policy Institute, training army of advocates to lead public policy change statewide

2022

Launches targeted growth strategy with key new hires, expanded Board, new community-inspired office space, and elevated community engagement to propel into new markets, including Decatur, Huntsville, Montgomery and Mobile. That same year, releasing a seminal report - the state’s first Women’s Economic Impact Study landing the CEO at the helm of the legislative Workforce and Wage Gap Task Force.

2023

Foundation embarks on transformative capital raise to infuse an aspirational goal of 10 million dollars into the mission.

Team

Meet Our Team

We are proud to have assembled a mighty and diverse team of women all of whom are committed to growing our impact across the state of Alabama.

Melanie R. Bridgeforth, MSW


President and CEO

LaShundra Pinkard


Chief Operating Officer

Zhaundra C. Jones, MBA


Vice President, Philanthropy and Learning

Cameron Shevlin Foster


Director of Development

Elizabeth K. Hubbard, MPA


Program Officer

Kaitlee Daw, MPA


Senior Program Officer

Meg Nelson


Corporate and Foundation Relations Officer

Jaylin Lane Goodwin, MA


Communications and Grassroots Coordinator

Mackenzie Pearce


Development Coordinator

Jeannie Morton


Executive Assistant

Kim Cochran


Alliance Development

Board

Meet Our Board

Recruited from businesses, organizations, and communities across the state, our Board of Directors provides insight and guidance to our team, helping us to achieve our mission.

Lajuana Bradford | Board Chair


Regions Bank | Trussville
Senior Vice President, Head of Corporate Philanthropy and Partnerships

Tiffany Johnson Cole


Law Offices of Robert Simms Thompson, P.C. | Tuskegee
Attorney

Brooke Coleman


Community Volunteer | Birmingham

Paige Daniel


Highland Associates | Birmingham
Managing Director

Cathy De La Garza


Uniti | Spanish Fort
Chief Development Officer

Elizabeth Dotts Fleming


Huntsville City Schools | Huntsville
Director of Public Development

Maye Head Frei


Ram Tool | Birmingham
Former Chair

Jessica M. Friedman


Friedman Law Firm, P.C. | Birmingham
President

Elizabeth Cole Goodrich


Thank You Books | Birmingham
Owner

Lisa B. Howard


LBH Designs | Mobile
Owner

Rina Hurst


Walmart | Mountain Brook
Vice President of Walmart GoLocal

Angela Jarrett


Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama | Hoover
Vice President, Claims & Benefit
Administrator

Libby Lassiter


Tessa Commercial Real Estate | Birmingham
Principal

Mary Pat Lawrence


Protective Life Corporation | Birmingham
Senior Vice President

Carroll C. Phelps


Capitol Scholars Program, The University of Alabama | Tuscaloosa
Executive Director

Judge Brooke Reid


Fifteenth Judicial Circuit Court | Montgomery
Judge

Quentin Riggins


Alabama Power Company | Birmingham
Senior Vice President, Governmental
and Corporate Affairs

Guin Robinson


Jefferson State Community College | Birmingham
Dean of Economic Development

Dawn Helms Sharff


Bradley Arant Boult Cummings, LLP | Birmingham
Attorney (Partner)

Hampton Stephens


Hampton Stephens Design | Birmingham
Designer

Christy L. Taylor


Consultant | Chunchula

Nancy Watts


UAB | Birmingham
Retired Nurse