The Fort Wayne Branch American Association of University Women (herein referred to as AAUW) Trust was established in 1979 when the Branch received a bequest from the estate of R. Hazel Miller. An additional bequest in 1989 from the estate of Letha Falls was added to the capital account. In 1998, a generous donation was given to the Trust in memory of Anne K. Waterfield. Additional gifts and memorials are recognized in the Treasurer’s AAUW Fort Wayne Branch Annual Reports.

AAUW Trust purposes include:

Encouraging education among members of AAUW and of the community

Funding appropriate studies and projects in keeping with the objectives of AAUW

Promoting standards of excellence in public school education and in higher education

Cooperating with persons, organizations, trusts, or foundations with similar purposes

Grants ranging from five hundred to three thousand dollars are distributed once a year. An individual or organization receiving a grant may reapply no earlier than three years from the date of the received grant (for example, a grant recipient of April 2024 would be eligible to reapply in January 2028). The grant application period is January 1 through February 28. The application form is included in this website and must be returned by way of this medium. The Trust Board meets in March to review the grant requests for eligibility and awards determination. Recipients will be notified and in April, at a public meeting place, both parties will sign a contract (see sample on this website) and the monies will be disbursed.

Public acknowledgement of receipt of a grant must be made by all recipients through means acceptable to the Board.

Further, at the end of the grant period, detailed accounting of the use of the funds is to be documented and examples given of print materials and other media used for public awareness of the project and acknowledging the use of AAUW Trust funds.

Finally, a presentation of the grant use, goals, and measure of accomplishment of said goals shall be made before the Board at the following April public meeting including physically giving the said documentation to the Board Chair or representative.

AAUW Trust Historian’s Report for 2024

A total of eight grants were awarded in 2024, totaling: $12,200. The grants were awarded to the following recipients:

• AAUW Communications Grant – To provide the AAUW Fort Wayne Branch with the funds needed to continue AAUW communication such as the branch newsletter, membership booklets, printing, mailing, postage, web management, and additional expenses.
• AAUW NCCWSL – To provide two female college students the opportunity to attend the National Conference for College Women Student Leaders (NCCWSL). This fully funded opportunity will allow student leaders to experience leadership, advocacy, and equity for college women, with access to dynamic speakers, workshops, and panels.
• AAUW Period Project – To provide women and girls with the feminine hygiene products needed by working with Fort Wayne Community Schools, local shelters and those who are homeless.
• Bridge of Grace – To provide a Girls and Moms Empowerment Brunch with the goal of improving communication between mothers and daughters. Girls will be provided effective tools that can be used to better their relationships with the adults in their lives. Workshops will be intentional in building identity, problem-solving, and compassion.
• Catholic Charities – To provide safe and affordable legal immigration resources to the community by ensuring all case managers complete the necessary training required to achieve and maintain Department of Justice (DOJ) Accredited Representative Status for Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, (CCFWSB) covering 14 counties.
• Hispanic Leadership Coalition of Northeast Indiana (HLCNI) – To provide scholarship funding towards one of the selected top ten HLCNI female college scholars who is living in Northeast Indiana and attending a college or University within the state of Indiana.
• Snider High School – To help fund the new robotics program at R. Nelson Snider High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana which is comprised of a diverse student population in an urban setting. This grant will help introduce and expose students to STEM and robotics and offer learning opportunities to students who may not otherwise have the opportunity to interact with STEM and robotics technology.
• YWCA Northeast Indiana – To fund the purchase of basic needs for women and their children living in the YWCA’s domestic violence shelter, Bonnie’s House. Needs such as food, new clothing, supplies for children, sheets, pillows, and toiletries will support the health and wellness of adults and children residing in Bonnie’s House as they work through trauma, toward healing.

A total of 417 grants have been awarded as of 2024. Through the years, the AAUW Fort Wayne Branch Trust has awarded grants to date totaling the amount of $478,212.