The Girls Give initiative was born after members of the Women’s Fund board felt it imperative to develop a program introducing their daughters and other female relatives to the importance of philanthropy. Girls Give strives to bring together girls and young women-with the support of their mothers, grandmothers and other loving female relationships in hopes of inspiring the love of giving.
Girls Give began with three main goals—inspire multi-generations of female relationships, share and spread the love of volunteering and giving back, and create grant-making and educational opportunities. After only two years, Girls Give has 36 endowed funds representing over 90 girls of all ages.
In 2023, the Girls Give initiative granted $13,850 to the following organizations:
- Actors Bridge Ensemble
- Community Resource Center
- Creative Girls Rock®
- Dancing Through the Curriculum
- DYMON in the Rough
- Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee
- Girls on the Run
- Girls Write Nashville
- Rejoice Ballet
- Renewed
- The F.I.N.D. Design
Girls Give Funds
- The Atkinson Family Fund established by Sue Atkinson
- Ellie and Anna’s Fund established by Lori Badgett
- The Bailey Bunch Endowment Fund established by Sallie Bailey
- The Ballal/Reddy Girl Power Fund established by Meera Ballal
- The Banker Charitable Fund established by Jean Ann Banker
- Vivienne and Amelia Benskin Fund established by Nancy Benskin
- The Fearless Fund established by April Britt
- The Mary and Molly Bronaugh Charitable Fund established by Molly Bronaugh
- The Mary Lindley Carswell and Patricia Morgan Carswell Endowment Fund established by Patricia Carswell
- The Cato Ladies Fund established by Joanne Cato
- The Chadwick Girls Fund established by Laura Chadwick
- The Weaver Giving Fund established by Nicky Weaver Cheek
- Sissy’s Fund established by Sondra Cruickshanks
- The Emily Christina Davis Fund established by Suann Davis
- The Missy and Meredith Eason Fund established by Missy Eason
- The CIT Fund established by Amy Fair
- Francie and Carolyn Fisher Fund established by Irwin Fisher
- The Caroline and Annabel Frist Fund established by Julie Frist
- The ECCE Fund established by Melissa Frist
- The Karlen and Frances Garrard Fund established by Karlen Garrard
- The Sunshine Fund established by Elizabeth Hawkins
- The Caroline A. Davis, Lucy Davis Haynes and Caroline Davis Haynes Fund established by Lucy Haynes
- Adeline and Amelia Fund established by Deann Hebert
- The Marissa Victoria Houff Fund established by Marci Houff
- Girls Just Want to Have Funds established by Liza Lentz
- The Mayden Girls Fund established by Barbara Mayden
- The Ava Julia Grace McKamey Fund established by Maria McKamey
- The Mertz Girls established by Vickie Mertz
- Mary Moorman/Ryan Caldwell and Daughters Granddaughters Fund established by Julia Morris
- Sweet Caroline Fund established by Jenni Moscardelli
- The Norton Family Fund established by Sallie Norton
- The Madeline Palmer Brundige Fund established by Liz Palmer
- The Give It/Live It Fund established by Mary Jo Shankle
- Simons Family Giving Fund established by Susan Simons
- The Waller Girls Fund established by Christy Waller
- C.A. Witt Girls Fund established by Leigh Ann Witt
- The Dorothy Bell Orr and Nancy Bell Slaughter Fund established by Nancy Zoretic
In August 2019, generations of Girls Give fund holders gathered at the Community Foundation for the Inaugural Girls Give Grant Review. An educational discussion of the grant process was followed by a presentation of nonprofits and their specific grant requests.