Since 1980 more than 100 women's funds have emerged across the country. These funds take on the complex issues that affect women's lives and bring them to light through information and education. With dollars raised for this purpose, each fund works to develop solutions in a specific geographic community.

Traditional philanthropy is not meeting women's most critical needs. Seventy-eight percent of the nation's poor are women and their children, but less than six cents of every dollar donated by organized philanthropy goes to programs that specifically address the needs of women and girls.

Women's funds do not replace existing resources; they augment them. A women's fund publicly highlights the specific needs of women and girls and the inequity of resources available to address these needs. Women's funds encourage a philanthropic response from the broadest possible community.

By funding organizations in which decisions are made by women and that serve women, a women's fund provides a voice and economic empowerment to issues and organizations most seriously neglected by established philanthropy.

The Long Island Fund for Women & Girls encourages all women and girls to become philanthropists, thus enlarging Long Island's donor pool. The impact of pooled small and large contributions has made, and will continue to make a difference in the lives of Long Island women and girls. The Long Island Fund for Women & Girls is a vehicle for encouraging, and where possible, funding the grassroots initiatives organized by women and girls in response to unmet needs.