2023 Inductee
The University of Arkansas Women’s Giving Circle (WGC) is a group of alumnae and friends who recognize that women have the power to make a tremendous impact as philanthropic leaders. This impact grows exponentially as WGC members combine their annual gifts to create a substantial pool of resources used to fund innovative grant projects from university faculty and staff.
The WGC was founded in 2002 by members of the university’s Women and Philanthropy Committee and the Campaign for the Twenty-First Century Steering Committee who had the vision and forethought to create a collective giving group. The founding members are an accomplished group of women including Sylvia Boyer, Pat Cooper, Johnelle Hunt, Mary Trimble Maier, Julia Peck Mobley, Harriett Phillips, Debbie Walker, Lynne Walton, Margaret Whillock, Mary Lib White, and Donna Axum Whitworth.
The WGC identifies timely opportunities on the campus, particularly those with an emphasis on the enrichment of women’s lives, and together chooses how to direct the group’s pooled resources through an annual grants award process. The impact of the WGC is significant in terms of the dollars awarded; important issues addressed by the grants; and the statewide reach of the projects funded. Since the founding of the group in 2002, the WGC has awarded $1.7 million to 145 projects in almost every corner of Arkansas. Numerous research projects have national and international impact as U of A faculty share their research results with scientists and colleagues around the world.
The WGC’s funding priorities include projects and programs that support and promote scholarship, research and service; enrich the quality of life of women and children; and encourage outreach and engagement in Arkansas. Projects funded by the WGC include literacy programs, design and build projects at Camp Aldersgate, breast cancer research, engineering camps for girls, self-defense courses, salary negotiation training, mentorship programs for elementary students in the Arkansas delta, healthy cooking programs, a campus food pantry, support for women in agriculture, music education, a journalism workshop for minority students, and mental health awareness among many others. Often, small grants from the WGC serve as seed funding and result in long-term, permanent programs providing support and solutions for Arkansans throughout the state.
Knowing that many students face financial hardship during college, the WGC has endowed two scholarships providing valuable resources to help deserving students achieve their goals. The Women’s Giving Circle Endowed Scholarship in Nursing was created in 2011, and the Women’s Giving Circle Founders Endowed Advance Arkansas Scholarship was created in 2016. To date, these endowed funds have provided $53,000 in scholarship support for University of Arkansas students.
Through their work, the members of the WGC hope to set an example for young women and girls and inspire them to make a difference. The idea that women can be change makers and use the power of collaboration is one they want to demonstrate and pass on to future generations.