Grants or Gifts Relating to Women in Higher Education

Here is this week’s news of grants and gifts that may be of particular interest to women in higher education.

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has issued grants to 37 postsecondary institutions totaling more than $1 million to implement programs and strategies from January 2021 through May 2022 for the state’s It’s On Us initiative, a program to combat sexual violence on college campuses that was established by Governor Tom Wolf in 2016. Eligible programs or activities considered for funding included campus-wide training for students, faculty, and staff; institutional campaigns to raise awareness and understanding of the reporting process and resources available to and rights of survivors of sexual violence; programs that enhance awareness of available resources and students’ rights or seek to increase mechanisms for anonymous reporting; and efforts to improve capacity to collect federal- or state-required data. “Sexual violence will not be tolerated,” said Governor Wolf. “All colleges and universities must be safe for students.”

The University of Northern Colorado received a $5 million donation from alumna Ronda Stryker of Kalamazoo, Michigan, who earned a bachelor’s degree at the university in 1976. The gift supports the Stryker Institute for Leadership Development, a nearly 20-year-old scholarship program that supports women and transgender women from underrepresented groups. The program provides access to educational opportunities focused on identity development, social justice, leadership, and mentorship; empowering women through encouragement and facilitation of personal growth; and establishing a network of support through collaboration with campus and community partners. Participants in the institute receive a $7,500 annual educational scholarship that covers their tuition and is renewable for up to four academic years. The institute has served and supported a total of 476 undergraduate and graduate women since it started. The program is under the direction of Yvette Lucero-Nguyen.

The Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation today announced the creation of a new program to foster collaboration between women composers and choreographers with the aim of creating new works in the virtual medium. The $300,000 grant supports a one-year partnership between National Sawdust and The Center for Ballet and the Arts at New York University. The program supports 45 appointed women choreographers and composers to help develop their skills, create and present new work, and build a community of like-minded artists that will enhance their careers.