AAUW Fund

AAUW Fund, Sue

The Branch is Challenging ALL members to Step up and Contribute to the
AAUW FUND

The  Branch has completed three National AAUW Fund Grants

The La Palma-Cerritos Research and Projects Grant (More Information HERE)
The Gloria Scanlon Research and Projects Grant (More Information HERE)
The Alberta Brose Memorial Fund (More information HERE)

AAUW has two new Funds.

4514 – Public Policy General
  • The Public Policy Fund is focused on increasing the impact of our Action Network through growing the number of advocates across the country and providing timely, accurate, and actionable information about our key issues. This fund helps equip branches across the country with timely, customized talking points on core policy issues like Title IX, student debt, and pay equity. Support to this fund enables AAUW to reach and energize new advocates—strengthening our collective impact in the fight for gender equity in education and the workplace.
4513 – Defend Higher Education
  • The Defend Higher Education Fund will enable AAUW to elevate the critical higher education issues impacting women, mobilize advocates across the country, provide strategic resources to students, staff and faculty on campus, and fuel investments in the infrastructure and technology necessary to move our mission forward. Your support ensures AAUW can effectively fight on behalf of women on campuses across the country and ensure that AAUW remains a trusted and powerful voice for equity.

As you  can see from the diagram above, supporting AAUW’s Mission can be done by contributing to the Greatest Needs Fund (preferred) or to the Education and Training Fund (4450), Economic Security Fund (4449). the Leadership Fund (4452), or to sub-funds within 4450, 4449 (i.e., Legal Advocacy Fund #3999) or 4452.  There are also other categories.

At the present time, AAUW is encouraging donors to donate to the AAUW Greatest Needs Fund #9110.

AAUW has a proud heritage of helping women pursue higher education, tracing back to a time when few women had that opportunity.

AAUW is a 501(c)3.  Donations to the AAUW Fund Support many programs, including Fellowships and Grants. AAUW has awarded over $115 million in fellowships and grants to more than 13,000 scholars and organizations in 50 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and Guam and 150 countries, one of the largest scholarship programs for women in the world.  Only the interest from the Endowments are used to fund recipients, thus, the interest from several endowments are combined to sponsor Fellowships and Grants.

188,000 individuals have participated in AAUW’s salary negotiation programs such as “Work Smart”, which has enabled the participants to increase their economic security and improve opportunities for themselves and their families.  In fact, 145 colleges and universities, including 32 minority serving institutions and historically black colleges offer these programs.

In 2024-25, AAUW awarded $6 million in Fellowships and Grants. This is a record for AAUW.  Never before have we been able to assist women to this extent to achieve their educational goals which enables them to take advantage of greater opportunities.

The Fund has enabled more women to take a seat at the table in critical conversations advancing gender equity for women and girls.  These include the White House Gender Policy Council, Speaker Pelosi’s Women’s History Month Celebrations, and the UN NGO Commission on the Status of Women, among others.  More women are taking leadership and governance roles.

Information about applying for an AAUW Fellowship or Grant can be found HERE

For questions about giving to a special fund at AAUW, use the name of the fund AND please call 800.326.2289.  Marilyn can give you your membership number.

OR
*By check made out to La Palma-Cerritos AAUW Fund (with the name or number of the chosen Fund on the notation section of your check).  The check should be mailed to either Sue or Marilyn. (Only donations made out directly to the branch AAUW Fund account are used to determine the percentage allocated for our Cerritos College Academic Achievement Awards.)

More about the AAUW Fund

There are hundreds of completed AAUW endowments.  These monies are restricted to Fellowships and Grants.  Only the interest is used to fund recipients. This allows the endowments to last into perpetuity. The interest can only be used once an endowment has been completed.  In prior times, when interest rates were high, one endowment could fund a scholar….not anymore.  Now it takes the interest from multiple endowments to fund one fellow or grant recipient

There are multiple types of fellowships and grants, as well as and different award amounts.

For individuals: American Dissertation Fellowship, American Short-Term Publication Grant, American Postdoctoral Research Leave Fellowship, Career Development Grant, International Fellowship (Master’s and Doctorate Degree), International Project Grant, International Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, and Selected Professions Fellowship
For Organizations: AAUW Branch Affiliate and State Affiliate Community Action Grants, and Community Action Grants.

For 2025, AAUW has finalized matches for the R&P Grants (Research and Projects) and American Fellowship, but have not been able to finalize the International Fellows due to policy changes which have made it difficult for international students to secure visas.

As members of the La Palma-Cerritos Branch, we believe in the mission to further equity and opportunity for women and girls.   So, it is good to know what we have accomplished towards this mission by contributing to the AAUW Fund.

Together we can break barriers and make a difference in the lives of women and girls.