What We Do: Grants Initiatives Awards Philanthropic History

What We Do » Philanthropic History

For over 125 years, The Woman’s Board has lent crucial support to Northwestern Memorial Hospital and has positively affected a great many patients and community partners. The Board’s significant philanthropic endeavors include the following:

  • In June 2022, The Woman’s Board continues a legacy of philanthropy and service with its $4.6 million pledge to fund comprehensive reproductive care across a woman’s lifetime.
  • In April 2020, The Woman’s Board made the lead gift to the Northwestern Medicine COVID-19 Relief Fund. These resources helped Northwestern Medicine Hospital address the immediate needs of patients with COVID-19 and staff.
  • In April 2019, The Woman’s Board granted $500,000 to the Northwestern Medicine EDGe Program (Early Detection of Genetic Disease), which provides an integrated, user-friendly and cohesive care model for patients who have a hereditary predisposition to developing cancer.
  • In December 2017, The Woman’s Board committed $700,000 to study collaborative mental health care in 13 Northwestern Medicine primary care clinics in Chicago that are improving access to mental health care.
  • In January 2017, The Woman’s Board celebrated its 120th anniversary. To commemorate this milestone, The Woman’s Board made a special contribution of $120,000 to the Northwestern Medicine Developmental Therapeutics Program, which promotes multidisciplinary efforts to develop new cancer medications and other innovative therapies.
  • In December 2016, The Woman’s Board pledged $7 million over ten years to support research programs and patient care initiatives at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, including continued support for the Women’s HIV Program, the Nora Cooney Marra Compassionate Care Awards, and the Eleanor Wood-Prince Grants Initiative. This pledge allows for a major funding commitment to be designated every two years beginning in spring 2018.
  • In 2014, The Woman’s Board made a $500,000 gift to advance breakthroughs at Northwestern Medicine’s Comprehensive Transplant Center. The board also began sponsoring Music Matters, a program managed by volunteers at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. To this day, this program enables employees and professional and amateur musicians to volunteer their musical talents to bring live music to patients.
  • In 2013, The Woman’s Board made a five-year pledge of $3 million in support of several pivotal efforts at Northwestern Medicine. The majority of the pledge, $2 million, was directed to the Northwestern Medicine Developmental Therapeutics Program.
  • In 2012, The Woman’s Board completed a $1 million two-year pledge to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, successfully establishing The Woman’s Board Cardiovascular Education Initiative in collaboration with Northwestern Medicine’s Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute.
  • Beginning in 2010 to 2016, The Woman’s Board partnered with M.K. Pritzker to host the Evergreen Invitational, a biennial premier equestrian event that raised crucial funds through the Evergreen Grants Initiative for women’s health initiatives at Prentice Women’s Hospital and its community collaborators. To date, the Evergreen Grants have awarded almost $4.1 million to 77 patient care initiatives.
  • In 2009, The Woman’s Board made a gift of $100,000 to support advanced nursing research and evidence-based practice. An additional gift of $275,000 was directed to support work by John G. Csernansky’s, MD, at The Norman and Ida Stone Institute of Psychiatry. Dr. Csernansky conducted a study on brain function and emotion throughout women’s lifecycles with this funding.
  • In 2008, The Woman’s Board donated $285,000 to establish The Woman’s Board of Northwestern Memorial Hospital Fellowship in Gynecologic Oncology.
  • In 2004, The Woman’s Board made a $2.5 million five-year pledge to Enhancing our Lives: The Northwestern Memorial Campaign. A total of $1.5 million from this campaign pledge was used to name the 14th floor of Northwestern Medicine Prentice Women’s Hospital.
  • From 2003 to 2010, The Woman’s Board sponsored the Boogie Ball. A spring event, the Boogie Ball raised funds for a selected hospital endeavor. The Boogie Ball’s proceeds have supported the following medical initiatives in amounts ranging from $50,000 to $150,000:
    • 2003 — The National Ovarian Cancer Early Detection Program
    • 2004 — Dr. John A. Kessler’s Stem Cell Research Program
    • 2005 — Establishment of the Stroke Rapid Recognition and Rapid Response Program
    • 2006 — Program for Brain Tumor Patients and their Families
    • 2007 — Heart Disease in Women research project by Dr. Martha Gulati and Dr. Neil Stone
    • 2008 — New transportation vans serving the needs of patients of Near North Health Service Corporation and the Erie Family Health Center (community partners of NMH)
    • 2010 — Lung Cancer Research Program in Women by Dr. Jyoti Patel
  • Established in 2001, the Eleanor Wood-Prince Grant Initiative is a unique, competitive grants program administered by The Woman’s Board and Northwestern Memorial Foundation, which annually awards a total of $100,000 (a maximum of $25,000 per grant) to four or more leading-edge research studies or innovative patient care projects. To date, more than $1.6 million has been awarded for 70 research projects.
  • In 1994, The Woman’s Board began a long-standing relationship with the Women’s Comprehensive HIV Clinic and became one of the first philanthropic groups to fund an HIV related clinic providing a pledge of $400,000. Since then, The Board has committed more than $1 million to the clinic. That support continues today through ongoing financial support and by hosting the clinic’s annual holiday party.
  • Established in 1991 with an endowed gift from The Woman’s Board, the Nora Cooney Marra Compassionate Care Awards were established. They recognize people who serve as role models for the humanistic and compassionate care of patients with cancer.