The Women's Sports Foundation (WSF) is a

501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of the 29 types of ...

educational nonprofit charity focused on female involvement in sports. Founded in 1974 by tennis player

Billie Jean King Billie Jean King (née Moffitt; born November 22, 1943) is an American former World number 1 ranked female tennis players, world No. 1 tennis player. King won 39 Grand Slam (tennis)#Tournaments, major titles: 12 in singles, 16 in women's double ...

and initially supported by Olympic athletes Donna de Varona and

Suzy Chaffee Suzy may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Suzy'' (film), a 1936 film starring Jean Harlow, Franchot Tone and Cary Grant * "Suzy" (Fool's Garden song), a song by German pop band Fool's Garden * "Suzy", a song by French electro swing band Car ...

, its stated mission statement is "To advance the lives of girls and women through sports and physical activity."

History

The Women's Sports Foundation was legally set up in 1974 by

, her business manager

Jim Jorgensen Jim Jorgensen (born 1948 in Racine, Wisconsin) is a serial entrepreneur. He has started over 25 enterprises since getting his MBA at Stanford Graduate School of Business at the age of 24. Jorgensen's industry selection for these new enterprises h ...

, and her then-husband Larry King. The Foundation was originally supported by Olympic swimmer Donna de Varona and Olympic skier

. In 1972 and in 1973 King was awarded the Bob Hope Calvalcade of Sports for the "Outstanding Female Athlete of the Year". In 1974, she donated her winnings of $5,000 to incorporate the Women's Sports Foundation. Simultaneously, she started a new magazine titled '' womenSports''. The WSF began its multi-sport emphasis at the 1975 ABC TV show Women's Superstars which was held at the Houston

Astrodome The NRG Astrodome, also known as the Houston Astrodome or simply the Astrodome, is the world's first multi-purpose, domed sports stadium, located in Houston, Texas. It was financed and assisted in development by Roy Hofheinz, mayor of Houston ...

. It was there that Donna de Varona working as an ABC Billie Jean King invited the women athlete contestants to join in on the effort. For ten years, from 1976 to 1986, under the direction of Executive Director, Eva Auchincloss and Associate Director Holly Turner and the Chairwoman Billie Jean King, the Board of Trustees was expanded to include Olympian Peggy Fleming, ''

Peanuts ''Peanuts'' is a syndicated daily and Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz. The strip's original run extended from 1950 to 2000, continuing in reruns afterward. ''Peanuts'' is among the most popular and inf ...

'' creator Charles M. Schulz, and Vice-President of Bristol-Myers Marvin Koslow,

David Foster David Walter Foster (born November 1, 1949) is a Canadian musician, composer, arranger, record producer and music executive who chaired Verve Records from 2012 to 2016. He has won 16 Grammy Awards from 47 nominations. His music career spans mor ...

, CEO of Colgate Palmolive. In 1979, Donna de Varona was appointed the first president of the Foundation. Under the leadership of Executive Director Eva Auchincloss and her team, the foundation grew from an organization with $500 in the bank to one with a $1M endowment and an operating budget of $1M. In 1990, in recognition of King's long standing efforts to promote the rights of women, ''Life'' magazine named her one of the "100 Most Important Americans of the 20th Century", in part because of her promotion of sports for women such as the Women's Sports Foundation. Women's Sports Foundation advocates equal opportunity for girls and women's sports in the United States and around the world. Past presidents include Donna de Varona, Carol Mann, Lyn St. James, Nancy Hogshead-Makar, Wendy Hilliard, Benita Fitzgerald Mosley, Nancy Lieberman,

Julie Foudy Julie Maurine Foudy ( ; born January 23, 1971) is an American retired Association football, soccer midfielder, two-time FIFA Women's World Cup champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist. She played for the United States women's national soccer ...

, Dawn Riley, Dominique Dawes, Aimee Mullins, Jessica Mendoza, Laila Ali,

Angela Ruggiero Angela Marie Ruggiero (born January 3, 1980) is an American former ice hockey defenseman, gold medalist, and four-time Olympian. She was a member of the International Olympic Committee from 2010 to 2018 and served as a member of the Executive Bo ...

, Angela Hucles, Grete Eliassen, Elana Meyers Taylor, Alana Nichols, and Phaidra Knight. The current president is

Meghan Duggan Meghan Duggan (born September 3, 1987) is an American former ice hockey forward and director of player development for the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League. She played for the United States at the 2010 Winter Olympics and 2014 ...

and the current Board of Trustees Chair is Sandra Vivas.

Initial goals

The main goal of the Women's Sports Foundation (WSF) was to educate women and the general public. The WSF mainly wanted to educate with respect to the idea of women in sports and the ongoing discrimination against women in sports. The WSF also wanted to normalize the female athlete's capabilities and achievements on the same playing field as men. Promoting equal rights and opportunities for female athletes was a big issue that the WSF really pushed. Once this issue started to resolved, more women participating in sports became a popular trend. This was a trend that lead to an important subject for feminist attention because sports helped these women shape their own, personal identities. The WSF also wanted to support women in their athletic good sportsmanship and keep encouraging fair play in the sports world. However, most importantly, the WSF really encouraged and supported the participation of women in sports for their overall health, enjoyment, and future career opportunities.

Current initiatives and programs

Sports 4 Life: In October 2014, the Women's Sports Foundation, with support from espnW, launched Sports 4 Life, a national effort to increase the participation and retention of African-American and Hispanic girls, ages 11–18, in developmental youth sports programs. Through education, public awareness and grants to organizations nationwide, Sports 4 Life seeks to effect sustainable improvement to the overall health and development of girls in these communities. The Travel & Training Fund: The WSF was the first—and only—charitable organization to offer grants to aspiring women athletes with elite potential when it established the grant almost 30 years ago. The Travel & Training Fund provides direct financial assistance to aspiring athletes – in individual and team sports. Travel & Training grants allow serious female athletes a chance to fulfill their potential on the regional, national or international level through assistance for coaching, specialized training, equipment, athletic attire, and/or travel. Since 1984, WSF awarded grants to more than 1300 individual athletes and teams – including figure skaters

Michelle Kwan Michelle Wingshan Kwan (born July 7, 1980) is a retired competitive figure skater and diplomat serving as United States Ambassador to Belize. In figure skating Kwan is a two-time Olympic medalist (silver in 1998, bronze in 2002), a five-time ...

and Rachael Flatt, diver

Mary Ellen Clark Mary Ellen Clark (born December 25, 1962) is an American diver who won Olympic bronze medals in diving at the 1992 and 1996 Summer Olympics. Background Clark attended Radnor High School, in Radnor, Pennsylvania. She received her B.S. in Healt ...

, ski jumper Alissa Johnson, swimmer

Mallory Weggemann Mallory Weggemann (born March 26, 1989) is an American Paralympic swimmer. Career She became a T10-complete paraplegic after an epidural injection to treat post-shingles back pain in 2008.

and the US National Water Polo Team. The T&T Fund is supported by contributions by donors and WSF national sponsor

Gatorade Gatorade is an American brand of sports-themed beverage and food products, built around its signature line of sports drinks. Gatorade is currently manufactured by PepsiCo and is distributed in over 80 countries. The beverage was first develo ...

. GoGirlGo!: The WSF's GoGirlGo! works across the country to improve the health of sedentary girls and to keep girls involved in physical activity. We get girls moving not through direct service, but by supporting programs and organizations that work with girls. GoGirlGo! identifies and weaves together quality resources within each community and provides comprehensive support through education, funding, public awareness and networking. WSF Athlete Ambassador Program is another program within the Women's Sports Foundation. This program uses amateur athletes to professional athletes to work with a group. This works for players who want to serve as role models and help motivate younger players.

Partners

There are some partners with the organization. They are partners with Athleta, ESPNW, Gatorade, NBC Sports Group and Yahoo sports. These partners help with bringing funds and helping with initiatives to the organization and help with events. In the partnership with Athleta they are helping to fuel confidence in the women in sports. The partners at ESPNW strive to help with the participation of African-American and Hispanic girls ages 11-18 in sports. Partners with Gatorade is helping to fuel the athletes to be able to compete in national competition. The partners at NBC Sports Group are helping with getting women more leadership in the industry. Finally, the partners at Yahoo Sports are how to effectively use technology to better the communities around the athletes. This is showing the shape and foundation of what we can grow on when it comes to making a change. The Foundation is only the start and the partners are not the only ones that can help. Anyone can help and make a difference. The time to start to make change starts here and now.

Research and Resource Center

SHARP, the Sport, Health and Activity Research and Policy Center for Women and Girls, was established in 2010 as a new partnership between the Women's Sports Foundation and the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

's School of Kinesiology and Institute for Research on Women & Gender. SHARP's mission is to lead research that enhances the scope, experience, and sustainability of participation in sport, play, and movement for women and girls. Leveraging the research leadership of the University of Michigan with the policy and programming expertise of the Women's Sports Foundation, findings from SHARP research will better inform public engagement, advocacy, and implementation to enable more women and girls to be active, healthy, and successful. The Women's Sports Foundation Library and Resource Center contains a large collection of books, magazines, articles, photographs, films, videos, and artifacts.

Outreach

The '' WomenSports'' magazine was part of the Women's Sports Foundation's outreach. It was one of the first magazines that was dedicated to women in sports that featured female athletes and highlighted their successes. The magazine served as an advertisement purpose with a close connection to

and the Women's Sports Foundation. It focused on the trends and current issues of women in sport and provided background information on certain events. The magazine ultimately folded after years of publication, despite a dedicated following.

Women's Sports Hall of Fame

In October 2006, the Women's Sports Foundation (WSF) and the

Sports Museum of America The Sports Museum of America (SmA) was the United States' first national sports museum dedicated to the history and cultural significance of sports in America. It opened in May 2008 and closed less than nine months later, in February 2009. Histo ...

announced the establishment of the Billie Jean King International Women's Sports Center. The museum opened in May 2008 and closed in February 2009.

Award ceremonies

Annual Salute to Women in Sports

The Annual Salute to Women in Sports celebrates the achievement of female athletes across all sports. Held in October at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City, the Annual Salute features a cast of celebrities, champion athletes and supporters of girls and women in sports. The fundraising gala is a charitable fundraising event with proceeds benefiting the Foundation's grants, research, educational and advocacy-related programming. The Sportswoman of the Year Award - Team and Individual, the Billie Jean King Contribution Award and the Wilma Rudolph Courage Award are presented during the gala. The Sportswoman of the Year Awards are voted on by the public. Prior to its debut at Cipriani in 2011, the Annual Salute was held at the Waldorf–Astoria and

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hotels in New York City.

Wilma Rudolph Courage Award

* 2006:

Jean Driscoll Jean Driscoll (born November 18, 1966) is an American wheelchair racer. She won the women's wheelchair division of the Boston Marathon eight times, more than any other female athlete in any division. Her wins in Boston included seven consecutiv ...

* 2007: 2006-07 Rutger's Women's Basketball Team * 2008: Patience Knight * 2009: Tiffara Steward * 2010:

Amy Palmiero-Winters Amy Palmiero-Winters (born August 18, 1972) is a below-knee amputee who currently holds eleven world records in various events. In 2010, she was awarded the James E. Sullivan Award as the top amateur athlete in the United States and the ESPN ES ...

Hock, Lindsay
2010 Annual Salute to Women in Sports
. WSF official website. Retrieved 2010-10-15. * 2011: Visa Women's Ski Jumping Team * 2012: Kayla Harrison * 2013: Melissa Stockwell * 2014:

Noelle Pikus-Pace Noelle Pikus-Pace (born December 8, 1982) is an American retired skeleton racer who began her career in 2001. She won five medals at the FIBT World Championships, competed in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, and won the silver medal in t ...

* 2015:

Tatyana McFadden Tatyana McFadden (russian: Татьяна Макфадден; born April 21, 1989) is an American Paralympic athlete of Russian descent competing in the category T54. McFadden has won twenty Paralympic medals in multiple Summer Paralympic Gam ...

* 2016:

Maria Toorpakai Wazir Maria Toorpakai Wazir ( ps, ; ur, ; born November 22, 1990 in South Waziristan, FATA) is a professional Pakistani squash player. She dressed like a boy for the first 16 years of her life in order to participate in competitive sports as a Mus ...

* 2017: 2017

United States women's national ice hockey team The United States women's national ice hockey team is controlled by USA Hockey. The U.S. has been one of the most successful women's ice hockey teams in international play, having medaled in every major tournament. In 1998, the women's Olympic ...

* 2018:

Caster Semenya Mokgadi Caster Semenya OIB (born 7 January 1991) is a South African middle-distance runner and winner of two Olympic gold medals and three World Championships in the women's 800 metres. She first won gold at the World Championships in 2009 ...

ANNIKA Inspiration Award

*2010: Caitlin Baker *2011: Winter Vinecki *2012: Lianna Thomas *2013: Vivian Hao

Yolanda L. Jackson Give Back Award

*2010:

*2011: Heather O'Reilly *2012: Sarah Hughes *2013: Lyn-z Adams Hawkins Pastrana *2014: Angela Hucles *2015:

Elena Hight Elena Hight (born August 17, 1989, in Kauai Kauai, () anglicized as Kauai ( ), is geologically the second-oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands (after Niʻihau). With an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), it is the fourth-larg ...

*2016: Sasha DiGiulian *2017: Phaidra Knight *2017: Esther Lofgren *2017: Brenda Villa

Darlene Kluka Award

*2001: Dr. Barbara Drinkwater *2003: Dr. Mary Jo Kane *2005: Dr. Kari Fasting *2006: Dr. Gertrud Pfister *2007: Dr. Celia Brackenridge *2008: Dr. Ellen Staurowsky *2009: Dr. Anneliese Goslin *2010: Dr. Don Sabo *2011: Dr. Carole Oglesby *2012: Dr. Vivian Acosta & Dr. Linda Carpenter *2017: Professor Maria Beatriz Rocha Ferreira

The Billie Awards

The Billie Awards (also known as ''The Billies'') was an annual awards ceremony in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

, first held by the Women's Sports Foundation in 2006.

Flo Hyman Award

The Flo Hyman Memorial Award was conferred annually between 1987 and 2004.

International Women's Sports Hall of Fame

The International Women's Sports Hall of Fame was established in 1980, to give recognition to female

athletes An athlete (also sportsman or sportswoman) is a person who competes in one or more sports that involve physical strength, speed, or endurance. Athletes may be professionals or amateurs. Most professional athletes have particularly well-develo ...

who have made history in women's sports. The International Women's Sports Hall of Fame recognizes the athletic achievements of those who have competed at least 25 years prior to the present year in the Pioneer category. Athletes whose accomplishments came within the past 25 years are inducted into the Contemporary category. Selections are made worldwide and are based on achievements, breakthroughs, innovative style and ongoing commitment to the development of women's sports.International Women's Sports Hall of Fame
webpage. Women's Sports Foundation official website. Retrieved 2013-5-3.

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* United States Tennis Association *

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Notes

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Sports awards honoring women Sports organizations established in 1974 Women's sports organizations Women's sports in the United States Sports charities Women's association football trophies and awards