The Barbara Lee Family Foundation advances women’s equality and representation in American politics and in the field of contemporary art. Our work in both our program areas is guided by our core belief that women’s voices strengthen our democracy and enrich our culture.
We achieve our overall mission through our political research program, strategic partnerships, grants, and endowments:
Nonpartisan political research: The Foundation has studied and published research about every woman’s gubernatorial race since 1998. We have shared our findings with hundreds of women candidates at all levels and across parties, giving women essential knowledge and tools to meet the challenges of campaigning.
Strategic partnerships: BLFF builds strategic, nonpartisan partnerships to help women succeed in American politics and make women contemporary artists more visible to the public.
Grants and endowments: BLFF is committed to building the capacity and ensuring the long-term viability of select partner organizations through grants and endowments.
We welcome press inquiries. To request information or an interview, please contact:
Adrienne Kimmell
Executive Director
Barbara Lee Family Foundation
131 Mt. Auburn Street
Cambridge, MA 02128
akimmell@blff.org
Phone: 617.234.0355
Why vote for women?
Women are 51% of the American population, but only 17% of the United States Congress.
Women are a critical voting bloc, deciding key races from Massachusetts to Alaska. But women do not have an equal voice in our government.
American women are vastly underrepresented in politics at the state and national levels. But electing more women is about more than numbers. It’s about more than gender. It’s about equality, social justice, and building a more responsive government.
Research shows that women legislators significantly impact how the interests of women and families are represented in state legislatures. More women lawmakers at the state level means increased focus on legislation affecting women and families, and an approach to policy making based on a broader cross-section of life experiences.
Advancing women’s equality in government also advances the equality of underrepresented and economically disadvantaged groups. Women legislators give our most vulnerable communities greater access to the legislative process. They also tend to take more progressive positions on social justice issues, including reproductive rights and marriage equality.
Another study shows that on average, women in the U.S. Congress introduce more bills, attract more co-sponsors, and bring home more federal money for their districts than their male counterparts—meaning that women legislators help make government more productive, cooperative, and responsive public needs.
Leadership
Barbara Lee, Founder & President
Barbara Lee is a national leader in advancing women’s equality and representation in American politics and in the field of contemporary art. She founded and leads the Barbara Lee Family Foundation.
Inspired by her grandmother’s stories of suffragists marching on New York City’s Fifth Avenue in the early 1900s, Barbara has worked to educate the public about gender disparities in government since 1998. Today, through the Foundation’s nonpartisan Governors research, Barbara gives women candidates, elected officials, and other leaders at all levels essential knowledge to meet the challenges of campaigning.
Through the Foundation, Barbara has endowed a nonpartisan training program for women at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and an internship program at the Massachusetts State House for students at Simmons College in Boston.
An advocate for Boston’s cultural life and for public access to contemporary art, Barbara is Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston.
Boston Magazine has included Barbara among “The 100 People Who Run This Town” and is listed among their 50 most powerful women in Boston. Women’s eNews ranks her among the “21 Leaders for the 21st Century.” Barbara earned a master’s degree from the Boston University School of Social Work and her bachelor’s degree from Simmons College.
Adrienne Kimmell, Executive Director
Adrienne Kimmell has dedicated her career to empowering and advocating for women. As Executive Director, Adrienne leads the Foundation’s nonpartisan efforts to advance women’s political equality and increase women’s representation in the field of contemporary art.
With experience on a broad range of national and local campaigns, Adrienne brings keen strategic insight to our work. A career advocate for reproductive justice, Adrienne served as the executive director of the Florida Association of Planned Parenthood Affiliates and the Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates, where she led Planned Parenthood in advancing their public policy agenda through legislation, organizing, and electoral work.
Before her work in Florida, Adrienne managed state policy initiatives for the Planned Parenthood Federation of America in Washington, DC, designing model laws and policies and developing legislative strategy to advance reproductive justice at the state and local level. In earlier work with the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, Adrienne developed and implemented state and national political and electoral strategy. She began her career as a grassroots organizer and, later, a lobbyist for the Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts.
Adrienne holds a Bachelor’s degree from St. Lawrence University and a Master’s degree in public policy from Tufts University.
Press Kit
The Barbara Lee Family Foundation advances women’s equality and representation in American politics and in the field of contemporary art. Our work in both our program areas is guided by our core belief that women’s voices strengthen our democracy and enrich our culture.
We achieve our overall mission through our political research program, strategic partnerships, grants, and endowments:
We welcome press inquiries. To request information or an interview, please contact:
Adrienne Kimmell
Executive Director
Barbara Lee Family Foundation
131 Mt. Auburn Street
Cambridge, MA 02128
akimmell@blff.org
Phone: 617.234.0355
Why vote for women?
Women are 51% of the American population, but only 17% of the United States Congress.
Women are a critical voting bloc, deciding key races from Massachusetts to Alaska. But women do not have an equal voice in our government.
American women are vastly underrepresented in politics at the state and national levels. But electing more women is about more than numbers. It’s about more than gender. It’s about equality, social justice, and building a more responsive government.
Research shows that women legislators significantly impact how the interests of women and families are represented in state legislatures. More women lawmakers at the state level means increased focus on legislation affecting women and families, and an approach to policy making based on a broader cross-section of life experiences.
Advancing women’s equality in government also advances the equality of underrepresented and economically disadvantaged groups. Women legislators give our most vulnerable communities greater access to the legislative process. They also tend to take more progressive positions on social justice issues, including reproductive rights and marriage equality.
Another study shows that on average, women in the U.S. Congress introduce more bills, attract more co-sponsors, and bring home more federal money for their districts than their male counterparts—meaning that women legislators help make government more productive, cooperative, and responsive public needs.
Leadership
Barbara Lee, Founder & President
Barbara Lee is a national leader in advancing women’s equality and representation in American politics and in the field of contemporary art. She founded and leads the Barbara Lee Family Foundation.
Inspired by her grandmother’s stories of suffragists marching on New York City’s Fifth Avenue in the early 1900s, Barbara has worked to educate the public about gender disparities in government since 1998. Today, through the Foundation’s nonpartisan Governors research, Barbara gives women candidates, elected officials, and other leaders at all levels essential knowledge to meet the challenges of campaigning.
Through the Foundation, Barbara has endowed a nonpartisan training program for women at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and an internship program at the Massachusetts State House for students at Simmons College in Boston.
An advocate for Boston’s cultural life and for public access to contemporary art, Barbara is Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston.
Boston Magazine has included Barbara among “The 100 People Who Run This Town” and is listed among their 50 most powerful women in Boston. Women’s eNews ranks her among the “21 Leaders for the 21st Century.” Barbara earned a master’s degree from the Boston University School of Social Work and her bachelor’s degree from Simmons College.
Adrienne Kimmell, Executive Director
Adrienne Kimmell has dedicated her career to empowering and advocating for women. As Executive Director, Adrienne leads the Foundation’s nonpartisan efforts to advance women’s political equality and increase women’s representation in the field of contemporary art.
With experience on a broad range of national and local campaigns, Adrienne brings keen strategic insight to our work. A career advocate for reproductive justice, Adrienne served as the executive director of the Florida Association of Planned Parenthood Affiliates and the Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates, where she led Planned Parenthood in advancing their public policy agenda through legislation, organizing, and electoral work.
Before her work in Florida, Adrienne managed state policy initiatives for the Planned Parenthood Federation of America in Washington, DC, designing model laws and policies and developing legislative strategy to advance reproductive justice at the state and local level. In earlier work with the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, Adrienne developed and implemented state and national political and electoral strategy. She began her career as a grassroots organizer and, later, a lobbyist for the Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts.
Adrienne holds a Bachelor’s degree from St. Lawrence University and a Master’s degree in public policy from Tufts University.