About us
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:
- 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: The Foundation builds strategic, nonpartisan partnerships to help women succeed in American politics and make women contemporary artists more visible to the public.
- Grants and endowments: The Foundation is committed to building the capacity of our partner organizations through grants and endowments.
Our programs and partners
We work with local and national partners to develop strategic, nonpartisan approaches to advancing our mission. Our partnerships increase women’s engagement and success in American politics and help contemporary women artists become more visible to the public.
We have an invitation-only application process and do not accept unsolicited letters of inquiry or proposals. Please note that an invitation to submit a proposal does not imply or guarantee funding.
Our grantmaking process is intended to efficiently and effectively support projects that are narrowly aligned with our mission and goals. This process also helps to ensure that those invited to apply have the ability to present the most pertinent and useful information in their proposals.
We do not fund:
- Individuals or scholarship programs
- International or foreign-based programs
- Organizations without 501(c)3 status or fiscal sponsorship
- Political campaigns
- Projects delivering direct social services