LATEST NEWS  |  Welcoming the Ripley Memorial Foundation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: APRIL 20, 2009

Ripley Memorial Foundation Becomes a Donor Advised Fund of the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS — The Women’s Foundation of Minnesota and Ripley Memorial Foundation announced today that Ripley is now a Donor Advised Fund of the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota. The endowed fund will maintain its mission to foster and enhance the health and well-being of women, and its program focus to award grants to programs in Hennepin and Ramsey counties that target teen pregnancy prevention.

Founded in 1957, the Ripley Memorial Foundation was named in honor of Dr. Martha G. Ripley (1843-1912), one of the first woman physicians in the United States and lifelong advocate for women’s rights. In 1886, Dr. Ripley opened Maternity Hospital (Minneapolis) that provided safe, quality childbirth services for women, including unmarried women often shunned by their communities. Her groundbreaking approach combined medical care with social services. When the hospital closed in 1956, the Ripley Memorial Foundation was established and profits from the property’s sale were dedicated to grantmaking.

“This marks a very exciting time in the history of the Ripley Memorial Foundation. The move to the Women’s Foundation allows the trustees to concentrate our efforts on grantmaking and impacting the teen pregnancy rates in this community,” said Aretha-Green Rupert, chair of Ripley’s board of directors.

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