History: 1968-1978

mnsss72 Virginia Gildersleeve International Fund Records, 1969-1996 Finding Aid Finding aid prepared by Burd Schlessinger. Encoding funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Sophia Smith Collection, Smith College

Northampton, MA

2003

Finding aid encoded using Perl scripts and edited in XMetal 2.0. Encoded by Brook Hopkins. 2003-06-06 Finding aid written in English. 2005-09-23 mnsss72 converted from EAD 1.0 to 2002 by v1to02-5c.xsl (sy2003-10-15). Sophia Smith CollectionSmith College Virginia Gildersleeve International Fund Records, 1969-1996 Finding Aid MS 354 Burd Schlessinger 1996 Encoding funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Collection Overview Virginia Gildersleeve International Fund Virginia Gildersleeve International Fund Records1969-1999 MS 354 26 boxes (13.5 linear ft.) Sophia Smith Collection

Smith College Northampton, MA

International organization. The VGIF is an ongoing organization, and its purpose is to provide funding for projects which further the development of educational theory and practice, and advance the cause of mutual understanding and cooperation among university women throughout the world, particularly in developing nations. Administrative files span organization's entire history, with only a few exceptions. Correspondence and memoranda are extensive. The rest consists of committee files, documenting VGIF sponsorship of various projects such as the International Federation of University Women, and the Asian Women's Institute. English. Historical Note

The Virginia Gildersleeve International Fund (formerly Virginia Gildersleeve International Fund for University Women) was founded in 1968 by a group of women affiliated with the International Federation of University Women. They sought to create a fund, the purpose of which was to provide monies for projects "which further the development of educational theory and practice, foster the development of human resources, and advance the cause of mutual understanding and cooperation among university women throughout the world," particularly in developing nations. The incorporators named the fund for Virginia Gildersleeve, dean of Barnard College from 1911 to 1947, in honor of her commitment to the concept that women college graduates could, given the resources, make significant contributions to the development of their countries and to the world at large. To this end, the organization regularly underwrites conferences, workshops, and educational projects undertaken by individuals and organizations all over the world.

For a comprehensive history of the Virginia Gildersleeve International Fund, please see History: 1968-1978, by former president Althea K. Hottel in SERIES I: ADMINISTRATION.

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The records of the Virginia Gildersleeve International Fund are continuous throughout the years 1969 through 1996; more records will be added when they are no longer in current use by the organization. Approximately half of the collection is comprised of files of the Officers, the Board of Trustees/Directors, and the Annual Meetings of the general membership. The administrative files are complete and span the organization's entire history, with some exceptions: the records of the Secretary and the Treasurer cover only the years 1970 through 1978, and the years 1985 and 1986 are missing from the files of the Board of Directors/Trustees. The correspondence and memoranda are extensive, and reveal much about the workings of the Officers and the Board with regard to the purpose and functioning of the organization. The other half of the collection consists of the files of various committees, including those of the Project Grants Committee, whose members screen grant applications and recommend, semi-annually, the most promising ones to the Board of Trustees/Directors for funding. Records of VGIF sponsorship of the International Federation of University Women and of the Asian Women's Institute are particularly strong, and other project grants are also well-documented.

Organization of the Collection

This collection is organized into two series:

I. Administration II. Committees Information on Use Terms of Access and Use

The papers are open to research according to the regulations of the Sophia Smith Collection. However, researchers wishing to view VGIF records must agree, in writing, not to use personal identifiers until 25 years from date of creation of the document. In addition, VGIF requests that a log be kept of permissions asked and granted, and that it be shared with the organization.

The Sophia Smith Collection owns copyright to the Virginia Gildersleeve International Fund Records. Copyright to materials created by others may be owned by those individuals or their heirs or assigns. It is the responsibility of the researcher to identify and satisfy the holders of all copyrights. Permission must be obtained from the Sophia Smith Collection to publish reproductions or quotations beyond "fair use."

Preferred Citation

Please use the following format when citing materials from this collection:

Virginia Gildersleeve International Fund Records, Sophia Smith Collection, Smith College, Northampton, Mass.

Additions to the Collection

Periodic additions to collection are expected.

History of the Collection

The officers of the corporation began donating the records of the Virginia Gildersleeve International Fund in 1989, and added to them in 1991, 1994 and 1996.

Processed by Burd Schlessinger, 1996. Recent additions to collection are unprocessed and are not reflected in the finding aid.

Search Terms American Association of University Women--History--Sources Asian Women's Institute--History--Sources International Federation of University Women--History League of Women Voters--History Virginia Gildersleeve International Fund--History--Sources Women in community development--Developing countries--History Developing countries--Educational assistance--History Women--Education (Higher)--History Women--International cooperation--History Women philanthropists--History Women--United States--Societies and clubs--History SERIES I. ADMINISTRATION (1969-1994) 4.5 linear ft.

This series contains general administrative records and those of the President, the Secretary, the Treasurer, the Board of Trustees/Directors, and the Annual Meetings of the general members. Material pertaining to general administration is arranged alphabetically, and other records are listed in the order given above. Types of material include correspondence and memoranda; agendas and minutes; reports; financial information; proxies and ballots; and brochures and newsletters. In keeping with the original order of the records, the President's files are arranged by topic, and each of these sub-series contains correspondence, memoranda and reports pertaining to the topic at hand. Records of Annual Meetings consist mainly of agendas, minutes, and reports; however, because the Officers and members of various committees often corresponded about the annual meetings, other documents pertaining to the meetings may also be found in the Officers' records and in SERIES II. COMMITTEES. The Board of Trustees/Directors met annually in April from 1970 until sometime between 1984 and 1987, after which they met semi-annually in April and November. Records of the meetings of the Board are arranged chronologically.

SERIES II. COMMITTEES (1970-1996) 4 linear ft.

This series consists of the records of the various committees formed as necessary to attend to specific VGIFUW business. Types of material include correspondence, memoranda, and reports. The committees are listed alphabetically, with the exception of the Project Grants Committee, which, due to the volume of material it generates, is listed last. Project Grants Committee material is comprised of project proposals submitted for possible funding, and is arranged alphabetically by continent and subsequently by country. Correspondence pertaining to a specific project is filed with that project; general correspondence and memoranda in which the project is mentioned along with other business may be found in the general correspondence of the Project Grants Committee. Researchers may also wish to cross-reference material in this series with the records of the Officers and the Board of Trustees/Directors in SERIES I. ADMINISTRATION.

SERIES I. ADMINISTRATION (1969-1994) 1 1 Bequests, 1990-92 1 2-3 Breakfast meetings given at American Association of University Women conventions, 1987, 1989, 1991 1 4 Constitution and By-laws, 1970-84 1 5 History: 1968-1978, by Althea K. Hottel, 1978 1 6 Lists of board and committee members, 1978-96 Membership 1 7-13 1970-90 2 1-5 1991-94 2 6 Australian Federation, 1987-93 2 7 Potential consultants and cooperating organizations, 1974-75, n.d. 2 8 Proposed name change, 1990 Public relations 2 9 VGIFUW brochure: correspondence and printed matter, 1970-71 2 10 Articles about VGIFUW, 1970 2 11 VGIFUW newsletters, 1979-84 2 12 Request for United Nations accreditation, 1991 Officers President Correspondence General 2 13-18 1970-75 3 1-13 1976-94 Board and general membership meetings 3 14-22 1987-91 4 1-3 1992-93 4 4-9 VGIFUW Secretary, 1987-92 4 10-16 VGIFUW Treasurer, 1987-93 4 17-21 Project Grants Committee, 1987-93 5 1-3 Development Committee, 1987-93 5 4-5 Global Network Committee, 1990-93 5 6-9 Public relations, 1987-91 5 10 Interview with retiring president Virginia Maynard, audio cassette, n.d. Secretary 6 1-5 Correspondence and reports, 1972-78 6 6-7 Financial records, 1973-78 Treasurer 6 8 Correspondence and reports, 1970-77 6 9 Lists of contributions, 1969-72 Board of Trustees/Directors 7 1 Minutes of the first meeting of the incorporators, 1969 Executive committee/officers' meetings 7 2-4 Correspondence, agendas, minutes and reports, 1971-93 Board meetings Correspondence, agendas, minutes, proxies, ballots attendance records and reports 7 5-13 1970-75 8 1-20 1976-93 Annual Meetings Correspondence, agendas, minutes, reports, attendance records, proxies and ballots 9 1-10 1969-74 10 1-12 1975-77 11 13-27 1978-93 SERIES II. COMMITTEES (1970-1996) 12 1 Lists of committee members, 1973-76, n.d. 12 2 Agendas and minutes of joint committee meetings, 1972, n.d. 12 3 Members' annual meeting attendance records, 1977 12 4 Awards, 1971 12 5-8 Constitution and By-laws, 1975-78 12 9 Finance and Investment, 1971-76 12 10 Fundraising, 1969-76 12 11 Internal Auditing, 1976 12 12 Nominating, 1971-72 12 13 Strategic Planning, 1986-88 Project Grants Correspondence, agendas, minutes, and reports 13 1-16 1972-83 14 1-9 1984-92, n.d. International Federation of University Women 15 1 17th Triennial Conference, 1970-71 15 2 Pacific Regional Meeting, 1972 15 3 General correspondence and memoranda, 1972 15 4 18th Triennial Conference, 1973 15 5 General correspondence and reports, 1973 15 6 IFUW grant applications, 1974 15 7 Pre-Conference Workshop, 1975-76 15 8 19th Triennial Conference, 1976-77 15 9 General correspondence and reports, 1977 15 10 20th Triennial Conference, 1978 15 11-14 General correspondence and memoranda, 1978-86 15 15-16 Archival Project, 1985-88 15 17 22nd Triennial Conference: Workshop on Projects, 1987 23rd Triennial Conference 16 1-3 Workshop on Projects, 1989 16 4-5 Reports on funded IFUW projects, 1989 16 6 Luncheon, 1989 16 7 Report on 23rd Conference, 1989 16 8 24th Triennial Conference: Organizational Development Workshop, 1992 Africa 17 1 Advocates for African Food Security, 1991 17 2 Botswana, 1974-75 17 3 Egypt, 1978-79 17 4-8 Ghana, 1986-91 17 9 Ivory Coast, 1985-86 17 10-14 Kenya, 1977-88 17 15 Lesotho, 1982-83 17 16 Liberia, 1976 17 17 Malawi, 1990-92 17 18-21 Nigeria, 1982-93 18 1 Sierra Leone, 1978-85 18 2 Tanzania, 1975-86 18 3 Uganda, 1976, 1986 18 4 Zaire, 1986-87 18 5 Zambia, 1974-76 18 6-9 Zimbabwe, 1975-95 Asia 19 1 American Samoa, 1987-88 19 2 Bangladesh, 1990-91 19 3-11 India, 1974-93 19 12 Indonesia, 1974, 1989 19 13 Kiribati, 1989-90 19 14-15 Korea, 1988-90 19 16-20 Pakistan, 1974-84 20 1-5 Philippines, 1985-92 20 6-8 Sri Lanka, 1974-90 20 9 Thailand, 1989-90 20 10-12 Australia and New Zealand, 1971-91 20 13-14 Canada 20 15 Caribbean, 1991 Central America 21 1-2 Costa Rica, 1992-94 21 3-5 El Salvador, 1974-79 Europe 21 6 Belgium, Holland and Italy, 1974, 1985 21 7 Denmark, 1974-86 21 8 France, 1986-88 21 9 Ireland, 1976-77 United Kingdom 10-15 A-I, 1976-86 22 1-4 L-W, other, 1976-89 Middle East 22 5 Iran, 1969-70 South America 22 6-7 Argentina, 1976-92 22 8 Brazil, 1976 22 9 Colombia, 1986-88 22 10 Guatemala, 1990-91 United States 22 11-14 American Association of University Women, 1971-78 23 1-6 Asian Women's Institute, 1975-86 23 7-8 League of Women Voters, 1975-78 23 9-11 Other projects, 1970-85