The NWEF was an outgrowth of the National Women's Political Caucus. According to the Fund's "A Short History of the National Women's Education Fund," the Fund "originated in 1972 with a national series of successful seminars to teach women how to become delegates to the national party conventions. In 1973 the national Women's Education Fund opened a Washington, D.C. office and was granted tax-exempt status under Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code….The Fund's initial programs taught women the skills of planning and managing campaigns for public office at the state and local levels…..[These programs] were planned to link diverse groups of women across geographic, social, economic, racial and political boundaries that had traditionally separated them…..Recognizing the need to reach more women than could attend Institutes, the Fund in 1974 began to develop materials for use by individuals and organizations." Rosalie Whelan was appointed Executive Director of NWEF in 1979.
The Fund voted to suspend operations in 1986, following several years of financial difficulties. Documents in this collection from the late 1980s and 1990s were collected or created by Rosalie Whelan after the NWEF ceased to exist.
From the guide to the Records, 1972-1997, (Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute)
