In 1985, a group of 19 ordinary women gathered, seeking to create extraordinary change for women and girls. They were drawn together by a common concern: the lack of an ongoing, dependable source of funding to address the unique needs of women and girls. That was the genesis of the Dallas Women's Foundation (DWF), which has created remarkable changes in the community, and in the lives of not only those who give but also those who receive.

Historical Timeline
DWF History

1984:
- Founders Meet
                                
1985:
- Pat Nicklaus Sabin hired as Executive Director
- June: DWF receives Charter of Incorporation
- First meeting of Board of Trustees

1986:
- Becky R. Sykes, President
- DWF reaches $85,000 in assets
- First seven grants total $23,500
- May: First Annual Luncheon; Elizabeth Dole, Speaker
                                
1987:
- Becky R. Sykes, President
- FY Grants total $50,000
- December: Second Annual Luncheon; Coretta Scott King, Speaker

1988:
- Sharon King, President
- FY Grants total $53,000
- December: Third Annual Luncheon; Jehan Sadat, Speaker

1989:
- Matilda Lauree, President
- FY Grants total $56,734
- December: Fourth Annual Luncheon; Rosalyn Carter, Speaker

1990:
- Arlene Dayton, President
- DWF reaches $1.1 million in assets
- FY Grants total $72,500
- CREW Grant Partnership begins
- December: Fifth Annual Luncheon; Helen Hayes, Speaker

1991:
- Ann Ross, President
- FY Grants total $225,745
- December: Sixth Annual Luncheon; Barbara Jordan, Speaker

1992:
- Barbara Cottrell, President
- FY Grants total $164,505
- December: Seventh Annual Luncheon; Margarita Peron de Arias, Speaker

1993:
- Gloria Chapman, President
- FY Grants total $95,437
- December: Eighth Annual Luncheon; Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Speaker

1994:
- Laura Estrada, President
- FY Grants total $121,354
- December: Ninth Annual Luncheon; Linda Ellerbee, Speaker

1995:
- Janet Harrison, President
- DWF reaches $2.2 million in assets
- FY Grants total $122,661
- Brenda Brand and Betty Regard launch Endowment Campaign
- November: Tenth Annual Luncheon; Ruth Simmons, Speaker

1996:
- Tracy Hopkins, President
- “Standing Tall: A Photographic Exhibit of Hope” opens at Neiman Marcus. Photos by Dan Sellers.
- DWF receives special recognition Maura Award
- FY grants total $153,040
- Texas Instruments Grant Partnership begins
- November: Eleventh Annual Luncheon; Paula Zahn, Speaker

1997:
- Brenda Brand, President
- FY Grants total $239,952
- December: Twelfth Annual Luncheon; Cathy Keating, Speaker
                                
1998:
- Gina Montaque-Hill, President
- FY Grants total $345,758
- Becky Sykes returns to DWF as Executive Director
- December: Thirteenth Annual Luncheon; Pat Schroeder, Speaker

1999:
- Debbie Branson, President
- FY Grants total $366,179
- DWF becomes a member of the Conference of Southwest Foundations
- November: Fourteenth Annual Luncheon; Mary Matalin & James Carville, Speakers

2000:
- Pat Rosenthal, President
- DWF reaches $5.7 million in assets
- FY Grants total $439,635
- November: Fifteenth Annual Luncheon; Peggy Fleming, Speaker

2001:
- Lori Feehan, President
- FY Grants total $486,069
- November: Sixteenth Annual Luncheon; Mary Matalin & James Carville, Speakers

2002:
- Cynthia Reavis Alford, President
- FY Grants total $568,000
- November: Seventeenth Annual Luncheon; Benazir Bhutto, Speaker

2003:
- Retta Miller, President
- FY Grants total $632,677
- November: Eighteenth Annual Luncheon; Tipper Gore, Speaker

2004:
- Cecilia S. Norwood, President
- FY Grants total $700,000
- Philanthropy Symposium
- November: Nineteenth Annual Luncheon; Cokie & Steve Roberts, Speakers

2005:
- Julie Bleicher, President
- FY Grants total $1,062,015
- November: Twentieth Annual Luncheon; Carol Bellamy, Speaker
- Luncheon nets $540,000
- Advocacy Committee created

2006:
- Cecilia Boone, President
- Second Philanthropy Forum

- FY Grants total $840,000

- October: Twenty first Annual Luncheon; Wangari Maathai, Speaker

- Luncheon nets $760,000