About the Barbara Deming Memorial Fund
Loud Colors Auction Recipient, 2005
"I remain intensely proud of the Money for Women grant I received back in 2001. Their generosity helped get the "Repression Series" seen, eliminating one chunk of a $2,000 framing bill.
But more importantly, they were telling me to keep pursuing my vision, validation that I dearly needed at the time, beaten down as I was by the sense of isolation in my own art community and rejection letters that kept telling me that my art just 'didn’t fit'. Even today, I am bolstered by the memory of that recognition."
Cory Jaeger-Kenat
About Barbara Deming:Barbara Deming (1917-1984) was a feminist, lesbian, poet, writer and nonviolent activist in the civil rights, anti-war and women’s movements. She founded the Money for Women Fund in 1975. She said, "In my life, I’ve been helped as a writer so I was able to do my work. I think it’s fair that I try to help others." Money for Women gives encouragement and grants to individual feminists in the arts (writers and visual artists). The Fund relies on a volunteer Board and judges to collaborate on making awards.
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Established by Barbara Deming in 1975 to give financial and moral support to creative women, Money for Women is the oldest ongoing feminist granting agency. After Barbara Deming’s death in 1984, it became a memorial fund. While other grant sources have come and gone, this fund is in its thirtieth year. It remains feminist and still willing to take risks.
In addition to support from the estates of Barbara Deming and Mary Meigs, the Fund relies on general donations and the interest of women in the arts and letters to increase its base. This past year over fifty percent of the Fund’s donors were former grantees. Small donors, but their support is vital.
Please consider making a donation. It's expensive to grow a creative vision. Funds from the Barbara Deming Memorial Fund have assisted with the costs of supplies, studio rentals, shipping costs, research trips, mailing expenses, and even medical fees. A gift of $100 will provide funds for several contest fees and postage for a writer sending out her work. A gift of $500 can help defray living costs for an artist in order to finish her work for a show. A gift of $1,000 can pay for childcare or give uninterrupted time on a project. But any amount helps!
For more information, the Fund can be contacted at:
Money for Women/Barbara Deming Memorial Fund, Inc.
P.O. Box 630125
Bronx, NY 10463
BDMF Board of Directors
Maureen Brady is the author of three novels, a book of short stories, and three books of nonfiction. She teaches creative writing at New York University and at The Jewish Community Center of Manhattan. She was co-founder of Spinsters Ink and The New York Writers Workshop. She lives in New York City and the Catskills.
Susan Sherman is a poet, playwright, critic and the founding editor of IKON Magazine. Twelve of her plays have been produced in NYC. She is the author of four books of poetry and has edited several anthologies. She lives in New York City.
Sarah Van Arsdale’s second novel won the 2002 Peter Taylor Prize. Her first novel was a Lambda Literary Award finalist. She teaches at Sarah Lawrence College and at the New York Writers Workshop at The Jewish Community Center. She lives in New York City and works as a freelance editor and novel consultant.
Lise Weil is a writer and literary scholar with specialties in women’s studies and spirituality. She is an essayist and feminist writer and founder of Trivia. She teaches in Goddard College’s Low Residency Program. She lives in Montreal.