| The Alpha Phi Foundation |
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| History |
| In 1946 Alpha Phi decided the fraternity needed an international philanthropic cause after it had spent years supporting various wartime causes. Alpha Phi initially chose rheumatic fever as its philanthropic focus because it was not only the leading killer of children, but also allowed the fraternity to contribute to a vast array of other projects, including cardiac aid. Once modern medicine advanced, however, rheumatic fever deaths sharply decreased. Heart disease became the number one killer for women. Alpha Phi decided a cause directed at women fit perfect for a women’s organization. In 1956 the Alpha Phi Foundation was officially developed as a trust to award grants for scholarship, leadership, and cardiac care. |
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| Leadership |
| The Alpha Phi Foundation has invested itself in creating two programs that promote leadership among its members. |
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| The Chapter Leadership Development (CLD) program conducts meetings twice a year at select chapters throughout the country to instill leadership values. |
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| The Emerging Leadership Institute (ELI) is a five-day program for freshmen and sophomore members. To attend ELI, each chapter must nominate and select a woman to send to the program. The program runs three sessions annually. |
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| Scholarship |
| The Foundation allocates a portion of its donations each year to scholarship. The recipients of these awards must apply and be chosen from masses of applications. Last year $150,000 in scholarships was awarded to 75 members.
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| Other |
| Forget-Me-Not Fund |
| The Fund provides assistance to alumnae who are facing severe financial distress, serious health issues, the consequences of natural disasters, urgent family crisis, and to collegians that face an interruption of education due to unforeseen personal or financial struggles. |
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| Heart to Heart Grant |
| As a supporter of women’s cardiac care, the Foundation has created this grant to fund research and educational programs to improve women’s heart health. Heart disease kills one in three women making it the number one cause of death. Alpha Phi’s goal is for collegiates and alumnae to educate others through its Red Dress Gala events. Alpha Phi chose the red dress because it is the national symbol for women and heart disease awareness. |
