National AAUW Programs

Since 1881, AAUW (American Association of University Women) has been the nation’s leading voice promoting education and equity for women and girls. At the national level, AAUW provide educational opportunities and equity for women and girls through research and support of fellowship and grants programs.

AAUW Morgan Hill supports the five national 501(c)3 AAUW funds that promote equity for women and girls. While Morgan Hill has only 40,000 residents, the Morgan Hill branch of AAUW is consistently one of the top 20 branches nationwide in its financial support of these programs:

1) AAUW National Fellowships and Grants

One of the world’s largest sources of funding for graduate women, AAUW provides fellowships and grants to outstanding women and nonprofit organizations. Over its 125 year history, AAUW has awarded over $100 million in grants and fellowships.

Fellowship and grant recipients perform research in a wide range of disciplines and work to improve their schools and communities. Their intellect, dedication, imagination, and effort promise to forge new paths in scholarship, improve the quality of life for all, and tackle the educational and social barriers facing women in the United States and around the globe. To learn more, go to Fellowships and Grant or read about a few representative (from 2017) Northern California fellowship recipients.

Meet 2016 Fellowship and Grant recipients below:

AAUW Morgan Hill has established two endowments:

The Blaine/Cate American Fellowship Endowment (#1802) was completed in 2001 and supports women doing graduate study. The Morgan Hill Wildflower Run Research and Projects Grant Endowment (#4403) , begun in 2014 and completed in 2019, funds Community Action and Career Development grants.

2) Legal Advocacy to Fight Discrimination

The Legal Advocacy Fund (LAF) supports the protection of the legal rights of those who are facing discrimination. LAF programs include legal case support, LAF Case Support Travel Grants, and Campus Outreach Programs. Go to Legal Advocacy to read more about LAF and AAUW Morgan Hill’s support of LAF.

3) AAUW’s Public Policy Platform

The Public Policy Fund supports advocacy for public policies and laws that are fair to women. Public policy programs include government relations, civic engagement, and field organizing. Go to Public Policy for specifics of AAUW’s public policy platform and AAUW Morgan Hill’s support of this platform. Go to Civic Engagement for suggestions as to how you, as an individual, can advocate for these policies.

4) Cutting Edge Research on Issues for Women and Girls

The Eleanor Roosevelt Fund supports AAUW research to provide analysis, data, and accurate information about issues that are important to women and girls. These reports identify desired actions and ammunition for advocacy for change. Go to Research to browse or read AAUW’s most recent research reports.

 5) Leadership Programs

The Leadership Programs Fund supports programs that develop women’s potential to lead in their schools, workplaces, communities, and country. Locally, in addition to sponsoring branch member participation in Leadership Morgan Hill, our branch annually sponsors a local college student to attend NCCWSL. We also support students participating in Speech Trek, our annual AAUW California Speech Contest. And we mentor students through our Young Women Leaders group of teens; one of the YWL activities is an annual leadership conference,  by students and for students. Go to Leadership Programs to learn more or for a NCCWSL application.