AAUW

The American Association of University Women (AAUW), officially founded in 1881, is a non-profit organization that advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, and research. The organization has a nationwide network of 150,000 members, 1,500 branches, and 500 college and university partners. Its headquarters are in Washington, DC.

In 1881 Marion Talbot and Ellen Swallow Richards invited 15 alumnae of eight colleges to a meeting in Boston, Massachusetts. The purpose of this meeting was to create an organization for women college graduates to find greater opportunities to use their education and to open the doors for other women to attend college. The Association of Collegiate Alumnae (ACA), AAUW's predecessor organization, was officially founded on January 14, 1882. The ACA worked to improve standards of education for women so that men and women's higher education was more equal in scope and difficulty.

In 1883, a similar group of college women considered forming a Chicago, Illinois branch of the ACA, then reconsidered and formed their own independent organization. The Western Association of Collegiate Alumnae (WACA) was formed with Jane M. Bancroft as its first president. The WACA was broad in purpose and consisted of five committees: fine arts, outdoor occupations,domestic professions, press and journalism, and higher education of women in the West.

In 1884, the ACA still met only in Boston. As more women across the country became interested in its work, the Association allowed the formation of branches. Branches were required to carry on the work of the Association.

Washington, D.C., was the first branch to be created in 1884 and New York, Pacific (San Francisco), Philadelphia, and Boston followed in 1886.

In 1887, a fellowship program for women was established. The following year, the WACA awarded its first fellowship of $350 to Ida Street, a Vassar College graduate, to conduct research at the University of Michigan. Supporting the education of women through fellowships remains an integral part of AAUW’s mission today.

The WACA merged with the ACA in 1889.

In 1919, the ACA participated in a larger effort led by a group of American women which ultimately raised $156,413 to purchase a gram of radium for Marie Curie for her experiments.

In 1921, the ACA merged with the Southern Association of College Women to create the AAUW. Branches continue to be the backbone of AAUW. This policy of expansion greatly increased both the size and the impact of the Association from small and local to a nationwide network of college educated women. By 1929, there were 31,647 members and 475 branches.

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