We had the chance to sit down with Alice Mercer, Founder and Board Member of the Women’s Fund of East Tennessee, to learn more about what inspires her giving. As one of the visionaries behind our mission, Alice shares her perspective on building a lasting legacy through smart, strategic philanthropy—and why investing in the future of women and girls continues to be her passion.
Q: Alice, you are one of the original five Founders of the Women’s Fund of East Tennessee, which we are grateful for! If you could name one thing that convinced you of the need for the work that we do, what would it be?
I am so glad you asked – what convinced me the most was when Carol Transou presented the data showing what a small amount of the national and Tennessee philanthropic dollars are directed towards improving the lives of women.
For me, it was seeing the untapped potential in so many women and girls whose talents, ideas, and dreams could transform communities if given the right opportunities and support. The disparities in access to education and resources were striking, and I knew that change was not only possible but essential. I wanted to be a trailblazer in this effort to impact girls and women.
Q: And trailblazers you were! How in the world did you gain the momentum needed to successfully launch such a worthy cause in our community of East Tennessee?
When we began designing our strategy, we knew that we had to have enough information to convince potential donors of the importance of this fund. We knew that our affiliation with ETF, the highly respected community foundation, would be valuable evidence of our legitimacy.
Q: Why is Endowment giving so important to our organization, in your opinion?
Building an endowment is the reason for establishing the Women’s Fund. We know that with an endowment, we will grant the earnings from our funds, our investments, and leave the principle of the investment earning funds for the future, into perpetuity, so that grants can be made for low-income women and girls for many years after we are all gone.
Q: The Women’s Fund just launched a second channel of giving this past year, which nearly doubled its grant offerings. Why was that decision made, and how has it been most impactful?
Almost ten years ago, we decided to change our grantmaking thrust since the annual earnings from our endowment (less than $100,000 a year at that time) were not enough to make the desired changes in East Tennessee. Research had shown us that we needed to narrow our focus to one thing: encouraging girls and women to complete high school and then to finish some type of post-secondary education, such as community college, university, or certification in an educational track that would lead to employment.
However, the narrowed focus did not allow us to help agencies that needed help during emergencies, such as what occurred during COVID and flooding from Hurricane Helene. For example, suppose an organization’s building was destroyed during the storm, preventing the agency from continuing to help girls gain the certification necessary to be employed in their chosen field. So a generous donor gave us $100,000 to be awarded as grants that would help women and girls become self-sustaining and thrive.
Q: What is the best compliment you’ve ever received from a funded organization about the vision of the Women’s Fund (every woman self-sustaining)?
Every woman I’ve asked to support our efforts has understood that helping women results in the betterment of our community, especially with our goal that girls and women must be educated to be employable. Their financial support was a major affirmation of our vision: Every Woman becomes Self-sustaining. We all felt complemented by the donors’ significant financial contributions. And the organizations we’ve supported have told us that the collaboration with similar groups has resulted in expanding their knowledge base of the best ways to improve the lives of their women and girls.
Q: We celebrate our 15th Anniversary next year! What are you most proud of from those 15 years of work, and are there any plans to celebrate the organization’s accomplishments over this time?
I am most proud of the exemplary work our volunteers have done to design and implement our granting structure. Oftentimes, we are called the United Way for Women in East Tennessee, as we determine our granting focus and assure donors that their investments are being managed well. I am grateful for the ongoing advice and direction East Tennessee Foundation provides us as we evolve. Along with many others, I am looking forward to our 15th anniversary in 2026 as well as celebrating 13 years of grantmaking. Time surely has flown!
