It All Started with $200 in Member Contributions
In 1924, the Ohio Federation of Business and Professional Women (BPW) charged a $1.00 registration fee for its annual conference held in Cincinnati. At the conference it was voted to divide the $400 collected between Cincinnati BPW and the state treasury. Cincinnati BPW returned its share to the state and suggested that it be used to start a scholarship fund. The fund was named for Judge Florence Ellinwood Allen, who in 1923 had become the first woman Supreme Court Justice in Ohio and was a charter member of Cleveland BPW.
BPW clubs across the state were asked to contribute ten cents per member to the scholarship fund. The trustees felt that no applications should be considered until there was at least $800 in the scholarship fund.
By 1926, with only $500 in the fund, the General Secretary of Columbus YWCA recommended that Ida Ramey Ratliff be given a scholarship. She was an orphan who did clerical work for the Ohio Institute of Public Efficiency. Miss Ratliff signed a $300 note and took out a life insurance policy to cover the loan.
Through the years, the scholarship fund has been supported by contributions of ten cents per member, allocations from the state BPW budget, individual contributions, a variety of fundraising projects, and investment income.
In 1987, a committee was appointed to investigate the feasibility of converting the scholarship fund to a 501(c)3 with the goal of making donor contributions tax-exempt to the extent allowed by law. The BPW/Ohio Florence Allen Endowment Fund was established in 1988. Since its conversion to a 501(c)3 Endowment Fund in 1988, $116,700 in scholarships have been awarded to 177 Ohio women.
In addition to the scholarships, a gift was made to the BPW/USA Foundation to honor BPW/Ohio member Dianne Studer when she became President of BPW/USA in 1995.
Cleveland State University Professor Jeannette E. Tuve authored First Lady of the Law: Florence Ellinwood Allen, the definitive biography of Judge Allen. At Tuve’s death, The Allen Endowment made a contribution to the Jeannette E. Tuve Scholarship at Cleveland State University.
Based on research provided by Endowment Fund members, Judge Florence Ellinwood Allen was nominated for induction into the National Women’s Hall of Fame. Several Ohioans were privileged to attend the induction ceremony in Seneca Falls, New York in 2005.
In 2010, the name of the fund was changed from the BPW/Ohio Florence Allen Endowment Fund to The Allen Endowment.
The fund continues to offer scholarships to Ohio’s women who want to achieve their full potential through education.
BPW clubs across the state were asked to contribute ten cents per member to the scholarship fund. The trustees felt that no applications should be considered until there was at least $800 in the scholarship fund.
By 1926, with only $500 in the fund, the General Secretary of Columbus YWCA recommended that Ida Ramey Ratliff be given a scholarship. She was an orphan who did clerical work for the Ohio Institute of Public Efficiency. Miss Ratliff signed a $300 note and took out a life insurance policy to cover the loan.
Through the years, the scholarship fund has been supported by contributions of ten cents per member, allocations from the state BPW budget, individual contributions, a variety of fundraising projects, and investment income.
In 1987, a committee was appointed to investigate the feasibility of converting the scholarship fund to a 501(c)3 with the goal of making donor contributions tax-exempt to the extent allowed by law. The BPW/Ohio Florence Allen Endowment Fund was established in 1988. Since its conversion to a 501(c)3 Endowment Fund in 1988, $116,700 in scholarships have been awarded to 177 Ohio women.
In addition to the scholarships, a gift was made to the BPW/USA Foundation to honor BPW/Ohio member Dianne Studer when she became President of BPW/USA in 1995.
Cleveland State University Professor Jeannette E. Tuve authored First Lady of the Law: Florence Ellinwood Allen, the definitive biography of Judge Allen. At Tuve’s death, The Allen Endowment made a contribution to the Jeannette E. Tuve Scholarship at Cleveland State University.
Based on research provided by Endowment Fund members, Judge Florence Ellinwood Allen was nominated for induction into the National Women’s Hall of Fame. Several Ohioans were privileged to attend the induction ceremony in Seneca Falls, New York in 2005.
In 2010, the name of the fund was changed from the BPW/Ohio Florence Allen Endowment Fund to The Allen Endowment.
The fund continues to offer scholarships to Ohio’s women who want to achieve their full potential through education.