August 11, 2026 Press Releases
ValleyCreates Sustainability Campaign Receives Major Boost with WomenArts Gift
Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts announced today that its ongoing commitment to supporting local artists through its ValleyCreates Arts Program has been significantly strengthened by gifts totaling $431,000 from WomenArts, a nonprofit organization based in Northampton, MA.
Founded in 1994 by Martha Richards and originally known as The Fund for Women Artists, WomenArts began by offering grant writing and management services to four local theatre companies – Chrysalis Theatre, Enchanted Circle Theatre, Serious Play Theatre Ensemble, and Sleeveless Theatre. Over the next thirty years, WomenArts grew to serve thousands of artists nationally and internationally through fundraising, education, and advocacy services, with a strong focus on supporting women artists of color and women who addressed social justice issues through their art. WomenArts is perhaps best known for co-creating and managing Support Women Artists Now Day (SWAN Day), an international holiday that was celebrated with more than 2,000 events across 37 countries between 2008 and 2020.
“WomenArts began by providing grant-writing services to women artists along the Connecticut River Valley, and the Community Foundation helped us a lot in our early years,” said WomenArts Founder and President, Martha Richards. “When the WomenArts board decided in 2024 that it was time to start downsizing, I was living in California, but I moved back here so that we could invest WomenArts assets in the community where we started and where we still have so many strong ties. It feels like a homecoming.”
Support from WomenArts will be counted towards the Community Foundation’s goal of raising a $5 million endowment for the sustainability of its ValleyCreates program by December 2026. ValleyCreates has long supported artists living and working in Franklin, Hampshire, and Hampden Counties and the gifts raised will make it possible for the Community Foundation to continue providing essential grant support, workshops, community gatherings, and other helpful services for artists.
“I am delighted that the Community Foundation has agreed to continue the spirit of our work by creating a WomenArts Fund dedicated to supporting women artists as part of its ValleyCreates program,” Richards continued. “I am especially excited about collaborating with the wonderful ValleyCreates staff to develop programs to address the age barriers that hinder the careers of so many mid-career and late-career women artists,” Richards continued. “We have an opportunity to do ground-breaking work since most arts funders are ignoring this pervasive problem.”
According to MassCreative, in 2025 the National Endowment for the Arts abruptly terminated hundreds of active grants and withdrew new awards to dozens of artists and arts organizations nationwide amid broader federal funding cuts, further narrowing an already limited pipeline of public support. Programs like ValleyCreates exist to help fill that void, providing direct funding support to artists and arts organization, capacity-building support, and community building so that artists are not left to navigate this landscape alone.
“We are deeply grateful to Martha Richards and WomenArts for their generous contributions to the arts community and their investment in the women artists who strengthen our region,” said Community Foundation President and CEO Megan Burke. “This partnership is profoundly important because gifts like these reflect a genuine understanding of what artists contribute to our communities and what support is needed to help artists flourish. As we think about developing new programs, we are thrilled that Martha Richards is willing to volunteer her innovative energy and vast experience to help us.”
To support the Community Foundation’s ValleyCreates Program, visit communityfoundation.org/ValleyCreatesGiving.
