CREATING A BRIGHT FUTUR E
LIGHTING THE WAY FOR OUR SISTERHOOD
Since 1867, Pi Beta Phi has helped women find their PASSION and PURPOSE in the world.
From our 12 founders to our current collegians, generations of women have found their place within the bonds of Pi Phi sisterhood. Strengthened by the constant support of true friends and shared values, our sisters are empowered to lead boldly and inspired to achieve their fullest potential.
More than 156 years after our founding, women still cherish the meaning at the heart of our sisterhood—authentic connections and lifelong friendships, avenues for personal and professional growth and opportunities to make an impact in the world. As long as those needs exist, Pi Phi is committed to providing a membership experience that changes women’s lives.
Pi Beta Phi Foundation helps our Fraternity deliver on the PROMISE we make to our members.
Through our work to secure Pi Phi’s future, our Foundation is committed to ensuring Pi Phi remains a constant in the lives of our sisters; a source of steadfast support and a place of belonging through challenges and celebrations.
Creating a meaningful member experience—one that lasts a lifetime—requires the same care and intention Pi Phis show one another as sisters. We’re able to do so through support to our Foundation. Our donors provide the resources we need to preserve Pi Phi’s past, focus on our present and dream of a bright future for our sisterhood.
EVERY GIFT to our Foundation matters—and the futures of our sisters and communities are brighter because of your support.
Pi Beta Phi Foundation is uniquely positioned to understand and respond to the needs within our sisterhood. Each year, we ask our sisters and friends to support Fraternity programs, grants and our areas of greatest need. The power of this support is reflected in the perseverance of the Pi Phis who receive Foundation scholarships, the spirit of the chapter
and alumnae club officers who realize their capacity to lead, the inspiration of the learners who discover a love of reading and the gratitude of the sisters who receive emergency financial assistance.
As the needs of our members continue to evolve, Pi Phi must also evolve to anticipate and care for those needs. Donors provide the essential resources we need to stay nimble and flexible in the face of change—and giving to our Foundation is the most effective way you can make this happen.
When you give to our Foundation, you help us envision how bright our future can be—to dare to imagine what we can achieve and the endless impact we can make with your support.
LEADERSHIP
We prepare women to lead with confidence.
The world needs more women in leadership roles. With your support, Pi Phi can encourage and empower the next generation of leaders. Our leadership training events and personal development programs give our members the skills they need to lead, the confidence to believe in their abilities and the desire to use their gifts for the betterment of others.
Donors help our Foundation invest in signature leadership and personal development opportunities including College Weekend, Pi Beta Phi Leadership Institute, Critical Conversations and Leading with Values®
LEADERSHIP
Pi Phi encourages and empowers the next generation of leaders.
By o ering intentional and purposeful events and programming, our leadership development programs set the stage for understanding and living Pi Beta Phi values, fulfilling leadership potential, serving others and achieving academic excellence.
Pi Phis have the opportunity to participate in a variety of premier events and programming focused on literacy service, developing leadership skills and building the bonds of sisterhood.
All Pi Phi leadership development opportunities — from convention, College Weekend and the Leadership Development Consultant program to Pi Beta Phi Leadership Institute and Leading with Values® — are supported by our Foundation.
When I walked into College Weekend, I had an overwhelming feeling of support from Pi Phis of all ages, most of whom I had never even met. It’s hard to describe how powerful it is to have so many strong women come together to learn how to be better leaders and how to serve our communities well. I knew I would grow in college, but I had no idea the potential Pi Phi would cultivate in me.
CAROLINE AYERS , Tennessee Gamma
The leadership development o ered at every stage of the Pi Phi experience enables our members to take on new challenges and seek new heights—all the while knowing sisters are there to provide guidance and uplift them. The leaders of tomorrow are Pi Phi collegians today, and their development is made possible through grants from our Foundation, funded by your generosity.
Today, we are only able to provide leadership training programs like these to less than 10% of our collegiate members. Imagine if we could increase these opportunities to 25% of our members.
A Chapter Leadership Education Expendable fund (CLEE) supports leadership development and training at the chapter level. CLEEs provide funding for chapter leaders to attend Fraternity leadership training opportunities, such as College Weekend and convention. CLEE funds can also be used to provide leadership education for the entire chapter, such as bringing a speaker to their campus. CLEEs are expendable funds, established with a minimum gift of $10,000. These funds must carry the chapter’s name and are limited to one fund per chapter. However, once a fund is established, any donor may contribute.
The world needs more confi dent women leaders and with your help, we can expand our reach.
“
More exposure to leadership training creates better women, leaders and mentors. We need to do all we can to give our sisters the tools they need to succeed.
KELLEY GOLDEN , Tennessee Gamma
SCHOLARSHIPS
We ensure higher education remains accessible.
As college expenses continue to rise, our members are faced with difficult financial decisions to afford tuition and membership costs. You can give Pi Phis the resources and support to achieve their academic dreams. Foundation scholarships help our members pursue higher education without worrying how to pay for it.
During the 2021-2023 biennium, our Foundation awarded $534,685 in scholarships and fellowships to Pi Phi collegians and alumnae.
SCHOLARSHIPS
Pi Phis are all connected by a desire for education.
As young women ahead of their time, our 12 founders sought education when few universities even admitted women. In a world that needs sincere friends and strong leaders willing to work for the betterment of others, the valuesdriven membership experience Pi Phi provides is more relevant and needed than ever.
Today, Pi Phi’s scholarship program ensures academic achievement remains at the center of our membership experience. With awards for both collegians and alumnae, our scholarships echo our founders’ commitment to education by assisting as many members as possible in pursuing — and reaching — their academic goals.
Scholarships play a key role in the ability of many Pi Phis to achieve their dreams of completing their formal education. For the 2023-2024 academic year, Pi Phi awarded $241,830 in scholarships to 96 sisters.
Donors can support scholarships in three ways — by making a gift to the Friendship Fund, by making a gift to an existing scholarship fund or by establishing a named scholarship.
To support existing scholarships—available to any qualified member— donors can choose to designate their gift to
• The Friendship Fund
• Undergraduate Scholarship Fund
• Graduate Fellowship Fund
• Alumnae Continuing Education Scholarship Fund.
Donors can also establish a named scholarship for undergraduates, graduate students and alumnae wishing to continue their education.
• All scholarships are either expendable or permanently endowed.
• The minimum to establish a chapter named endowed scholarship, if the chapter does not already have a chapter named scholarship, is $50,000.
• The minimum to establish a named endowed scholarship is $100,000.
• The minimum to establish a named expendable scholarship is $10,000.
With the cost of higher education continuing to rise, our Pi Phi sisters need our support now more than
ever.
ABBY BUTLER-CEFALO , Virginia Iota “
As a first-generation college student, education is my main priority and I want nothing more than to make my family proud. By receiving this scholarship, I will be able to continue my studies and graduate soon with a degree in Social Justice and Human Rights. Thanks to Pi Beta Phi Foundation, I’m able to give back and help transform lives through our sisterhood.
“
My educational pursuits would not be possible without financial aid and generous donations from scholarship sponsors. Thank you, Pi Beta Phi Foundation, for being a part of making my dreams come true!
ADRIANA ANNETT , Kansas Alpha
LITERACY
We inspire children to discover a lifelong love of reading.
Pi Phi’s commitment to literacy service has spanned more than a century. Yet in North America, one of every four children grows up with low literacy skills,
and many more lack critical access to books. Your support helps Pi Phi continue to make an impact through Read > Lead > Achieve®—so children in our communities have the opportunity to read, to learn and to reach their full potential.
Gifts to our Foundation fully funded all Read > Lead > Achieve literacy initiatives for the 2021-2023 biennium, including the FDS500 grant program and Fraternity Day of Service Signature Events.
LITERACY
Pi Phi changes lives by fostering a lifelong love of reading.
Pi Beta Phi’s commitment to literacy has been at the center of our philanthropic endeavors for nearly 115 years. This commitment has enabled us to impact millions of lives through our literacy initiatives, all dating back to the 1910 Swarthmore Convention when Emma Harper Turner first proposed the establishment of the Settlement School. Over the last century and beyond,
Pi Phis have continually found innovative ways to meet the needs of our communities and instill a lifelong love of reading in generations of students.
Pi Phi’s philanthropy, Read > Lead > Achieve®, draws on a century of service and thousands of volunteers to inspire a lifelong love of reading which unlocks true potential. From the earliest days of the Pi Beta Phi Settlement School in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, to Pi Phi’s newest literacy advocacy programs,
Pi Phis across North America are changing lives through reading. The Literacy Fund plays a critical role in the success of Read > Lead > Achieve. Gifts to The Literacy Fund support all Pi Phi reading initiatives, including Champions are Readers®, Fraternity Day of Service Signature Events, FDS500 and Arrow in the Arctic—Pi Phi’s Canadian philanthropy.
“
Northern Moore County is largely rural and poor, with a significant Spanish-speaking population. We needed to increase access to early childhood learning in the area, and the grant we received from the Foundation got our school off the ground.
Clare Varn Ruggles, Northern Moore Family Resource Center Director
Since the beginning of our partnership with First Book® in 2007, we have donated more than 3.5 million books to learners across North America. That impact has increased through programs targeted at meeting students’ most critical needs, including the distribution of books, literacy materials, school supplies and more.
Pi Phi’s commitment to literacy has stood the test of time. For this reason, gifts to The Literacy Fund are not only an investment in the future—the life of a child—but also an investment in our heritage—the very fiber of Pi Beta Phi.
Your gifts allow us to inspire readers, spark imaginations and ignite a desire to learn.
“
Because of Pi Beta Phi Foundation, kindergarten teachers in my school put together a book bag for readalouds with their classes. We also restocked our reading room, which is separate from the library, where some of the books will go. Other books will be put in our library or in our middle school library.
Courtney Etherington, educator in the Torrance Unifi ed School District in Torrance, California
EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE
We
help our sisters find hope in times of crisis.
For Pi Phis facing unexpected financial emergencies or natural disasters, grants from the Emma Harper Turner Fund are a lifeline and a beacon of Sincere Friendship.
With your gift, you can ensure Pi Phi is there for our sisters when help is needed most.
Through the generosity of donors, our Foundation has provided more than $64,000 in Emma Harper Turner Fund grants to sisters in need during the past two fiscal years.
EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE
You honor our core values by providing support to sisters in need.
Often, Pi Phis aren’t able to foresee the trials and tribulations that lie ahead; that’s where the care and compassion shown by donors to the Emma Harper Turner Fund (EHT) can make all the di erence. The confidential, emergency grants made possible by this program provide a necessary lifeline to alumnae and collegians impacted by financial crises created by illness, natural disasters, job loss or other unforeseen circumstances.
“When I thought it was impossible to love an organization more, the generosity and compassion from the women of Pi Beta Phi continue to exceed my expectations. My educational pursuits would not be possible without the Emma Harper Turner Fund, and I feel so blessed to be a part of such an amazing chapter. So, thank you to Pi Beta Phi, and to the Foundation, for allowing my dreams to come true.
EMILY VOGEL , Kansas Alpha
Established in 1946, Pi Beta Phi Foundation’s Emma Harper Turner Fund is close to the hearts of many alumnae and collegians. This emergency fund provides one-time grants to alumnae in dire financial need and toward the tuition of collegians who have experienced a life change jeopardizing their ability to stay in school. This fund also includes disaster relief measures to ease the application process for members residing in presidentially declared disaster and emergency areas, to expand on the needs with which we can assist collegians and to speed the distribution of aid.
Your gifts ensure Pi Phi is there for our sisters when help is needed most.
Once I received the EHT Fund grant, I felt a weight lifted off my shoulders. I knew it would lessen the burden on my mother, who was balancing all my medical expenses on top of everything else. The support ensured I didn’t have to choose between receiving the treatment I needed and staying in school.
LINA SATTARIN , Kansas Beta
HERITAGE
We preserve our past to inspire our
future.
Pi Phi’s history is shared through the stories we tell and the places we gather. Holt House, our founding home, provides a place for all Pi Phis to honor and celebrate the beginnings of our Fraternity. Your generosity supports the ongoing maintenance and preservation of this historic home, as well as our efforts to capture the stories that bring our sisterhood to life.
A recent leadership gift to our Foundation has kickstarted a project to collect oral histories from our members— ensuring their memories are preserved for future generations of sisters.
HERITAGE
Your generosity shares the vision and values at the heart of Pi Beta Phi with new generations of sisters.
The history of Pi Beta Phi lives in many places, but no place holds more of our heritage than Holt House in Monmouth, Illinois. Our founding home stands as a place for all Pi Phis to celebrate our shared history and honor the beginnings of our Fraternity. Foundation funding supports the expenses for ongoing maintenance, upkeep and daily operations associated with the preservation of this historic home.
“
Do not forget what we’re all about. Do not forget why we were founded. Do not forget why we are as strong as we are. And that is friendship, caring for each other, looking out for each other … Our friendships are absolutely the most important thing we have.
Grand
President Emerita SARAH “SIS” MULLIS , South Carolina Alpha
In addition to remembering our history through the places we share, it’s also important to capture the stories that bring our sisterhood to life. Thanks to a generous grant from a lead Foundation donor, we have begun collecting oral histories from our members to ensure the memories and the friendships can truly last our whole life through—and beyond. This project is just the beginning of a new chapter in recording and archiving our history, and we look forward to how this lead Foundation gift can ensure and enshrine the stories that live within our sisterhood for generations to come.
Your gifts help preserve Pi Beta Phi’s heritage.
“
Holt House is not only a connection to our past, but also to our future. When one walks through the door and heads up the staircase, the magic begins. Imagine those young women as they came to the house that April evening. They held onto the banister as they climbed to the secondfloor room shared by ADA BRUEN GRIER and LIBBIE BROOK GADDIS . How awe-inspiring it is that we’re still able to hold the same banister and stand in that bedroom today.
FRAN DESIMONE BECQUE , New York Alpha, Fraternity Historian and Archivist
HOUSING
We invest in the places our sisters call home.
The opportunity to live alongside your sisters comes once in a lifetime—and Pi Phi housing provides a space for true friendships to take root. Through your support of Educational Area Grant Program and Chapter House Improvement Program funds, as well as individual chapter projects, you ensure our facilities keep pace with collegians’ needs and create housing options that enrich our member experience.
Gifts to our Foundation provide support for new construction, renovations to studying and gathering spaces, and critical technology and systems upgrades to our chapter facilities.
HOUSING
Maintaining a competitive living and learning environment is vital to the future of so many Pi Phi chapters.
On campus, Pi Phi facilities are not just living spaces, they are communities. Here, our members meet, build sisterhood, create lifelong friendships and make memories. These communities should be safe and comfortable places for our members to call home.
During recruitment, Potential New Members are faced with housing choices between Pi Phi, other fraternal organizations, o -campus options and university housing, all while weighing the cost of each option. From technology usability to a secure living environment, we want to ensure our members have a competitive housing experience to enhance their Pi Phi journey.
The housing experience is a vital component of fostering Sincere Friendship and o ers members a once-in-a-lifetime place to call home. In fact, there is a positive correlation between member satisfaction and the housing experience. As a result, our chapter facilities need your support.
“
When you live with a group of women, you form strong bonds that continue to develop into something bigger and deeper. It’s so beautiful to see all the sides of your friends.
NICOLE ERDELJAC , Ohio Theta
Our Foundation continues to partner with individual chapters to raise funds for both major and minor facility renovation projects to ensure the Pi Phi housing experience is sustainable for generations to come. Through Chapter House Improvement Program funds and Educational Area Grant Programs, our Foundation helps create housing that supports a premier member experience.
A Chapter House Improvement Program (CHIP) Fund allows alumnae to make tax-deductible contributions in support of a chapter facility to fund qualified educational projects and expenses—such as Wi-Fi infrastructure, and study spaces. A $10,000 minimum gift amount is required to establish a CHIP which bears the name of the chapter the fund supports. Once established, any member can contribute to the fund.
An Educational Area Grant Program (EAGP) agreement is a partnership between Pi Beta Phi Foundation and a Chapter House Corporation (CHC) or the Fraternity Housing Corporation (FHC) undertaking a significant renovation or building project. EAGP agreements allow alumnae to make tax-deductible contributions in support of their capital campaign. The minimum gift amount to establish an EAGP fund is determined by project. EAGPs can only be created in partnership with a CHC or FHC. Once established, any member can contribute to the e ort.
Your gifts nurture the friendships that grow in the places Pi Phis call home.
ROBIN MCPHERSON ROHRBACK , Florida Beta “
I knew when I walked into the chapter house that it was something special. For me, the chapter house was my home.
Your gifts light the way for EVERY Pi Phi sister.
With every passing year and every new generation, Pi Phi’s guiding star remains our unwavering commitment to developing Friends and Leaders for Life. You’re invited to become a partner in this work by supporting our Foundation. Together, we can ensure the values, traditions and shared experiences that define Pi Phi sisterhood will be shared with more women today and for years to come.
As a donor, you have the power to direct your gift where it can make the greatest difference. Providing support to the Friendship Fund is the most impactful way you can help fulfill the promise we make to every Pi Phi sister. Friendship Fund gifts directly support our member programs and related services each year and ensure Pi Phi can meet additional needs not covered by designated funds alone.
With your support, the Friendship Fund helps Pi Phi prepare members to lead, award scholarships, fund our literacy work, care for our sisters, manage investments, share our gratitude—and so much more.
It’s OUR TURN
to shape the sisterhood we love.
With every gift, you make it possible for our Foundation to continue impacting lives within our sisterhood and our communities. Your partnership gives us roots and wings—providing the resources we need to preserve our past, focus on our present and dream of a bright future.
ANNUAL GIVING
With your annual gift to our Foundation, you help Pi Phi continue to provide a premier, lifelong member experience by ensuring Pi Phi has the resources we need to support every sister in every season.
PLANNED GIVING
By making a planned gift, you create a legacy for our sisterhood by planting seeds that will continue to bloom for generations of sisters. Members who include Pi Phi in their estate plans are recognized as members of the Marianne Reid Wild Society in honor of their generosity.
RESTRICTED GIVING
Because grants from our Foundation provide critical funding for every Pi Phi program, restricted gifts give you the opportunity to support the specific programs and areas of the membership experience that resonate with your philanthropic passions.
ENDOWMENT GIVING
Through gifts made to endowed funds held by our Foundation, you can ensure Pi Beta Phi has a continuous flow of resources for the future.
Endowment gifts are invested; in most cases, the original gift amount stays the same or grows, and the investment returns are used to support Pi Phi’s ongoing needs.
Restricted and endowed gifts help us balance caring for Pi Phi’s needs today and planning for what’s on the horizon.
LEADERSHIP GIVING
Donors who make annual gifts of $1,000 or more model the way through loyalty, leadership and Lifelong Commitment—and provide pivotal support to Pi Phi each year.
RECOGNITION LEVELS
Evelyn Peters Kyle Society
Loyalty Society
Crest Society
Arrow Society
$1,000–2,499
$2,500–4,999
$5,000–9,999
$10,000 or more
You’re invited to make your gift today at give.pibetaphi.org. To learn more, visit pibetaphi.org/foundation—or contact a member of our Foundation staff to discuss giving opportunities that align with the impact you hope to make.
We can ensure an even brighter FUTURE for our sisterhood.
Pi Beta Phi is more than a college experience. It’s a community of leaders who empower and uplift one another; it’s a proud tradition and heritage uniting women across generations and distances. We’ve inherited the flame of friendship from the sisters who came before. Now, it’s up to us to keep that flame burning bright for new generations of members.
Together, we can light the path that leads to a brilliant future for Pi Phi.
