Fifty years ago – shortly following the enactment of Title IX – the Women’s Sports Foundation was founded by sports icon and social justice pioneer Billie Jean King as one of the first organizations to recognize the role of sports in helping girls and women achieve their full potential in sports and life. What was started by King in 1974 with a $5,000 check, has grown into a multifaceted organization that has invested over $100 million to help girls and women play, compete, and lead – in sports and beyond – without barriers.
Throughout these 50 years, our message has been simple: that giving girls and women access to sports is not only transformative for them, but also beneficial to society at large. Our research, advocacy, and community programming continue to illuminate the societal and cultural impact that is made when girls and women play sports: equality in sports leads to equality in life.
Check out our new “Thriving Through Sport” research report and commemorative merch and be sure to keep an eye out for more exciting #WSF50 news to come!
All it takes is one voice, one leader, one check to change the game.
Donate Now
WSF is done with girls and women having to fight for pennies. Join us in smashing yet another barrier.
And, help us celebrate this momentous anniversary by donating to WSF. Together, we can build on the legacy of the past 50 years and continue making strides towards a future where gender equity is a reality in every sporting arena.
Donate NowFrom gymnasiums and collegiate stadiums to professional arenas and boardrooms, WSF has been championing the entire women’s sports ecosystem for five decades and counting. Check out the stories of our impact told by members of the WSF family.
In honor of our 50th anniversary, we are collecting stories from women of all ages who have played sports at any level - (youth, high school, college and/or professional). We want to hear from YOU!
We want to know what leadership skills you learned from sports and how have those skills impacted your adult life, from the community activism and business, to education, medicine, and more. Tell us how sports has helped you thrive!
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