Foundation image
Foundation
The mission of Pi Beta Phi Foundation is to enable the Fraternity to realize its mission and ensure the future of the sisterhood.

ABOUT PI BETA PHI FOUNDATION | FUNDS AND PROGRAMS | GIVING SOCIETIES | INITIATIVES

ABOUT PI BETA PHI FOUNDATION

Introduction

Pi Beta Phi Foundation was founded on February 21, 1990 to support the Fraternity and ensure the future of the sisterhood. The Foundation is a vehicle whereby tax deductible donations can be made to fund qualifying programs. These programs include scholarships, educational programming, Fraternity heritage, philanthropic efforts and charitable programs.

Mission, Vision, Values

The mission of Pi Beta Phi Foundation is to enable the Fraternity to realize its mission and ensure the future of the sisterhood.

The shared vision of Pi Beta Phi is to be recognized as a premier organization for women by providing lifelong enrichment to its members and contributing to the betterment of society.

In addition to the Fraternity’s core values, Pi Beta Phi Foundation embraces these values: Integrity, Philanthropic Passion, Fraternal and Community Commitment and Trustworthy Stewardship.

FUNDS AND PROGRAMS

Friendship Fund

The Friendship Fund is the primary way the Foundation fulfills its mission and ensures the future of the Pi Beta Phi sisterhood. Individual, chapter and alumnae club gifts to the Friendship Fund impact individual members of Pi Beta Phi, the Fraternity and the communities which members all serve.

Everything Pi Beta Phi Foundation does is supported with Friendship Fund gifts, wholly or in part, with the exception of chapter-specific housing programs. Where there is a need, the Friendship Fund fulfills it!

Leadership, Education and Member Development Programming

Each year, almost every collegiate and alumnae leadership program at Pi Beta Phi receives a significant amount of Foundation funding. Leadership programs include Pi Beta Phi Leadership Institute, College Weekend, Officers Workshop, Leadership Development Consultant Program and much more. Pi Beta Phi Foundation also supports education and member development programming, including the programs under Leading with Values®: New Member Education Program, Critical Conversations® and Pi Phi for Life.

Scholarships

Each year, the Foundation awards Undergraduate Scholarships, Graduate Fellowships and Alumnae Continuing Education (ACE) Scholarships. These scholarships and fellowships are funded through permanent endowments, expendable funds and gifts received through the Friendship Fund.

Literacy

The Foundation provides grants from The Literacy Fund to support the Fraternity’s Read > Lead > Achieve® reading initiatives, including Champions are Readers®, Arrow in the Arctic and Fraternity Day of Service. As a part of Pi Phi’s commitment to literacy, the Foundation operates the Local Impact Grants program, which provides grant opportunities to support literacy programs in local communities.

Emergency Assistance

The Emma Harper Turner (EHT) Fund Program provides grants on a confidential basis to initiated members in financial crisis due to unforeseen life circumstances and natural disasters. Collegiate grants are granted as tuition for members who have experienced a life disaster that jeopardizes their ability to stay in school.

Heritage

Pi Beta Phi Foundation maintains the Holt House Fund for the purposes of providing funds to operate Holt House throughout the year and to preserve the organization's heritage.

Housing

Pi Beta Phi Foundation has two programs in in place to assist the Fraternity House Corporation and Chapter House Corporations with support for housing, an integral part of the Pi Phi member experience. The Chapter House Improvement Program provides chapter-specific funds to support general qualified improvements and ongoing expenses. The Educational Area Grant Program allows the Foundation to assist in raising charitable gifts for a capital project.

Other Funds

The Foundation has specific funds created to support various programs, including scholarships, emergency assistance grants, literacy efforts and more. Please visit pibetaphi.org/foundation for more information.

GIVING SOCIETIES

Annual Societies

Annual Giving societies allow the Foundation to acknowledge donors in a current fiscal year (July 1–June 30). One specially recognized society is the Evelyn Peters Kyle Society.

Evelyn Peters Kyle Society

The Foundation created the Evelyn Peters Kyle (EPK) Society to recognize donors who support the Foundation with gifts totaling $1,000 or more each fiscal year. Like Evelyn, members of the EPK Society have a deep commitment to the future of Pi Beta Phi.

Lifetime Societies

Lifetime Giving societies allow the Foundation to acknowledge the collective impact a donor has over their lifetime. Included in the lifetime giving societies is the Marianne Reid Wild Society.

Marianne Reid Wild Society

The Foundation created the Marianne Reid Wild Society to recognize donors who make a planned gift to the Foundation. As one of the first alumnae to include Pi Phi in her estate plan, Marianne truly was a philanthropic leader for the sisterhood.

INITIATIVES

  • 1995 – Campaign for Arrowmont completed – $2.5 million
  • 2008 – Campaign for the Pi Beta Phi completed – $6.2 million
  • 2011 – Campaign for Holt House Library completed
  • 2012 – Centennial Plaza Campaign completed
  • 2017 – Comprehensive Campaign launched 
  • 2019 - Comprehensive Campaign completed - $32.3 million

Major Milestones

1990

  • Pi Beta Phi Foundation is established with a loan from the Fraternity on February 21.

1991

  • Leadership program funding comes under Pi Beta Phi Foundation.

1992

  • Marianne Reid Wild Society for planned giving is created.

1993

  • Scholarship funding comes under Pi Beta Phi Foundation.

1994

  • The Emma Harper Turner Fund comes under Pi Beta Phi Foundation.
  • The Friendship Fund comes under Pi Beta Phi Foundation.
  • The Fraternity loan to establish the Foundation is fully repaid.

1995

  • Alumnae Continuing Education (ACE) Scholarship Recipient Joyce Wherritt Bowers, Utah Alpha, becomes the first to individually endow a scholarship.
  • The first Chapter Leadership Education Endowment (CLEE) is established.
  • Campaign for Arrowmont completed.
  • Pi Beta Phi Foundation assets increased from $15,333 in 1990 to more than $2 million.

1999

  • Sign of the Arrow Melissa Scholarship is endowed, making it the largest endowed Greek scholarship to date.

2003

  • The Foundation launches its first website at pibetaphifoundation.org.

2008

  • Campaign for the Pi Beta Phi completed.

2009

  • Pi Beta Phi Foundation launches its rebrand at the Dallas/Fort Worth 2009 Convention.

2010

  • The Sister to Sister Fund comes under Pi Beta Phi Foundation and is incorporated into the Emma Harper Turner Fund.
  • Arrow in the Arctic funding comes under Pi Beta Phi Foundation.

2011

  • Campaign for Holt House library is completed.
  • The annual giving society Evelyn Peters Kyle Society is created.
  • Holt House funding comes under Pi Beta Phi Foundation.

2012

  • Centennial Plaza Campaign completed.
  • Financial support for Pi Phi’s literacy initiatives comes under The Literacy Fund at Pi Beta Phi Foundation.

2013

  • Local Impact Grants and Special Impact Grants are launched, supporting literacy in local communities.

2014

  • Pi Beta Phi Chapters raise more than $1 million for the Foundation for the first time.

2015

  • Foundation’s celebrates its 25th anniversary.

2016

  • First-ever Pi Phi Giving Day is on Founders’ Day, raising more than $70,000 for the Foundation.
  • Transfer of Arrowmont Fund to Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts.

2017

  • Pi Beta Phi Foundation launches SHINE THROUGH campaign at Pi Phi’s 71st Biennial Convention. SHINE THROUGH is Pi Phi’s largest philanthropic effort to date with a goal to raise $28 million for current operations and endowments in outright and deferred gifts.

2019

  • The SHINE THROUGH campaign is completed with gifts and commitments totaling $32.3 million.  The initiative was the largest philanthropic endeavor of any National Panhellenic Group to date.

Foundation Trustees

* Denotes service as Foundation Board President