When Martha Simon gets an idea, there is no stopping her. Inspired by the positive energy generated by the annual Queen of Hearts Luncheon, she is the visionary who launched the Queen of Hearts Women’s Fund.

The Queen of Hearts Luncheon is an invitation-only annual event sponsored by the Truckee Tahoe Community Foundation to celebrate women of influence and philanthropy in the Truckee / North Tahoe communities. The Fund was established to focus the energy of the annual luncheon back into the community through donations and personal commitments. Martha describes the fund as being “about women involved in philanthropy.”

The Fund was established in early 2006, with a goal of raising $1 million – a minimum of $1000 from 1000 women – in one year. With a can-do attitude, that goal was surpassed, with more than $1.2 million raised in less than a year. “When women are empowered and come together, amazing things happen,” Martha says. “Just think of the impact we are going to have with 1000 women working together.”

The first 1000 women will be recognized as Queens and Founding Members of the fund in perpetuity. Founding members have been encouraged to sponsor other women. A grandmother has sponsored her eight-month-old granddaughter, while a mother sponsored her unborn daughter – both creating generations of philanthropist within their own families.

Nine months into the drive, the Queens found themselves with contributions of $541,000, well short of their $1 million goal. Martha credits the Fabulous 50, made up of 50 founding members, with coming to the rescue. They were charged with either recruiting a minimum of five additional members or making another contribution of at least $5000. The Fab 50 delivered. They brought in an additional $363,000 from new members and another $75,000 from corporate donations which sponsored local women who are philanthropists of time.

The funds raised by the Queens will be used to create an endowment that will support the organizations dedicated to improving the Truckee / North Tahoe community. What is unique about this fund is that the members of the Queen of Hearts Women’s Fund will decide how the earnings from the endowment are distributed.

The Queens are focusing on four major areas for grants: health and human services; education and youth development; arts and culture; and environment, recreation and animal welfare. Each year, the Fund members will participate in the extensive vetting process and will vote to determine which area nonprofits will be awarded grants money.

An anonymous donor contributed $50,000 to the Women’s Fund last fall, with the stipulation that $25,000 be allocated for immediate granting. The members voted to fund two projects: the Nutrition Coalition which encourages nutrition and physical activity for children, and the Tahoe Forest Hospice. The Tahoe Forest Hospice has a territory that covers over 500 square miles of mountainous terrain and used the funds to pay for a new 4WD vehicle.

Martha serves as Donor Relations Officer of the Truckee Tahoe Community Foundation and is responsible for handing out funds to a variety of organizations in the Truckee / North Tahoe area. She sees herself as “doing her job,” but what sets her apart is the vision and enthusiasm she employs to connect donors with their passions. She took the energy of the Queen of Hearts Luncheon and inspired one thousand other Queens to create something bigger than all of them – a million-dollar endowment that will give in perpetuity.