Ripley Memorial Fund

Funding Priorities

The mission of the Ripley Memorial Foundation is to honor the legacy of Dr. Martha Ripley by funding programs that foster and enhance the health and well-being of women. Our funding focus is programming that promotes access to women’s health education and services built on cultural and community strengths.

Meet our 2023-2024 Grantee-Partners

History: A Visual Timeline, 1886-2008

Founded in 1957, Ripley’s grantmaking focuses on the welfare of women and children — a mission consistent with the interests of the Foundation’s namesake, Dr. Martha Ripley, a tireless advocate for professional medical care for both married and unmarried mothers and their infants.

Dr. Ripley spearheaded the establishment of Maternity Hospital in Minneapolis in 1886 and remained active in its concerns until her death in 1912. The hospital, later renamed Ripley Memorial Hospital, was the first city hospital to institute a social service department, to offer parenting and natural childbirth classes, and to permit infants to “room in” with their mothers.

When the hospital closed in 1956, its board voted to incorporate as the Ripley Memorial Foundation and to dedicate the funds realized from the sale of the property to grantmaking. In 1993, the Foundation narrowed the focus of its grants to support programs demonstrating an intent to prevent first or second adolescent pregnancies.