Resources for Women in Business

A discussion at Booth Women Connect 2022 highlighted the impact that partnerships between corporations and nonprofits can have. For partnership opportunities, please contact us.

The University Community Service Center engages students with communities and partners to build a more just Chicago. Volunteer opportunities include Ladies of Virtue, a nonprofit that prepares girls ages 9 to 18 to become change agents in their communities, and My Block, My Hood, My City, which is dedicated to empowering communities to build a better world.

The Rustandy Center for Social Sector Innovation is the social impact hub at Chicago Booth. The center provides many resources for students and alumni seeking to empower women and create meaningful change.

Are you working on a new venture aimed at supporting women?

Rustandy Center support social entrepreneurs through the Edwardson Social Entrepreneurship Program. Through programs like the John Edwardson, ’72, Social New Venture Challenge (SNVC), the center provides critical capital, mentoring, and connections to help launch new business. The center is eager to support and connect with students and alumni working in this space.

Examples of women-driven and focused ventures include Shakti, a mobile-based intervention that aims to empower illiterate women in India to enforce their rights, Veera Health, a digital therapeutics platform that helps women identify and navigate Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, and Pie for Providers, which uses technology to streamline and automate child care subsidy to ensure child care providers—small, women-owned businesses—get paid for their work and help families access care.

Do you seek to have an impact by supporting a nonprofit addressing the pressing needs of women, locally or globally?

The Rustandy Center believes that nonprofits—and their boards of directors—have the potential to drive social and environmental change.

The center offers resources, programs, and events to help nonprofit organizations do their best work. In particular, for those seeking to join nonprofit board focused on empowering women, the nonprofit board toolkit helps new board members prepare, navigate, and thrive during their first 90 days serving on a nonprofit board.

Are you looking for thought leadership and research on DEI?

The Rustandy Center for Social Sector Innovation supports research that shines a light on the gender gap facing women in the workplace and other key issues, as well as research that supports diversity broadly.

The center often participates in events that examine gender and diversity. Visit the Rustandy Center events page for more information on upcoming programs.

The Polsky Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship supports women through several initiatives. For example, we recently partnered with C200, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to advance women corporate leaders and entrepreneurs, to support networking and mentorship opportunities for Booth students through C200 Scholar Awards of $10,000. The Polsky Center also provides funding for women and other entrepreneurs through the annual Edward L. Kaplan, '71, New Venture Challenge.

Find out how you can learn more about the Polsky Center's entrepreneurial programming and events.

The George J. Stigler Center for the Study of the Economy and the State supports research that promotes the power of markets to enhance human welfare. This research often spotlights issues affecting women worldwide, such as gender inequality and the unequal impact of the COVID-19 economy. The Stigler Center’s influential Capitalisn’t podcast also frequently spotlights women in episodes like “Is Discrimination Still Causing The Gender Pay Gap?”

Learn more about how you can subscribe to the Capitalisn't podcast.