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The Alpha Phi Foundation was formed by the women of Alpha Phi International Fraternity (a women's sorority) to support women and others in need, and to express the philanthropic spirit intended by the Founders. The Foundation's mission is to support programs that emphasize women's cardiac health, to provide educational and leadership opportunities , to encourage and recognize superior scholarship, to educate women about the value of philanthropy, and to assist women in need.

The Alpha Phi Foundation is supported by generous gifts from Alpha Phis and their friends.

Contents 1 History 2 Why Cardiac Care? 3 The Cardiac Care Award 4 Related links

Alpha Phi Foundation, founded in 1956, is one of the oldest Greek foundations for women. It was set up as a trust – its purpose was to award grants from scholarship and cardiac aid funds. Today, two original priorities remain: to encourage and recognize superior scholarship and to support women’s cardiac health. The Foundation also funds programs that provide leadership and educational opportunities, educate women about philanthropy and assist members in need.

In 1946, Alpha Phis gathered at Convention in Quebec – the hot topic: adopting an international philanthropic cause. During World War II, countless philanthropy projects were successful at the international level. "...Wartime projects were very successful and had given us an idea of what we could do as a unified whole," wrote Catherine Wilson Storment, the first cardiac aid chairman, in the 1947 Winter Quarterly.

Now the question became: "What would Alpha Phi do in peacetime?"

At that time, rheumatic fever – a disease that causes serious, debilitating damage to the heart – was a leading killer of school age children in the United States. Alpha Phi wanted to help these children, but it also wanted freedom to contribute money and service to other programs. Cardiac aid fit the bill – chapters and members were able to donate funds and service to various educational and research projects.

During the next few decades, modern antibiotic therapy sharply reduced mortality and cases of rheumatic fever became rare. Heart disease became the #1 killer of women in North America, and Alpha Phi Foundation thought it fitting that an organization of women help fight it.

Since 1946, Alpha Phi has donated more than $1 million to support cardiac health initiative.

The Alpha Phi Foundation Cardiac Care Award helps to fund research and educational programs that support women's cardiac health. As a result of these efforts, health care professionals and women everywhere are learning more about the causes, prevention and treatment of heart disease – the number one killer of women.

Each spring, the Foundation accepts applications for the Cardiac Care Award. Typically the foundation relies on members to nominate organizations for the award, but organizations are also encourage to self-nominate.

• The Alpha Phi Foundation site