Abstract:
This collection of cases written for the Hauser Center on Nonprofit Management provide essential histories of the lives and philanthropic motivations and choices of some of the most significant women philanthropists in American history. They provide useful material for those looking to enliven historical philanthropy courses with biographical materials. At the same time, they serve as points of comparison for understanding contemporary philanthropy. Betty Noyce believed that her philanthropic responsibilities lay at home in Maine. Having received a multi-million dollar divorce settlement, Betty adopted the state of Maine and strove to better the environment in which she and her neighbors lived. Epitomizing the phrase "charity begins at home," she practiced economic, catalytic, and investment philanthropy that not only made immediate improvements in her state but ensured prosperity and growth for Maine in years to come. Contributing large amounts of money to the arts, education, medicine, Maine-based businesses, and even politics, Betty Noyce left behind a legacy that remains at the forefront of Mainers' minds. By carefully choosing the philanthropic venues through which she could make the most lasting effects for her fellow citizens, she stimulated both the economy and charitable minds of those whose lives she touched. From humble beginnings, the woman still praised as the "grandmother of Maine," practiced a philanthropy that was focused in its scope and lasting in its legacy.
