A Passion for Women and Girls—Marilyn Tubb

We all know friendly competition thrives in our community, as anyone who has attended a tailgate or sporting event here will tell you. And that competitive spirit was actually the catalyst for one of the Community Foundation of North Central Florida’s best-known and successful efforts—the Women’s Giving Circle.   It may seem hard to believe today, but back in 2006, the concept of a “giving circle” was relatively new. So, when the women on the CFNCF Board of Directors were brainstorming on ways to have a larger impact, a board member with Ocala-based clients, Susannah Peddie, brought forward a new idea, having heard of a women’s giving circle associated with a local hospital. This suggestion triggered that friendly competitive spirit between our two communities. Says Marilyn Tubb, a founding Board member of the Women’s Giving Circle, “Up to that time, we were all giving small amounts to support a variety of personal causes, but we realized we could do more and have more impact if we pooled our resources and worked together. And of course we thought, ‘hey, if Ocala can do it, we certainly can.’”   The very embodiment of collective impact, the Women’s Giving Circle’s premise is simple—members pledge $1,000 each year ($500 for members under 40) and all members have a say in determining which local nonprofits receive grants from the collective fund. Marilyn recalls that in the early days there was a lot of discussion to focus the Circle’s mission. “Do we focus only on women? Girls? A particular age range? What about boys, if we’re supporting the mothers?” she adds. “So we invited interested women to a first meeting to work those this important issue. And at that event, with a lot of sharing passionate feelings and collaboration, we decided on a simple but powerful mission: improving the economic opportunities for women and girls in our community.”   Now, nearly 20 years later, the Women’s Giving Circle has grown into one of the most popular programs within CFNCF, with membership continuing to grow. A wide variety of nonprofits from around the community apply for grants annually and membership committees follow a rigorous vetting process to review applications and recommend which projects merit grant awards. In 2025, the generosity of 153 donors—the largest number of donors in a single year since its inception—made it possible to award a $100,000 Impact Grant and $50,000 in Catalyst Grants, each up to $5,000, to seed new projects or build capacity,   In fact, since its founding, the Circle has had a significant impact in our community, investing more than $2.2 million through 130 grants to 50+ nonprofits large and small devoted to helping women and girls. Beyond that, the Circle has created a network of informed women, who learn more about local challenges and opportunities through social gatherings, educational panels and lunch and dinner dialogues.   And that is one of the most gratifying parts of membership in the Giving Circle, says Marilyn. “You know, I was born in Gainesville. I’ve been very active in our community, both professionally and personally. And I thought I knew our community well. But over the years, through the proposals that come to us and the ensuing research we do, my eyes have really been opened. We have real issues that need attention and the Women’s Giving Circle enables us to address these, with life-changing investments, grants and follow-up. The Women’s Giving Circle is a great way for women of all ages and interests to get more engaged an make a positive difference in our community.”