After years of encouraging Des Moines-area women to create a women's foundation, Louise Rosenfield Noun, called together her friends, Senator Elaine Szymoniak and Attorney Barbara Barrett, to establish the Chrysalis Foundation in 1989. Over the next decade, we expanded our Board, hired staff, and created our signature program, Chrysalis After-School, in addition to funding key organizations servin
g girls and women in Polk, Warren, and Dallas counties in central Iowa. In our work to engage organizations and individuals concerned for the well-being of girls and women, we created and lead the Women's Alliance, where we learn together, share resources, and provide a voice for girls and women throughout Iowa. Today, Chrysalis partners with the community to provide Iowa women and girls leadership skills, educational and economic opportunities, and a voice within their communities.
