ABOUT US
In December 2020, the Women's Suffrage National Monument Foundation was authorized by the United States Congress through Public Law 116-217 to establish a commemorative work on federal land in Washington, D.C. to honor the pioneers of the early American movement for women's equality. In partnership with the National Park Service, the Foundation leads the effort to design, develop, and construct the Women's Suffrage National Monument to serve as a lasting legacy of women's fight for full equality.
Mission
Establish a national monument in Washington, D.C. to commemorate women's fight for the vote and honor the pioneers of the early American movement for women's equality.
Vision
Honor our shared past, uplift our diverse histories, and inspire a new generation of trailblazers to continue the march toward full equality for all.
Our Commitment
The Women’s Suffrage National Monument Foundation is committed to lifting all women out of the footnotes of history and into our shared American story. Through the creativity, curiosity, passion, and dedication of our leadership and supporters, this monument will weave together the multitude of diverse histories that collectively tell an inclusive and complete story of women’s fight for equality. Your story—our story—will finally be told. That is our promise, now and forever.
The Process
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Dream it.
It all began with an idea. When our cofounders, Jane DeDecker and Jody Shadduck-McNally, realized that fewer than 5% of monuments in Washington, D.C. tell women’s stories, they became determined to use their voices to bring visibility to the history of American women’s long fight for equality under the law.
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Found it.
On December 17, 2020, with unprecedented bipartisan support from Congress, the President signed Public Law 116-217 into law, charging the Women’s Suffrage National Monument Foundation with the duty to build a monument honoring the early women’s equality movement in Washington, D.C.
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Plan it.
The Foundation has begun work with the National Park Service, National Capital Planning Commission, U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, and National Capital Memorial Advisory Committee to select the site for the monument in Washington, D.C., identify the project’s creative team, and finalize the monument’s design.
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Fund It.
As the sponsoring organization designated in the monument’s founding legislation, the Foundation is charged with raising the funds to build the Women’s Suffrage National Monument. Funds for this project must be raised for construction to begin.
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Build It.
With our site selected, funding secured, environmental study completed, and design finalized, construction on the monument will begin.
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Visit it.
The Women’s Suffrage National Monument will be unveiled in summer 2027. Visitors from around the world will gather together in our nation’s capital to experience this lasting memorial to the activists who waged and won the fight for the vote.
“The suffragists fought to ensure women would have an equal voice in our democracy. They paved the way for the strides women have made over the last century, and theirs is one of the most important stories in our nation’s journey toward a more perfect union. I am honored to join the Women’s Suffrage National Monument Foundation and my fellow First Ladies in this effort to finally give due recognition to these brave women in the core of the commemorative heart of our Nation’s Capital.”