our mission
Chrysalis transforms the lives of girls and women through education, leadership, community engagement, and grants.
our vision
Every girl and woman in Greater Des Moines has the support, resources, and opportunities to lead a successful life.
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1989 → today
1989
Louise Rosenfield Noun, Elaine Szymoniak, and Barbara Barrett launch Chrysalis Foundation.
Early Focus
Scholarships, emergency funding, conference sponsorships.
Growth
Expansion into grants, after-school programming, leadership development.
Today
Serving thousands annually through grants, mentoring, scholarships, and education.
why this work matters
1 in 5 women
experience sexual assault during college
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81 cents
Iowa women earn only 81 cents to every dollar earned by men
girls are 30%
more likely than boys to be bullied in school
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the foundation for girls and women
how we create impact
Chrysalis believes every girl and woman deserves the opportunity to be safe, educated, independent, and economically secure.
Our work is grounded in research, community partnership, and long-term systems change — investing in solutions that create measurable impact across generations.
Because of the endowment established by founder Louise Noun, 100% of contributed donor dollars directly support girls and women of Iowa.