The Joyce Thorpe Nicholson Fund

Joyce Thorpe Nicholson (1919 -2010) holds a special place in the heart of the Victorian Women’s Benevolent Trust. As a respected publisher, author, philanthropist and feminist she did much to advance conditions for women and girls in her lifetime.

This included her visionary launch of the Million Dollar Appeal in 1988, which helped build the profile and capacity of the Trust. Named in her honour, the Joyce Thorpe Nicholson Fund supports our general grants program and allows us to make grants each year. It is with pride that we share Joyce’s vision and see her legacy continue to grow. Joyce was posthumously awarded the Changing the Face of Philanthropy Award by the Women’s Funding Network in New York in 2011, in recognition of her contribution to social change and feminist philanthropy. The VWT nominated Joyce for this Award, and she became the first female philanthropist outside of the United States of America to be honoured in this way.

We extend our sincere thanks to all who have donated to the Joyce Thorpe Nicholson Fund.

“I shall live happily knowing that after I’m gone the Victorian Women’s Trust will have become a permanent institution.”

Joyce Thorpe Nicholson