A nonprofit foundation that receives donations from members of the general public, the Mary Kay Independent Sales Force and employees. MKAF funds research grants to help find cures for cancers affecting women and awards women’s shelters with financial support to organizations that raise awareness and address the problem of violence against women.
The Foundation was created in 1996.
True to our founder’s original mission and heart, The Mary Kay Ash Foundation has a two-fold mission of finding cures for cancers affecting women and eliminating violence against women.
Our mission is to enrich women’s lives around the world. One in three women and girls will be a victim of abuse during her lifetime and one in three women will be diagnosed with cancer. This is unacceptable and we must do our part to help these women and children.
Cancer Research Grants are awarded to NCI-designated institutions and fully accredited medial schools in the United States. Applications are by invitation only and reviewed by a team of cancer research professionals known as the Research Review Committee.
The Research Review Committee is comprised of prominent doctors and PhDs who graciously volunteer their time to help the Foundation select deserving researchers.
The Mary Kay Ash Foundation partners with select organizations working to eliminate violence against women domestically and internationally. In addition, domestic violence shelter grants are awarded in the amount of $20,000 annually to operating shelters across the United States.
Yes, grant recipients will be notified once the review process concludes, and then a list of the current year’s recipients will be posted on the Mary Kay Ash Foundation website. This typically occurs in October in observance of Domestic Violence Awareness and Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Please contact the Foundation team by phone or email at the contact information below.
- Online donations can be made through marykayfoundation.org/donate
- Donations may be sent by mail to the address below:
Mary Kay Ash Foundation
P.O. Box 799044
Dallas, TX 75379-9044
Checks or money orders should be made to Mary Kay Ash Foundation
When submitting your donation online or by mail, please designate that the gift is being made in Honor/Memorial. Please include the name and address of the individual or family to whom you would like an acknowledgment sent, along with a message indicating the person for whom the donation was made.
No, all donations of personal significance are welcome.
Yes, you may contact the Foundation team for more information about holding a Community Fundraiser or by visiting the Fundraise page within this site. To contact a Foundation team member, please email [email protected]
Yes, regardless of your donation method (by mail or online) you will receive a receipt for your donation. If you are donating online, a receipt will be generated automatically upon checkout. If you are donating by mail, a receipt will be sent to you at the return address provided shortly after receipt of the donation.
For security reasons, the cash at most third-party fundraising events are consolidated into one check or money order to be sent to the Foundation. If you’d like a tax receipt, we suggest you write a personal check to Mary Kay Ash Foundation. Only checks made directly to Mary Kay Ash Foundation will be considered tax deductible, not the specific event.