History

The Lynde B. Uihlein Foundation was created as a private foundation in 1989, to serve as a vehicle for Ms. Uihlein’s philanthropic interests. In 1995, the name was changed to the Brico Fund.  (Brico is short for “bricolage,” a French word that loosely means “do it yourself.”)  At that time, very few funders were paying attention to the unique needs of women and girls.  Brico initially focused our grant making solely in this area in order to call attention to the importance of the issue. Since then, the Fund has been active in collaborating with other funders, locally and nationally, and has played a leadership role in funding agencies working with girls. 

In 2002, the Brico Fund revised our mission.  While women and girls remain a top priority, the range of grant making has been expanded to include the environment, a just and equitable society, innovative ideas and local needs.