The Institute for Women's Futures

Co-founded by Alicia Dara, Dr. Heather Bartos, MD, and Alisa Kennedy Jones, THE INSTITUTE FOR WOMEN'S FUTURES is a 501c3 educational foundation devoted to the science of midlife women thriving. Imagine a future where healthcare providers are equipped with extensive training and expertise in menopause care, and where midlife women receive the attention, support, and agency they deserve. Founded in 2024, the Institute came together from a shared recognition of three core elements women require to thrive in midlife. The first is state-of-the-art healthcare mapped to midlife women's specific needs, economics, and, locations. The second is greater socioeconomic power--right now our demo has a 13% unemployment rate, and the third is much broader cultural visibility. We're here and need to be more powerful than ever. There's no relegating us to the crone hut. Knowing state-of-the-art healthcare is the toughest challenge, we sought to begin with the latter two elements, mobilizing women through our educational partnerships and programs. With more than a billion women entering menopause in 2025, we also saw an opportunity to create a vital economic impact by setting up systems for midlife women to hire, buy, and refer each other for work to decrease the likelihood that 80% of US women will end their lives in poverty--as they currently do. We're currently seeking advisory board members and partners. If you'd like to work with us, please reach out on our website. THE IWF | Dedicated to the Science of Midlife Women Thriving