By TRACEY DRURY
tdrury@bizjournals.com | 716-541-1609

The WNY Women's Fund will undergo a leadership transition and a shift to an independent status in the coming months.

A search is currently under way to replace Brigid Doherty, executive director, who will leave the organization after its signature event June 29: a fundraising dinner featuring philanthropist Jennifer Buffett.

Doherty plans to spend more time with family. Her decision to leave is not directly tied to the agency's change in status.

It announced two years ago it was pursuing independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit status in an effort to gain more of an independent voice and better its fundraising position. The WNY Women's Fund was founded in 1999 as a collaboration between the United Way of Buffalo and Erie County and the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo.

Gaining independent status will also enable the organization to make funding decisions on its own, Doherty says. With the nonprofit incorporation paperwork now complete, the agency is hoping to officially go out on its own by early 2012.

"The United Way has been a great partner to us, working with us to make sure that we have the financial controls and things ready to go before we move on," Doherty says.

Meantime, the agency continues work on its Pathways to Progress Out of School Time Initiative with two programs. The first will launch in late July, bringing quality-standards training to 125 after-school providers. In the fall, the organization will begin a pilot after-school program at Buffalo Public School No. 59, the Dr. Charles R. Drew Science Magnet. It is aimed at incorporating academic support and enrichment activities by utilizing exiting community resources such as Northwest Buffalo Community Center.

The initiatives have received funding assistance from the United Way, the Buffalo Public Schools, the Community Foundation and the Patrick P. Lee Foundation, as well as Erie County.

"Ideally, after-school programs should have a great relationship with school," Doherty says. "Kids who attend high-quality after-school programs have much better attendance in school, which leads to better academic outcomes."