A Chat With Women’s Giving Fund Grant Committee Member, Diane Tanner

Salt Lake City native Diane Tanner was first introduced to Women’s Giving Fund through her good friend, Nann Worel, in 2018. Diane had always been drawn to causes that support women and children in her community, and she fell even more in love with the idea of women supporting women when she witnessed the passion behind the event. After attending the annual grant celebration at Red Pine Lodge, she immediately signed up to be a member. To this day, Diane continues to be an active member. In 2022, she served on the Women’s Giving Fund grant committee for the first time.

On Monday, June 13, the Women’s Giving Fund Grants Committee announced three finalists for the Women’s Giving Fund annual grant – EATS Park City, The Hope Alliance, and SOS Outreach. With that, the voting period is now open for Women’s Giving Fund members to choose an organization they think most aligns with current needs in our community and supports women and children in Summit County.

Narrowing the applications down to just three finalists is no easy feat, and we are incredibly grateful to the members of the Grants Committee for dedicating their time and perspectives to come to this conclusion.

We chatted with Diane about her love for the Park City community, the 2022 grant process, and the exemplary way the grants committee worked together to create an inclusive space where different voices, backgrounds, and opinions were welcomed and shared.

Q: So, how did you find yourself in Park City?

A: I was born in Utah, and my parents have always had a house in Park City. I’ve been coming up there since I was four years old. I went to Cottonwood High School down in Salt Lake, and then when my husband and I got married, we started moving all around. We bought a house in Park City in 2015 and have been able to be there part-time ever since. During Covid, we could be there full-time for almost two full years, which was heavenly. So now we’re working to move back full-time, building a new home.

We’ve moved so many times, all over the country and internationally, with our kids, and Utah has been the one constant throughout all of that. It’s the one place that my kids felt like was “their” place. My kids consider Park City home, and it’s nice for them to have a place they love coming back to. We moved around every two years for most of their life, and this is where they say they are from. For example, my daughter just got engaged, and she chose to get married in Park City. It’s home.

Q: What’s your favorite thing about Park City?

A: I love everything about Park City, and I have seen it change over 50 years. I love that I can step outside my door and be in nature in minutes. I love the small-town feel, the close-knit community. I love the variety of people. The people that have been here forever, that went to high school here, and are still here through it all. And then you have people who have been here for a year that love the community. I love the communal appreciation for the town and the close-knit vibe between the people that live here.

Q: What made this year’s decision-making process so enjoyable?

A: The Community Foundation, the way they put it all together, was incredibly organized, very concise, and just so well thought out. And the people on the committee were so kind and helpful. We all were really willing to reach out, ask questions, answer questions, and help each other along the way. We could reach a decision so quickly because we all saw very similar needs in the community and a lot of high-impact needs that would be met from some of the organizations that we ended up narrowing it down to.

I loved the conversation and the diversity on the grant committee. The differences in ages and backgrounds were so helpful. There were things I wouldn’t have even considered that were brought up. If I were a proponent of one of the applications, someone else would be able to share a different perspective based on personal experience, and it was just such an excellent discussion. We were all very interested in learning from each other.

Q: That’s one of the things we hope to foster in the Women’s Giving Fund community. A space to have conversations with a wide range of women of different ages, backgrounds, and perspectives so we all can learn from each other.

A: Right. There is power in women. That’s how I fell in love with the idea when Nann first introduced me. I love this idea because I think there is so much power in women’s voices and opinions. We listen, we have empathy, and as mothers, we want better for our community. There is strength in the power of women, and when you get a group of women together, there’s nothing that can’t be accomplished.

Q: What have you gained from being in Women’s Giving Fund?

A: A stronger connection to Park City. I’m not here full-time yet, and it’s really easy sometimes to come in and do your own thing and stay unaware of what’s happening in the community if you don’t dive in headstrong. And I think the Women’s Giving Fund, and Park City Community Foundation in general, have given me a stronger connection to the heartbeat of what’s happening in the community.

Current members! Vote now for the organization you think should be awarded this year’s $45,000 grant >>

Interested in becoming a member? Learn more about Women’s Giving Fund >>