Event Recap

2026 Ann Bancroft Foundation Annual Celebration

Thursday, April 23, 2026

The Depot Minneapolis

Thank you!

Thank you to those who supported this year’s annual celebration. Together, we raised critical funds needed to provide transformational experiences to K-12 girls+ in Minnesota to reach their potential.

This year's theme, the Courage of Community, honored the collective courage that holds us, shapes us, and carries us forward together.

Courage does not begin with confidence. It begins with being grounded in community.

Across Minnesota, courage is tested and practiced every day, in our neighborhoods, schools, workplaces, and shared civic spaces. It shows up in small, deliberate choices: to listen, to stay present, and to stand with one another even when fear or division feels close at hand. The most enduring courage does not come from standing alone. It grows when passion and purpose meet.

This belief sits at the heart of the Ann Bancroft Foundation.

For girls and gender expansive youth navigating a world that often asks them to be certain, accomplished, and resilient before they are ready, courage begins differently. It begins with mentors who stay. Families who encourage curiosity and growth. Friends who look out for one another, speak up when someone’s voice is quiet, and create space for both confidence and doubt.

When girls+ know they are supported, courage takes shape, not as fearlessness, but as the willingness to try again, to speak, to lead, and to imagine what might be possible.

Read the stories of courage, the kind that grows from community.

2026 Program

DreamMaker Honoree

For over a decade, the Ann Bancroft Foundation has recognized individuals and organizations that inspire and dare to dream of endless possibilities for women, girls, and the broader community. Through the DreamMaker and Rising DreamMaker Awards, we honor Ann Bancroft’s enduring passion for helping others achieve their dreams by embracing risk, pursuing education, and seizing opportunities.

Dr. Annie Vogel Ciernia

This year, we are proud to celebrate Dr. Annie Vogel Ciernia.

Growing up in the small town of Ulen, Minnesota, Dr. Ciernia’s school had limited resources. Despite this, Annie’s dedicated community supported her in her path to success. Annie’s mother, Therese Vogel, discovered the Ann Bancroft Foundation grant and encouraged her daughter to apply.

In Spring 2002, at age 16, Annie received a grant and attended the Summer Honors College at the University of Minnesota, which brought together students interested in STEM from across Minnesota.

Today, Dr. Ciernia is an Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia and currently the Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Understanding Gene Expression in the Brain. Her lab is located at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and the Centre for Brain Health.

Dr. Ciernia’s lab focuses on understanding how our genetics and environment influence regulation of gene expression in the brain across the lifespan. In particular, her team studies how early-life experiences shape interactions between the nervous and immune systems, leading to long-term changes in brain function and behavior.

Learn more about Dr. Ciernia's accomplishments

Read her profile in our 2022-2023 annual report

Play Video

Meet Dr. Annie Vogel Ciernia and hear more about her journey in science.

Trailblazer Feature

Play Video

Meet Ileini, ABF Grantee, Girlhood Summit Speaker, and Trailblazer Fellow. In Fall 2023, Ileini received a grant from the Ann Bancroft Foundation to pursue her dream of playing college hockey. Ileini attended two hockey camps with her grant. Ileini is a Trailblazer Fellow who used her second grant to write and produce a podcast called Mom & Me: Climbing Mountains Together. Ileini shares about her journey with mental health struggles, becoming an advocate, and how she created her podcast.