Between leading boards, helming multimillion-dollar fundraising campaigns, chairing galas, and handing over six- and seven-figure checks themselves, women are stepping up and taking a greater role in running New York City's cultural institutions, according to Crain's New York Business.

“Whether boards are accepting women in more powerful positions or whether women have control over more money than they used to, they are definitely becoming more prominent, particularly in the arts,” fundraising consultant Toni Goodale told Crain's.

The report looks at women who sit on the boards of prestigious New York institutions and/or have ponied up huge gifts to them, such as Museum of Modern Art President Marie-Josée Kravis; Agnes Varis, managing director of the Metropolitan Opera and vice chairman of the Jazz Foundation of America; New York Public Library Chair Catherine Marron; and Laurie Tisch, who sits on the executive committee of Lincoln Center.

The article says that "most of the women in this group rely on their husbands' fat bank accounts or family money" but acknowledges also their professional experience and expertise, saying most either have or had significant careers, such as Katherine Farley, a Harvard-trained architect who now serves as chairman-designate at Lincoln Center, said to be the most prestigious arts board post in town.

Read more at Crain's New York Business.