Among the most notable and lasting contributions of Ottoman women were their waqfs (charitable endowments).

The Yeni Camii (New Mosque) in Istanbul was initiated as a waqf by Valide Sultan Safiye, the mother of Sultan Mehmed III in 1597 and was completed Valide Sultan Turhan Hatice in 1665.

Kösem Sultan, the mother of Sultans Murad IV and Ibrahim I, established a waqf in the early 17th century that provided dowries for poor women.