The organization was founded in 1955[2] in Red Cloud, the small town that appears frequently in Willa Cather's novels and stories under a variety of names.

[8] Under Bennett's direction, the foundation's primary early focus was the preservation and restoration of sites in and around Red Cloud that figure in Cather's life and work.

It publishes the Willa Cather Review, a journal of scholarly articles and foundation news, and holds an annual spring conference in Red Cloud.

The foundation awards the Norma Ross Walter scholarship, given annually to a female graduate of a Nebraska high school intending to major in English.

In addition, over 8,000 Cather-related documents and artifacts returned to Red Cloud to the care of the new Special Collections & Archives, opened in 2017 at the National Willa Cather Center.