They weren't NASA astronauts. NASA didn't name women astronauts until 1978, and Funk and the 12 other women were never affiliated with the space agency.
The group performed medical and psychological testing in 1961 that was overseen by William Randolph Lovelace II, leader of the medical clinic in Albuquerque that bore his name. The Lovelace Clinic was responsible for testing of male astronaut candidates for the original Mercury Seven, and WRL tested the women at his expense, to see if they could meet the same standards.