Philanthropic funders have been increasingly focused not just on how their grants can make an impact, but on how their invested assets can also advance their missions. One important component of that question is who, exactly, is making the investment … [Read more...] about With a New, All-Female Investment Committee, This L.A.-Based Funder Is Sending a Message
Women & Girls
Unlocking Girls’ Leadership Starts with Asking the Right Questions
Sometimes asking a simple question — and truly listening to the answer — can be a powerful catalyst for change. Questions, and the information they unearth, can also nurture great leaders. Without them, we risk missing profound insights that can only … [Read more...] about Unlocking Girls’ Leadership Starts with Asking the Right Questions
This Michigan-Based Donor Advisor is Building a Firm Foundation for the Progressive Movement
There’s a nice anecdote behind how Ktisis Capital came by its name, which sheds some light on the way the advisory firm’s founder, Jason Franklin, approaches the work of guiding progressive donors and foundations. When Franklin was living in New York … [Read more...] about This Michigan-Based Donor Advisor is Building a Firm Foundation for the Progressive Movement
Multi-Year, General Support Is a Matter of Strategy for This Reproductive Rights Funder
Margaret Hempel, executive director of the Collaborative for Gender + Reproductive Equity (CGRE), has a message for other funders working to save and preserve reproductive rights in the United States: Multi-year, general operating support isn’t just … [Read more...] about Multi-Year, General Support Is a Matter of Strategy for This Reproductive Rights Funder
A Love Letter to Philanthropy: In Solidarity, From a Friend Fighting for Abortion Access
We are actively losing the fight for bodily autonomy. The stakes couldn’t be higher and philanthropic allies leaving us behind are causing harm. This new movement era requires us to move differently than we did prior to the fall of Roe v. Wade. As … [Read more...] about A Love Letter to Philanthropy: In Solidarity, From a Friend Fighting for Abortion Access
“Portraits of Us”: A Celebration of Black Women in Philanthropy
When Toya Nash Randall started out in philanthropy over 20 years ago, she was often one of the few women of color in the room — and frequently the only one. Today, there are more Black women in the sector, but their numbers remain relatively small. … [Read more...] about “Portraits of Us”: A Celebration of Black Women in Philanthropy
This Women’s History Month, We Need More Funding – and More Optimism
Since the Supreme Court’s wrong and damaging decision in June to end affirmative action at universities, our field has been bracing for the financial impact to organizations that support and empower minorities, especially women, girls, and nonbinary … [Read more...] about This Women’s History Month, We Need More Funding – and More Optimism
Groundswell’s Leaders on Funding Challenges for the Intersectional Reproductive Justice Movement
First, some good news: Groundswell Fund, an important funding intermediary supporting grassroots organizations at the forefront of the struggle for reproductive rights, including abortion, looks like it’s in a strong position to keep backing that … [Read more...] about Groundswell’s Leaders on Funding Challenges for the Intersectional Reproductive Justice Movement
This Foundation Is Highlighting the Link Between Opioids and Maternal and Infant Health Risks
The Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts (FORE) is the only national foundation that has a singular focus on finding and fostering solutions to the opioid crisis. But that doesn’t mean its focus is narrow, given the complex nature of this social … [Read more...] about This Foundation Is Highlighting the Link Between Opioids and Maternal and Infant Health Risks
From Anti-Apartheid to Land Back, Deborah Santana Reflects on Years of Social Justice Giving
You might know Deborah Santana as the former wife of legendary musician Carlos Santana; the two were married from the early 1970s until 2007 and managed his band together for years. But that connection offers only a glimpse into the life of Deborah … [Read more...] about From Anti-Apartheid to Land Back, Deborah Santana Reflects on Years of Social Justice Giving
Melinda French Gates and MacKenzie Scott Pitch in for Student Health
Earlier this month, two of the most powerful women in philanthropy stepped up to support healthcare for American students. Melinda French Gates’ Pivotal Ventures and MacKenzie Scott provided a combined $23 million to the School-Based Health Alliance … [Read more...] about Melinda French Gates and MacKenzie Scott Pitch in for Student Health
With “A Little Courage,” Ipas Is Shifting Money to the Front Lines of Abortion and Contraceptive Access
In early December, Ipas, the world’s only international NGO dedicated exclusively to expanding access to abortion and contraception, announced that it had found a way to double the number of grantees receiving money through its Ipas Collaborative … [Read more...] about With “A Little Courage,” Ipas Is Shifting Money to the Front Lines of Abortion and Contraceptive Access
Beyond Trust-Based Philanthropy: Ms. Foundation Report Advocates for Care-Based Giving
In its influential 2020 report, “Pocket Change: How Women and Girls of Color Do More With Less,” the Ms. Foundation for Women found that total philanthropic giving for women and girls of color in 2017 totaled $356 million — or $5.48 for every woman … [Read more...] about Beyond Trust-Based Philanthropy: Ms. Foundation Report Advocates for Care-Based Giving
The 50 Most Powerful Women in U.S. Philanthropy
The Kendeda Fund is Writing its Last Checks — and the Last Chapter of a 30-Year Story of Giving
About 30 years ago, Diana Blank began to ramp up her philanthropy through what became known as the Kendeda Fund, drawing the name from her three children, Kenny, Dena and Danielle. Tapping into wealth derived from the Home Depot empire, which was … [Read more...] about The Kendeda Fund is Writing its Last Checks — and the Last Chapter of a 30-Year Story of Giving
With Women Literally Under Attack, Funders Must Invest More in Ending Gender-Based Violence
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and each year around this time, I reflect on how far this country has come since Congress first passed the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) in 1994, and on the monumental strides made in the fight … [Read more...] about With Women Literally Under Attack, Funders Must Invest More in Ending Gender-Based Violence
Three Ways the Gates Foundation is Supporting the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals
On the margins of the U.N. General Assembly this year — where an underlying theme was the troubling stalled state of advancement on most of the governing body’s Sustainable Development Goals — the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation backed a set of … [Read more...] about Three Ways the Gates Foundation is Supporting the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals
Eight Questions for Bia Vieira, President and CEO of Women’s Foundation California
In September 2023, Women’s Foundation California, a statewide community foundation advancing racial, economic and gender justice for over four decades, welcomed Bia Vieira as its new president and CEO. Vieira is the first Latina CEO to lead the … [Read more...] about Eight Questions for Bia Vieira, President and CEO of Women’s Foundation California
Black Feminists Are Organizing with Little to No Funding. Here Are Three Ways to Change That
Around the world, Black feminists are doing transformational work to advance human rights and social justice. As people who are among those most impacted by multiple, systemic injustices, Black women and gender nonconforming people are dreaming and … [Read more...] about Black Feminists Are Organizing with Little to No Funding. Here Are Three Ways to Change That
Righting the World: How Five Globally Bestselling Authors Give
Authors like Stephen King and J.K. Rowling are household names to anyone who likes to read, and regularly produce works that sit atop bestseller lists around the world. But how do these and other successful chroniclers of the human condition engage … [Read more...] about Righting the World: How Five Globally Bestselling Authors Give
This Megadonor’s Attempt to Curtail Ohio Voters’ Rights Is a Symptom of Our Larger Problem
An Illinois Republican megadonor with ties to efforts to attack unions and overturn the 2020 presidential election was reportedly also the main donor behind the unsuccessful effort to make it much harder for Ohioans to protect the right to abortion … [Read more...] about This Megadonor’s Attempt to Curtail Ohio Voters’ Rights Is a Symptom of Our Larger Problem
This Women’s Donor Collective Invites its Members to “Experience Philanthropy Differently”
One of the pitfalls of global funding, and philanthropy in general, is the tendency of donors to storm into an unfamiliar situation and start setting agendas. At the same time, a donor being completely removed from what’s happening on the ground is … [Read more...] about This Women’s Donor Collective Invites its Members to “Experience Philanthropy Differently”
How a Dutch Princess Is Leading a Global Fight to End Child Marriage
“I do” is an empowering statement, one that implies the underlying free will to make one of the biggest decisions in life: choosing a partner. Yet every minute of every day, 23 adolescent girls enter into marriage well before they are able to provide … [Read more...] about How a Dutch Princess Is Leading a Global Fight to End Child Marriage
How Abortion Rights Funders Have Responded Since Dobbs — and Where They’re Still Falling Short
The vast majority of news reports examining the impact of the infamous Dobbs decision one year later focused on the ways that the decision has changed our country’s social and political landscape. Some of the news was actually good. For example, the … [Read more...] about How Abortion Rights Funders Have Responded Since Dobbs — and Where They’re Still Falling Short
How Can Funders Meaningfully Address Gender-Based Violence? Support Survivor Justice
Editor's Note: This article was originally published on June 28, 2023. This year, the White House marked Sexual Assault Awareness Month in March with a proclamation that included a sobering statistic: 1 in 4 women have survived a rape or attempted … [Read more...] about How Can Funders Meaningfully Address Gender-Based Violence? Support Survivor Justice
Dear Philanthropy: Step Up for Reproductive Justice by Backing Black Women and Black-Led Nonprofits
This year marks 50 years since the right to choose was affirmed through Roe v. Wade, yet our reproductive freedoms continue to be threatened following last year’s devastating decision to overturn the landmark court case.State Supreme Court races, … [Read more...] about Dear Philanthropy: Step Up for Reproductive Justice by Backing Black Women and Black-Led Nonprofits
Violence Against Abortion Clinics Is on the Rise in Sanctuary States. Will Funders Meet the Need?
In Michigan, an extremist tried to set fire to a clinic; in New York, another followed a patient all the way into a clinic’s elevator and pushed every button to delay the patient from getting care. Clinics and clinic staff in California have faced … [Read more...] about Violence Against Abortion Clinics Is on the Rise in Sanctuary States. Will Funders Meet the Need?
Nine Questions for Gloria Perez, CEO and President of the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota
As the country’s first statewide women’s foundation celebrates its 40th anniversary, Gloria Perez is entering her fourth year on the job as the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota’s (WFMN) president and chief executive officer. Born in San Antonio, … [Read more...] about Nine Questions for Gloria Perez, CEO and President of the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota
New Resources to Help Fundraisers Connect With Women Donors
The pool of major donors is becoming more diverse overall, and women, in particular, are a powerful force in philanthropy. Research has shown that women are more likely to give, and give more, than men. And yet, as in so many fields, fundraising … [Read more...] about New Resources to Help Fundraisers Connect With Women Donors
Seven Questions for Women’s Foundation of Colorado President and CEO Lauren Casteel
One of Lauren Casteel’s earliest memories was sitting at the kitchen table watching her father, Whitney Young, who was the executive director of the National Urban League and one of the “Big Six” of the Civil Rights Movement, go through the mail. “He … [Read more...] about Seven Questions for Women’s Foundation of Colorado President and CEO Lauren Casteel
