Feminist News and Information

WEEKLY NEWS // APRIL 18, 2023

// A LETTER FROM OUR PRESIDENT & CEO

Philanthropy Has a Critical Role to Play in Addressing the Impact of Inflation on Women

Dear Colleagues,

With the second-largest bank collapse in the history of the U.S. and record-high inflation around the world, financial security is top of people’s minds right now. This worry is for good reason: soaring food and fuel prices have pushed more than seventy million people [[link removed]] into poverty worldwide. So it makes sense that for the past year, inflation has remained the number one thing that worries people across 29 countries [[link removed]].

Yet what few are talking about in the inflation conversation is the outsized impact it has on women. Studies show that women are “ paying more and making less [[link removed]].” Fields with the highest share of women workers (such as 75% in healthcare and education) have some of the lowest wage increases, so working women can’t keep up with the pace of inflation. Meanwhile, men in the U.S. are 33.3% more likely [[link removed]] than women to have their salaries keep pace with inflation. On top of that, the prices of items [[link removed]] typically sold to women–such as period products, beauty products, women’s shoes and clothes–spiked higher than men’s grooming and clothing items.

Philanthropy also has a critical role to play in addressing the impact of inflation on women. Rather than the previous spending of just 1.9% of all charitable contributions [[link removed]] going to nonprofits dedicated to supporting women and girls, we need to boost that to 10% or more–immediately. Investments in women and girls’ education and financial security are what will help long-term survival when prices spike. Funders must also direct investments to organizations run by women. It’s proven that women manage money more effectively and efficiently, with investments managed by women delivering a higher rate of return, according to the new book The XX Edge: Unlocking Higher Returns and Lower Risk [[link removed]]. (Our own data bears that out, with women’s funds moving money six times faster than traditional philanthropic channels.)

We’re experiencing a difficult, stressful, and expensive time for women, girls and gender expansive people around the world. Thank you for all you do to support their efforts in creating intersectional feminist economies that work for all.

Elizabeth Barajas-Román

Women’s Funding Network

President & CEO



As we just wrapped up recognizing Black Maternal Health Week, we are reminded of the urgent need to address the systemic issues that contribute to the Black maternal health crisis. Women’s funds and foundations are uniquely positioned to make a difference in this area through grant-making, advocacy, and programmatic work that prioritizes the voices and experiences of Black women, Black birthing people, and their families. Read more here [[link removed]] about how WFN members are leading the way.

Read Here [[link removed]] WFN Member News WFN MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS & NEW MEMBERS

Our network is only as strong as the people and organizations who are a part of it. Join us in appreciating International Convocation of Unitarian Universalist Women who have renewed for 2023.

If you have questions about membership or would like additional information, please contact us [mailto:[email protected]].

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Tamara Wilds Lawson as the new President and CEO of Washington Area Women’s Foundation. Dr. Lawson currently serves as the Movement, Issue, and Charitable Organizations (MICO) Director at ActBlue, a nonprofit technology organization raising funding and awareness for progressive political causes and campaigns. In her role, she leads a 20-person team that supports nonprofits raising funds on the platform and develops strategic partnerships with nonprofits. In her new role, Dr. Lawson will lead The Women’s Foundation’s efforts to improve the economic security and well–being of women and girls of color throughout the Washington metropolitan region. To learn more about Dr. Lawson, click here [[link removed]].

Please also join us in thanking Jacquelyn Lendsey for her dedicated service as Interim President and CEO at Washington Area Women’s Foundation.

MEMBER ANNOUNCEMENTS

The New York Women's Foundation is hiring a Corporate Gifts Officer [[link removed]] and a Manager, Strategic Learning [[link removed]]. To learn more, click here [[link removed]].

WAKE invites nonprofits serving communities in the U.S.’s South focused on social and reproductive justice to apply for Tech2Empower USA South: Activism for Reproductive Justice [[link removed]]. Applications are due this Friday, April 14. Learn more and apply here [[link removed]].

MEMBER WEBINARS & WORKSHOPS

Victoria Women's Foundation is providing free Community Info Sessions around Australia to encourage people to join Together, Yes [[link removed]] in support of an Indigenous Voice to parliament. Learn more here [[link removed]].

Mississippi [[link removed]] is one of three Ascend pilot states and one of only four states holding legislative elections in 2023. Join The Ascend Fund and their Mississippi partners, ACLU, Mississippi Black Women’s Roundtable, NEW Leadership Mississippi, and the Women’s Foundation of Mississippi, for a discussion about their work to build a more inclusive democracy, including efforts to achieve gender parity and racial equity in the state legislature.

April 19, 2023 | 3:00pm EDT | Register here [[link removed]]

Women's Foundation California is hosting The Retirement Readiness Workshop Series, a comprehensive program designed to help you plan for a financially secure retirement. The 3-part series will focus on the unique needs and concerns of women and gender expansive folks and will cover a range of topics related to retirement planning, such as creating a retirement budget, estimating retirement expenses, maximizing retirement savings, understanding Social Security benefits, and managing retirement income. The 90-minute workshops are led by Saundra Davis who is known for making complex financial concepts easy to understand and providing practical guidance, tools, and resources to help to plan your retirement goals. Whether you are nearing retirement or just starting to think about it, this workshop series can help you make informed decisions and take action to prepare for a comfortable and fulfilling retirement.

April 26, May 3, and May 10 | 5:00pm-6:30pm PDT | Register here [[link removed]]

Join Washington Area Women's Foundation for their next #AskHer webinar in recognition of Sexual Assault Awareness Month. The webinar will discuss the effects of sexual violence on women’s health and ways we can advocate for and best support survivors and will feature Mia Keeys, DC Commissioner for Women and Director of Government Affairs at Hologic, Dr. Angela Marshall, President and CEO at Comprehensive Women’s Health, and Dr. Shawn Davis-Wilensky, Obstetrician-Gynecologist at a local practice in the area. The webinar will be moderated by Dr. Indira Henard, Executive Director at DC Rape Crisis Center.

April 27, 2023 | 1:00pm-2:00pm EDT | Register here [[link removed]]

Opportunities and Resources

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will host a philanthropic roundtable to discuss the intersectionality of Gender-based Violence and Housing. This virtual event will feature HUD’s Secretary Marcia Fudge and Karlo Ng, Director on Gender-based Violence Prevention and Equity. If you’re interested in participating, please contact Mia Bailey in HUD’s International and Philanthropic Affairs Division, using the subject line GBV Philanthropic Roundtable.

May 23, 2023 | 2:00 PM- 4:00 PM EST | C [mailto:[email protected]] ontact Mia Bailey [mailto:[email protected]]



Black Mamas Matter Alliance released their new comprehensive issues and values-based policy agenda, Black Mamas Matter: In Policy and Practice [[link removed]]. Organized into six overarching policy issues that are central to the work that their partners do across the country, the agenda represents the issues on which BMMA is frequently asked to engage and endorse legislation, including:

Structural and Social Determinants of Black Maternal HealthFull Spectrum Maternal, Sexual, and Reproductive HealthcareBlack Maternal, Reproductive, and Perinatal Workforce DevelopmentCriminalization of Black Women, Birthing People, and FamiliesResearch and Data TransformationBlack Women and Birthing People’s Leadership

Research from the #CultureChangeProject is showing that care work remains both visible and important to people, despite a sharp decline in public discourse about COVID-19 in general. How should advocates and supporters of #carework use this window of opportunity to build public and legislative support for better working conditions? It starts with an understanding of public mindsets on care work. For a closer look at how mindsets about care work have evolved and shifted over the last two years, check out this new report [[link removed]] from the FrameWorks Institute, produced in partnership with PHI, Caring Across Generations and the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation:

What We're Reading

Women This Week: Iran Bans Women Without Hijabs from Education and Health Services.

— C [[link removed]] ouncil on Foreign Relations [[link removed]]

Cal Wellness Fellow Is Researching Solutions to Community Gun Violence. — T [[link removed]] he California Wellness Foundation [[link removed]]

Biden administration will propose new privacy safeguards for women seeking abortions. — C [[link removed]] NN [[link removed]]

This founder is connecting Black women across ages and stages to help them ‘build the network to thrive’. — F [[link removed]] ortune [[link removed]]

What We're Watching

Iranian authorities have begun installing cameras in public places to identify unveiled women, the police have announced. Women seen not covering their hair would receive a "warning text messages as to the consequences", police said. This would help prevent "resistance against the hijab law", police said. Protests were sparked last year by the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini, a young Kurdish woman arrested for allegedly violating the hijab rule.

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