WEEKLY NEWS  //  JUNE 30, 2023

Dear Colleagues, 

I knew it was coming. Still, last June, I found myself at a loss of words when the United States Supreme Court decision, Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, overturning Roe v. Wade, came down. In addition to the leaked decision draft, movement leadership, WFN members, and partners were planning for this outcome. However, despite all that awareness and planning, I felt gutted by the decision.

Now, a little over a year later, I again feel gutted by the decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court. Like many of you, I am still processing the Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard ruling, undoing decades of legal precedent related to affirmative action. I am also in shock about the Court’s ruling on student loan forgiveness. I am saddened about the limiting of protections from discrimination for folks from the LGBTQ community on this last day of Pride month. However, alongside sadness, I feel a deepened resolve to continue our important work to advance gender equity and address the racism that got us here. Women, and particularly white women, have had an outsized benefit from affirmative action programs. Women of color will be disproportionately impacted by the Supreme Court’s decision to end affirmative action in college admissions. Relatedly, women and particularly Black women will experience disproportionate harm without a student loan forgiveness program in place.

There are a lot of unknowns right now. What I do know is that we can leverage our experience responding to the Dobbs decision, where we encouraged the philanthropic community to collaborate across strategies and issues. I am deeply moved by the incredible collaborative work already underway by our CHANGE partners at ABFE, AAPIP, and NAP to address the dismantling of affirmative action. I am honored to be part of an organization that signed onto this powerful philanthropic joint statement in response to the Supreme Court's decision in 'Students for Fair Admissions' cases. I remain inspired by the work of our network to address attacks on affirmative action as well. 

Thank you for your commitment and your collaboration.

With gratitude and hope,
Mirenda

Mirenda Meghelli, Esq.
Women’s Funding Network 
Director of Policy and Programs

SPACE IS LIMITED FOR FEMINIST FUNDED '23

We look forward to connecting with you at Feminist Funded '23: RISING, the largest convening of gender-focused philanthropy, dedicated to creating a more just, equitable, and safer world for all. Space is limited, reserve your spot today.

WFN News & Events

Climate change is gendered. It affects women, girls, and transgender individuals in ways that men, boys or cisgender people don’t experience. Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP) is hosting a webinar to discuss how climate change inequitably affects women, girls and trans people, and what funders can do to change the interaction between climate and gender.

CDP's Vice President, Regine A. Webster, will moderate the discussion with the following panelists: 

• Supriya Akerkar, Director, Centre for Development and Emergency Practice, Oxford Brookes University
• Vera J. Soto, Research and Data Collection Analyst, Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Trafficking in Persons
• Jenna Wallace, Program Officer, Economic and Climate Justice, Global Fund for Women

Women's Funding Network is proud to co-sponsor this event along with Giving Compass, United Philanthropy Forum, Alliance Magazine, and Council on Foundations.

July 13, 2023 at 2:00 PM EDT | Register here

WFN Member News & Events

MEMBER ANNOUNCEMENTS 

MEMBER WEBINARS & WORKSHOPS

Early bird tickets are live for I Be Black Girl's in-person summit, Coming Back Into Our Bodies. This event is open to all advocates, allies, and community members who want to invest in reproductive justice in the Heartland.

October 27, 2023 at 8 AM-5 PM EDT | Register here

How Women Lead announces the 2nd Women Leaders for the World Fellowship Cohort focused on Abortion and Reproductive Health, Rights and Justice in October/November 2023. Through HWL's philanthropic arm, several of the organizations represented received $40K in unrestricted grants. With the continued attacks on reproductive health and justice globally, HWL is encouraged to make the opportunity available to more leaders.

Join an information session to learn more about the fellowship, its curriculum, outcomes and components.

Women Leaders for the World is a year-long leadership training program for social impact leaders from across the world. WLW provides coaching, training and customized support to accomplished women leaders in nonprofits, social enterprises and other areas such as academia, social media, philanthropy and politics.

For more information, please contact the fellowship coordinator at [email protected].

July 11, 2023 at 8:00 AM PDT | Register here

Opportunities & Resources

The Opportunity Agenda has released two important tools: Messaging on Affirmative Action and A Court in Crisis: Messaging on the Supreme Court & the Judiciary.

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