WEEKLY NEWS // APRIL 4, 2024

// FROM THE DESK OF RASHMI YADAV MARYA

Ready to help WFN Accelerate International Fight for Gender Justice

Dear Colleagues,

As new board chair of WFN, I would like to thank each of you for joining our alliance of funders, donors, and allies committed to moving resources to community leaders advancing a gender-just future for all people around the world. I am also honored to be serving in partnership with elected officers Ada Williams Prince, Board Vice Chair; Michelle Zych, Board Treasurer; and Adriana Loson-Ceballos, PhD, Board Secretary.

This is an exciting time of growth for our network. Last year, our global conference brought nearly 500 attendees from 21 countries, 40 U.S. states, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico. Around 72 percent of attendees identified as women or gender expansive people of color. We hosted 125 inspiring speakers over three days and added a fourth day that included a focus on Feminist Foreign Policy as well as the first-ever Feminist Philanthropy Hill Day with over 140 attendees, who conducted 72 visits. You can revisit the highlights here:

Feminist Foreign Policy Convening
First-ever Feminist Philanthropy Hill Day
Also, you can revisit any of the mainstage sessions here.

I look forward to supporting Elizabeth and her team in amplifying our collective impact in 2024 and beyond. Thank you for your partnership and all that you do!

Sincerely,

Rashmi Yadav Marya
Women’s Funding Network
Chair, Board of Directors

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If you are interested in contributing a guest letter, you can submit proposals here.

News from WFN

2024 WFN MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL

Our network thrives on the strength and diversity of our members. Please join us in appreciating The Women’s Fund of Essex County who renewed WFN membership for 2024.

If you have questions about membership renewal, joining WFN as a new member, or would like to learn more about WFN membership, please contact us.

In partnership with ChildFocus Partners, WFN is offering a monthly advocacy and policy newsletter. Sign up here to receive the newsletter.

News from WFN Members

MEMBER ANNOUNCEMENTS

Join us in congratulating Hannah Rickert in her promotion to Program Manager at Iowa Women's Foundation. In this role, Hannah will focus on the growth and integration of IWF research, advocacy, and grantmaking as they continue to serve to empower women and girls in Iowa.

Haiti is seeing increasing instability, gang takeovers of many communities, and increasing violence against women and girls. The Haitian Women's Collective (HWC) launched an emergency fund to support HWC partner organizations in need of immediate help. The following organizations will receive much-needed urgent funds to help them address this time of crisis: 100% Fanm (economic development), Profamil (women’s health), and Neges Mawon (advocacy and a safe house). Learn more and support the emergency fund here.

WomenStrong International was honored as one of “21 Leaders of the 21st Century,” by the global feminist publication, Women’s eNews, which published an article by Dr. Susan M. Blaustein reflecting on the organization's first decade of work empowering local women-led organizations worldwide. Read Dr. Blaustein's article here.

MEMBER EVENTS

The Women’s Fund of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation is partnering with Northern Kentucky University, the University of Cincinnati, Xavier University, and the Northern Kentucky Chamber to offer Appointed 101: Engaging More Women as Civic and Community Leaders. This free, interactive session is to prepare and empower women to serve on civic boards and commissions.

April 5, 2024 | 9:00 - 10:30 a.m. EDT | Register here

Women's Foundation of Oregon is partnering with Cleveland High School to support their efforts to have an important conversation about masculinity in our current culture. Join a robust evening discussion on how to build a culture of healthy masculinity, where boys become men who are strong and loving, and who respect and value everyone, including themselves.

April 25, 2024 | 5:30 - 8:00 p.m. PDT | Register here

Join The Women's Foundation of Colorado President & CEO, Lauren Y. Casteel, and Fort Collins author, Camille Dungy, as they discuss how the various plants Camille grows in her garden are a metaphor and treatise for how homogeneity threatens the future of our planet, and why cultivating diverse and intersectional language in our national discourse about the environment is the best means of protecting it.

May 8, 2024 | 5:00 - 6:30 p.m. MDT | Register here

Join WNY Women's Foundation for their Women’s Leadership Summit, which will provide participants with the opportunity to engage in workshops and interactive panel discussions tailored to their current stage in their leadership journey. Guests can spend the afternoon networking and interacting with Buffalo's most influential women leaders, whether they are just starting out or have an established career.

May 31, 2024 | 12:30 - 5:30 p.m. EDT | Register here

Women's Fund of Rhode Island's premier fundraising event, Women Leading Change, will bring together business and community leaders, social activists, philanthropists, and anyone interested in leveling the playing field for women and girls in Rhode Island. Attendees can network over food, participate in a silent auction, and help honor local women leaders.

September 18, 2024 | 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. EDT | Register here

Opportunities and Resources

Center for Disaster Philanthropy is hosting a webinar to explore how funders can address the growing heat crisis. The event will examine the links between climate change and heat and build awareness of heat’s inequitable impacts. Learn more here.

April 11, 2024 | 1:00 - 2:00pm EDT | Register here

In Solidarity We Rise 2024 has transitioned to be a virtual summit. Hosted by Justice and Joy National Collaborative, the summit centers girls, young women, and gender-expansive young people of color in the policy solutions, organizing efforts, and advocacy that would impact their futures and communities. Participants will strategize, share solutions, imagine new futures, and make connections between their fields, issues, and approaches that advance healing, opportunity, and justice for all girls and young people.

May 2-4, 2024 | Register here

What We're Reading

Florida Supreme Court upholds 15-week abortion ban, but voters will soon have a say — PBS

What We're Watching

Preview As We Are, a docuseries developed by Women’s Foundation of the South (WFS) in partnership with W.K. Kellogg Foundation, strut AGENCY, and two-time Emmy-nominated filmmaker Eternal Polk. As We Are delves into the lives of extraordinary nonprofit leaders, highlighting the untold stories of women of color in Mississippi and Louisiana.

Save the date for the screening premieres in Jackson, Mississippi on May 8 and in New Orleans, Louisiana on May 10. Registration opens April 8.

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