Feminist News and Information
WEEKLY NEWS // OCTOBER 24, 2024
// A LETTER FROM OUR PRESIDENT & CEO
One World Strategy For Gender Equity
Dear Colleagues,
Led by Mi Familia Vota, Justice for Migrant Women, and organizations like Women’s Funding Network, I was honored to be part of a historic delegation of U.S. Latine leaders who were invited to witness the inauguration of Mexico’s first woman president, Dr. Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, at the Zócalo in Mexico City earlier this month.
For WFN, the top priority was exploring relationships for a bold binational agenda to increase funding for gender equality and justice for Mexican women and gender-nonconforming people in both countries.
This effort addresses a significant gap in the predominant philanthropic approach. In fact, the top 10 global development funders granted just 1.7% of their total portfolios to organizations based in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2021, and only 0.8% to Latine-focused organizations based in the US.
Fortunately, feminist funds like, Mama Cash, do things differently and can serve as a blueprint. They’ve been creating and honing their Global South-led, one-world, strategy for decades. And collaborative initiatives like Fenomenal Funds have cultivated formal and informal networks that reach across borders and are making a major impact on migrant women, children, and gender-nonconforming people.
Thank you for joining WFN in our goal to deepen connections between feminists in different regions, creating a robust network of allies and strategy partners. By doing so, we foster a transformative, gender-intentional framework that reimagines care, opportunity, and safety for all.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Barajas-Román
Women’s Funding Network
President & CEO
You're Invited
RSVP to be the first to hear about ticket sales for Feminist Funded '25, presented by the Women's Funding Network. The 2023 conference was a sold-out event. This is an opportunity you won't want to miss.
September 9-11, 2025 in Washington, D.C.
News from WFN Members
MEMBER ANNOUNCEMENTS
Join us in welcoming Briana Joyner who joined the staff of the Women's Foundation of Minnesota as Executive Vice President of People & Culture this month. Briana's role will focus on employee experience across the organization and she brings her incredible background and expertise to this work. Read more about Briana here.
The Aurora Women and Girls Foundation announces the hire of a Program Officer, Anisah Colón-Simon, for its new Aurora Young Women's Initiative in New Britain, CT—the first program in CT affiliated with the National Philanthropic Collaborative of Young Women's Initiatives.
The Women's Fund Miami-Dade (WFMD) released an opinion piece in the Miami Herald, Staggering cost of living in Miami-Dade demands childcare reform, a Women’s Fund report shows. The piece utilizes calculations based on the Miami-Dade Self-Sufficiency Standard Dashboard, developed by WFMD.
Collaborate Cleveland, The Women's Fund of Central Ohio, and The Women's Fund of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation joined forces to co-host the Ohio Paid Leave Policy Academy. The first of its kind, this event brought together over 40 organizations from across Ohio to learn about the need for paid leave, how statewide paid leave policies operate, and the strategies and tactics to advance paid leave at the state level.
The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is one of the most effective anti-poverty tax policies in the U.S. These tax programs provide stable pathways out of poverty, through fostering financial security and economic mobility. The Women's Fund of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation explores both the benefits and costs of refundable state EITCs in its newest report.
The Institute for Women's Policy Research's Hannah Gartner recently joined the Nurturing Wāhine Fund in Hawaiʻi to share research and learn more about the child care landscape in Hawai'i. Hannah, alongside Aleeka Morgan, Executive Director of the Nurturing Wāhine Fund, appeared on Hawai'i Public Radio to discuss the pressing child care crisis in Hawaiʻi and the steps needed to address the soaring costs families face. Don't miss this important conversation on how public policy can improve access to affordable child care.
Chicago Foundation for Women is hiring a Corporate and Foundation Relations Officer. Learn more about the position and how to apply here.
MEMBER EVENTS
In her thought-provoking article, Esther Saehyun Lee boldly challenges the status quo of the nonprofit sector, writing, "I am an imposter. I don’t belong in the nonprofit sector—as it is. I refuse to subscribe to the values of white saviorism, colonialism, donor worship, poverty tourism, and the self-congratulatory attitude of 'doing good.'" In this discussion, Esther, Vu Le (author of the Nonprofit AF blog), and Aleeka Morgan (Executive Director of Nurturing Wāhine Fund) will explore key themes from Lee's article and delve into the experience of imposter syndrome within the nonprofit space.
October 24, 2024 | 12:00 - 1:15pm PDT | Register here
Feeling undervalued and under-compensated in your current role? It's time to take charge! Join WNY Women's Foundation for the grand finale of their speaker series to explore the art of compensation negotiation. Discover essential strategies to confidently navigate salary discussions and secure the recognition and benefits you rightfully deserve.
November 4, 2024 | 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. EDT | Register here
Opportunities and Resources
Join Mama Cash and VIVA Strategy for part two of a webinar to present the study, Change that Lasts: 40 Years of Impact, which reveals how their funding has powered global change. They will present key findings, focusing on the critical change they have driven across environmental, reproductive, and economic justice. They will also share recommendations on how funders can collaborate to protect advancements made by their partners and catalyze advocacy for emerging issues.
October 29, 2024 | 12:30 - 1:45 p.m. EDT | Register here
The Women's Leadership Challenge is excited to invite senior-level women to come together for the free and virtual Feminist Leadership Roundtable. Come together and discuss what it means to lead with feminist values, the impact of the upcoming elections, and how to fully step into power as a feminist leader.
October 29, 2024 | 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. EDT | Register here
The Lalor Foundation is inviting applications for reproductive health programs. Due to the increase in restrictions for women living in places where the right to choose has been or threatens to be abolished, the foundation is focusing efforts on supporting organizations that value reproductive rights and help women access contraception and abortions. Applications are due by November 1, 2024. Learn more here.
Applications for the Hispanic Heritage Foundation's (HHF) Youth Awards are live for their educational grants of up to $4,000 to support the Class of 2025 as they pursue higher education or launch community-focused initiatives. Applications are open until November 3, 2024. Interested students can apply here.
The Mellon Foundation is seeking a Manager, Strategic Learning & Evaluation and a Manager, Insights & Analytics to join their team. These inaugural roles will help support the group's ongoing learning and the fulfillment of its mission and broader programmatic objectives.
The Justice + Joy Rapid Response Fund (RRF) was created by the Justice and Joy National Collaborative to support young people in leading and organizing in their communities. This fund is for youth by youth. With election day just weeks away, there has not been substantial investment in one influential voting block—Gen Z cis and trans girls, young women, and gender-expansive young people of color. In response, the RRF leadership team of young people led by Addison Moore (DC), Genesis Holland (VA), Hely Dodia (NJ), and Kristen Nicole (OR) are launching the RRF as Phase Two of the Fixing Democracy Initiative at Justice and Joy by providing young people with resources to mobilize voters. Learn more here and apply here.
The Uprising of Women in Philanthropy tells the inspiring, never-before-told, story of the Global Women’s Funding Movement—often considered the women’s movement’s greatest kept secret—and how it enabled women, girls, and gender-expansive people from all walks of life to harness the power of activism and financial resources to free themselves from oppression. Women’s funds have trusted women, girls, and gender-expansive people to tell the truths about their lives and then build action strategies from those truths, whether that results in local change or an advancement in international law. Learn more and buy the book here.
What We're Reading
Why aren’t there talks with the Taliban about getting women and girls back into education — Nature
Research: Flat Hierarchies Can Discourage Women Applicants — Harvard Business Review
What We're Watching
While sharing the story of the tragic death of Georgia's Amber Thurman, MSNBC's Lawrence O’Donnell got emotional about the similarities between his own mother and Thurman.
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