Feminist News and Information
WEEKLY NEWS // DECEMBER 24, 2024
This is the last release of Above The Fold for 2024. Releases will resume after the New Year.
// A LETTER FROM OUR PRESIDENT & CEO
Advancing Philanthropic Impact Through Data
Dear Colleagues,
Women’s Funding Network (WFN) is proud to have contributed to Candid’s update of its Philanthropy Classification System (PCS). As the largest global network of gender equity funders, representing over 130 organizations investing $1.4 billion annually, WFN ensured our community was reflected in the tallying and sorting of data - a critical step in telling accurate and complete stories about our leadership.
Among other suggestions made in partnership with the CHANGE Philanthropy coalition, we advised Candid to reclassify “right to life” as “anti-abortion,” and to align it with other exclusionary terms like “Traditional Marriage.” We also suggested these terms move out of the “Human Rights” category, as they did not fit the OECD DAC standards.
WFN fights for creating a clearer, more detailed roadmap, to data because these changes help funders and policy makers understand where resources are needed to deepen impact. For example, these updates better highlight how investments in areas like affordable housing, eviction protection, gender-based violence, and childcare access drive gender equity. Finally, greater transparency in reproductive rights funding—delineating access to abortion, contraception, and postpartum care—ensures targeted support for these critical issues.
As we move into 2025, we know it will be even more important to ensure that bold and inclusive solutions are tracked and counted. We look forward to the work ahead with Candid and our community on this front. Thank you for championing these vital efforts. Together, we are reshaping philanthropy.
With gratitude and with warm wishes to you and yours,
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 10-11,
2025 in Washington, D.C.
Optional Policy Action Day on September 9, 2025
News from WFN
Please join Care for All with Respect and Equity (CARE) Fund, Economic Opportunity Funders, Tax Equity Funders Network, and Women’s Funding Network for a funder briefing on the devastating impact of federal tax cuts on women, children, older adults, and people with disabilities and how the care movement is organizing to resist them. Learn how a cross-issue, cross-generational state and federal movement is raising the voices of the families whose lives and livelihoods are at stake, and how philanthropy can engage.
February 5, 2025 | 3:00 - 4:00 p.m. EST | Register here
Women's Funding Network's President and CEO, Elizabeth Barajas-Román, and Director of Policy and Programs, Mirenda Meghelli, co-authored a chapter in the book, Participatory Grantmaking in Philanthropy. Their chapter is titled, Participatory Grantmaking Practices among Women's Funds: What Has Been Learned? Learn more about this valuable resource and get a copy here.
News from WFN Members
MEMBER ANNOUNCEMENTS
The Women’s Foundation of Boston is thrilled to award $429,000 in Catalyst Grants to eight Massachusetts nonprofits that exclusively serve women and girls, bringing their 2024 grant total to $2.5 million. These one-time grants spark growth and quality improvements and will fund initiatives across the state. Read more about the recipients here.
Read the fifth edition of Economic Issues for Women in Texas from the Texas Women’s Foundation. Texas is ranked the eighth largest economy in the world with a $2.4 trillion economy. A big contributing factor is the increasing number of working women who comprise 46% of the state’s workforce. Yet, despite women’s contributions to the economy, Texas ranks just 47th out of 50 states across 25 indicators tied to women’s economic security and success.
The Women's Foundation for the State of Arizona released the Women-Owned Business & Nonprofit Guide featuring 50+ businesses and nonprofits led by women across Arizona. This guide will be updated regularly with new businesses to use throughout 2025.
MEMBER EVENTS
Join The Women’s Fund Miami-Dade for a panel centered on the critical role of supply and demand in driving human trafficking. This convening of national experts will uncover the connection between consumer behavior and exploitation, highlighting how addressing demand can dismantle the trafficking industry from its very foundation.
January 9, 2025 | 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. EST | Register here
Join the Democratizing Justice Initiative, Funders for Justice, Borealis Philanthropy’s Communities Transforming Policing Fund, CS Fund, and the Piper Fund for a discussion of Authoritarian Attacks on Philanthropy: Global Lessons and Local Strategies. This session is for grantmakers, donors, and funder affinity groups. Session participants will learn about the risks to their own operations and the work of their partners, some lessons learned, and strategies to address these risks.
January 23, 2025 | 11:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. PST | Register here
Opportunities and Resources
The report Women Give 2024: 20 Years of Gender & Giving Trends from the Women's Philanthropy Institute analyzes two decades of data on women's philanthropy, highlighting their resilience amid societal changes like the COVID-19 pandemic. It offers actionable strategies for nonprofits to engage women donors effectively. Read this report to inform philanthropic decisions and strengthen outreach.
Ipas hosted a conversation to kick off this year’s international 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign. They focused on three interrelated factors—child marriage, teenage pregnancy, and school dropout—that frequently deny young people the right to make their own informed decisions about their sexual and reproductive health. View the recording here.
Join Funders for LGBTQ Issues, Movement Advancement Project (MAP), and Equality Federation for an analysis of what lies ahead for LGBTQ+ rights in 2025. This virtual event features Logan Casey, Director of Policy Research at MAP and Vivian Topping, Director of Advocacy and Civic Engagement at the Equality Federation.
January 9, 2025 | 3:00 - 4:00 p.m. EST | Register here
Early bird pricing for Funders for LGBTQ Issues' conference, Funding Forward 2025 is available until December 31. This premier LGBTQ conference in philanthropy brings together grantmakers committed to intentionally and intersectionally funding LGBTQ communities.
March 31, 2025 | 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. CDT | Register here
Save the date for Grantmakers for Effective Organizations' 2025 Learning Conference, hosted in partnership with the North Carolina Network of Grantmakers. This event will expose participants to cutting-edge practices in equity-informed, community-driven grantmaking, while providing the tools to apply learning in all aspects of their work. Registration opens in early 2025.
May 5, 2025 | 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. EDT | Register here
What We're Reading
The Women’s March Rebranded and Reorganized. Now They’re Ready for 2025 — TIME
U.S. Mint announces 5 women on new quarters for 2025. Here's who will be on the coins. — CBS News
What We're Watching
The Women's Foundation of Colorado pushes for policy changes to ensure equal rights.
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