Feminist News and Information
WEEKLY NEWS // MARCH 24, 2025
// A LETTER FROM OUR PRESIDENT & CEO
Gender Equality:
Key to Freedom for All
Dear Colleagues,
We join you in rejecting the global anti-gender movement’s claims of “protecting women” to justify their attacks of transgender people, and their fearmongering about “open borders” to legitimize family separation and merciless detention.
Acting US Representative to the UN Economic and Social Council’s statement last week to the 69th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women is an example of how this movement is weaponizing women’s rights to roll back fundamental freedoms for all.
“Gender plays a powerful role in the construction and promulgation of power and identity that is particularly meaningful in authoritarian regimes,” global security experts write. “As history shows, when those gender-based power structures are challenged by everyday citizens, profound societal change becomes possible. Gender therefore appears to be a key, if underappreciated, fault line in the authoritarian societies with which the United States and its allies are strategically competing.”
Thank you for everything each of you are doing to ensure we are not ceding ground to rhetoric designed to dismantle our power to imagine a gender equal world.
Instead, we reaffirm our commitment to stand together against all forms of cruel or unjust use of authority by a government or state apparatus against a specific group or groups of people. Join us.
Onward,
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.
Pre-Conference Policy Action Day on September 9, 2025
News from WFN
NEW MEMBERS & 2025 WFN MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL
Our network thrives on the strength and diversity of our members. Please join us in welcoming to the network new WFN members:
Jennifer Barrett Fajardo
- Justice and Joy National Collaborative
- The Acorn Project
Please also join us in appreciating WFN members who have renewed membership for 2025:
- Girls Rights Project
- Iowa Women’s Foundation
- The Haitian Women’s Collective
- Women's Fund for the Fox Valley Region
- Women’s Fund of Hawaiʻi
- Women Moving Millions
If you have questions about membership, please contact us. WFN members have exclusive access to discounted pricing when registration opens for Feminist Funded ’25, so join or renew today!
News from WFN Members
MEMBER ANNOUNCEMENTS
The Women’s Foundation of Minnesota announced $425,000 in general operating grants to 22 organizations through its Fund for Safety. The fund resources organizations and programs working to keep our communities safer by addressing gender-based violence. Read the press release here.
The Women's Fund of Central Ohio's research report, Making Women Wealthy and Free, outlines what over 3,000 women shared about their experiences with building wealth in Central Ohio. It's a roadmap to address barriers that prevent women from building wealth and having the freedom to make their own decisions about their lives.
The Jeannette Rankin Foundation has released its 2024 Annual Report. Read about the work accomplished, the milestones that were reached, and what's to come.
MEMBER EVENTS
Women control $31.8 trillion in global wealth—but are they fully activating their economic power?
Join Working for Women and Luminary for an evening of bold conversation on women, money, and power.
March 27, 2025 | 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. EDT | Register here
Join the Women's Fund of Rhode Island for a screening of Preconceived, which tells the stories of two women who, while navigating unplanned pregnancies, found themselves at facilities discouraging them from abortions.
March 27, 2025 | 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. EDT | Register here
Join Equality Fund and Criterion Institute for a webinar that aims to explore how endowments can shift power in gender lens investing and drive systemic change. Get information on the current state of the feminist funding ecosystem and engage in discussion about how to overcome the existing power dynamics in endowment funding and unlock their full potential as a feminist funding mechanism.
April 9, 2025 | 10:00 - 11:30 a.m. EDT | Register here
The Women’s Fund of East Tennessee's 14th Annual Luncheon is a time to network and celebrate the power and impact of women in the East Tennessee region. Join an impactful event to raise the necessary dollars for women and girls.
April 10, 2025 | 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. EDT | Register here
Join the Women's Foundation of Minnesota for its 2025 Feminist Future Festival. Build the feminist future by sparking new ideas and connecting with bold women and gender-expansive leaders.
April 30, 2025 | 5:30 - 8:30 p.m. CDT | Register here
I Be Black Girl's 2025 Reproductive Justice Summit: Tending to Our Gardens will be held in Omaha, Nebraska. Join for meaningful conversations and learnings around crucial issues and opportunities in reproductive health, economic justice, political power, and more. You can also apply to be a breakout speaker here.
August 21-22, 2025 | Register here
Opportunities and Resources
Neighborhood Funders Group's 2025 National Convening: Seeding (and Ceding) Transformational Power will be held in Nashville, Tennessee. Join a space for grantmakers to co-conspire and strategize around seeding transformational power and ceding power. Save the date for a dynamic convening rooted in joy, camaraderie, care, and fun—and focused on moving money to BIPOC communities.
July 15 - 17, 2025 | Register here
Read this report from Future Forward Women. The U.S. Women’s Power and Influence Index assesses women’s power and influence in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, and analyzes the economic security and well-being, health and safety, civic engagement and political inclusion, and public policy and legal protections for women in each state.
It’s a critical time for European democracy, and the stakes are high. The Democracy Briefer for Funders takes an in-depth look at the key indicators of democratic backsliding and root causes driving it, drawing on a wide body of evidence from published research to offer insights into the current state of democracy and opportunities to seize.
What We're Reading
Why philanthropy needs a one-world strategy for gender — Alliance
Thousands Gather to Oppose Trump on International Women’s Day — The New York Times
Harassment, Stalkers, Death Threats: A Day in the Life of Women on Twitch — Rolling Stone
What We're Watching
Equal rights. Equal opportunities. Equal power. On International Women’s Day (8 March), that is the bold call for action for all women and girls worldwide. From the suffragists to digital activists, each generation has pushed boundaries, shattered barriers, and refused to step back. Behind every policy change and legal victory there have been fearless feminists organizing, protesting, and demanding action. The world today is more equal for women and girls than ever before — but progress is still too slow, too fragile, and too uneven.
A Note on Accessibility: As we incorporate new communications assets, we strive to ensure that the platforms and tools that enable us to share content are accessible to the widest possible audience. We are committed to learning and growing in this area and appreciate any helpful guidance you have to share. Please reach out if you have any tips or requests to make your experience more accessible.
