Feminist News and Information

WEEKLY NEWS // SEPTEMBER 18, 2025

// A LETTER FROM OUR PRESIDENT & CEO

Our work: celebrate, and stand together

Dear Colleagues,

Last week, we gathered in Washington, D.C., for Feminist Funded '25 [[link removed]]—a convergence not just of minds, but of intention and strength. Over two days, we stood shoulder to shoulder with over 420 fellow feminists, funders, and frontline leaders [[link removed]] from across the globe [[link removed]]. Together, we honored resistance [[link removed]]. We mapped new paths toward liberation. And we reminded each other that this work—our work—is not waning. It is evolving.

The plenaries demanded urgency. The sessions went deep with ideas and inspiration [[link removed]]. The lobby conversations and connections sparkled with strategy and solidarity. In all, this year’s conference reflected the fierce brilliance [[link removed]] in our network. We did not leave Feminist Funded with easy answers. We left with sharpened purpose—and a deepened responsibility to one another.

As we carry that energy [[link removed]] forward, we also enter Hispanic Heritage Month in the U.S. But this year, we do not ask our community to “celebrate” heritage in a vacuum. We ask you to stand with us—with Latinx, Afro-Latina, Indigenous, and immigrant women, girls, and gender-expansive leaders who are building power in the face of persistent erasure. Stand with those pushing back against systems that devalue their lives while commodifying their cultures.

Now is not the time for performative allyship or symbolic gestures. Now is the time for bold, collective action rooted in truth and transformation.

We left Washington, D.C. reminded that feminist funding is not a niche cause—it is an essential strategy for global change. Thank you for being part of our community.

In solidarity and power,

Elizabeth Barajas-Román

Women's Funding Network

President & CEO

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Submit content for the newsletter here [[link removed]].

News from WFN NEW MEMBER

Our network thrives on the strength and diversity of our members [[link removed]]. Please join us in welcoming to the network new WFN member Camaro West.

If you are interested in joining as a new member or renewing your current membership, let us know [[link removed]].

News from WFN Members MEMBER ANNOUNCEMENTS

The Women’s Foundation of Boston has announced a new name: Women’s Foundation of Massachusetts [[link removed]]. This reflects a formal recognition of what the organization has already achieved—becoming Massachusetts' leading catalyst for women’s economic empowerment across the state. Since awarding its first grant in 2018 [[link removed]], the Foundation has grown into a proven, powerful force for change.

Read the Women’s Foundation California’s newest report, Culture Change: An Effective Strategy for Racial, Economic, Environmental and Gender Justice [[link removed]], on their collaborative Culture Change Fund, which is focused on gender justice through cultural strategy.

The Washington Area Women’s Foundation’s Black Women Leadership Project has released its updated Black Women Leader's Resource Database [[link removed]] to support Black women and gender-expansive leaders in the region.

MEMBER EVENTS

Join the Victorian Women's Trust as they celebrate 40 years [[link removed]]. Gather, give thanks, and reflect on the gender equality progress yet to come.

October 12, 2025 | 3:00 - 6:00 p.m. AEDT | Register here [[link removed]]

Pay equity benefits everyone, and women often experience the greatest impact from closing wage gaps across industries and roles. Join the Women's Fund of Greater Cincinnati Foundation for this three-part learning series [[link removed]] that will equip employers and leaders with the data, tools, and strategies needed to create compensation practices that are equitable and sustainable.

October 14, 2025 | 8:30 - 10:30 a.m. EDT

October 21, 2025 | 8:30 - 10:30 a.m. EDT

October 38, 2025 | 8:30 - 11:30 a.m. EDT

Register here [[link removed]]

The broken rung is holding women back. For every 100 men promoted to manager, only 81 women advance, delaying careers and weakening leadership pipelines. Join the WNY Women's Foundation for What She’s Made Of [[link removed]]. Hear from Kweilin Ellingrud, Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company, on how to fix the broken rung and create stronger pathways for women in leadership.

October 22, 2025 | 8:00 - 11:00 a.m. EDT | Register here [[link removed]]

Join IBBG for their signature brunch, The Kiki [[link removed]], bringing together Black women, femmes, and girls (and the communities that love them) to connect, reflect, and invest in the future. This year's keynote speaker is Tatyana Ali.

November 8, 2025 | 10:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. CDT | Register here [[link removed]]

Opportunities and Resources

Applications are now open for the 2026 Echoing Green Fellowship. [[link removed]] If you’re a leader focused on making change in your community, this is your chance to take your work to the next level. Fellows will receive a $100,000 stipend, capacity-building support, and a community of nearly 1,000 like-minded innovators to guide and support them throughout their journey. Applications are due by October 8 at 2:00 p.m. EDT.

Do you know an organization that works tirelessly to defend and advocate for low-wage workers’ rights? Nominate them by October 13 at 11:59 p.m. EDT to receive $10,000 through the Law & Social Policy Legacy Award [[link removed]], presented by Economic Opportunity Funders.

Register for CHANGE Philanthropy's Unity Summit [[link removed]] in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Gather, as funders, organizers, and community leaders, to strengthen movements, increase investments in communities, and advance strategies for building power, solidarity, and justice in philanthropy. Registration closes on October 1.

October 27-30, 2025 | Register here [[link removed]]

The Women’s Philanthropy Institute has released Women and Philanthropy: A Literature Review [[link removed]], a landmark update to its 2015 report. Synthesizing a decade of research, it reveals how women’s giving and leadership have evolved—highlighting values-driven giving, collective models like giving circles, and the critical role of women’s leadership. It’s an essential tool for funders, nonprofits, and advocates committed to equity and justice.

What We're Reading

Amid rising violence in Colombia, girls and women are being held as sex slaves: ‘No woman is safe’ — The Guardian [[link removed]]

Facts and figures: Women’s leadership and political participation — UN Women [[link removed]]

What We're Watching

Philanthropy didn’t start in institutions—it started in homes. Long before there were charitable foundations and nonprofits, households were the place where generosity took root and spread throughout the community. For Black communities, giving back has an especially rich cultural legacy, with knowledge and wisdom passed down through generations as a means of both collective care and survival.

Teresa C. Younger, CEO of the Ms. Foundation for Women, knows firsthand how powerful this legacy is—and how it’s laid the groundwork for modern philanthropy. In this conversation with Celiné Justice, who leads Pivotal Venture’s work to support women and girls of color, Teresa reflects on where voices like hers are most needed right now, how ancestral wisdom can help us understand how movements work, and what we all gain when women of color lead critical conversations about social progress.

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