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—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 from across the globe. Together, we honored resistance. 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. The lobby conversations and connections sparkled with strategy and solidarity. In all, this year’s conference reflected the fierce brilliance 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 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
News from WFN
NEW MEMBER
Our network thrives on the strength and diversity of our members. 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.
News from WFN Members
MEMBER ANNOUNCEMENTS
The Women’s Foundation of Boston has announced a new name: Women’s Foundation of Massachusetts. 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, 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, 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 to support Black women and gender-expansive leaders in the region.
MEMBER EVENTS
Join the Victorian Women's Trust as they celebrate 40 years. 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
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 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
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. 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
Opportunities and Resources
Applications are now open for the 2026 Echoing Green Fellowship. 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, presented by Economic Opportunity Funders.
Register for CHANGE Philanthropy's Unity Summit 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
The Women’s Philanthropy Institute has released Women and Philanthropy: A Literature Review, 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
Facts and figures: Women’s leadership and political participation — UN Women
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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