Feminist News and Information

WEEKLY NEWS // OCTOBER 16, 2025

// FROM THE DESK OF SARA KEILHOLTZ, SENIOR DIRECTOR OF DATA AND STRATEGIC INSIGHTS, WOMEN'S FUNDING NETWORK

Designing Together: Co-Creation as Power-Sharing

Dear Colleagues,

Over the past year, the Women’s Funding Network, Candid, and a cohort of member organizations [[link removed]] have been building something that will shift how funders understand their own impact: a data tool that helps us see the collective outcomes of funding decisions on the nonprofit sector. This intersectional tool [[link removed]], [[link removed]]launching at Unity Summit [[link removed]] at the end of October, allows funders, movements, and researchers to analyze leadership and funding patterns at the intersection of race and gender, revealing inequities often hidden in aggregate data.

The process of creating the tool wasn’t linear. It was relational, rooted in co-creation and power-sharing, values at the heart of feminist philanthropy. These are practices shaped by Black feminist thought and strengthened by what we learn every day by being in community with this incredible network of women’s funds.

Together, we navigated limitations, shared expertise, and built trust through transparency. The result is not just a tool, but an example of how data infrastructure and project design can reflect the values it measures. The dashboard’s early findings show persistent patterns of under-resourcing for organizations led by women of color. Our goal is to make it easier for funders and donors to analyze the collective impact of funding strategies on the people who lead and staff and are served by nonprofits, and to invite reflection, revision of policies, and stronger strategies to advance equity.

Read more about our process of co-creation [[link removed]].

Sincerely,

Sara Keilholtz

Women's Funding Network

Senior Director of Data and Strategic Insights

Have a story to share? We want to hear from you.

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

News from WFN NEW MEMBERS & 2025 MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL

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

Jill MillerLaura Risimini

Please also join us in appreciating WFN members who have renewed membership for 2025:

Kim Andrews Nonprofit Consulting

If you are interested in joining as a new member or renewing your current membership, let us know [mailto:[email protected]].

News from WFN Members MEMBER ANNOUNCEMENTS

Applications for the Women’s Fund of Central Indiana’s OPTIONS Class 25 [[link removed]] are open. This 10-month program was designed to help participants get smart about critical issues impacting women and girls, and learn to use their work, wealth, and wisdom to make a community where women and girls can thrive. To learn more, join their final info session [[link removed]] in person on October 16 at 4:00 p.m. EDT.

The Kentucky Foundation for Women has launched the KFW Writers Prize, [[link removed]] honoring Kentucky women writers whose work demonstrates artistic excellence, aligns with feminist values, and advances social change through literature. Submit a writing sample by October 31.

The Women's Fund of Central Ohio is searching for a Marketing and Communications Manager and a Development Manager. Learn more and apply here [[link removed]].

MEMBER EVENTS

Join the Women's Fund of Hawaiʻi for a heartfelt celebration [[link removed]] of motherhood at The Empowered Mama Exhibit. As part of this community partnership, 100% of the proceeds from artwork sales will be donated to the Women's Fund Hawai'i. Celebrate each woman’s strength through intimate portraiture and spark a movement of

connection, support, and shared stories for mothers.

October 17, 2025 | 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. HST | Register here [[link removed]]

The Women’s Fund of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation has announced that their Appointed Civic Leadership Academy is expanding into Northern Kentucky with the launch of AppointedNKY. Join their free, interactive session [[link removed]*xi1fnv*_ga*NjMyNjI0NDU2LjE3NTAxNzQwNzU.*_ga_FHHN3RJ11D*czE3NTk3OTE0NTAkbzEwNCRnMSR0MTc1OTc5MzczNCRqNjAkbDAkaDA.&utm_campaign=WF-Appointed-2022&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8vL6eA4UK1PCGmDCMWJaRZwUTL2MUWcKcM2cGkAV2EB8SmneITumM8ukU41Ftp6q2kNPkby2ThVFnd32Z15ZghFz6PJoqePFzC044Nx0niDWQt2LU&_hsmi=384295385&utm_content=384295385&utm_source=hs_email] on civic engagement, where Kentucky Lieutenant Governor Jacqueline Coleman is the guest speaker.

October 17, 2025 | 8:00 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. EDT | Register here [[link removed]*xi1fnv*_ga*NjMyNjI0NDU2LjE3NTAxNzQwNzU.*_ga_FHHN3RJ11D*czE3NTk3OTE0NTAkbzEwNCRnMSR0MTc1OTc5MzczNCRqNjAkbDAkaDA.&utm_campaign=WF-Appointed-2022&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8vL6eA4UK1PCGmDCMWJaRZwUTL2MUWcKcM2cGkAV2EB8SmneITumM8ukU41Ftp6q2kNPkby2ThVFnd32Z15ZghFz6PJoqePFzC044Nx0niDWQt2LU&_hsmi=384295385&utm_content=384295385&utm_source=hs_email]

Join the Women's Fund of Greater Chattanooga for their first “Unfiltered Conversations” event [[link removed]], where they will explore topics that feel “off-limits” or challenging for women. This month, they are discussing finances—from budgeting to investing to planning for emergencies and life, and more.

October 20, 2025 | 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. EDT | Register here [[link removed]]

Join the Women's Foundation of Greater Saint Louis for a showing [[link removed]] of Not In Our Wildest Dreams, a short film by the Missouri Humanities Council. Enjoy a happy hour, the film, and a panel discussion.

October 22, 2025 | 4:30 p.m. CDT | Register here [[link removed]]

Join the Women's Fund of Western Massachusetts for a chat between Loretta Ross and Amihan Matias [[link removed]], WFWM's Senior Director of Community Partnerships. Ross will share insights from her groundbreaking book, Calling In: How to Start Making Changes with Those You'd Rather Cancel.

November 5, 2025 | 4:30 - 6:00 p.m. EST | Register here [[link removed]]

Join the Women’s Fund of Central Indiana for Power of Women: An Evening with Glennon Doyle [[link removed]]—their annual fundraising event. Enjoy a networking reception, dinner, and an inspiring program. The highlight will be a discussion with Glennon Doyle, as she shares her insights on women’s wellness and mental health.

November 6, 2025 | 5:30 - 9:00 p.m. EST | Register here [[link removed]]

Get your tickets for The Community Fund for Women & Girls' 30th Anniversary Celebration [[link removed]] at the Omni Hotel in New Haven, CT. Don’t miss this milestone moment and an afternoon of inspiration and collective vision.

November 13, 2025 | 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. EST | Register here [[link removed]]

Register now for G4GC's first in-person convening [[link removed]], which will create intentional space for funders and philanthropic leaders to ground ourselves in what matters most—the leadership, joy, and brilliance of young people. Celebrate, connect, and amplify vision alongside community organizers and youth advocates from across the U.S.

May 12 - 15, 2026 | Register here [[link removed]]

Opportunities and Resources

Join ABFE for a funder briefing [[link removed]], which will explore the critical role of wellness in the leadership journeys of Black women across the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors. The webinar will spotlight the B.Well Initiative, a wellness-focused leadership program that centers the holistic wellbeing of Black women, while also featuring insights from sector and foundation leaders who are advancing practices that prioritize care, sustainability,

October 22, 2025 | 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. EDT | Register here [[link removed]]

In 2024, women working full-time year-round made 80.9 cents per dollar earned by men—a significant worsening of the gender earnings ratio compared to 82.7 cents per dollar in 2023. This is the biggest annual drop in the gender earnings ratio since 1966, and the worst ratio since 2016. Learn more in the Institute for Women's Policy Research's fact sheet [[link removed]] and read the press release here [[link removed]].

Women's Philanthropy Institute has released its comprehensive literature review, Women and Philanthropy: A Literature Review [[link removed]]. This in-depth study builds upon their landmark 2015 review, synthesizing a decade of research to reveal how women's philanthropy has evolved in profound ways.

This issue brief [[link removed]] from Justice and Joy National Collaborative looks at school-based mental health care for girls of color, part of broader research into their experiences in educational and community settings. It highlights both the challenges (trauma, discrimination, lack of culturally responsive mental health services, stigma) and some successes (programs where schools are integrating supports, peer-led or community-based components).

Native Americans in Philanthropy has launched their newest member benefit, Grantwatch [[link removed]]. This new feature allows members to share funding opportunities directly on their website, helping to connect their community with valuable resources. Submit funding opportunities that would benefit the community, share grants, fellowships, awards, and other financial opportunities, and help build a comprehensive database of funding resources.

NEO Philanthropy’s Economic Mobility and Opportunity Fund [[link removed]] invites applications in support of research and data across economic mobility and opportunity. The EMO Fund announced a $2.3 million opportunity for organizations focused on research and data in support of advancing economic mobility and opportunity. Organizational budgets of <$2M should apply.

What We're Reading

Exclusive: Report reveals hidden reality of child marriage. Three girls share the impact on their lives — CNN [[link removed]]

How Oral History Can Empower Women’s Voices — Smithsonian American Women's History Museum [[link removed]]

What We're Watching

Dr. Jane Goodall, an advocate for animals and a renowned chimpanzee researcher, has died due to natural causes at 91. NBC News' Anne Thompson looks back on her life and legacy.

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