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 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, launching at Unity Summit 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.
Sincerely,
Sara Keilholtz
Women's Funding Network
Senior Director of Data and Strategic Insights
News from WFN
NEW MEMBERS & 2025 MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL
Our network thrives on the strength and diversity of our members. Please join us in welcoming to the network new WFN members:
- Jill Miller
- Laura 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.
News from WFN Members
MEMBER ANNOUNCEMENTS
Applications for the Women’s Fund of Central Indiana’s OPTIONS Class 25 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 in person on October 16 at 4:00 p.m. EDT.
The Kentucky Foundation for Women has launched the KFW Writers Prize, 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.
MEMBER EVENTS
Join the Women's Fund of Hawaiʻi for a heartfelt celebration 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
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 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
Join the Women's Fund of Greater Chattanooga for their first “Unfiltered Conversations” event, 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
Join the Women's Fund of Western Massachusetts for a chat between Loretta Ross and Amihan Matias, 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
Join the Women’s Fund of Central Indiana for Power of Women: An Evening with Glennon Doyle—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
Get your tickets for The Community Fund for Women & Girls' 30th Anniversary Celebration 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
Register now for G4GC's first in-person convening, 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
Opportunities and Resources
Join ABFE for a funder briefing, 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
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 and read the press release here.
Women's Philanthropy Institute has released its comprehensive literature review, Women and Philanthropy: A Literature Review. 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 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. 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 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
How Oral History Can Empower Women’s Voices —Smithsonian American Women's History Museum
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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