Months of the pandemic have taken a toll: 11 million people have gotten sick and more than half-a-million have died. Social distancing has left too many isolated. Those fortunate enough to work from home have struggled to juggle childcare and schooling while trying to work. Those forced to work outside of the home — many service industry workers — also struggle with childcare and playing teacher while not at work, all while dealing with the potential danger of being exposed to COVID-19. Too many have been trapped in their homes with abusers — for months unprotected, without respite. So many have lost their jobs and are losing their homes, as rent relief provisions expire and tenants face evictions. Across the country, people wait in foodbank lines that stretch for miles.
Armed militia members march on state capitals to protest lockdown orders, calling for businesses to reopen. Healthcare workers beg the public to stay home, as hospitals and ICUs fill to capacity in another surge of new infections. Many public health make dire projections of continued coronavirus spread. Yet, federal officials refuse to support additional economic relief, extend public aid or expand social safety net policies.
Yet, amid these dire times, there have been historic moments and amazing victories. Organizing groups that you helped fund and support were able to quickly turn tragic police brutality into unstoppable protests. Statues honoring white supremacy are toppling across the country. Mississippi took down the Confederate flag. Everyday acts of racism across the country are being called out, as people of color and our allies demand a long-overdue reckoning. These movements for justice are largely being led by women of color, especially Black women — the latest proof that where women lead, change follows.
The first half of 2020 was filled with uncertainty, despair and confusion. Going forward, I see a promising future filled with hope, inspiration and progress. All of you are working to nourish the movements transforming unequal gender and racial power relations through intersectional philanthropy, supporting women’s leadership and insisting that we tackle issues of inequality authentically and holistically.
I am grateful and energized to be in this struggle with all of you. Working together, failure truly is impossible.
Yours for equity and justice, Elizabeth Barajas-Román
Women’s Funding Network
President & CEO
In this episode of The After Party, we talk with Mary Obelnicki and Erin Ganju of Echinda Giving, a fund focused on girls’ education. Kim Wright-Violich, Echidna’s President and CEO also stops by the party for a lively discussion about economic justice and the role of philanthropy. As a co-founder of the fund, Mary has taken the Giving Pledge, with plans to spend down the entire fund by the time she’s 80 years old.
werc space, a Women’s Funding Network initiative, is a platform that features curated resources and opportunities for women* who want to start or grow a business. It’s specifically designed for those who face barriers in business due to gender, income level, race, ability or other identity. Werc space recently launched a biweekly newsletter to provide timely news about women’s entrepreneurship, upcoming free courses and resources, and more.
Women leaders condemn Supreme Court birth control rollback. Read more at Philanthropy Women.
WFN POLL
POLL RESULTS FROM LAST WEEK:
How imbedded are racial justice principles in your work culture? (1: lowest, 10: highest)
1: 33%
5: 17%
8: 17%
9: 33%
Do you have a Women's Fund in your immediate community? Yes No
WFN MEMBER INITIATIVES
Ms. Foundation for Women
How Philanthropy Can Address Anti-Black Racism and Bias with an Intersectional Lens
Grantmakers for Girls of Color and the Ms. Foundation for Women invite you to join a funders briefing on the need for intersectional approaches in philanthropic efforts to address anti-Black racism and bias, with Dr. Monique W. Morris and Dr. Kimberlé Crenshaw.
The Women's Fund of Greater Birmingham
The 2Gen Summit is a virtual event series to spark community collaboration and accelerate opportunities for women and their families. Attendees will learn ways to improve family success through a variety of areas including early childhood and postsecondary education, family-centered coaching, public policy, and responses to the current COVID-19 crisis. The series will feature speakers from Ascend at the Aspen Institute, the leading expert on implementing successful 2Gen models across the country, The Prosperity Agenda, The National Center for Families Learning, and other 2Gen leaders.
July 21 & 28 • August 11 & 18
All sessions are free. Registration is required to attend.
For more information, click here.
OPPORTUNITIES
For grantmakers: Listen4Good (L4G), is a new initiative from the Fund for Shared Insight, where grantmakers can support their grantees in together developing a listening and feedback tools. Listen4Good offers two ways to participate this summer:
L4G’s co-funded grant program is accepting applications through July 17. Participating grantee organizations receive a $30,000 capacity-building grant ($15,000 from the grantmaker, $15,000 matched by FSI), access to L4G’s online tools and resources, and unlimited one-on-one support from a dedicated feedback coach.
L4G’s new, streamlined program, Listen4Good Online+, is accepting applications through August 12. For a subsidized fee of $1,000 —paid by participating organizations or a sponsoring funder — organizations get access to L4G’s online tools and resources plus limited coaching support.
Funders that signed the Council on Foundations’ COVID-19 philanthropy pledge are especially encouraged to sponsor their grantees. Follow here to learn more about both L4G programs.
WEEKLY READ
This week, the New York Times launched a new column: "7 Inequities: A Weeklong Look at the Biases Women Face."
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development finds that the job crisis created by the pandemic will last years. However, women, young people, and low earners will be hit the hardest. - CNN
This season, WNBA players will be wearing uniforms that honor the women and girls lost to police brutality and racial violence. - CNN
Nearly a third of the nation’s workforce has children at home and they’re struggling. Researchers estimate that nearly 10 percent of economic activity won’t happen as long as schools and daycares remain closed. - Washington Post
It has been a hundred years since the 19th Amendment was ratified. However, a majority of Americans say the country hasn't gone far enough when it comes to giving women equal rights with men. - Pew Research Center
The first woman joined the Green Beret after graduating from special forces training. In 2016, the Pentagon opened all combat jobs to women. - New York Times
Only 10% of joint venture board members are women.While the boards of public companies are watched carefully to see how they're doing on gender parity, joint venture boards get far less scrutiny. - Harvard Business Review
WATCH: July 7 was Black Out Day, a call to everyone to refrain from any purchases from non-Black businesses. "The end goal is that we do on Blackout Day 2020 is what we do as a lifestyle."
