Feminist News and Information

WEEKLY NEWS // OCTOBER 1, 2026

// A LETTER FROM THE DESK OF NATANJA CRAIG OQUENDO, PRESIDENT & CEO, BOSTON WOMEN'S FUND

Love as Infrastructure

Dear Friends,

Love is not soft. Love is not “being nice.”

Love is an action.

And none of this is new.

bell hooks taught us that love is something we do. Ella Baker’s organizing taught us to trust the leadership of people closest to the conditions that need to change. I grew up in Villa Victoria, a Boston neighborhood saved because Puerto Rican residents organized and refused to let their community disappear.

That is love in action.

Philanthropy is late to a practice communities have used for generations to care for one another, build power, and survive.

At Boston Women’s Fund (BWF), we began internally, rooting our culture in our values of love, belonging, and flow. Love led us to unlimited PTO, half-day Fridays, bringing our whole selves to work — even when that self is messy — and sometimes saying, “Put the work down. Take care of yourself.”

Then we asked: What would we do differently if love were part of our work’s infrastructure? Love looked like unrestricted five-year funding, conversations instead of RFPs, and Well-Being Grants.

With our grantee partners, sometimes love is a deep hug that says, “I know. You don’t have to explain it to me.” Sometimes it is the hard conversation, offered because we want to be closer on the other side of it.

Love can be designed, practiced, and tracked. And sometimes love is simply felt. We need both.

None of philanthropy’s systems just appeared. Somebody imagined the application, the budget cap, the rules about who is “ready” for funding.

Too much of philanthropy was designed to protect money from people.

We can design it differently.

Shiree Teng and Dr. Audrey Jordan [[link removed]] ask what philanthropic practices could look like when built from love, and GEO’s Measuring Love [[link removed]] work helps our field practice that question. I am grateful for their leadership as BWF continues to reimagine philanthropy [[link removed]].

Love is not the soft part of this work.

Love is the infrastructure.

With love,

Natanja Craig Oquendo

President & CEO

Boston Women’s Fund

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News from WFN 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, Ana Van Balen. If you are interested in joining as a new member or renewing your current membership, please let us know [mailto:[email protected]].

WFN EVENTS

On October 27 in New York City, we’re gathering for the WFN Summit [[link removed]], Shared Power: Women, Capital, & AI in the Global Economy. It’ll be a day of conversation, connection, learning, and collective strategy.

The Program at a Glance offers an overview of what’s in store: thought-provoking conversations, interactive sessions, strategy labs, peer exchange, and plenty of opportunities to connect with others across the field.

The 2026 WFN Summit isn’t a traditional conference. We’re creating space to debate, question, experiment, exchange ideas, build strategies, and imagine what’s possible when we work together.

View the Program at a Glance [[link removed]] and Summit Speakers & Facilitators [[link removed]].

WFN ANNOUNCEMENTS

We are especially grateful to the W.K. Kellogg Foundation for supporting two important elements of the 2026 WFN Summit as our Technology Sponsor and a Lunch Session Sponsor.

WKKF’s commitment reflects a shared belief in the power of community, connection, and equitable systems. Their partnership will help participants build relationships, exchange ideas, and explore how feminist philanthropy can shape a more equitable future.

Learn more about the W.K. Kellogg Foundation at wkkf.org [[link removed]].

WFN MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

This month’s WFN Member Spotlight highlights a new WFN member, Funders for LGBTQ Issues [[link removed]], which educates and organizes funders and supports power building to create an abundance of resources for the justice and liberation of all queer communities. All of Funders for LGBTQ Issues' programs – Grantmakers United for Trans Communities, Out in the South, and Philanthropic Organizing – work together to drive intersectional change across the philanthropic sector by leveraging the strength of our network.

Below are different ways you can learn about the work and be involved:

Explore Funders for LGBTQ Issues research work Join QTPIES, an affinity group for LGBTQ+ professionals in philanthropy Listen to Funders for LGBTQ Issues' queer philanthropy podcast, Justice Ain’t Cheap Attend Funding Forward 2027 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, from April 13-15, 2027 Subscribe to the Funders for LGBTQ Issues monthly newsletter, Q-Notes

Learn more about Funders for LGBTQ Issues: [[link removed]]

#WFNMemberSpotlight #WFNCommunity

News from WFN Members MEMBER ANNOUNCEMENTS

A Fund for Women awarded $164,000 in grants [[link removed]] to 13 local organizations. These grants support a range of programs designed to help women overcome barriers and build pathways toward economic security. Programs provide financial literacy, workforce development, childcare, education, mentorship, career pathways, housing stability, and support for women facing barriers to employment

The Kentucky Foundation for Women's Writers Prize [[link removed]] honors Kentucky women writers whose work demonstrates artistic excellence, aligns with feminist values, and advances social change through literature. Three writers will receive $1,000 each and an invitation to read from their work. Applicants may submit up to 20 pages of fiction. Apply by October 15, 2026.

MEMBER EVENTS

The Women’s Fund Miami-Dade will host its October Impact Collaborative, “State of Urgency: Understand Amendment 3 Before It’s Too Late,” [[link removed]] as part of its Freedom from Violence pillar and in recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The briefing will bring together survivor leaders, first responders, and service providers to discuss the potential impact of Amendment 3 on the local revenues that support shelters, legal advocacy, housing assistance, health care, and other critical services. The conversation will examine the connections between public funding, community safety, and the resources survivors rely on to rebuild their lives.

October 8, 2026 | 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. EDT | Register here [[link removed]]

The Women’s Foundation of Colorado invites its board, staff, and community to Ballots, Brunch & Bridging Divides [[link removed]]. The event will feature an interactive workshop and screening of Mandorla focused on engaging across differences with curiosity and respect, followed by a walkthrough of Colorado’s ballot measures using the Foundation’s Womanifesto guide. Space is limited, and attendees are asked to register only if they can participate for the full morning.

October 24, 2026 | 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. EDT | Register here [[link removed]]

Opportunities and Resources

The Chicago Foundation for Women is searching for a Vice President of External Affairs. Learn more and apply here [[link removed]].

What We're Reading

Exclusive: Cornell rape allegations fuel House Democratic women's Title IX push — Axios [[link removed]]

Half of Girls Who Want to Play Sports Never Get the Chance — TIME [[link removed]]

What We're Watching

Women’s Rights Still Matter

Have an event or a story to share?

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