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Dear John,
We can all agree that 2020 was a year like none other. We have celebrated historic victories for women, suffered indescribable losses, and participated in an urgent national dialogue about race, gender, power, and justice. It has been my honor and privilege to lead the brilliant, one-of-a-kind Ms. Foundation team at such a critical moment. I know that we are ready for the new challenges and opportunities that 2021 will bring. This is the moment we were built for.
When I came to the Ms. Foundation for Women, I saw the need for a strategic vision that unapologetically centered the lived experience of women and girls of color. The Ms. Foundation has long embraced the importance of diversity in building women’s power, but over the past four years we have taken our legacy one step further. As the United States entered a new chapter this year in the fight for full racial and gender equity across our society, the Ms. Foundation was already fully focused on this critical intersection. We invest in and follow the leadership of women of color and continue to support the bold leaders who move us forward.
The foundation is currently on winter break. We are not just “out of the office” but (mostly!) away from our screens, enjoying the things we find most relaxing and spending time with family, friends and community. As I look back on the last 12 months, I have to say this time of rest was well-earned.
Here’s just some of what the Ms. Foundation did in 2020. . .
- Provided vital financial and capacity building supports to more than 60 grantees, mostly in the form of multi-year grants of unrestricted general operating support
- Advocated so that an additional $50 million moved to grassroots women leaders
- Offered trainings on how to access COVID-19 relief to all grantee partners along with other pandemic-specific supports
- Launched the Pocket Change report, the first data-driven picture of how inadequately women and girls of color are supported by philanthropy
- Drew thousands of viewers to educational online programming such as our 5-part Women+Power series with the Brooklyn Historical Society
- Convened leaders in philanthropy and beyond to discuss how to best support women and girls of color
- Kicked off Ms. South: an open call funding opportunity focused on women and girls of color that will move $1 million in unrestricted, multi-year grants to leaders and organizations in the Southern U.S. states
With you by our side we have not stopped pushing this year, even as we modified plans and schedules so that we could work from our homes and juggle the endless complexities of life during the pandemic. I am proud of our hard work and deeply grateful for the generous support that made it possible.
Thank you for supporting the Ms. Foundation for Women and for all you do to support unlimited possibility for women and girls.
In solidarity,
Teresa C. Younger, President and CEO
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