Women's Funds and Allies Continue to Give Me Hope

Dear Colleagues,

Centuries of white supremacy and systemic racism continue to have their intended impact on our most beloved communities.

Thankfully, as feminist funders, you are fighting for change.

For example, in response to the terrorist attack in Buffalo, New York, the staff and board of the Western New York Women’s Foundation unloaded a truck of food and created bags of essential items for over 600 families. They created restorative circles for their program partners located near the tragedy, and are launching a community response fund.

As women’s funds, foundations, and gender justice funders and allies, we vow to work with all who envision a world free from the social systems and environments that perpetuate hostility and hatred.

In solidarity,
Elizabeth

Elizabeth Barajas-Román
Women’s Funding Network
President & CEO

WFN President and CEO Elizabeth Barajas-Román wrote an op-ed in the Stanford Social Social Innovation Review about local women’s funds leading groundbreaking childcare solutions. To read the original article, click here.

WFN Member News

Thank you to everyone in this great alliance of gender justice advocates and funders, including the individuals and organizations below, who have renewed their membership with us for 2022. If you haven't renewed your membership yet, or would like to learn more about the benefits of WFN membership, contact us.

Bulgarian Fund for Women
Global Fund for Women
Sojourner Foundation
The Haitian Women’s Collective
Zoe Timms - Individual Member

Learn More about our Members

WFN members across the globe stand in solidarity with our sisters in Buffalo and California, and all victims of racial violence across the United States and beyond. We echo calls for peace and justice in the wake of the abhorrent violence over the weekend. The Western New York Women's Foundation is providing crisis services and encouraging those who may be in need of mental health and trauma counseling to refer to information released by Erie County.

Grantee partner of the New York Women's Foundation, Futuro Media, has won a Pulitzer Prize in Audio Recording for their podcast "Suave," an honest and immersive profile of a man reentering society after serving more than 30 years in prison. To learn more, click here.

The New York Women Foundation's grantee partner Women's Community Justice Association is hosting a virtual event, A New Vision for Women in NYC Jails. Learn more about this unique opportunity to revolutionize the treatment of women and gender-expansive people.

The Women's Foundation of Colorado is hosting a webinar, WFCO Gender-Lens Investing Webinar for Community. A presentation on The Foundation's goal to have 100% of our investable assets meet our gender-lens strategies by December 2023. Investment strategies include gender mandate strategies; environmental, social, and governance (ESG) integration; shareholder advocacy; and diverse investment managers.

May 19, 2022 | 4:00pm MST | Register here.

The New Hampshire Women’s Foundation launched their Reproductive and Sexual Health Care Access Fund, to expand capacity to address the ongoing attacks in New Hampshire against reproductive health care access. The fund will support the work of organizations and initiatives that advance reproductive justice and provide, support, and ensure continued access to reproductive and sexual health care in New Hampshire. To learn more about the fund, click here.

In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, W.K. Kellogg Foundation staff members reflect on AAPI leaders, coalitions and collectives who inspire the work we do today. To read their stories, click here.

Opportunities and Resources

Caregivers are in crisis. There are solutions our state, local, and national leaders can and should pursue - and it’s up to us to make that happen.

Join Supermajority Education Fund, State Innovation Exchange, and United State of Women to hear from dynamic women state legislators leading the fight for caregiving policy change in the states and learn how you can take action.

May 19, 2022 | 5:00pm-6:00pm EST | Register here.

Women's Earth Alliance's 2022 U.S. Grassroots Accelerator application is open. Leaders will participate in a four-month interactive, virtual curriculum that is collaborative, hands-on, and non-extractive at no charge to participants and they will also get a small seed grant upon completion. The deadline to apply has been extended to 9 am PT on June 6, 2022. To learn more, click here.

Save the date for the following Women's Forum 2022 events:

To register your interest, click here.

What We're Reading

Abortion is an economic issue, argues Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. — U SA Today

Statement on women and girls in Afghanistan, by Ms Sima Bahous, UN Women Executive Director.
— UN Women

New 3D female anatomy model used to better treat women. — BBC

"Just breastfeed" is the worst thing you can say to a parent. — Glamour

What We're Watching

The Latinx House, co-founded by Mónica Ramirez and Olga Segura, is producing a powerful video series (Called Critical Conversations) in partnership with the Ford Foundation to highlight critical topics affecting the Latinx community who continue to be underrepresented and underfunded by philanthropy today. Their latest conversation focused on immigration. More conversations are slated for each month until August.

Have a story to share?

Email Ellen at [email protected]

A Note on Accessibility:

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