WEEKLY NEWS  //  MAY 26, 2022

Dear Colleagues,

Enough is enough. Firearms have long been used as a tool of power and control to instill fear and inflict abuse. The United States has the most firearms owned by private citizens in the world, and U.S. women are more likely to be homicide victims than women in other high-income countries. So it’s not surprising that we’re mourning again in the U.S. – this time for children, shot and killed by a man who walked in off the street and gunned them down in their classroom.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Jacinda Ardern, prime minister of New Zealand, instituted ‘pragmatic’ reforms to get guns off the street after the 2019 Christchurch massacre. In addition to policy change, we must continue to reject narratives of fear, racism, misogyny, and nativism that fuel the culture of violence everywhere.

Thank you for all the work you do in your communities around the globe that brings us together, that helps us grieve, that gives us hope.

In solidarity,

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

WFN Member News

Thank you to everyone in this great alliance of gender justice advocates and funders, including the Delta Research and Educational Foundation, 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.

WFN President and CEO Elizabeth Barajas Román is the keynote speaker for an upcoming virtual workshop hosted by The Women’s Fund Miami-Dade. Panelists will discuss Reproductive Health, Reproductive Rights, and Reproductive Justice, the intersectionality between them, and how these can only be achieved when all women and girls have the economic, social and political power to make healthy decisions about their bodies, their families and their communities.

Reproductive Health, Justice, and Rights:
Definitions, Distinctions, Intersections and Calls To Action

June 2, 9:00am-10:30am EST | Register here.

The Women's Foundation of Colorado helped pass two of their 2022 legislative session's "biggest" bills. WFCO has been instrumental in advocating for policies that protect and promote women's reproductive rights, economic mobility, education, and more. During the legislative session, they organized around two key bills: HB22-1279, the Reproductive Health Equity Act, and HB22-1295, the Department of Early Childhood and Universal Preschool Program. To learn more about their importance and key learnings, click here.

HB22-1279 modernizes and Colorado's statute to protect abortions throughout the state at a time when federal protections to abortion are likely to be dismantled. Colorado is only one of 15 states, plus Washington D.C., to codify the right to have an abortion.

HB22-1295 passes a formalized plan for the Department of Early Childhood and Universal Preschool Program will benefit 63,000 children statewide, a significant step in helping women enter, remain, and succeed in the workforce.

The Women’s Fund of Winston-Salem with Black Philanthropy Initiative and Youth Grantmakers in Action will host Ideas to Action: Equity in Education. Join the virtual event to experience a new and innovative online exhibit detailing the history of integrating local schools, learn from those who are leading the way on addressing school diversity and equity, and discover ways to advance community led solutions that help local students achieve their dreams.

June 6, 2022 | 6-7:30pm EST | Register here.

The Wallace Foundation is hosting a webinar on two new reports: 

1. Developing Effective Principals: What Kind of Learning Matters? and 
2. Redesigning University Principal Preparation Programs: A Systematic Approach for Change and Sustainability. 

These new, comprehensive studies find that high-quality principal preparation and development can result in better outcomes for principals, teachers and students, and that universities, states, and districts all have a role to play in ensuring that principals get the preparation and ongoing support they need.

June 6, 2022 | 1:00pm EST | Register here.

Opportunities and Resources

Futures Without Violence invites applications from community-based organizations to implement field-generated projects to serve and support victims of hate crime in the communities that they serve, thereby promoting awareness, healing, reconciliation, service access and/or resource development. Awards will range between $50,000 - $125,000. Register for an informational webinar on June 1, 2022 to learn more. Deadline to submit application: June 17, 2022.

The New York-based privacy group — Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.) — released a chilling report detailing the digital surveillance threats facing pregnant women and trans people who seek abortion information and services, and how these threats could escalate dramatically if the Supreme Court repeals abortion rights and states criminalize abortion. The report explains how anti-abortion governments and private entities are already using cutting-edge digital technologies to surveil people’s search history, cellphone location data, messages, online purchases and social media activities through geofencing, keyword warrants, big data and more. Download the report here.

FreeFrom's National Survivor Financial Security Policy Map and Scorecard is celebrating it's 1st anniversary. The resource acts as a roadmap for action. For each state, the map outlines the existing laws impacting a survivor’s ability to build and maintain financial security, and provides state-specific policy recommendations that will ensure that all survivors have access to the financial resources and support they need to thrive and live free from abuse.

The Postsecondary Success (PS) team at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is issuing a Request for Proposals (RFP) to engage a research partner. The partner will collect information that helps funders, service providers, and institutions better understand the barriers and opportunities to implementing and scaling evidence-based solutions. Specifically, the partner will collect data to illustrate the opportunities and challenges for each strategy in providing equitable value and success for Black, Latino, and Indigenous students and students from low-income backgrounds in higher education.

To learn more about the opportunity, click here. Applications are due May 30, 2022, and finalists are notified on June 16, 2022.

What We're Reading

What We're Watching

What led to the current U.S. baby formula shortage? A variety of long-term and short-term factors have led to empty shelves. President Biden has invoked the Defense Production Act to address the crisis. Read the White House fact sheet.

Have a story to share?

Email Ellen at [email protected]

A Note on Accessibility:  

As we incorporate new communications assets, we strive to ensure that the platforms and tools that enable us to share content are accessible to the widest possible audience. We are committed to learning and growing in this area and appreciate any helpful guidance you have to share. Please reach out if you have any tips or requests to make your experience more accessible.