Dear Colleagues,

Nostalgia mixes with grief as I look at the above picture of my wife and I in 2015, the day the US Supreme Court (SCOTUS) recognized the rights of couples like us to marry. At the time, I was sure the country was finally on the path to freedom and justice for all.

As I reflect on that day in the wake of all that is happening now in the United States, I am reminded of how tender freedom is and how easily those in power can justify – even celebrate - its loss.

This picture also heightens my determination. No country should allow human rights to be bestowed through a patchwork of local and state laws and minority rule. No one should ever have to endure complicated legal hurdles, expense, and humiliation to access their human rights. And no one should be forced to rely on the kindness of strangers at one of the most personal, private, times in their life.

I shared last week in Oprah Daily what it looks like when bias and bigotry are allowed to determine access to bodily autonomy.  I hope sharing my story will help you understand why I am a champion for the work you do every day. Thank you for your determination to keep moving forward, and to keep fighting for the rights of all people across the globe.

Yours in solidarity,

Elizabeth

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

Join us in welcoming Shundi Selim to Women's Funding Network as Senior Manager of Strategic Philanthropy. Shundil will be leading  leading the strategy, development, and execution of WFN’s fundraising and grant management operations to drive WFN’s mission as a global alliance. Welcome, Shundil!

WFN Member News

Supporting the work of reproductive justice leaders in Colorado is more important than ever as they fight to protect and expand access to abortion care. The Women’s Foundation of Colorado, in partnership with ReproCollab, will host leaders from Cobalt and COLOR in our next Chat4Change on Tuesday, July 19th: Where Do We Go From Here? Using Your Time, Talent, Treasure, and Testimony to Protect and Expand Access to Abortion Care. To register, click here.

Julie Castro Abrams, CEO of How Women Lead, wrote an article in Forbes about the importance of investing in female-founded companies. To read the full article, click here.

The consulting company 60 Decibels recognized Pro Mujer Nicaragua as the most impactful social organization working for financial inclusion in Latin America and the Caribbean. 

The results were included in the #60DecibelsMicrofinanceIndex, which measures accessibility, resilience, business impact, quality of life and financial management criteria through the experiences of more than 18,000 people in the region. 

According to this report, Pro Mujer’s support of Nicaraguan women allowed:

• 45% of women to increase their business income
• 58% of women to improve their quality of life
• 71% of women to access financial solutions for the first time ever

Pro Mujer is currently supporting more than 43,000 women in Nicaragua, a country in which they represent more than half of the population and where they are key to economic development, positively impacting their autonomy and resilience. To read the full report, click here.

Join The Wallace Foundation for a one-hour webinar to learn about a new, comprehensive guide developed by EducationCounsel that maps how federal funding can be tapped for afterschool and summer learning in three broad categories: Preparing for program delivery; creating and sustaining equitable conditions for learning; and building and aligning ecosystems of support. Hear from a panel of field experts who will share their perspectives and experiences, including what it takes to build and sustain strategic partnerships that unlock multiple sources of funding and enhance summer and afterschool learning opportunities for young people. July 20, 2022 | 3:30pm EST | Register here

Our collective reaction to the new ruling from the SCOTUS is full of emotion…from rage, sadness, anger, and more. Join The Women’s Fund of Greater Milwaukee’s Reception for a chance to be with others to talk about our feelings, help understand the new legal landscape, and most importantly discuss what actions we can take that will have impact in the moment, and for the future. Remarks by Nicole Horvath, Reception Host and WF Board Director, Christine Donahoe of ACLU Wisconsin, along with Chris Grota and Marilka Vélez, who are both WF Board Directors as well.  

July 26, 2022 | 5:30pm-7:30pm CDT | Cost: $10 | Register here

Join Ms. Foundation for their 8^th annual Ms. on Martha’s event. Ms. Foundation’s President and CEO and WFN Board Member, Teresa C. Younger, will host a special conversation about gender equality in partnership with President and CEO of Global Fund For Women, Latanya Mapp Frett. There will be cocktails, small bites, and an interactive discussion about how we can create change for women, transgender, and non-binary people across the country and the world. The event is free but registration is required. To register, click here.

 Rise Up’s 8th Annual Gala will take place virtually on October 6, 2022. At this year’s Gala, you'll hear from five powerful Rise Up Leaders from India, Mexico, Nigeria, South Africa and the United States who are taking bold action to strengthen health, education, and economic opportunity for women, girls, and all people in their communities. 

Opportunities and Resources

Reproductive freedom and autonomy are integral to the economic security and well-being of women and families. Limited or strained access to the full range of reproductive health services, including abortion, can have an adverse effect on women’s short- and long-term earnings and income, job security, and career advancement, and increase the likelihood they will become impoverished.   

Join the Institute For Women's Policy Research for the release of their new Reproductive Rights Index report and webinar, It’s All Connected: Women’s Reproductive Rights & Economic Well-Being, with leading experts on intersection of reproductive rights and women’s economic well-being and the link between reproductive health services in the states and other indicators of well-being and progress for women.

Join The Butterfly Lab for Immigrant Narrative Strategy for our Research Briefing. Butterfly Lab partnered with The Opportunity Agenda to research narrative opportunities to build public support and investment in a pro-immigrant future and are excited to share their initial findings, presented by researcher Gretchen Barton. ASL, Closed Captioning, and Spanish translation will be provided. Registered participants will receive a zoom link to join the event. To register, click here.

On July 7, Twitter Together hosted a live conversation with Planned Parenthood, BSR News, Institute For Women's Policy Research, and the Center for Reproductive Rightson The Importance of Global Reproductive Healthcare Access. IWPR’s Vice President of Policy and Strategic Initiatives, Kate Ryan, joined in on the conversation and discussed how reproductive health restrictions will set women and states behind while providing IWPR data on abortion restrictions in state economies. Click here to listen to the full recording of the Twitter event.

What We're Reading

What We're Watching

July is National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. This month and every month, we face the stigma surrounding mental health by educating communities about the trauma and mental health issues BIPOC populations face.

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