Dear Colleagues,

First and foremost, thank you. Thank you for sharing your story with us. It’s because of you and your response to our 2022 WFN member survey, that we now have the most comprehensive snapshot of how, what, and who makes your organizations so special.

And we are happy to share it with you today.

The results in the 2022 Landscape Report on Gender Equity Grantmakers inspired us and emboldened us. The trends and shifts we’re seeing within the WFN alliance is unlike any other in philanthropy. You’re more bold, more diverse, more impactful than organizations triple your size.  

Key findings from this Landscape Report include:

• 89% of our network has an intentional racial justice focus within the organization’s grantmaking or programming
• Women of color leaders within our network increased by 10% since 2020
• 51% of our network’s U.S., place-based, women’s funds are led by women of color, 73% of whom identify as Black women
• Women of color executive leaders have the largest operating and grantmaking budgets amongst our network’s U.S. place-based women’s funds.

While we know funding for your work remains stagnant, your action and vision for what’s possible has soared. But you’re paying a precious price to make up the difference.

While our member funds highlighted positive strides, many of you shared that you’re road weary. Burned out. Some of the greatest sources of your burnout as executive leaders are a lack of adequate staffing and racial bias. And when we asked member executive leaders to share three words that described their overall wellbeing, we heard words like “exhausted, stressed, and overwhelmed.” However, alongside those words, they also reported feeling “optimistic, grateful, and purposeful.”

WFN is about connection and community. Each of us, together, brings leadership and knowledge from our work locally, to the global alliance of gender justice grant makers and sector partners. I too feel grateful, optimistic, and purposeful. The WFN team remains deeply committed to supporting your incredible work and broadening this research initiative to better highlight our global partners. As we approach the new year we look forward to flanking you to ignite change in philanthropy, so that your efforts can ignite change in the world.

Yours in Partnership,

Mirenda Meghelli
Women’s Funding Network 
Senior Manager of Policy and Programs

WFN Member News

Every day, domestic violence survivors are criminalized for actions they took to survive abuse they endured. After 10 years of community advocacy, the Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act (DVSJA) was passed in New York in 2019 to offer more lenient sentencing for these survivors. The Survivors Justice Project continues to fight for decarceration through the implementation of the DVSJA.

Please join New York Women’s Foundation for a Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM) webinar discussing the movement to decarcerate survivors of domestic violence. In this webinar, you'll hear directly from The Foundation’s grantee partner the Survivors Justice Project and members of The Foundation's Justice Advisory Committee (JAC).

October 27, 2022 | 12:30pm-1:45pm EST | Register here

Join Victorian Women's Trust for a free online panel moderated by Mary Crooks AO that seeks to unpack the power women hold in office (despite their numbers) and the different ways in which women lead.

Panelists include Ramona Vijeyarasa (author of The Woman President, a unique comparative study of women's leadership and the law); Fiona Patten MP (leader of the Reason Party); the Hon. Judith Troeth (former Liberal MP); Samantha Ratnam (leader of the Victorian Greens); and the Hon. Jenny Macklin (former deputy leader of the federal Labor Party). 

This panel talk will feature closed captions and is an online event held via Zoom. Access link will be emailed on the morning of the event. Please check your spam inbox.

October 31, 2022 | 10:00pm-11:00pm EDT | Register here

Leading women’s organizations will join forces on Friday, October 28, 2022, to offer “Power in Purpose,” an interactive workshop from nonpartisan nonprofit She Should Run to help Mississippi women connect their values and lived experiences to meaningful community engagement. The workshop is available to attend in person or online.

Women’s voices are needed in our democracy now more than ever. Sponsored by the Mississippi Women in the Lead program, She Should Run’s “Power in Purpose” series is designed to help women from all walks of life unlock the power of their experiences and uncover various pathways to leadership. 

Is there a woman in your life that you think would be a great leader in a political office? Forward her this email and encourage her to attend. Make a plan and come to the workshop together!

October 28, 2022 | 10:00am-4:00pm EDT | In-Person & Virtual

Register here

Care work is the work that is done before any other work can be done. The economy doesn't grow or work without care, including for the work force entrusted with the people who matter most in our lives. Join The Women's Foundation of Colorado for a virtual Chat4Change as they host renowned author and organizer Ai-jen Poo to hear what's happening nationally for care workers.

Local Colorado leaders, including Colorado Care Workers Unite and the Senior Hub, will share their perspectives and plans for increasing investments in these essential workers who hold up our economy. 

November 14, 2022 | 7:00pm-8:30pm EST | Register here

Opportunities and Resources

The We Give Summit 2023 Call for Sessions is now open! Philanthropy Together invites you to share your ideas for fireside chats, skill-building workshops, and panel discussions to take place during We Give Summit (May 2023). 

We're seeking session proposals from giving circle members, donor collaboratives, community leaders, organizational and company leaders, major corporations, philanthropy networks, high-net-worth individuals, and community foundations that represent a diversity of identities, experiences, geographic locations, and communities. This year, we particularly hope to see more workshops, interactive sessions, facilitated open conversations, and case studies. The final curated sessions aim to reflect the interests and needs of our diverse audience across the field.

Proposals should align with this year's theme: Bolder Together, which encourages us to lean into our power as collective givers. The deadline for submission is December 1, 2022.

WFN and the Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees (GCIR) are hosting a webinar: Welcoming Houston: Providing Support to New Immigrants in Texas. In this session, you will learn from Houston-area leaders who will share their strategies for welcoming newcomers to the region despite Texas State government's hostility. You will also explore how funders can support the work being done in Houston and beyond to welcome immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers. 

October 26, 2022 | 11:00am-12:00pm PDT | Register here

Native Americans in Philanthropy is hosting their third Member Education Session, where three featured speakers will come together to discuss Equity Through Participatory Grantmaking featuring Native Voices Rising.

October 27, 2022 | 1:00pm-2:30pm ET | Register here

Tides Foundation recently announced the Request for Proposals (RFP) for the Frontline Justice Fund’s Fall 2022 grantmaking cycle. Applicants can view the RFP at Tides.org and JustFund.

The deadline for proposals is Thursday, October 27, 2022, at 5:00 pm (PT). 

For the Fall 2022 grantmaking round, the Frontline Justice Fund will grant up to a total of $4M. We anticipate grants will fall in the range of $25k-$150k, with at least 30% of those grants being two-year commitments.  

As many students returned to in-person learning, public-school districts quickly realized the social and emotional needs of our young people outweighed the resources schools offered. This has resulted in an influx of school-based incidents and the need for restorative practices. With this in mind, the Nellie Mae Education Foundation offers this Rapid Response Request for Proposals which seeks to support projects that center restorative justice by providing opportunities to create safe spaces for young people to acknowledge and repair harm, especially collaborative spaces between youth and adults to develop and implement violence prevention practices, strategies, and policies. 

The Foundation will support short-term projects that focus on restorative justice activities for school-aged youth with grants of up to $25,000. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. The deadline for proposals is Wednesday, November 16, 2022 at 5:00 P.M. EDT, or until the limited pool of resources is exhausted. To learn more about this opportunity and to start your application, read the RFP here or visit our website's grants opportunities page.

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