In The News

Barajas-Román: For Equal Pay Day, Women’s Funds Urge More Action

Statement by Women’s Funding Network President and CEO Elizabeth Barajas-Román on the need for collective action to address equal pay for women

SAN FRANCISCO — Equal Pay Day is March 24, 2021, spotlighting how far into the next year women have to work to be paid the same amount that a man was paid the previous year. Women’s Funding Network President and CEO Elizabeth Barajas-Román issued the following statement:

“In the United States, women on average make only 82 cents for every dollar made by an average white man, but for women of color, the gap is even worse. For each dollar a white non-Hispanic man is paid on average, Black women earn 63 cents, Native women earn 60 cents, and Latina women earn only 55 cents. This means that in 2021, Latina women would have to work until October 21, 2021 — nearly an entire extra year of work — to finally catch up to the same amount of earnings that white men were paid in 2020 alone.

Announcing Recipients of The Fifth Third Foundation’s Grant Program

The Fifth Third Foundation’s Innovation Meets Main Street program has announced the black, women-owned businesses receiving $1.2M in grants.

Launched in September 2020, the Innovation Meets Main Street program was designed to empower black, women-owned businesses throughout the U.S. (Image credit: Fifth Third Foundation)

The Fifth Third Foundation announced the recipients of $1.2 million in grants for Black, woman-owned businesses and the organizations that serve them through the Innovation Meets Main Street: Boosting Black, Woman-owned Businesses program, which was announced in September 2020.

The initiative was a partnership between Local Initiatives Support Corporation and the Association for Enterprise Opportunity and was completely powered by Fifth Third as a part of a larger $8.75 million pledge to support small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Susan McPherson’s “The Lost Art of Connecting” Now Available

Susan McPherson, Founder and CEO of McPherson Strategies, has announced that her book “The Lost Art of Connecting” debuts this month.

"The Lost Art of Connecting: The Gather, Ask, Do Method for Building Meaningful Business Relationships" will be released on March 23rd, 2021. (Image credit: McPherson Strategies) — “The Lost Art of Connecting: The *Gather*, *Ask*, Do Method for Building Meaningful Business Relationships” will be released on March 23rd, 2021. (Image credit: McPherson Strategies)

Editor’s Note: The following announcement is from Susan McPherson.

I am excited to share with you some big news: my new book “The Lost Art of Connecting will be out this month! Imagine launching a book all about the importance of building deep, meaningful connections throughout your career during a global pandemic when we have been socially isolated for 11+ months. Well, that’s me.

WFN Condemns Horrific Anti-Asian Violence After Attacks in Atlanta

The Women’s Funding Network has released a statement in response to the attacks on Asian-American women in Atlanta on March 17th, 2020.

The Women's Funding Network released a statement to vocalize its condemnation of anti-Asian violence. (Image credit: WFN) — The Women’s Funding Network released a statement to vocalize its condemnation of anti-Asian violence. (Image credit: WFN)

On March 17th, a 21-year old white man murdered six Asian-American women, one white woman, and one white man in a violent rampage in Atlanta, Georgia. As a global alliance of women’s funds, foundations, and gender justice funders and allies, we send our deepest condolences to the families whose loved ones were lost or injured.

We are devastated not only by the attacks in Atlanta, but also by the ongoing perpetration of anti-Asian hate and violence – particularly against women – since the start of the pandemic. We reject the remarks made by Captain Jay Baker of the Cherokee County Sheriff’s office in Georgia and his characterization of the attacker as just “having a really bad day.” Misogyny, racism, and violence are deeply intertwined. We believe that how we call attention to these issues is crucial.

Jewelle Bickford: Devote Your Company to Gender Lens Strategy

Jewelle Bickford explains how CEOs can and must use gender lens strategy to support women in documentary Covid, Women and the US Economy.

Jewelle Bickford, Co-Chair of Paradigm for Parity® is a renowned financial advisor with a clear 5-Point Action Plan to help CEOs use a gender lens. (Image credit: Crain's New York) — Jewelle Bickford, Co-Chair of Paradigm for Parity® is a renowned financial advisor with a clear 5-Point Action Plan to help CEOs use a gender lens. (Image credit: Crain’s New York)

In a BBC documentary about the impact of COVID on the economy and women in the workplace, Paradigm for Parity® Co-Chair Jewelle Bickford spoke with Nada Tawfik about the critical role CEOs play in achieving gender parity and the specific steps companies can take to support the advancement of women.

Bickford was optimistic that more employers will soon realize that hiring and advancing women of all backgrounds benefits everyone, saying “Those companies that have women on the board and in the C-Suite and throughout the company show 25% more profitability, so once companies know it’s more profitable, it lowers income inequality, and it helps stabilize the family structure, it’s a win-win.”

Voix EssentiELLES Partnership to Support Women’s Health in Africa

The Global Fund and Fondation CHANEL are launching Voix EssentiELLES, a partnership to support women’s health care in central and western Africa.

This partnership of The Global Fund and Fondation CHANEL will work with and for women in central and western Africa to advance their health care systems. (Image credit: The Global Fund and Fondation CHANEL)

(March, 2021) The Global Fund and Fondation CHANEL have signed a new agreement to set up a civil society-led fund to strengthen women’s and girls’ engagement in developing health policies, including Global Fund-related processes, in western and central Africa. The partnership, worth US $1.5 million, will run for three years starting in Senegal, Burkina Faso, and Côte d’Ivoire.

Citizens Partners With Black Girls CODE to Make STEM Accessible

Citizens and Black Girls CODE have partnered to launch virtual CODE clubs across the U.S. to bring STEM to girls in underserved communities.

Four virtual CODE clubs will be launched across the U.S. to teach coding to girls of color. (Image credit: Black Girls CODE)

Women and girls of color will have additional opportunities for early involvement in the technology field via a new partnership between Citizens and Black Girls CODE. A component of Citizens’ previously announced commitment to promote social equity and advance economic opportunity in underserved communities, the partnership includes the launch of four new virtual CODE clubs to increase participation and interest in technology.

Women on Top, New Initiative to Give $1M In Scholarships and Grants

Fashion Nova and Megan Thee Stallion announce the “Women on Top” initiative, which will give $1 million to women in grants and scholarships.

The Women on Top Initiative will be giving $1 in grants and scholarships to women until the end of March. (Image credit: Fashion Nova)

Fashion Nova, a leading e-commerce fashion lifestyle brand, and cultural icon, Megan Thee Stallion, announced “Women on Top,” a philanthropic initiative focused on women empowerment through the donation of funds to help support education, women-owned businesses, female-focused charities and organizations, and other inspirational women doing great things. Throughout the month, Fashion Nova Cares will highlight the various women, entrepreneurs and organizations who were preselected to receive $25,000 or more, for a total of $1,000,000.

Financial Firms Merge to Maximize Social Justice Returns for Investors

Abacus Wealth Partners and Robasciotti & Philipson have announced a merger to focus the firm on investors supporting social justice.

Rachel Robasciotti (left) and Maya Philipson (right) will be the new Director of Advocacy Engagement and Strategic Advisor, respectively, of Abacus following the merger. (Image credit: GlobeNewswire)

A merger was announced on March 3rd between Abacus Wealth Partners (“Abacus”), an impact-driven financial planning and wealth management firm, and the nationally-acclaimed, social justice-aligned investment firm, Robasciotti & Philipson (“R&P”), headquartered in San Francisco. Together, the two firms will operate under the Abacus name, and co-founders Rachel Robasciotti and Maya Philipson will now serve on the Abacus team as Director of Advocacy Engagement and Strategic Advisor, respectively. Through this merger, Abacus welcomes 115 additional households representing $130M in assets.

Spotify’s New Campaign Gives Women an EQUAL Voice

Spotify’s EQUAL, launched in honor of Women’s History Month, will amplify women’s voices online and abroad, even beyond March.

EQUAL will boost women's voices on Spotify's platform, social media, and in upcoming initiatives. (Image credit: Spotify) — EQUAL will boost women’s voices on Spotify’s platform, social media, and in upcoming initiatives. (Image credit: Spotify)

(Press Release, March 8, 2021) Spotify is always dedicated to empowering women creators and giving them a place to share their content with the world. Today, International Women’s Day, we are especially excited to launch a new campaign, EQUAL, to demonstrate our commitment to fostering equity for women in audio and celebrating their global contributions. The campaign will include partnerships, activations, new content experiences, and on- and off-platform support on local, regional, and international levels. Finally, it will also call on users to actively take control of their listening habits, making sure they play more women creators, no matter the day.

Author: Gender Equality Funding News