It’s hard for me to keep up with all the news these days on feminist philanthropy, which is a good thing. That means there are more stories every day, and especially during women’s history month, that are reaching people’s inboxes and getting the world thinking about turning further in the direction of a feminist vision of peace and justice. The constancy of this news is why I publish a daily aggregate of news called Giving For Good, which I encourage you to subscribe to if you are a feminist philanthropy news junkie like me.
Sometimes the news is so big that it deserves extra attention, which is one of the reasons I created Philanthropy Women: to highlight the feminist philanthropy news that is truly game-changing and groundbreaking.
Here are a few extra important stories happening this women’s history month that I wanted to pick out and share:
- Gates Foundation Commits $170 Million to Global Gender Equality Movements: This Quartz piece gives it to us straight from the horse’s mouth (the horse being Melinda Gates, no offense!) on how the Gates Foundation will plow $170 million over four years into gender equality movements. To put that in perspective, 32 women’s funds made a commitment in 2016 to invest $100 million in U.S.-based gender equality movements over five years. This one commitment from Bill and Melinda Gates nearly doubles that. We are talking big moving and shaking going on. Here’s the golden nugget from Melinda in that post: “We’ll never reach our goals if we don’t also address the systematic way that women and girls are undervalued.” Amen, Melinda. But it’s not just about “linking women to markets” and money getting into individual women’s hands. It’s about changing the systems, including the corporations that exploit women as laborers. When we put that together with building government services that are truly women-centered, then we will see the ways that systems can change.
- Big Meetings for Gender Equality Movements Happening Soon: Those who have the resources to get themselves to meetings about gender equality this year will not lack for events to attend. Recently many of my Twitter followers have been rallying about the upcoming United State of Women Summit that will happen in Los Angeles from May 5-6, which will feature an amazing line-up of leaders including many friends connected with Women’s Funding Network, Women Donors Network and BRAVA Investments, as well as such luminaries as Michelle Obama and Tarana Burke. In addition, Women’s Funding Network will be holding its New York Summit on Tuesday, May 22. More information on that event is here.
- Important Gender Lens Investing Call Thursday: While there are lots of events happening on Thursday for International Women’s Day, this conference call with Alison Pyott, Partner and Senior Wealth Manager, Veris Wealth Partners, Luisamaria Ruiz Carlile, Senior Wealth Manager, Veris Wealth Partners, Cynthia Nimmo, President and CEO, Women’s Funding Network, and Suzanne Biegel, Founder, Catalyst at Large, is one I am not going to miss. The potential for advancing impact on gender justice with gender lens investing is great, and the growing range of services and products in this market indicate that women are getting closer to being in the driver’s seat in financial markets. I look forward to hearing these experts flesh out the terrain.
Related:
Announcing the 2018 Philanthropy Women Leadership Awards
Growing Women’s Financial Power: Microfinance as a Feminist Strategy
Why Feminist Philanthropy? For All the Relationship Reasons
How BRAVA Investments is Taking Gender Lens Investing Mainstream
