Philanthropy Women

Hive Fund Update: Growing Imprint of New Climate and Gender Funder

When we last heard from the Hive Fund for Climate and Gender Justice, the new grassroots funding organization had just announced its first round of grantees in the spring of 2020. Almost a full year later, the fund has expanded its grantmaking efforts to four states (and a few regional and national partners) and is making waves in funding impact in the historically underserved American South.

The **Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network** (WECAN) is one of the grant recipients from The Hive Fund. WECAN is “a solutions-based organization engaging women and feminists worldwide in policy advocacy, on-the-ground projects, direct action, trainings, and movement building for global climate justice.” (Image Credit: The Hive Fund)

So, What’s Been Going on So Far with The Hive Fund?

What we were initially so excited about was the Hive Fund’s unique approach to fixing a very prevalent problem: The conspicuous funding gap for women’s climate organizations in the American South. And so far, the Hive Fund has proven to be a wave-making, impact-oriented force for the greater good.

ArtNet: Ripple Effect Tribute to 26 Women Artists and their Inspirations

In celebration of International Women’s Day, ArtNet News identified 26 women working in art that have inspired the industry.

French Sculptor Louise Bourgeois is among the 26 women named by ArtNet as an inspiration to the art world. (Image credit: ArtNet)

It is not always easy being a woman in this world, and being a woman in the art world can be doubly challenging. Gallery rosters and museum collections around the world have been skewed against women for centuries, and many of today’s top institutions still have yet to appoint a female director. Even so, there is a vast community of women in the art world, dedicated to supporting and uplifting each other.

On this International Women’s Day, we looked to a group of art-world women who inspire us, and we asked them to take a moment to shine a light on some of the women who have inspired them. From mothers and grandmothers to feminist critic Linda Nochlin, who first called into question the apparent absence of great women artists—here are 26 women worth celebrating today and every day.

Increasing Women’s Food Security: Jessamyn Sarmiento of WFP USA

Editor’s Note: This interview in our Feminist Giving IRL series features Jessamyn Sarmiento, Chief Marketing Officer of World Food Program USA.

What do you wish you had known when you started out in your profession?

Jessamyn Sarmiento, courtesy of Jessamyn Sarmiento

Sometimes it’s good to break the rules. When you first start a career, everyone tells you how things are done. That’s the way it is. Here are your parameters. Don’t color outside the lines. I learned over time not to take this so seriously. There’s a lot to be said for trusting your own judgement. You can do things differently and will end up being much more creative. Instead of adhering 100 percent to “the right way” all the time, focus on what you believe to be your best ideas. Make your mistakes and learn from them. Don’t let others box you in.

FRIDA Commits to Flexibility with 93 New Participatory Grants

FRIDA | The Young Feminist Fund is on a roll, and they’re not letting up anytime soon. Shortly after finishing their 10th anniversary celebrations, the FRIDA team announced the next round of grants to 93 organizations, bringing their total grantee cohort to 252 activist groups in 115 countries across Latin America and the Caribbean, the Asian continent, Caucasus, Central and Eastern Europe, and the African continent.

FRIDA | The Young Feminist Fund recently announced the next 93 grantee partners in its latest cohort, representing the largest grant-making cohort in the organization’s 10-year history. (**Image Credit:** FRIDA)

This marks FRIDA’s largest grantee cohort since the organization’s founding, and the next step in FRIDA’s robust five-year plan.

Dear America, Why is Canada Leading the Charge for LGBTQ+ Funding?

In February 2021, the Canadian federal government announced new outgoing funding for 76 LGBTQ+ organizations across the country. Totaling $15 million CAD ($11.85 million USD), these new grants offer a much-needed capital injection for LGBTQ+ organizations at a time when the queer community struggles to meet and offer support for each other. This funding represents an exciting and forward-focused campaign for Canada — but says plenty about the lack of federal LGBTQ+ funding opportunities in the United States.

A child shows support for Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs) at a march in Alberta, Canada. (Image Credit: Denin Lawley)

Our neighbors to the north have frequently led the way in liberal and progressive policymaking, and this new round of federal funding is yet another way that the Canadian federal government is outpacing our own in terms of progressive thinking. The Biden Administration already has its work cut out for it “rolling back the rollbacks” from 45, but it cannot ignore the conspicuous funding gap between federal programs and the LGBTQ+ community.

Saks Highlights Remarkable Women Leaders in Mental Health Care

The luxury department chain Saks Fifth Avenue has launched the Visionary Voice Awards program to honor women working in mental health care.

To celebrate Women's History Month, Saks Fifth Avenue has announced a new program to celebrate women in mental health care. (Image credit: Saks Fifth Avenue) — *To celebrate Women’s History Month, Saks Fifth Avenue has announced a new program to celebrate women in mental health care. (Image credit:* Saks Fifth Avenue)

In honor of Women’s History Month, Saks Fifth Avenue will recognize women who are helping to pave the way for the future of mental health care and solutions through its first Visionary Voice Awards program.

The initiative builds upon Saks’ commitment to increase understanding of the importance of mental health, improve access to care and promote skills that build positive mental health for those who need it through the Saks Foundation.

March 25th: Join Us for the F-GIRL Top Tier Award Ceremony!

Congratulations again to the winners of Philanthropy Women’s inaugural Feminist Giving In Real Life (F-GIRL) Top Tier Award! We will be celebrating our winners and their work in feminist giving with a virtual awards ceremony at 2:00 PM ET on Thursday, March 25th.

This virtual celebration will feature all three winners and members of the Philanthropy Women team, as we celebrate the winners’ accomplishments and start a conversation on the future of feminist giving.

The event features Elizabeth Yntema, Founder and President of Dance Data Project, Dr. Tessie San Martin, President and CEO, Plan International USA, and Sara Monteabaro, Director of Strategic & Partner programs at MIT Solve. We will crown our F-GIRL recipients and allow them each to share about their mission to bring more gender equality to the world.

Introducing The Card, Built to Support Women in the Economy

Seneca Women, Mastercard, and Deserve have teamed up to create The Card, a credit card designed to help and support women worldwide.

The Card gives new opportunities to support women owned business, rewarding cardholders for doing so. (Image credit: Seneca Women)

Seneca Women, a global leadership and media platform, together with Mastercard and Deserve today announced a credit card created to advance women in the economy. The Card by Seneca Women, scheduled to launch this Spring, is the first-ever card to reward cardholders for shopping at women-owned businesses that are included in the Seneca Women Marketplace. The Marketplace will launch with over 1 million women-owned businesses. The Card also facilitates donations to women-focused nonprofits.

Felecia Lucky: Without Us, Rural Communities Had No Access to COVID Funds

Recently I had the opportunity to talk with Felecia Lucky, President of the Black Belt Community Foundation in Selma, Alabama, which serves Alabama’s 12 most financially distressed counties.

Felecia Lucky, President, Black Belt Community Foundation (Image Credit: Felecia Lucky)

Black Belt Community Foundation was officially formed in December 2003 after several years of community advocacy for such an institution. It was established to strengthen these 12 rural Alabama communities and enrich them with more community goods like health care, education, youth programs, and economic development.

As President of the Foundation, Lucky shared with me some of the story of the foundation’s growth and evolution. She traced the origins of the foundation back to another woman leader, Dr. Carol Zippert, who had a vision of how to build community resources through a foundation, bringing philanthropy to an area of the country that hadn’t experienced much of it.

New Managing Director Shannon Lövgren Joins The Case For Her

The Case For Her has announced that medical scholar and humanitarian Shannon Lövgren will be taking over the role of Managing Director.

Shannon Lövgren has been hired by The Case For Her as the new Managing Director. (Image credit: The Case For Her) — Shannon Lövgren has been announced as the new Managing Director of The Case For Her. (Image credit: The Case For Her)

The Case for Her, a philanthropic investment portfolio addressing the key women’s health issues of menstruation and sexual health and pleasure, announced today that Shannon Lövgren will join as Managing Director effective April 1, 2021. Shannon succeeds Gerda Larsson, who was with The Case for Her since its foundation in 2017 and has now moved on to other opportunities.

“We are sad to see Gerda go, but excited for this opportunity to bring in new ideas and expand the already incredible work our team is doing,” says Wendy Anderson, Co-founder of The Case for Her.