The Frontline Repro Freedom Lab (FRFL) has been launched to provide critical funding and resources to abortion funds in neglected states. This new initiative was founded in response to the overturning of Roe being overturned by the US Supreme Court.
FRFL announced its first ventures in an exclusive article in The New Republic. This initiative will partner with Arkansas Abortion Support Network, Prairie Abortion Fund and the Wild West Access Fund of Nevada. These three funds provide desperately needed care for five states.
These organizations will receive grants, resources, and first hand practical expertise designed to build the organizational capacity of each group, which will allow them to maximize impact within their respective areas. The goal is to call for a collective effort that will allow more sustainable investment.
Beyond the funding, FRFL will work to ensure that access to abortion is equitable in those states that have severely curtailed access. This will include advocating for increased funding and lobby support from the philanthropic community to invest its money to protect and expand abortion access.
According to the website, FRFL’s approach has two stages.
The first is to develop tactics with potential for a high return on investment to create near-term improvements that may be scalable. The second is to realign the priorities of philanthropic funding to include direct, frontline abortion funds.
“At a moment when help is needed more than ever, we cannot continue to pretend that access to abortion is not a solvable problem, even as we work on advancing legal protections in statehouses, courts and Congress,” said Sarah Higginbotham, Co-Founder and Founding Director of Frontline Repro Freedom Lab. “The appalling truth is that this country already has the resources and ingenuity to make sure everyone that needs an abortion can get one in this challenging legal climate–it’s just not a priority”.
According to the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy, foundation funding only accounts for 37 percent of abortion funds’ budgets, while 63 percent comes from individual donors. “We really don’t believe in a scarcity mindset,” Higginbotham said. “We think there’s plenty of resources to support abortion access.”
Link to the FRFL website:
https://www.frontlinereprofreedomlab.org
Link to The New Republic article:
https://newrepublic.com/article/186128/abortion-fund-money-dobbs-election
One: The Pay Gap Got Worse
In a new report, the American Association of University Women (AAUW) announced that the pay gap between men and women grew in 2o23. In 2022, women made 84% of what men are paid. For the latest year, that percentage dropped to 83%.
For the study, AAUW analyzed the gender pay gap from the current Population Survey (CPS) which is conducted annually by the US Census Bureau. These figures are the gold standard for data about compensation, wealth, and other statistics for the United States.
The results are for women who work full-time for the entire year.
Real earnings for both men and women increased for 2023; nevertheless, the pay gap widened because the increase in men’s income grew by 3%, while that of women only grew 1.5%. This led to the decrease in the amount women are paid in relation to men.
Real income increased for all workers as the economy recovered after the pandemic abated. However, the recovery has been uneven, and men have reaped a larger share of the gain. Women who work part-time have been the most affected, and in particular women of color have not seen wage growth as they are pushed into lower-wage jobs.
The inability to climb the wage scale continues to depress wages earned. When looking at part-time and seasonal work, the gap is even wider. Women in these positions make only 75% of what men are paid. This is a drop from 78% in the previous year.
Those hit the worst are Latina women, who make only 51% of what a comparable male in a similar position makes. Black women only make 64%; White women are at 73%, and Asian women have had the best results, making 83% of what a man makes.
The gender gap for full-time workers costs women $11,500 per year. This is money that could be used for education, investment, or child care among other things.
“These inequities are not perpetuated due to individual women’s choices,” said Gloria L. Blackwell, CEO of AAUW. “They stem from policies that fail to support working women, including the lack of paid leave, affordable childcare, and comprehensive pay equity laws and practices. It’s time we have a serious conversation about how to fix this.”
“We cannot allow these disparities to continue unchecked.”
Link to the AAUW press release:
https://www.aauw.org/resources/news/media/press-releases/2024-gender-pay-gap-data
Link to the US Census CPS:
Latina Equal Pay Day is scheduled for October 3, 2024. For additional information focusing on Latina and Immigrant women, visit this website:
Two: Invitation to Give to Women and Girls Day in NYC on Oct. 11: A Celebratory Fundraising Event for Gender Equality
For three years, the Women’s Philanthropy Institute at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy has engaged in an annual Give to Women and Girls Day. This year, Amplify Her Foundation has joined WPI as a partner in the event.
This year, to celebrate this event these two groups are hosting the inaugural Give to Women and Girls Day NYC celebration event on October 11, 2o24. This will be a powerful day of collective generosity to support women and girls. Less than 2% of all philanthropic dollars goes to nonprofits dedicated to women and girls.
The event is free to the public and will take place on October 11, 2024 at The New-York Historical Society in New York City. The celebration will bring together a nationwide alliance of philanthropies, nonprofits and corporate allies to galvanize awareness and funding for this important day.
The key focus of the event will be fundraising for women and girls. An initial donation of $1M has already been committed. In partnership with Every.org, a free online fundraising platform, a dedicated page will be available to track fundraising on that day—ensuring seamless and impactful giving for women and girls. Event attendees will also be encouraged to donate through gift cards provided by Amplify Her Foundation
“When we rally behind women and girls, we’re not just unlocking individual potential — we are igniting the leadership of transformational changemakers who can build thriving communities and drive systemic change,” said Marti Speranza Wong, Founder, Executive Director and Board Chair of Amplify Her Foundation. “Women’s and girls’ leadership is key to driving progress. Empowering them isn’t just about today, it’s about creating positive ripple effects for a more equitable future.”
Partners include Giving Tuesday, Pivotal Ventures, the National Women’s Hall of Fame, Ms. Foundation for Women, Women Moving Millions, Girls Inc., Women’s Funding Network, The New York Women’s Foundation, Women.NYC, and many more. Over 400 people are expected to attend in-person, with hundreds more tuning in via livestream.
Among the confirmed speakers are:
- Allison Fine, President, Every.org
- Giselle Burgess, Senior Director, Troop 6000 and Accessibility and Inclusion, Girl Scouts of Greater New York
- Jacqueline Ackerman, Interim Director, Women’s Philanthropy Institute
- Maheen Kaleem, Vice President of Operations and Programs, Grantmakers for Girls of Color
- Maria Torres-Springer, NYC Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development and Workforce
- Marti Speranza Wong, Founder & Executive Director, Amplify Her Foundation
- Noorain Khan, Director, President’s Office, Ford Foundation
- Sarah Haacke Byrd, CEO, Women Moving Millions
- Teresa Younger, CEO & President, Ms. Foundation
Link to Give to Women and Girls Day in NYC web page:
https://givetowomenandgirlsnyc.org
Link to Amplify Her Foundation:
https://www.amplifyherfoundation.org
Link to Women’s Philanthropy Institute:
https://philanthropy.indianapolis.iu.edu/institutes/womens-philanthropy-institute/index.html
Link to Every.org:
Three: Girl Scouts of Greater New York name new interim CEO
Karen Lundgard has been named Interim CEO of the Girl Scouts of Greater New York (GSGNY), New York City’s largest girl-focused leadership program. She recently served as GSGNY’s Chief Operating Officer.
“Serving as Interim CEO of the Girl Scouts of Greater New York is the honor of a lifetime,” said Ms. Lundgard. From age 5 to 18, Ms. Lundgard was a Girl Scout in her hometown of Buffalo, NY. The troop was led by her mother. Her time as a Girl Scout instilled Ms Lundgrad a strong love of the outdoors and fostered a keen sense of responsibility for our natural environment.
“Too many young people in New York City, particularly those from densely packed low-income neighborhoods, lack access to green spaces that can profoundly boost their physical, mental, and emotional well-being,” said Ms. Lundgard. “I committed to continuing to create more opportunities for our Girl Scouts to enjoy the outdoors, connect with nature at Camp Kaufman, and become environmental advocates in their communities.”
GSGNY serves more than 25,000 girls ages 5 to 18 in every zip code of the five boroughs and has a 111-year-long track record of developing courage, confidence, and character in girls who make the world a better place.
“I’m proud to have dedicated my career to an organization that has life-changing impacts on girls of all backgrounds, in every neighborhood of our great city,” Ms Lundgard said.
Meridith Maskara was Ms Lundgard’s predecessor at GSNYC. Ms. Maskara has accepted a position as Chief Development Officer at the Girl Scouts of the USA.
As Ms. Maskara’s signal accomplishment, the GSGNY launched Troop 6,000. This was the first-of-its-kind program designed to serve families living in the New York City shelter system. Troop 6,000 started at one homeless shelter and sparked the organization’s largest-ever fundraising drive, which raised millions of dollars to support the program’s expansion. Today, under GSGNY’s contract with the City of New York, Troop 6,000 is run in 31 family shelters.
Link to the full press release:
Link to the website of GSGNY:
Four: DDP Strengthens Leadership and Adds New Internship
Dance Data Project® (DDP) announced several key personnel changes as the organization continues to expand its mission of promoting gender equity in the dance industry, both in the US and globally. Tracey Bonner will fill the role of Senior Communications Liaison, Yessica Herrera has been appointed to the DDP Advisory Council, and Angela Yuan comes on board as a Research Intern. These changes come as Isabelle Ramey, Chief External Affairs Officer, departs after three years of dedicated service.
As part of DDP’s expansion, Angela Yuan has joined the organization as a Research Intern. She will be supporting DDP’s advocacy work while gaining hands-on experience in research and strategic communication. Angela is a high school student who has trained in classical ballet for over nine years. She discovered Dance Data Project during a research project analyzing the local networks of ballet masters.
For more information, visit DDP’s website and subscribe to their newsletter.
Five: Full Text of Kiersten Marek’s interview with Time Magazine
It’s not often that you get your voice in Time Magazine. For that reason, our Founder Kiersten Marek is sharing the full text of her answers to the Time Magazine interview. While the article contained many quotes from Kiersten, it also used her answers to anchor the story in several other ways. As an interesting study in journalism and a chance to hear the full responses, here is the full text:
1. How would you describe ‘feminist philanthropy’?
Feminist philanthropy, that is, giving which takes a gender lens and seeks to make the world a more peaceful, and equal place. Some research suggests that the more gender equality you have in your culture, the better everyone sleeps at night. As a therapist I can tell you that good sleep is the essential base of a healthy life, so feminist philanthropy is that important. Yet it gets short shrift from nearly everyone, and donors have a tendency to start off strong and strident, and then lose momentum over time. Peter and Jennifer Buffett are an important example of that dynamic since in 2016 they made the largest pledge ever for women and girls of color, and by 2020, they began scaling back the vision for their feminist philanthropy. The Novo Foundation cancelled its plans to fund the women’s building in Manhattan, an ambitious project which was going to occupy an empty women’s prison building. They dropped that, and said they felt too isolated as funders for gender equality and, as Peter Buffett put it, more donors needed to “pony up” for the work.
2. In your experience, how much support do feminist movements get from global philanthropy?
There is some money out there for global philanthropy that takes a gender lens. Foundations like Imago Dei Fund in Boston and donor networks like Women Moving Millions have put substantial funding into grassroots gender lens work in countries like Africa. There are also many substantial funders for feminist philanthropy across Europe such as the Chanel Foundation. Many multinational corporations like Bank of America, Met Life, Starbucks and Amazon all have gender lens philanthropy as part of their giving portfolio, and this impacts their presence as global companies.
But the bottom line is that all feminist giving from US foundations to do global work only accounts for about .5%. (That number is from AWID here: https://www.awid.org/sites/default/files/2022-01/AWID_Research_WITM_Brief_ENG.pdf) So while there is a lot of talk about doing this work globally, not many dollars match that talk. That’s kind of the way it is in most marginalized philanthropy sectors. WPI put out a report on the “Say-Do” gap in racial justice funding. I would argue there is a similar, if not worse, “Say-Do” gap in gender justice funding, both in the US and globally.
3. What are the challenges in securing funding, and is there a willingness among philanthropists to better connect with feminist movements?
There is a collaborative that has been doing this work privately for over a decade and just now decided to open up and tell the public about their work. It’s called the Gender Funders CoLab. They sent me a pitch to do a story on them.
One of the reasons we started Philanthropy Women was to make women’s funding more visible to the world, so it’s interesting to note that when organizations like Gender Funders CoLab work privately, it’s very hard to get the word out about what they are doing. It’s not easy to talk about gender equality publicly, and what I have learned as a micropublisher is that this is a hard journalism niche to sell to the general public. While the work is growing, there aren’t very many people who want to subscribe to a website like Philanthropy Women. It’s perplexing and part of what inspired me to seek an EMBA (Executive Masters in Business Administration) degree at Quantic School for Business and Technology (class of April 2025!). For the past seven years, I have been trying to get a handle on how to create a viable publishing enterprise on this subject matter. In that process, I have also written a book on the subject called “Feminist Giving,” which has been heralded by Lauren Brathewaite of Candid as “the bible” on gender equality philanthropy.
4. In the current global political climate, are there any gender-based issues that can be especially addressed through such efforts?
Every day I am appalled at how the clock is being rolled back for women across the world. The Taliban banned women from going to school. Women are caught in the crossfire and suffering massively in the Ukraine. Kenya is experiencing political violence amid a youth uprising and it’s likely women and girls are in need of extra support to deal with this political struggle. Some feminist givers such as the Women Donors Network pride themselves on being “nimble” and able to respond to crisis situations that arise for women. There is also the Urgent Action fund which funds feminist activism on global problems for women as they arise.
5. Anything else you’d like to say on the topic.
It’s enjoyable but also very difficult to be a feminist giver. Since I’m a church goer (I run the nursery now at St. Stephen’s Episcopal church at Brown University) I like to compare being a feminist giver to giving on the community level by being a member of a church. Feminist giving is about 10 times harder, I would estimate, than joining a church. Feminism is still the ultimate “F” word in our society and people almost never use it. But I think as the movement changes, the language is also going to change. Gender justice is now replacing “feminism” as a familiar term and perhaps it won’t feel so dangerous to people. Ultimately, we’re just talking about basic fairness in society, with the ultimate goal of everyone being able to sleep better at night.
