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Ms. Foundation for Women

Investing in Women and Girls to Change the Way the World Works

Member Profile

+001 2127422300
Sara K. Gould
info@ms.foundation.org
1972

The Ms. Foundation actively works to bring race, class, age and sexuality to the center of feminist organizing (a concept we call social justice feminism) and to bring a gender lens to the center of broader progressive organizing (a concept we call feminist social justice).

We foster alliances among women’s organizations and other social justice groups to strengthen and expand the breadth and power of social justice movements. In doing so, we are working to foster a coherent vision and strategy to build the kind of power we need to bring about progressive change on a larger scale.

We build movements through strategic grantmaking and capacity building within and across broad issue areas. Whether securing policy wins for women with HIV/AIDS or shifting the way we approach child sexual abuse prevention, we bring a common set of social change goals to our work, intently focused on policy and culture change within a movement building framework.

Mission: 

The Ms. Foundation supports the efforts of women and girls to govern their own lives and influence the world around them. Through its leadership, expertise and financial support, the Foundation champions an equitable society by effecting change in public consciousness, law, philanthropy and social policy.

Beliefs and Values Statement:
Our work is guided by our vision of a just and safe world where power and possibility are not limited by gender, race, class, sexual orientation, disability or age. We believe that equity and inclusion are the cornerstones of a true democracy in which the worth and dignity of every person are valued.

Programs: 

Building Movements:
The Ms. Foundation for Women is redoubling our efforts to build women’s collective power to ignite change. Our Movement Building grants aim to change public policy at all levels, with the ultimate goal of transforming the systems that govern women’s lives. We also aim to change the broader culture, because we know that social change requires fundamental shifts in cultural attitudes and behaviors and in the way in which women are characterized in the media and in public debate. Read more

Economic Security:
The Ms. Foundation funds community-based organizations using a range of strategies — from advocating for higher wages and better working conditions to promoting programs and policies that foster women-owned businesses — that enable low-income women to support themselves and their families. Read more

Health and Safety:
The Ms. Foundation facilitates the growth of grassroots movements while encouraging the participation of new, diverse voices in the national debate on women’s health and safety. We are often the first funder of community organizations working on these issues. Read more

Girls, Young Women and Leadership:
Our far-reaching, multifaceted programs amplify young women’s voices to promote their leadership in communities across the country, provide them with safe spaces, and support their community organizing efforts. Read more

Cross-Cutting Programs:
Democracy and Power: The Ms. Foundation for Women seeks to enhance democracy, power and public-policy opportunities for women and girls on a bipartisan basis. These programs give us the flexibility to support a wide range of projects that deeply affect women and girls. Read more

The Katrina Women's Response Fund:
The Ms. Foundation moved quickly to provide strategic support to meet the relief and rebuilding needs of low-income Gulf Coast women, with an emphasis on women of color and low-income women, who were directly engaged in the on-the-ground and/or political work of post-Katrina and Rita rebuilding. Now, over two years after the storms, we are continuing to support the efforts of low-income women of color towards a just recovery in the Gulf Coast. Read more

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