Dear Colleagues:
Deep breaths my friends. We have important work ahead of us.
In order to create change and lasting impact, we need to apply feminist principles to grantmaking, advocacy, and power building. It is time for philanthropy to recognize the power of local women’s funds and gender justice funders as critical infrastructure in supporting grassroots ideas and leadership.
Last week I was humbled to join an inspiring line up of leaders at the Power+ Summit hosted by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research. The key takeaway from the summit included the need to work together, with added urgency, as we witness a rise of authoritarianism and attacks on democracy and further erosion of our bodily autonomy and rights.
In short, fund women’s funds AND their enabling ecosystem of feminist funding networks like WFN and Prospera. Bring women’s funds to the advocacy and progressive funder tables. Fund like a feminist: give people money and get out of the way.
As always, we affirm our support for the women, and gender expansive persons, of the global majority who have been leading the fight for liberty and justice under both insidious, and flagrant, tyranny.
Together, we will win the future.
In Solidarity,
Elizabeth
Elizabeth Barajas-Román
Women’s Funding Network
President & CEO