Dear Colleagues,
Led by Mi Familia Vota, Justice for Migrant Women, and organizations like Women’s Funding Network, I was honored to be part of a historic delegation of U.S. Latine leaders who were invited to witness the inauguration of Mexico’s first woman president, Dr. Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, at the Zócalo in Mexico City earlier this month.
For WFN, the top priority was exploring relationships for a bold binational agenda to increase funding for gender equality and justice for Mexican women and gender-nonconforming people in both countries.
This effort addresses a significant gap in the predominant philanthropic approach. In fact, the top 10 global development funders granted just 1.7% of their total portfolios to organizations based in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2021, and only 0.8% to Latine-focused organizations based in the US.
Fortunately, feminist funds like, Mama Cash, do things differently and can serve as a blueprint. They’ve been creating and honing their Global South-led, one-world, strategy for decades. And collaborative initiatives like Fenomenal Funds have cultivated formal and informal networks that reach across borders and are making a major impact on migrant women, children, and gender-nonconforming people.
Thank you for joining WFN in our goal to deepen connections between feminists in different regions, creating a robust network of allies and strategy partners. By doing so, we foster a transformative, gender-intentional framework that reimagines care, opportunity, and safety for all.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Barajas-Román
Women’s Funding Network
President & CEO