Dear Colleagues,
The outcome of this U.S. presidential election is a sobering reminder that expanding human rights is the fight of our lifetime.
What’s needed to win that fight has not changed: grassroots leadership, globally-informed national collaboration and shared analysis, and the resources to get the job done.
Despite the presidential outcome, there were some inspiring wins on Election Day thanks in part to the work of women’s foundations. Abortion rights advocates at the state level worked tirelessly to build coalitions and motivate voters to turn out to expand abortion rights in 7 out of 10 states where it was on the ballot. Another proud moment was passing Prop 1 in New York—a state constitutional amendment that enshrines reproductive freedom and protects against discrimination because of someone’s gender, age, ethnicity, pregnancy status, disability status, or whether they’re LGBTQ+—which the New York Women’s Foundation was central in advocating for and helping get passed. And we were also inspired by the Senate victories of Angela Alsobrooks in Maryland and Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester in Delaware, which marks the first time in our country’s history that more than one Black woman will be serving in the Senate.
For more than 40 years, women’s funds have played a key role in advancing gender equity across the world by ensuring deep investment in the frontline every day, every year, until victory.
Now is the time to fund them for the long-term work ahead. Knowing what a second Trump administration may hold, we need philanthropy’s greater-than-ever investment in gender and racial equity ecosystem leaders. Their light builds powerful local strategy that will show us the way out of darkness.
The project of democracy isn’t about a single election. It isn’t about a single demographic or country. It’s about all of us. It’s about not giving up.
Join me in committing to the work ahead. We won’t stop until we’ve built a world where everyone has a chance to thrive.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Barajas-Román
Women’s Funding Network
President & CEO