WFN is dedicated to following the wisdom of local leaders by sharing knowledge and research created by our members that supports funding practices which propel movements forward.

Working alongside funding partners and the membership, WFN creates and curates an ever growing body of reports and learning that provide context, thought leadership, and evidence to support funding practices which propel movements forward. Browse our library of reporting and learning publications below.

Filter
State of Women in Central Indiana Report cover page

Member Research Report

Women’s Fund of Central Indiana – State of Women in Central Indiana Report

Women's Fund of Central Indiana released their first-ever State of Women in Central Indiana Report, which paints a picture of what it’s like to be a woman in Central Indiana with regional and statewide data on women's health, well-being, and safety.

According to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, Indiana has a “D” grade in terms of women’s well-being. This report—which examines health, workforce participation, housing, transportation, and violence—supports this assessment. The statistics in the report paint a troubling picture. Many women in the community are struggling, and intersecting factors like race, geography, and identity compound that struggle. That goes for girls, too. The Women's Fund's report comes on the heels of the 2024 Indiana Girl Report, developed by Girl Coalition of Indiana.

Communities can’t solve problems or seize opportunities if they don’t know what they are, which is why the data in this report is so crucial. With this report, decision-makers can take informed action. And it tells women: you are heard, and there is hope.

Shift the South report cover in various shades of purple

Member Research Report

Women’s Foundation of the South – Shift the South: Why Change Can’t Wait for Women and Girls of Color

The Shift the South report details the economic and policy realities that women and girls of color must live through in the South as well as the conditions that nonprofits who serve women and girls of color in the South must contend. Backed by quantitative and qualitative data, the report sheds light on the inequitable and unjust realities that women and girls of color face in seven Southern states, namely Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Texas.

Member Research Report

Australians Investing In Women – Remaking the norm

Australians Investing In Women, in collaboration with Deloitte Access Economics and Minderoo Foundation, has released Remaking the Norm, the second iteration of its 2022 Breaking the Norm report. Remaking the norm reveals actions key to dismantling harmful gender norms and inequities in Australia, includes new research into the equality-based attitudes and behaviors of corporate Australia, and outlines how society can dismantle bias and stereotypes through practical policy recommendations and learnings from successful change initiatives and actions.

The report outlines six ways governments, business, philanthropy, and community groups can work towards realizing the $128 billion that could be added to Australia’s GDP each year if women and girls are empowered to reach their full economic potential:

  • Engage children and young people in discussions about gender norms
  • Enable men to play a bigger role at home
  • Eliminate stereotypes in language and culture
  • Embed intersectionality across gender initiatives
  • Create accountable and transparent institutions
  • Create structured processes to reduce embedded bias
The Status of Women in Montana Advancing Policy for Economic Equity report cover

Member Research Report

Women’s Foundation of Montana – The Status of Women in Montana: Advancing Policy for Economic Equity

Women in Montana have a long history of economic contributions and success. However, women are still underpaid relative to men, are more likely to work in industries where their expertise is undervalued like caretaking, and face disproportionate threats to their personal safety and wellness. Montana women with intersecting marginalized identities, including Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), and LGBTQ+ women, face heightened obstacles. Tracking and evaluating the economic status of women in Montana is important to help target policies that work to improve equity. This report identifies solutions to help close the gaps in economic outcomes for Montana women.

Equitable Foundations: Case Studies of Gender-wise Philanthropy in Housing Partnerships report cover

Member Research Report

Australians Investing In Women – Equitable Foundations: Case Studies of Gender-wise Philanthropy in Housing Partnerships

Equitable Foundations has been produced as part of a collaboration between Australians Investing In Women and the University of Melbourne’s Melbourne Social Equity Institute, with funding from Paul Ramsay Foundation. The shared vision is to help the philanthropic sector and other funders and partners improve the effectiveness of investment by understanding and responding to disadvantage and gender inequality in their area of focus.

Equitable Foundations provides exemplar models and a Framework to guide philanthropic funders in incorporating a gender lens, or gender equity principles, into their partnerships with other funders, including governmental and private entities.

The Case Studies report features key insights regarding the application of a gender lens in two case study partnerships. The report also has a companion resource, a Framework document outlining steps to apply a gender lens to partnerships and collaborations. Both resources have been produced to support philanthropic partnerships and collaborations to apply a gender lens.

WNY Women's Foundation Pathways to Progress repot cover

Member Research Report

WNY Women’s Foundation – Pathways to Progress: Accelerating the Possibilities

For twenty-five years, the WNY Women’s Foundation (WNYWF) has been transforming systems, culture, and policy to create opportunities for each woman to thrive. To commemorate this silver milestone, the WNYWF released the third installment of their Pathways to Progress: Accelerating the Possibilities series. This data-driven analysis focuses on: childcare, poverty, leadership, education, occupational segregation, and pay equity. The latest edition builds off of the WNYWF’s 2010 and 2017 Pathways to Progress: The Status of Women in WNY reports and compares the state of affairs for women 25 years ago, to the current climate, with a forecasted trajectory over the next 20-25 years.

WFRI 2024 Women's Well-Being Index report cover

Member Research Report

Women’s Fund of Rhode Island – 2024 Women’s Well-Being Index

Women's Fund of Rhode Island's Women’s Well-Being Index (WWBI) exists as Rhode Island's best evidence-based resource to demonstrate how women are faring in every city and town in regards to salary, economic security, representation in job sectors, educational attainment, and health and safety. Primarily based on U.S. Census data and published annually, the WWBI highlights the progress being made toward closing the gender, wage, wealth, health, education, and power gaps that exist in Rhode Island. When possible, WWBI investigates the intersection of gender inequity overlaid with race/ethnicity and age. A few highlights from 2024 findings include the following

  • White women in Rhode Island earn .81 to each $1 a man earns, which is a drop of 4% since last year; Black women earn .60 and Latina women earn .52.
  • Salaries have risen for women in most occupations over the last year, ranging from an 8-16% increase, depending on the employment sector.
  • Rhode Island’s highest-paid sector for women is Healthcare Practitioners, where women earn an average of $79,197. Men, in comparison, make an average of $113,210 in this sector.
  • In Rhode Island, 27% of all women (all races) have at least some college education and 90% have at least a high-school diploma. 
  • Black women are 2.6 times more likely to die due to a pregnancy-related cause than white women.
  • The overall birth rate has decreased from 5% of Rhode Island’s female population to 2.5%.
  • Hispanic/Latinx women experience poverty at a rate above 10% in 26 Rhode Island cities and towns; Black women experience the same in 16 cities and towns.
  • The poverty rate for American Indian/Alaskan Natives in Rhode Island surged from 16.5% in last year’s WWBI to 38% now.
2024 Census of Directors and Chief Executives of Rhode Island's Largest Nonprofit Organizations report cover

Member Research Report

Women’s Fund of Rhode Island – 2024 Census of Directors and Chief Executives of Rhode Island’s Largest Nonprofit Organizations

Women's Fund of Rhode Island's (WFRI) report, the 2024 Census of Directors and Chief Executives of Rhode Island’s Largest Nonprofit Organizations (Census), is an update to the 2019 report of the same name. Assisted by a class from Bryant University, WFRI collated data on 135 of the state’s largest nonprofits, based on revenue. The Census demonstrates how Rhode Island is doing in regards to gender and racial diversity among these nonprofits’ leadership circles. Key findings include:

  • Current data shows a significant decline in the number of CEOs who are women: only 37 women (or 27%) lead at these 135 nonprofits. In 2019, women led at 44%. Only 3% of these CEOs are women of color.
  • Similarly, the Census shows a drop in the percentage of women serving on the boards for these nonprofits: currently, women hold 872 or 21% of the board seats, compared with 38% in 2019. 
  • Representation by the BIPOC community has decreased on boards: currently, 8.45% of board members are BIPOC compared to 10% in 2019.
WFCO Colorado's Equal Pay for Equal Work Act Is Closing the Gender Pay Gap

Member Research Report

The Women’s Foundation of Colorado – Colorado’s Equal Pay for Equal Work Act Is Closing the Gender Pay Gap

On Equal Pay Day, The Women's Foundation of Colorado released a research brief that shows that Colorado's Equal Pay for Equal Work Act is closing three times faster than states without pay transparency laws. Other states that have passed pay transparency laws, namely California and Washington, are seeing similar results. The Women's Foundation of Colorado lobbied for the Equal Pay for Equal Work Act and led a statewide coalition of more than 20 organizations to help pass the bill in 2019. It was enacted in 2021.

Women's Foundation of Minnesota 2024 Status of Women & Girls+ in Minnesota report cover

Member Research Report

Women’s Foundation of Minnesota – 2024 Status of Women & Girls+ in Minnesota

In 2009, Women's Foundation of Minnesota launched the Status of Women & Girls in Minnesota (Status) research project in partnership with the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School’s Center on Women, Gender, and Public Policy. Annually, data specific to Minnesota women and girls has been gathered, analyzed, and published in economics, safety, health, and leadership. The Status research and community input informs the Foundation’s annual grantmaking and policy agenda, and identifies new areas where research is needed.

The project represents a unique approach to research by using a gender-race-place-equity lens. More than 100 experts from academia, government, nonprofit and private sectors, elected bodies and philanthropy participated in working groups and reviewed data on women and girls in Minnesota to identify the key issues outlined in the research, and proffer solutions. Through the research, a baseline is provided for measuring where to apply needed interventions and benchmark the continued progress on the road to economic, political and social equality for all women and girls in Minnesota.

2023 State Pilot Report cover page featuring a side view of a woman's face with a turquoise letter "A" and the words: Stat Pilot Report 2023, When She Ascends, A summary of our most valuable learnings from Michigan, Mississippi, and Washington

Member Research Report

The Ascend Fund – State Pilot Report 2023

In 2021, The Ascend Fund launched a three-state pilot to increase the number of women serving in Michigan, Mississippi, and Washington legislatures. This effort was specifically intended to help the fund understand how to propel more women into leadership positions.

This report is a summary of their key learnings from the multi-year effort. This report is designed as a resource not only for The Ascend Fund’s current state partners, but also for state and national organizations pursuing gender parity in politics across the country.

Report cover page for The New York Women's Foundation's The Fund for the Me Too Movement and Allies: A Funder-Activist Collaboration with a black and white photo of women marching holding signs, including some that read "Believe Survivors" and "Women of Color Have Always Led Change. We Won't Stop Now"

Member Research Report

The New York Women’s Foundation – The Fund for the Me Too Movement and Allies: A Funder-Activist Collaboration

The New York Women’s Foundation was an early supporter of Tarana Burke’s me too Interntional as part of The Fund for the Me Too Movement and Allies (The Fund). Focused on creating spaces for healing and advocacy, The Fund was a trust-based philanthropic approach that engaged organizations across the U.S. to uplift survivor voices, particularly voices of women of color and other historically marginalized communities, and develop survivor-led programs. After four years of collaboration, The New York Women’s Foundation and Strength in Numbers Consulting Group conducted a summative evaluation that explored the development and implementation of The Fund’s efforts, resulting in specific recommendations for how funders and activists can work together to advance a common agenda and spark change.  The evaluation distilled ways that philanthropy can partner with emerging organizations to take bold steps towards change through direct support of movement leaders and trusting their visions.  

Funders can be critical partners to activists building movements towards social justice. However, for these unique relationships to flourish, funders and activists must work closely together and create a common understanding for how to collaborate given the historical power dynamics and inequities that have existed between philanthropy and nonprofit organizations. To advance movements, funders and activists have the opportunity to redefine these terms and create new relationships that center the work of activists and help build connections among organizations leading similar work across the field.

Cover of report Living With Pocket Change: What It Means To Do More With Less

Member Research Report

Ms. Foundation for Women – Living With Pocket Change: What It Means To Do More With Less

Organizations led by women and nonbinary leaders of color stand at the forefront of the most urgent struggles of our times, resolute in their commitment to constructing a just society where all can thrive. Supporting, investing in, and demonstrating genuine care for these leaders is not a mere choice; it is an imperative.

Building from Ms. Foundation for Women’s groundbreaking report, Pocket Change: How Women and Girls of Color Do More With Less, this latest research, Living With Pocket Change: What It Means To Do More With Less, examines the impact and real-life experiences of chronic philanthropic underinvestment and disinvestment in the leadership of women and nonbinary people of color, as well as underfunding of the organizations they lead, and highlights their needs, experiences, and the profound toll it takes.

Headshot of Black person in a grey blazer and tan collared shirt with the text Thrive As They Lead: Advancing the Infrastructure to Support Black Women Leaders in the D.C. Metro Area Nonprofit Sector

Member Research Report

Washington Area Women’s Foundation – Thrive As They Lead: Advancing the Infrastructure to Support Black Women Leaders in the D.C. Metro Area Nonprofit Sector

Black women and gender-expansive leaders continue to be at the forefront of innovation, movement-building, bold leadership, and strategy across the Washington D.C. metropolitan area and the county. Yet at the same time, Black women leaders are operating in unprecedented times with mounting barriers and challenges to their leadership – driven by systemic inequities deeply embedded in sectors and systems.

Prompted by the ongoing national dialogue around Black women’s leadership and the unsettling stories about the sector’s failure to adequately support Black women as they lead across the city and surrounding counties, the Washington Area Women’s Foundation stepped in to fill this gap and bolster the leadership of Black women and Black gender-expansive leaders in the region.

Cover page for The Women's Fund Miami-Dade Gender Equity Index Explainer with an image of a Black woman with chin-length curly dark hair and Black girl with red and black braids and an overview image of high-rise buildings

Member Research Report

The Women’s Fund Miami-Dade – Gender Equity Index

The Women's Fund Miami-Dade's Gender Equity Index (GEI) measures progress toward equity for women and girls in Miami-Dade County, and its goal is to drive collaboration in the advancement of gender equality. The GEI provides a numeric score that measures the progress toward gender equity in Miami-Dade County over time and answers key questions such as "How far is Miami-Dade County from reaching gender equity?" and "What gaps need to be addressed?" GEI scores are accompanied by policy papers for each of The Fund's four pillars: Freedom From Violence, Leadership, Health & Well-Being, and Economic Mobility. The GEI provides essential data to inform and assist policymakers and the broader community in improving gender equality.

Womens Fund of Western Massachusetts Gender Equity Report cover page with white background and title text in maroon

Member Research Report

Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts – Gender Equity in Western Massachusetts: The Status of Women, Girls, Transgender, Nonbinary, and Gender-Diverse Adults and Youth

Women's Fund of Western Massachusetts' (WFWM) 2023 research report Gender Equity in Western Massachusetts: The Status of Women, Girls, Transgender, Nonbinary, and Gender-Diverse Adults and Youth:

  • Sheds light on strengths, progress, and areas of continued or emerging gender inequity in the four-county region of Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden, and Hampshire counties.
  • Informs WFWM's strategic planning and grantmaking for the next several years.
  • Provides actionable data and insights for our current partners, and to motivate others to pursue gender and racial equity.
  • Supports collective advocacy by using findings to engage stakeholders, community-based organizations, for-profit companies, other funders, government, higher education, and other agencies in advancing gender-equitable policies and practices.

The research report includes data on gender demographics, employment & earnings, poverty and opportunity, health and well-being, reproductive justice, violence and safety, leadership, and political participation. WFWM also sought a deeper understanding of the experiences of several populations, including Indigenous women, survivors of intimate partner violence, immigrant and refugee women and girls, formerly incarcerated women, and Springfield women and girls of color.

Cover page for Pay Transparency Measures in the United States report by Women's Fund of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation

Member Research Report

Women’s Fund of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation – Pay Transparency Measures in the United States

In 2023, the Women’s Fund of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation released Pay Transparency Measures in the United States. Since 2017, gender and racial pay equity have been key priority areas at the Women’s Fund. Recently, a growing national movement has recognized pay transparency as one strategic solution for employers and the government to address these disparities.  

The Women’s Fund developed this report to more thoroughly understand the impacts and arguments for and against pay transparency policies. Employers, policymakers, community leaders, and wage earners will find this information beneficial in providing a more complete picture of the impact of pay transparency.

Heart Story Curation Indigenous Feminist Justice Leadership & The Philanthropic Call to Action snapshot report cover page

Member Research Report

Return to the Heart Foundation – Heart Story Curation: Indigenous Feminist Justice Leadership & The Philanthropic Call to Action

Through a partnership with Uplift the Matriarchy, Return to the Heart Foundation (R2HF) is proud to share a new research report, authored by Dr. Joannie Marie Suina (Pueblo of Cochiti). This report covers a 3-year journey of healing efforts led by Native Women across Turtle Island while highlighting the R2HF Traditional Helpers & Healers Microgrant Fund that invests in Native Women-led projects.

The research also spotlights rematriation strategies that Native Women are revitalizing as a response to further uplift their communities by leading and funding healing efforts (philanthropy and self-funded). The report is a call to action for funders to advance the work forward by making sustainable investments toward Native Women.

The Status of Women in New Hampshire cover showing three women smiling with their arms around each other

Member Research Report

New Hampshire Women’s Foundation – Status of Women in New Hampshire 2023

The New Hampshire Women’s Foundation is pleased to release the latest edition of their flagship publication, The Status of Women in New Hampshire 2023. This report is the most comprehensive compilation of  data on women in the Granite State. This bi-annual report is complimented by New Hampshire Women's Foundation's other bi-annual sister report, the Status of Girls in New Hampshire.

Providing 85 indicators in demographics, health, safety, economic security and leadership, the data in this report highlight a hardworking, resilient and diversifying population of women. However, the data also enumerates many social, economic and political barriers facing women and compounding inequities by race, ethnicity, geography, age and parenting status. These barriers and inequities present opportunities for New Hampshire to invest in women for a more vibrant and prosperous future.

Cover for Member Landscape Report Part 1

WFN Research Report

Landscape of Women’s Funds and Foundations — Part I

The Women’s Funding Network (WFN) is excited to release the first in a series of studies focused on deepening our understanding of who our members are and how they engage in gender equity work. We worked with nearly 100 gender equity funders on an in-depth survey of their organizations, their grantmaking, and their impact. Drawing on the results of this survey, straight from the mouths of our members, our study’s central aim was to explore how women's funds and foundations in the WFN alliance approach their work–and specifically, at this moment of global change, to investigate the intersections of racial and gender justice.

2022 Blueprint Report: Lighting a Path cover page with image of 3 people gathered at a meeting table

Member Research Report

The Fund for Women and Girls – 2022 Blueprint Report: Lighting a Path

The Fund for Women and Girls completed the fourth edition of their Blueprint Report, the first and only comprehensive needs assessment of women and girls in Chester County, Pennsylvania. Published every five years, the Blueprint Report highlights pressing issues facing women and girls at the local, state, and national levels, with a deep dive on conditions in Chester County. The Fund’s 2022 Blueprint Report: Lighting a Path provides critical data to identify areas of progress for women and girls and indicates where additional improvements are still needed. It presents data points across eight key areas: Employment and Earnings; Work and Family; Educational Disparities; Poverty and Opportunity; Reproductive Rights; Health and Well-Being; Violence and Safety; and Political Participation. The report underscores progress, challenges, and areas for improvement, with clear action steps for the community on ways to ignite change. This data can be used for fundraising material, case statements, program and staffing planning, community action, policy-making, and more.

The Influence of Gendered Racism cover showing a Black woman with her arms crossed over her chest, a Black woman looking at pages on a clip board, and a Black woman looking at some charts.

Member Research Report

Women’s Fund of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation –The Influence of Gendered Racism and Understanding Economic Fragility for Black Women in the Cincinnati Region

Phase three

The Women’s Fund of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation takes a deep dive into understanding Black women’s economic mobility in the Midwest. This three-phase project consists of a literature review of the historical context of labor trends and systemic barriers to Black women’s employment, a quantitative analysis to understand Black women in the workforce, and a qualitative study to determine the factors fostering or deterring Black women’s economic mobility. 

Phase 1 examines Black women and the labor/employment system from a historical perspective. The phase 1 report informs phase 2 and phase 3, which offer quantitative and qualitative analyses of Black women’s economic mobility in the Midwest today. 

Member Research Report

Women’s Fund of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation – Realizing the Potential of an Equitable Economy

Phase two

The Women’s Fund of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation takes a deep dive into understanding Black women’s economic mobility in the Midwest. This three-phase project consists of a literature review of the historical context of labor trends and systemic barriers to Black women’s employment, a quantitative analysis to understand Black women in the workforce, and a qualitative study to determine the factors fostering or deterring Black women’s economic mobility. 

Phase 1 examines Black women and the labor/employment system from a historical perspective. The phase 1 report informs phase 2 and phase 3, which offer quantitative and qualitative analyses of Black women’s economic mobility in the Midwest today. 

Member Research Report

Clearing the Path: Building a Sustainable and Inclusive Workforce

Clearing the Path: Building a Sustainable and Inclusive Workforce, a report by The Women’s Fund of Greater Birmingham and based on research by the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama (PARCA) examines the question of how the state’s workforce development system serves women and their families and provides recommendations for building a workforce development system that truly works for women.

Member Research Report

Essential Equity: Women, Covid-19 and Rebuilding CT

The Aurora Foundation, in collaboration with funders and member organizations of the Connecticut Collective for Women and Girls (CCWG) and the Connecticut Data Collaborative (CTData), has released a new report that documents the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on women and girls, and particularly on women and girls of color in Connecticut.

WNY Women's Foundation 2020 Community Impact Report cover page in purple with teal accents with a background image of a person on their laptop engaging in a virtual meeting

Member Research Report

2020 Community Impact Report – WNY Women’s Foundation

2020 has been a uniquely challenging year for women as the COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted women, and especially women of color. Throughout this strange year, the WNY Women's Foundation has worked nonstop to provide additional supports to working mothers, female business owners, essential workers, and employers.

This report, released annually, demonstrates the Foundation's continued commitment and impact throughout Western New York—and beyond.

Member Research Report

2019 Annual Report – The Women’s Foundation of Colorado’s

This report summarizes WFCO’s work during Fiscal Year 2019-20, we extended our reporting into the current fiscal year to capture our responsive action to mitigate erosion to women’s economic security during COVID-19 and the long-term, preventive approaches we’re taking to address these systemic inequities.

Member Research Report

The Women’s Foundation of Colorado – The Cost of Failing to Invest in Women

This 2020 report aims to develop an initial understanding of the economic security of women in Colorado—what economic security means, why it is significant, what are the barriers deterring its achievement, and how to promote it.

The objectives of this research study are to create a better understanding of women’s economic realities in Colorado—backed by relevant literature and current data—and to develop a research framework to answer questions in regarding women’s economic security. Furthermore, the measures used in this report have been disaggregated by race and ethnicity to demonstrate that women are not a monolith. 

Member Research Report

The Women’s Fund of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation – The Cliff Effect and Other Disincentives in our Public Benefit System

The Women's Fund of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation released The Cliff Effect and Other Disincentives in our Public Benefit System. This report looks at when a small increase in wages triggers a complete cut-off of a public benefit, leaving the worker worse off financially. What started as the search for specific cliffs in our public benefits system has evolved into a comprehensive analysis of the disincentives phenomenon in our public benefit system. These structural flaws make it harder for working women to achieve self-sufficiency. This report is an update to the original 2016 report, and outlines the structural flaws and disincentives in our public benefit system and offers policy recommendations to help correct this system.

Member Research Report

Women’s Fund of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation – Black Women’s Historical Labor Trends & Systemic Barriers to Economic Mobility

Phase one

The Women’s Fund of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation takes a deep dive into understanding Black women’s economic mobility in the Midwest. This three-phase project consists of a literature review of the historical context of labor trends and systemic barriers to Black women’s employment, a quantitative analysis to understand Black women in the workforce, and a qualitative study to determine the factors fostering or deterring Black women’s economic mobility. 

Phase 1 examines Black women and the labor/employment system from a historical perspective. The phase 1 report informs phase 2 and phase 3, which offer quantitative and qualitative analyses of Black women’s economic mobility in the Midwest today. 

WFN Research Report

Key Strategies to Advancing Women’s Economic Mobility and Security

Women’s foundations have a long history of working to address women’s economic
security and mobility within their own communities across the country. As more women's foundations apply a holistic systems change approach — from connecting a deep understanding of the underlying economic and social context with programs and intervention development, to policy change and service provision, to scaling efforts by resourcing infrastructure needs — to the complex challenges inherent in advancing women’s economic mobility and security, great strides are being made.

WFN Research Report

A Journey of Community, Commitment, And Growth: Policy Advocacy to Advance Two-Generation Strategies

Over the past three years, four women’s foundations have embarked on a journey to unlock the power of two-generation (2Gen) strategies to build women’s economic equity and security. 2Gen strategies are a proven solution to empower women and contribute to the success of the entire family. The W.K. Kellogg Foundation funded the Women’s Funding Network (WFN) to launch the 2Gen Policy Advocacy Cohort (2Gen Cohort) to expand the scope and influence of women’s foundations in 2Gen work, bringing a gender equity lens to this effort.

This final evaluation of this three-year 2Gen policy advocacy initiative reflects upon and summarizes the participating foundations’ progress and resulting outcomes in:

  • Developing and implementing a 2Gen advocacy strategy
  • The ways in which they’ve integrated a “2Gen-lens” throughout their organizational culture
  • Their plans for scaling their 2Gen work going forward

Member Research Report

Fondo Semillas – Kaleidoscope

Fondo Semillas released the Kaleidoscope report, which looks at findings and reflections on LGBTQI+ movements in Mexico. The report is a useful tool for organizations, donors, activists and others interested in identifying the needs, challenges, and opportunities for LGBTQI+ movements in Mexico.

Member Research Report

Fairfield County Community Foundation Fund for Women & Girls – Status Report on Women and Girls in Fairfield County

The Fairfield County Community Foundation Fund for Women & Girls released two bodies of research to gauge the needs and service gaps impacting women and girls in Fairfield County, Connecticut. These include Count Them In, which looks at organizations in Fairfield County serving women and girls, and Count Her In, which looks at the status of women & girls in Fairfield County. They also released an executive summary and recommendations based on the reports.

Infographic

Member Research Report

Women’s Foundation of Southern Arizona – A Formula for Economic Independence

Results of research by Women’s Foundation of Southern Arizona and the University of Arizona  find that short-term investment in targeted training programs coupled with childcare support for those engaged in these workforce development activities could lead to long-term savings for the state and benefit for both mothers and their children.

Member Research Report

Partnership for Women’s Prosperity: Scaling Up for Women’s Economic Security

Partnership for Women’s Prosperity (PWP) is a national initiative of the Women’s Funding Network and six of our leading member foundations to improve the economic security of women, their families and communities. This report details the power of the PWP systems change approach: shared learning, best practices, co-crafting, adapting, piloting new strategies across geographies and strategic investments of money and resources. Since its inception in 2011, more than $11 million was channeled into women’s economic security efforts, directly impacting more than 50,000 women and girls.

Nurse with patient

Member Research Report

Women’s Foundation of Mississippi – Women’s Access to Quality Jobs in Mississippi

Research conducted in collaboration with the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, finds that for sustained economic security and stability, work should pay a living wage, provide workers with sufficient hours of work (full-time, full-year employment), and provide access to health insurance, a pension, and the flexibility for working women and men to balance work and family. Too many jobs fail the test. The earnings of women workers, especially Black and Hispanic women, are even lower than the median for all Mississippi workers.

Member Research Report

McKinsey & Company, Leanin.org – Women in the Workplace

Women in the Workplace 2017 is a comprehensive study of the state of women in corporate America. This research is part of a long-term partnership between McKinsey & Company and LeanIn.Org to give organizations the information they need to promote women’s leadership and foster gender equality.

222 companies employing more than 12 million people shared their pipeline data and completed a survey of Human Resources practices. In addition, more than 70,000 employees – including women from different races and ethnicities –  completed a survey designed to explore their experiences regarding gender, opportunity, career, and work-life issues.

WFN Research Report

More Than Jobs: Women’s Economic Security Wraparound Strategies

Launched in 2011, the Partnership for Women’s Prosperity (PWP) is a national initiative of six women’s foundations convened by the Women’s Funding Network and working with the initiative’s evaluator, Korwin Consulting, to build the economic power of all women — community by community. Collectively, the foundations have granted $11 million to support more than 80 organizations throughout the country advancing women’s economic security efforts, thanks in part to Walmart Foundation funding.

Drawing from research in the field, first-hand information from grantee partners and the women they support, and deep community-based experience, PWP partners knew from the start that it takes more than job training and post-secondary education for low-income women to progress from lives of economic scarcity to achieving economic goals for themselves and their families. Wraparound support strategies — whether to help women cover financial and other basic needs while attending school, meet their responsibilities as primary caregivers in their families, or gain the knowledge and capacity necessary to reach their goals — was a critical component of each approach the PWP partners invested in.

Member Research Report

Pathways to Progress Vol. 2

The current resurgence of Western New York (upstate area encompassing Erie, Niagara, and Chautauqua Counties) has resulted in a new landscape of possibilities for prosperity. The Western New York Women’s Foundation is committed to making sure women can take advantage of these prospects and reap the benefits of the region’s economic growth. Their research shows what is, isn’t, and what can be for women and girls in Western New York. Foundation strategies capitalize on turning opportunities into realities.

Member Research Report

The Status of Women in Hawai’i

In a report commission by the Women’s Fund of Hawai’i researchers from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, (IWPR) found that though there have been important gains in areas like education and health insurance coverage, women still face a widening pay gap and stagnant wages. Nearly four in ten Pacific Islander women are in poverty, compared with only one in ten women in Hawaii overall.

Member Research Report

Women Peace and Security Index (WPS) – Georgetown Institute for Women Peace and Security (GIWPS)

GIWPS developed this index to offer a more comprehensive measurement of women’s wellbeing. Fir the first time ever, GIWPS captured peace and security along with women’s inclusion and justice. In partnership with the Peace Research Institute of Oslo, GIWPS also drew on recognized international data sources to rank 153 countries, covering more than 98 percent of the world’s population. The associated tools and analysis highlight key achievements and deficits from each country.