Dear Colleagues,
Research is always a shared endeavor and WFN’s new report would not exist without the participation and trust of our network. Each response tells a part of a bigger story of how shared values become shared practices, and how those practices create a culture of community accountability and power-sharing across the network.
The findings remind us of the strength of community. Members overwhelmingly believe in the interconnectedness of racial and gender justice movements. Ninety-three percent of members agree that without racial justice, there can be no gender justice. Longstanding traditions of participatory practice place community and care at the center of decision-making. Two-thirds of members with endowments invest through a gender lens. Seventy-five percent of member organizations advocate for local policy, many of whom are guided by in-house research.
For more than 40 years, members of WFN have shown what’s possible when funders co-create with community. The impact is clear. Women’s funds and foundations have not just been resourcing movements; they are a movement unto themselves. Previous research has shown that women’s funds move money nine times faster than average in philanthropy, simultaneously responding to crises while also advocating for policy change.
Our full report showcases the power of our members’ collective practices. It is both a reflection of that legacy and an invitation to ensure that women’s funds and foundations have the resources and infrastructure they need to support their communities, through this current moment and beyond.
Sincerely,
Parker E. Foster
Women’s Funding Network
Feminist Philanthropy Researcher