Dear friends,
For the past 18 months, I have served as Executive Director of WomenStrong International, a grantmaking organization that moves money, power, and resources to women-led organizations globally. It has been a season of learning, questioning, and, at times, isolation.
As a BIPOC leader, I have often looked around rooms in international development and philanthropy and asked: Where are the other leaders who look like me? Why aren’t more BIPOC Executive Directors leading foundations?
Data from Women’s Funding Network and Candid’s DataWoven reveals stark disparities in the U.S. nonprofit funding. White women and nonbinary individuals lead 39% of organizations, compared to 18% led by women and nonbinary people of color — yet white-led organizations hold 64.7% of assets versus 10.4% for the latter.
These numbers are about more than money — they’re about who has the power to decide what matters, what gets funded, and whose vision shapes the future.
Our lived experiences shape how we see the world and what we imagine is possible.
The old order wasn’t working. We need a different approach, grounded in trust, agency, humility, and shared power.
Philanthropy must invest in organizations not simply to survive, but to thrive: building strong teams, accessing networks, collaborating with others, and pivoting as circumstances change.
Our role is not to arrive with answers, but to create conditions where local leaders shape and sustain solutions. That means trusting them with real autonomy — and I’ve seen the innovation that follows.
That is why WomenStrong is launching a learning journey centered on the wisdom and experience of women and girl leaders around the world.
Because shifting power is not simply about moving money. It is about moving power, relationships, and opportunity closer to the people living with the consequences.
In appreciation and solidarity,
Chisina Kapungu
Executive Director
WomenStrong International