Women’s Funding Network, in partnership with Candid, is excited to introduce our Intersectional Dashboard Design Cohort. With deep experience in demographic data, qualitative and quantitative research, database administration, and analytics, members of the cohort will design and build an interactive resource that facilitates a more nuanced view of the nonprofit landscape. The tool will enable users to run comparative analyses on executive leadership trends by race and gender within contexts such as location, organization size, and operating budget. This partnership meets a community need to apply an intersectional lens to data analysis and enables funders and nonprofits to gain insight into disparities masked by aggregated data. With data sourced from the Demographics via Candid dataset, the tool will provide a quantitative baseline to evaluate and build upon equity strategies. Work on the project will begin in November 2024.

“The combination of Candid’s demographic data collection and WFN’s deep experience leveraging data for change creates the unique opportunity to offer a previously unseen view of nonprofit leadership at the intersection of race and gender. WFN’s track record of success and widespread community trust make them a natural partner to develop and implement this dashboard.” – Ann Mei Chang, CEO, Candid

Participating Organizations:

Women’s Foundation of Minnesota 
Ms. Foundation for Women 
Women’s Fund of The Greater Cincinnati Foundation 
Nurturing Wāhine Fund 
The Women’s Fund Miami-Dade
Global Fund for Women
Fairfield County’s Community Foundation
WNY Women’s Foundation
Grantmakers for Girls of Color
Candid

WFN Dashboard Cohort Members

Carolyn Van Nelson is the Director of Finance & Technology at the Women’s Foundation of MN. She has spent the last 17 years of her career in finance. Besides finance, she enjoys learning software and technology, and has had the opportunity to migrate several companies to cloud based solutions, removing the need for servers and improving accessibility to data. In 2022, she graduated from Augsburg University with an MBA concentration in Business Analytics to further her understanding and skills in data analysis. In her free time, she enjoys working with her family on restoring 22 acres of their farmland to prairie.

Shawnda Chapman is the Former Director of Innovative Grantmaking and Research at the Ms. Foundation for Women. Throughout her personal and professional journey, her efforts have been dedicated to addressing inequality and injustice with a specific emphasis on amplifying the voices and experiences of marginalized communities. At Ms., Shawnda shapes research initiatives, fosters learning at the foundation, and manages two grantmaking portfolios. The Girls of Color Initiative combats inequity for girls and gender-expansive youth of color through grants and leadership development. The Activist Collaboration and Care Fund enhances collaboration and access to healing justice support in social justice movements. Previously, Shawnda played a pivotal role in ending girls’ incarceration at Vera Institute of Justice and directed the Beyond the Bars Fellowship at Columbia University. She holds a BA and MS from Hunter College and is pursuing a Doctorate from The Graduate Center at the City University of New York.

Dr. Travis Speice is the Applied Research Director of the Women’s Fund of The Greater Cincinnati Foundation in Cincinnati, Ohio. He designs, executes, and reports on research projects that promote the economic self-sufficiency of women in the Greater Cincinnati region. Travis earned his doctorate and master’s degrees in Sociology from the University of Cincinnati and bachelor’s degrees in Sociology and Psychology from the State University of New York College at Brockport. Prior to his role at the Women’s Fund, he was Chair and Teaching Professor of Sociology at Xavier University. Travis lives in Northern Kentucky, and enjoys the performing arts, volunteering in his neighborhood, and spending time with his two cats named Noodles and Rice.

Aleeka Kay Morgan is the Executive Director of Nurturing Wāhine Fund, a feminist fund in Hawai’i that provides wellness grants to women and girls across the state with a specific focus on Indigenous sovereignty, Black liberation, and maternal healthcare. She is a former adjunct professor of Business & Communications at Chaminade University. She holds an Economics degree from Brown University and has worked for The Today Show and Peter Jennings Documentary Group. Aleeka is a 2024 Vital Voices Fellow- a global program for women trailblazers started by Madeleine Albright, the first woman to serve as U.S. Secretary of State. 

Viviana Alvarado Pacheco is the Senior Research and Policy Manager at The Women’s Fund Miami-Dade. She spearheads all research initiatives including the Gender Equity Dashboard and Gender Equity Index, and leads the organizations work around maternal and pregnancy health. She holds a Master’s degree in International Affairs, Conflict Resolution and Civil Society Development from the American University of Paris and a Bachelor’s degree in International Studies from Virginia Tech. Throughout her professional career, she has focused on gender studies, international law and sustainable development with experience working for international organizations such as UNESCO and the Caribbean Community Climate Change Center. She is Chair of the Women’s Funding Network, Research and Data Peer Community and one of the Co-chairs of the March of Dimes, Mom and Baby Action Network Environmental Justice Workgroup. Viviana has experience working in various international environments, she is fluent in English, Spanish and French and she is a fierce advocate for women’s rights and climate change action, promoting a better world for our future generations.

Taryn Kearns (she/her) is the Learning & Evaluation Officer at Global Fund for Women. Taryn has spent most of her life in the greater Bay Area and is currently based in Oakland, CA. She holds a BA in Sociology and Anthropology from Lewis & Clark College and an MPA from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (MIIS). Her graduate studies focused on Migration, Trafficking, and Human Security with a particular focus on the U.S. immigration detention system. Before joining Global Fund for Women, Taryn worked in fundraising and systems management at Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA). She brings eight years of experience working with other mission-driven organizations on issues like immigration justice, gender-based violence, youth literacy, and community economic development. Outside of work, Taryn loves reading surrealist and speculative fiction, singing, languages, drinking coffee, and eating pastries. She can often be found working on a photo project, taking long walks, and collecting too many books from her local Little Free Libraries.

Maria Casey is a database and reporting associate at Fairfield County’s Community Foundation in Norwalk, CT experienced in data research, integrity, and management. Prior to joining FCCF, Maria spent several years at Save the Children in Fairfield, CT where she wore many hats including Data Services, Philanthropy Coordinator and Gift and Acknowledgement Associate. Maria also spent over 12 years at The Nielsen Company/Trade Dimensions where she managed client data, was a liaison between Account Managers and clients and performed high priority customer service projects and process improvement plans. She seeks to improve her data skills to understand and accurately relate insights across the organization. Maria holds an Associate degree in Business from Housatonic Community College and graduated Magnum Cum Laude in Business Administration from Western Connecticut State University. She lives in Fairfield with her family.

Mara Montante is the Knowledge Management Coordinator at the WNY Women’s Foundation. Mara conducts research, collects and analyzes data, and organizes information to support the work of the organization. Her role is critical to WNYWF’s data-driven approach to advocating for policies that promote gender equity and economic mobility on a local and national level. Mara holds a bachelor’s degree from Skidmore College in Government and a master’s degree from New York University’s Wagner School of Public Service in Public Administration with a concentration in Public Policy. Her professional career has included positions at Planned Parenthood of NYC and the Social Services Task Force in the NYC Office of Management and Budget. In addition to her role at WNYWF, Mara serves as the director of People’s Park, a community park on Main St. in Buffalo, NY, and as a board member of Gardens Buffalo Niagara, chairing the Lunenfeld Beautification Grant program. Outside of work, Mara enjoys traveling, gardening, hiking, and spending time with her family.

Solace Mensah-Narh (she/they) is the Data Analyst at G4GC. At her core, she is a researcher and data enthusiast. Solace believes that the future of research relies on intersectional data driven by intentional methodologies. In their work, Solace is an advocate for youth engagement, economic opportunity, and Black queer freedoms. She organizes with communities focused on environmental justice, racial justice, bodily autonomy, and movements against settler colonialism. Solace is a first-generation American from Ghana currently residing in Brooklyn, New York, lands originally protected by the Canarsie and Munsee people. Most regularly, Solace can be found watering their plants, reading creative nonfiction, and discovering new music.

Cesar Del Valle Cesar brings nearly two decades of entrepreneurial, startup and development experience to Candid, where he is entrusted with building, maintaining, and establishing medium and long-term strategic relationships with philanthropic organizations, governmental agencies, multilateral agencies, and the broader social sector. Cesar is currently focused on the standardization and collection of demographic data for the U.S. social sector and is driven by the opportunity to bring more transparency, measurability, and accountability to the sector, in order to support more equitable grantmaking practices and ensure more impact dollars go to proximate leaders and BIPOC-led organizations. On a personal note, Cesar has an insatiable curiosity for cultures and people. He loves exploring new places and considers himself an adventurer at heart. When not exploring his New York City neighborhood, you can find him dangling off the side of a cliff pursuing his passion for rock climbing.

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