NEO Philanthropy’s Post

As a passionate advocate for gender equality and women's health, I'm delighted with this groundbreaking announcement. Yesterday, Melinda French Gates announced a $1 billion commitment through 2026 to advance women’s power globally. This investment comes at a critical time when women's rights face significant challenges. Melinda's focus on health and wellbeing underscores her belief that health is crucial for women to realise their full potential in society. This $1B commitment will include the following grants: 1. $200 million in grants to U.S. organisations fighting for women's rights, including reproductive freedom. 2. $240 million to 12 global leaders, each with a $20 million fund to support innovative work improving women's health and wellbeing. 3. $250 million through an open call with Lever for Change, targeting organisations enhancing women's mental and physical health worldwide. Melinda stated, "For too long, a lack of money has forced organisations fighting for women's rights into a defensive posture while the enemies of progress play offense. I want to help even the match." This commitment by Melinda French Gates and the Pivotal Philanthropies Foundation is a monumental step towards gender equality and empowering women worldwide. https://lnkd.in/e_QjP3tF #WomensHealth #GenderEquality #HealthcareAdvocacy Pivotal Ventures

Happy International Women's Day! ❤ As we celebrate the incredible achievements and resilience of women worldwide, let's also take a moment to reflect on the critical need to invest in women. "Gender equality remains the greatest human rights challenge. Investing in #women is a human rights imperative and cornerstone for building inclusive societies. Progress for women benefits us all." - UN Women So, today, we are asking for your help. We know the importance of investing in women and it is the foundation of what we do every day. But, we can't do it alone. 💌 Donate today: https://lnkd.in/e__rKGUh By investing in programs that support survivors of #genderbasedviolence, you provide them with the resources and support they need to heal and rebuild their lives while working towards creating safer, more inclusive communities for all. Your donations go directly to programs offering essential services such as emergency shelter, counselling, child and youth support, and advocacy. These are programs that empower #survivors to break free from the cycle of violence and reclaim their independence. #Ontario #OrilliaOntario

Compared to funds in traditional philanthropy, feminist funds have different relationships with communities and move money differently. Women's or feminist funds, such as Canada's Equality Fund, are often set up by women who come from social movements, women who come from the communities they serve, and women who have proximity to the issues they’re working on." Read Leila Hessini article about why feminist funds are needed: https://lnkd.in/gmC33Ngn

"Set your own agenda, or someone else will set it for you," says Melinda French Gates in this NYT op-ed about her next chapter - $1Bn for women and families. I'm so inspired by this powerful statement and commitment to women! 🎉 🎉 🎉 Not only is Melinda directly supporting organizations and programs for women, but she's also funding other women to invest in women - by giving several a $20 million dollar fund to grant out. 🤩 This backing of women to invest is not a new model in the philanthropy or venture ecosystems, but it is an underutilized one with significant potential. And this large commitment is shining a much-needed spotlight on it. 🔦 At Grapevine, we know that when women give, they tend to give to support women and girls. This is the most selected cause area of focus across all of our 1,100+ Giving Circle & Community Fund groups and their 70K+ individual members. 💕 I hope this is just the initial step of a much larger commitment from Melinda to back more women supporting women. From seeding many more women-directed funds, to seeding and matching donations from women-driven Giving Circles, Community Funds, and more. 🚀 This will help fuel the work of these women and amplify their impact, which often goes far beyond just giving, to include volunteering, advocating, and serving critical and underfunded organizations in their local communities. 🔥 And as Melinda said: "Decades of research on economics, well-being and governance make it clear that investing in women and girls benefits everyone." If you care about making an impact, this is a model to explore. 🤓 We're with you Melinda! And we're excited to see you, and the others that you inspire, continue to lean into innovative methods and channels to invest in women who are investing in women & girls in their communities, all across the country! ✨ #GivingCircles #GrapevineGiving #CommunityFunds #Philanthropy #Women

For #PhilanthropyThursday we are highlighting Chicago Foundation for Women 💫 Chicago Foundation for Women invests in women and girls as catalysts, building strong communities for all. Since 1985, Chicago Foundation for Women (CFW) has been a leader in the movement to achieve basic rights and equal opportunities, investing in women and girls as catalysts building stronger communities for all. Today, more than 37 years later, CFW continues to be the only organization in the region to take a comprehensive approach to understand and address the issues impacting Chicago-area women and girls. CFW works with a community of socially-minded investors who share our passion for improving the lives of women and girls, ensuring that every dollar they give achieves maximum impact. Thanks to these partners, CFW invests in the future of emerging organizations through leadership development and support in building sustainable nonprofit infrastructure. As a result, two-thirds of nonprofits for which CFW was the first institutional or ‘seed’ funder are still thriving 10 years after receiving their first CFW grant. Chicago Foundation for Women has invested more than $45 million through over 4,000 grants, annually impacting 226,000 women, girls, trans, and gender nonbinary individuals across the Chicago region, so they are healthy, safe, and economically secure. Nearly four decades later, CFW continues to be the only organization in the region to take a comprehensive approach to understand and address the issues impacting Chicago-area women, girls, trans, and gender nonbinary individuals. Learn more about this amazing organization here: https://www.cfw.org/ #women #supportwomen #cfw

It is great news that Melinda French Gates has announced a two-year, $1 billion commitment to women’s causes and gender equity globally through her philanthropic vehicle, Pivotal Philanthropies Foundation. Gender justice has been extremely underfunded for far too long. For example, according to a 2021 Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID) report, women’s rights organisations receive only 0.13% ($198 million out of $153 billion USD) of the total Official Development Assistance and 0.4% of all gender-related aid. Despite the best intentions of progressive donors who recognise that funding gender justice is instrumental in driving social impact, we still have a long way to go. I hope only more donors take note and take action. #womensrights #humanrights #genderjustice #SDG5 #genderequity #philanthropy #funding https://lnkd.in/eNQvH_Nz

It's #GivingTuesday. And it is not just about financial contributions. Sure, that is always greatly appreciated, but there are so many other things one can do to have an impact. If you are interested in the fight for gender equity and gender equality, see below for the different ways you can help.

🌟 Akash Memorial Charitable Trust proudly celebrates International Women's Day! Today, we honor the remarkable achievements and resilience of women globally. Let's stand together to empower, uplift, and support women in all spheres of life. Together, we can create a world of equality, opportunity, and inclusion. Happy Women's Day from all of us at Akash Memorial Charitable Trust! 💐 #InternationalWomensDay #Empowerment #Inclusion #Equality #WomenEmpowerment"

More women work in nonprofits; so why do men end up leading them? This is the title of a much needed article that Harvard Business Review just put out. It is easy to see that the nonprofit and NGO workspace - at least in Europe and the USA - is heavily women-dominated. And anecdotally, I have watched the manager and leadership ranks becoming more populated by women over the last 10 years or so. But -- also anecdotally -- I noticed how the large CSOs tend to be an exception to this trend. This important article, by Cathleen Clerkin, PhD at Candid, the US data clearing house (among others) for nonprofits, offers us the numbers. These indicate that my gut-sense was right. More work to be done, US civil society! This is not right - and not aligned with our espoused norms. https://lnkd.in/eYw_EYQN. #genderatwork #nonprofits

The newest trend in philanthropy is gendered giving. Will your organisation follow in the footsteps of Melinda French Gates? Melinda French Gates has committed $1 billion in new spending over the next two years for people and organizations working on behalf of women and families around the world. "Only about 2 percent of charitable giving in the United States goes to organizations focused on women and girls. When we allow this cause to go so chronically underfunded, we all pay the cost. As shocking as it is to contemplate, my 1-year-old granddaughter may grow up with fewer rights than I had" Here in Australia, gendered giving is also often an after thought. For 10 years, 100 Women has been dedicated in this space, advocating for and funding small grassroots organisations supporting and empowering women and girls facing disadvantage in Australia and around the world. We are committed to our vision of a more equitable world for women and girls. For women to feel safe, healthy, educated and free. If you are considering how your organisation can shift focus toward gender equality and support charities and projects in this space. Please get in touch.