Global gender equality is not coming fast enough, making prioritizing gender equity necessary for funders. UN Women warns that it could be 300 years until we achieve it at the current pace. Corporate gender equity giving is well positioned to help move the needle. So in 2020, L’Oréal created the L’Oréal Fund for Women and went on to allocate more than €55,000,000 to address unmet needs of vulnerable women and girls worldwide.

To address the problem in a comprehensive way, the L’Oréal Fund for Women team needed to first identify a diverse group of grant partners. They decided to offer an open application process, inviting any eligible frontline nonprofit supporting grassroot organization helping women and girls to request support.

The L’Oréal team tapped GlobalGiving to provide comprehensive international nonprofit vetting services, reviewing international nonprofits to determine if they were eligible to receive grant funding. When assessing nonprofits in 60+ countries, L’Oréal sought assurance that each was up to the task of making a significant impact in their community and compliant with local and international charitable giving laws.

In year one alone, the L’Oréal Fund for Women supported organizations in 30 countries. It’s since funded more than 420 nonprofits, including those with a particular focus on refugee women and women with disabilities. This funding has directly helped more than 2.5 million women and girls, with more than 23 million people supported in total, including families and communities whose lives have also been touched.

The L’Oréal Fund for Women’s nonprofit partners are much smaller than the typical international aid partner. When compared to the much larger aid delivery organizations that work alongside institutions like the UN, it’s clear the L’Oréal Fund for Women grantees are addressing problems differently.

“The vetting process for the L’Oréal Fund for Women was not just a formality, but an important step that opened new opportunities for us,” Antonio Skarpetas, Creative Director at Mexoxo said. “Since 2021, when Mexoxo was vetted to receive the L’Oréal Fund for Women grant, we have been able to scale our impact significantly, empowering over 142,000 women globally. Having L’Oréal’s name among our supporters has strengthened our credibility, and being part of the GlobalGiving ecosystem has allowed us to extend our reach even further.”

Read the full article about funders prioritizing gender equity by Kayla O'Neill Carriker and Mina Urbina at GlobalGiving.