Giving Compass' Take:
- Carole Levine explains that though women and girls make up 50 percent of the population and 60 percent of the wealth, there is very little in the way of funding for women's programs.
- According to research from The Women's Philanthropy Institute, organizations dedicated to women and girls only received 1.6 percent of charitable funding between 2012 and 2015. What are some ways to direct more dollars toward women and girls?
- Read more about the research from WPI's Women and Girls Index.
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There was great excitement this month when Melinda Gates announced she would spend $1 billion over the next ten years to help close the gender gap. The announcement refocused attention on just how little funding is currently focused on programs specifically for women and girls.
Melinda Gates wants these funds promoting women’s professional advancement to achieve greater presence in fields that can reshape society (Gates suggests technology and politics.)
Fear not; help is on the way! Led by the Women’s Philanthropy Institute (WPI), a new Women and Girls Index has been launched. This is a public database of female-led nonprofits, focused on women’s causes, trying to make change. The problem with this help is that, at the moment, it only covers up to 2016—which leaves out some current women’s focuses such as the Women’s March, #MeToo, and #TimesUp.
Based on its data, nonprofits focused on specifically on women and girls seem to get the scraps of the funding world. Furthermore, of the 1.6 percent of giving that goes to women-focused organizations, 90 percent goes to one focused area: reproductive health. That leaves little for programs that build women’s leadership and advocacy, or that focus on the unique needs of women experiencing homelessness or trapped in abusive relationships.
Based on its data, nonprofits focused on specifically on women and girls seem to get the scraps of the funding world. Furthermore, of the 1.6 percent of giving that goes to women-focused organizations, 90 percent goes to one focused area: reproductive health. That leaves little for programs that build women’s leadership and advocacy, or that focus on the unique needs of women experiencing homelessness or trapped in abusive relationships.
Read the full article about funding for women's programs by Carole Levine at Nonprofit Quarterly.