For society to advance gender equity, intersectional feminism must become part of the mainstream narrative and mindset. Philanthropy is our opportunity to be change agents, so that this statistic increases: Just 1.9% of philanthropic dollars go toward women and girls, according to the “The Women and Girls Index: Measuring Giving to Women and Girls” from the IUPUI Women’s Philanthropy Institute. Even less funding is specifically allocated for women of color.

It is crucial to understand that feminism without intersectionality is not true feminism. Intersectionality, a term coined by Black feminist scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw, allows us to address and understand how intersections of oppression affect women of color, undocumented and immigrant women, women with disabilities and gender-nonconforming individuals of color. Integrating intersectional feminism is an intentional process and every funder has the tools and resources to make it happen.

Let’s Discuss the Barriers

The first step to integrating feminism is to let go of the fear of the word. Many people still feel uncomfortable identifying as a feminist, much less integrating the word into their work. However, it is something that a lot of funders are already doing, proudly! Help your board and staff by having a conversation about what feminism actually means.

Funders fear being perceived as political, or violating 501c3 rules, especially right now. A lot of issues, like the Violence Against Women Act, used to be considered bipartisan. But that doesn’t mean they are political just because they’re perceived as political. We don’t have to be afraid to fund issues that used to be more neutral. AND it is OK to fund political issues. We are change agents, after all.

Integrating intersectional feminism is not discriminating against men. This work is trying to remedy systemic inequality against marginalized groups, like women and especially women of color, who have been denied access to resources, services, educational and extracurricular programs, both historically and present day. To narrow the gap between privileged and marginalized groups, we need programs specifically designed for people who have been historically discriminated against and ignored. For example, a Girls in Engineering program that seeks to increase representation of women of color in STEM is not discrimination against men. It’s filling a gap.

Read the full article about feminism in philanthropy by Nicole Baran at Exponent Philanthropy.