Funding the Future

Well, friends, we’re smack in the middle of Women’s History Month. I don’t know about you, but I’m celebrating! I’ll use any excuse to bring out the party popper and confetti ball emojis. 🎉🎊

However, as I celebrate, I can’t ignore the growing challenges to gender equality. 

UN Women, the U.N. agency focused on women’s rights and gender equality, recently released a report that found that:

• Nearly one-quarter of governments worldwide reported a backlash to women’s rights last year

• Women have only 64% of the legal rights of men

• Cases of conflict-related sexual violence have increased by 50% since 2022

• Only 87 countries have ever been led by a woman

Insert loudly crying face emoji here. 😭

So, what can we do?

One powerful tool we have is philanthropy – not just giving, but giving with impact. Gender-lens philanthropy challenges us to move beyond generosity and into intentionality, ensuring our time, talent, and treasure shift systems and expand opportunities for women and girls.

I like to see philanthropy do the following: Embrace innovation, design thinking, and market-based solutions. When we take bold, strategic approaches to giving, we can drive long-term, systemic change. That means funding initiatives that disrupt the status quo, investing in women-led enterprises, and using data-driven strategies to maximize impact.

I also like to see greater access to philanthropy education. Understanding how to give effectively ensures that our contributions are truly transformative. Resources like the Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen Foundation, the Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society, and the Women’s Philanthropy Institute offer great opportunities to learn and engage more deeply. Have another resource you’d add? Please hit reply and let me know!

I’m ready to invest in women and girls and keep the gender-lens celebration going year-round. That definitely earns the starry-eye emoji. 🤩

With love and appreciation,

Sarah

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🎙️I’M SPEAKING ON STORYTELLING

On Wednesday, April 2 from 12-1pm PT/3-4pm ET, my colleague Jennifer Bradbury and I will be leading a webinar on storytelling – and you’re invited to join us! 

Jen and I are thrilled that Points of Light invited us to host a webinar on “Storytelling That Sparks: Using Impact Narratives to Connect Employees and Communities.” We’ll be talking about the ‘why’ behind storytelling, how to build a story bridge connecting people and purpose, and how to craft compelling stories that inspire action.

This webinar is ideal for CSR professionals, HR leaders, and employee engagement experts. Nonprofits are most welcomed, too, as the content is applicable across sectors.

Sign up here.

🏅BRING THE GAMES TO LIFE

If you know me, you know I’m obsessed with the Olympics. (Isn’t everyone?!) And jobs for the 2028 Olympics are coming online…fast. If you’re in LA – or want to move to LA! – check out this amazing list of LA28 open roles. 

As for me, I signed up for the LA28 newsletter so when the time comes for volunteer recruitment, I can be ready. ;)

📈DATA FOR EQUITY GRANT OPPORTUNITY

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, in collaboration with the Urban Institute, has launched the Local Data for Equitable Communities grant program. This initiative invites eligible US-based nonprofits to apply for funding aimed at addressing inequities in physical, economic, and social conditions within communities.

RWJF expects to award up to 30 grants of $50,000 each, with a period of performance of nine months.

The deadline for proposal submissions is March 18. All details here.

💘NONPROFIT LOVE

Have you ever received or sent a care package? If so, then you’ve been touched by the global humanitarian agency CARE. CARE began nearly 80 years ago, delivering CARE packages of military food rations to Europe following the end of World War II. CARE has grown into a leader within a worldwide movement dedicated to ending poverty, and specifically works to empower women and girls, so as to effectively address the root causes of poverty and create pathways to economic freedom. CARE does this in partnership with men and boys and community leaders locally, regionally, and globally. 

This organization is utterly amazing and I have long admired the work they do. There are so many ways to get involved in CARE, from joining networks and committees to speaking out to becoming a Letters of Hope Classroom to volunteering to giving your resources. Also, check out this wonderful new podcast, She Leads with CARE, hosted by actress and producer Bellamy Young (sooo many inspiring stories!).