Recently, I had the opportunity to travel with our president, Nicky Goren, to a meeting of the Partnership for Women’s Prosperity, a cohort of six women’s funds from across the country that share best practices and find replicable solutions to address systemic problems facing economically vulnerable women and girls nationwide. Our collective grantmaking will touch the lives of more than 16,500 women across the country.
The Partnership will be gathering on a regular basis this year and next as a “Professional Learning Community.” So, what did I learn?
- Women’s funds across the country are responding to their communities in innovative and powerful ways. In Mississippi, they’re partnering with employers to support alternatives to predatory “pay day” loans. In New York, they have an increased focus on small business and entrepreneurship. Our work is always place-based, and in the context of our communities, but there are tremendous things to learn from one another. And I’m excited to explore some “lessons learned” from our partner communities.
- Many of us are investing in community colleges. We have a concerted effort around post-secondary credentials, which are shown to help women attain jobs and advance to earn wages and benefits that can support a family. We’re supporting scholarships for tuition, transportation and childcare, and coursework that helps women gain basic literacy and numeracy skills, English language skills, and degrees and credentials that will lead to quality jobs in in-demand sectors.
- “Economic security” is intrinsically about money – but it’s also about having choices and opportunities. We work together to ensure that women and girls are empowered and supported so that they may reach their full potential.
That’s just a snapshot of our most recent conversation, so be sure to stay tuned for more updates in the months to come! In the meantime, please take a look at the cohort’s work by visiting: Washington Area Women’s Foundation’s grantmaking page, The New York Women’s Foundation, Women’s Fund of Mississippi, Women’s Foundation of Minnesota, Women’s Foundation for a Greater Memphis, and the Women’s Funding Network.
Lauren Stillwell is a program officer at Washington Area Women’s Foundation.
