Dear Friends,
I hope this note finds you rested and joyful.
This year, as COVID restrictions lifted across much of the country, we had the chance to reimagine our future. What comes next? Which aspects from life before COVID do we want to keep, and what aspects do we want to rebuild? How do we work towards a future that is truly feminist?
COVID changed so much about how we live, how we work, and how we relate to one another. One thing that 2022 showed us was just how much we’ve got our own backs. As burdens grew and support networks continued to break down for women, and particularly women of color, those most impacted were the ones who showed up.
In June, our worst fears were confirmed – the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, stripping the country of the fundamental right to decide if and when to parent. We took time to mou\r\n \the ruling, and then we got to work. We’ve always known that Roe was the floor, not the ceiling. Achieving true reproductive justice is more essential than ever, and we are prepared to fight alongside grassroots leaders. This year, we had the honor of announcing our Birth Justice Initiative, which centers the leadership, voices and experiences of women of color in the fight for birth justice. In the initial round of grantmaking, we invested $1 million in support of birth justice organizations across the spectrum of movement building and organizing.
Collectively, we distributed more than $5.2 million in direct grants in FY22. This year’s grants provided general operating support for more than 150 grantee partners throughout the country, overwhelmingly led by and for women and girls of color, to help advance a wide variety of projects in order to strengthen reproductive justice, improve economic security, and support equity and justice for all. This year and every year, we are so proud to stand alongside our incredible grantee partners who represent trailblazers at the helm of social justice. With our communities and our fundamental human rights under attack, there has never been a more crucial time for this work. And it would be impossible to do this essential work without the generous support of our donors.
This year was monumental. We released an assessment of the Indigenous Women’s Reproductive Justice funding landscape, titled Tired of Dancing to Their Song. We traveled to Washington, D.C. for the historic confirmation of Ketanji Brown Jackson. We came together in-person for the Women of Vision Awards after two years of virtual galas. You’ll have the chance to learn about all of this and more in the report ahead.
As we look back, we’re also looking forward. The future we’re building is bold and beautiful. It is equitable and full of opportunity. When we see the enthusiasm and passion of our supporters and partners across the country, we can say with confidence that the future is feminist.
Yours,
Alicia Lara, Board Chair & Teresa C. Younger, President & CEO
Grantmaking Initiatives & Capacity Building
Safety, Health, and Economic (S.H.E.)
For the last several years, Ms. Foundation for Women has supported the intersectional work of women and girls of color through a unified, overall grantmaking and capacity building program titled Safety, Health and Economic Justice (S.H.E.). Rather than individual program areas, our approach aligns our core strategy holistically and collaboratively across social justice issues and movements.
Learn more about the Safety, Health, and Economic (S.H.E.) grantmaking initiative.
Activist Collaboration & Care Fund
The Ms. Foundation launched the Activist Collaboration and Care Fund (ACF) to deepen collaboration across social justice movements for women and girls of color. The goal of the ACF is to support and strengthen the under-resourced work of relationship and trust-building that is, in fact, at the heart of transformational movement building. The funds help facilitate collaboration in meaningful, non-prescriptive ways.
Learn more about the Activist Collaboration & Care Fund grantmaking initiative.
Ms. South
Ms. South is a multi-year grantmaking strategy to build power for Women and Girls of Color (WGOC). We amplify the leadership of WGOC and support the sustainability of the ecosystem of organizations. Ms. South resources and networks organizations that do movement building and organizing work in 14 key states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia.
The South is significantly underinvested in by philanthropy; Ms. Foundation’s 2020 report, Pocket Change found that the average per capita funding for WGOC is only $2.36, well below half of the national average, $5.48.
Building Connections Initiative
In order to be transformational, we need the issues impacting women and girls, especially women and girls of color, to be front and center in all social movements, from climate change and immigrant rights to economic and racial justice. A component of the Building Connections Initiative is to engage with other funders to support and move resources to strategic efforts led by and centering women and girls of color, Trans women and girls of color, and Indigenous women and girls.
Girls of Color Initiative
The Ms. Foundation’s Girls of Color Initiative is a national initiative developed to provide grantmaking, leadership development, and capacity-building resources to support the advocacy and movement building of adolescent girls of color in the U.S. and its territories. Consistent with the Ms. Foundation’s strategic approach, the initiative prioritizes supporting groups led by and/or centering adolescent girls of color, and cross-movement building efforts centering their advocacy needs.
Capacity Building
The Ms. Foundation for Women seeks to develop sustainable women and girls of color (WGOC) leaders and organizations, fortify the social justice infrastructure at the local and state levels, and position grantee leaders and organizations as experts on key issues. By investing in the capacity of grantees, Ms. builds the leadership of those on the front lines who are leading powerful movements to transform systems of oppression so that all people can live full, secure, and healthy lives.
The Ms. Capacity Building strategy provides grants to WGOC organizations and leaders to strengthen their sustainability, resiliency, and connectivity. Capacity building grants support organizational sustainability, provide flexible funding during organizational growth, leadership transitions, and organizational change, as well as opportunities that emerge from crises.
BIRTH JUSTICE INITIATIVE
In 2022, Ms. Foundation for Women launched our first national, open call request for proposals for our Birth Justice Initiative to support Black, Indigenous, and people of color communities in addressing racial based health disparities in birth experiences and birth outcomes.
Through this initiative, we will mobilize funding and capacity building resources nationally to organizations implementing birth justice strategies rooted in movement building and organizing. The Birth Justice Initiative will build upon our decades of experience supporting grassroots leaders fighting for reproductive justice. The overall goals of our initiative are to:
- Build power within the birth justice movement
- Increase connectivity and collaboration between Birth Justice Organizations and movement leaders.
- Provide philanthropic advocacy, thought partnership, and thought leadership, to influence the movement of more resources to the Birth Justice movement. We are committed to deepening our investment in grassroots Black, Indigenous and WGOC-led organizations working toward achieving birth justice. In our first round of grant making, we invested over $1 million in support of birth justice organizations across the spectrum of movement building and organizing, and supporting our communities to advance more equitable birth outcomes.
This year, we had the honor of announcing our Birth Justice Initiative, which centers the leadership, voices and experiences of women of color in the fight for birth justice.”
Teresa C. Younger, President & CEO
2022 Women of Vision Awards
After two years of virtual gatherings, we were thrilled to come together in-person for the annual Women of Vision Awards at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York City. This year’s event celebrated a feminist future and paid tribute to the remarkable achievements of those whose courage and leadership move our society toward a more inclusive world. The room was electric, and it reminded us of the importance of joy and community in the movement. Our honorees were:
- Grantee partner Ruby Bright, Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of the Women’s Foundation for a Greater Memphis
- Grantee partner Cassandra Overton Welchlin, Executive Director and Lead Organizer/ Co-Convener of the Mississippi Black Women’s Roundtable
- Deja Foxx, Founder of GenZ Girl Gang and Activist
- Pamala Buzick Kim, Executive Director of FREE THE WORK
- Bozoma Saint John, Hall of Fame Marketing Executive, Author & Entrepreneur
- Congresswoman Maxine Waters, U.S. Representative for California’s 43rd District
Tired of Dancing to Their Song & the Building the Fire Fund
Last year, we released our groundbreaking report Pocket Change, which revealed that of the total $66.9 billion given by foundations, philanthropic giving to women and girls of color accounts for just 0.5%, with even less specified as benefitting Indigenous women and girls. This finding led to a deeper dive into the needs of Indigenous communities, and a new report, titled Tired of Dancing to Their Song: An Assessment of the Indigenous Women’s Reproductive Justice Funding Landscape. From this report, an Advisory Council of Indigenous Women was convened to create a plan to address a gap within the reproductive justice movement: a national voice for Indigenous women and birthing people.
The Advisory Council created the Building the Fire Fund, which is housed at and staffed by the Ms. Foundation for Women. The hope and vision of this fund is to support organizing and provide ongoing infrastructure in order to build Reproductive Justice in Indian Country. The Collaborative for Gender + Reproductive Equity was the proud funder of the original planning for Building the Fire and is a seed funder for the implementation stage of this work.
Ms. on Martha’s
In August, we hosted our 9th annual Ms. on Martha’s event where we were joined by our friends and supporters. The event included a fireside chat between President and CEO Teresa C. Younger and Chief Advancement Officer Ruth McFarlane, which started with Teresa’s revelations about how the Ms. Foundation has expanded and changed in her years since she joined the team. Their conversation focused on our groundbreaking research report, Pocket Change and how that research is being used by organizations across the country to raise awareness of the chronic underfunding of programs supporting women and girls of color.
Ms. Foundation Website
We relaunched the Ms. Foundation website, at forwomen.org. It’s a bolder, cleaner site that better showcases our work and partners, with improved user experience and accessibility. With this new site, we’ve also re-launched the Ms. Foundation Blog! Day in and day out, our grantee partners, our staff, and groups we work with are fighting for gender and racial equity. The blog aims to lift up their leadership and the issues impacting the communities we serve.
A FEW ACTIVITIES & SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
Sept. 2021: Teresa C. Younger inducted to Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame
Oct. 2021: Attended Vermont Women’s Fund Annual Celebration & New Hampshire Women’s Foundation Annual Luncheon
Nov. 2022: Honored at Project Morry Annual Benefit
Jan. 2022: Participated in keynote call with the National Partnership for Women and Families
March 2022: Spoke at the Ketanji Brown Jackson confirmation rally
April 2022: Participated in the Women Moving Millions Annual Summit
- theSkimm: Roe v. Wade is Gone. Here’s How 4 Advocacy Orgs Are Taking Action.
- ABC News: Impact overturning of Roe v. Wade will have on women of color
- The 19th: Pride, joy, inspiration, validation: What Black women see in Ketanji Brown Jackson’s nomination
- Native News Online: Tired Of Dancing To Their Song: New Report Provides Philanthropists with Direction on Indigenous Women & Reproductive Rights
- Inside Philanthropy: Three Key Intermediaries Ready to Move Resources for Reproductive Justice
Individual Donors
$1,000,000+
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Tides Foundation
$500,000-$999,999
Aditi Foundation
Ford Foundation
$100,000-$499,999
Anonymous (2)
Collaborative for Gender and Reproductive Equity
Quinn Delaney and Wayne Jordan
Groundswell Catalyst Fund
Suzanne L. Lerner
Michelle Mercer & Bruce Golden
New York Life Insurance Company
Stardust Fund, a component fund of the Greater Houston Community Foundation
$50,000-$99,999
Anonymous
Abigail E. Disney
Dobkin Family Foundation
Gucci – Chime for Change
Nancy Nordhoff and Lynn Hays
Marcy Syms, Sy Syms Foundation
$25,000-$49,999
Anonymous (2)
Susan Dickler and Sig Van Raan
The Eric T. and Elizabeth C. Jacobsen Foundation
Carol Freyn King
Lord Abbett & Co. LLC
Morgan Stanley
Starry Night Fund
Thanksgiving Fund of the American Endowment Foundation
White & Case LLP
Catherine A. Yelverton and Laura T. Traphagen
$10,000-$24,999
Anonymous (3)
The Isabel Allende Foundation
Michele Anthony
Dr. Jean Shinoda Bolen, M.D.
Elizabeth Bremner and Karen Crow
California Wellness Foundation
Gwen Chapman
CHIEF
Ginny Corsi and Mary Backlund
The Nathan Cummings Foundation
Maria and Greg Jobin-Leeds
Seth A. and Beth S. Klarman
Yin Ling Leung and Shaibal Roy
Margaret and William Lynch
Nancy Meyer & Marc Weiss, Summer Fund II
The Namaste Foundation
Margaret H. Newell
Open Impact Real Estate
Catherine Oppenheimer
Catherine Raphael
Betty Regard
The Rothschild Family Charitable Foundation
Catherine Samuels and Jeremy Henderson
Jenna Skinner Scanlan and Wilson S. Scanlan
Patricia J. Simpson
Rachael and Richard Wells
Susan M. Wolford and Delores M. Komar
The Jacquelyn and Gregory Zehner Foundation
$5,000-$9,999
Anonymous
AAA Northeast
Don Chen
Jeannie H. Diefenderfer
Robert Friedman
Alicia B. Lara and Anne Owen-Lara
Robin Lewis Luff
Planned Parenthood Federation of America & Action Fund
Brette Popper and Paul Spraos
Brooke Skinner-Ricketts and Laura Ricketts
Steele Family Foundation
Strike a Rock Fund
Christina D. Sulivan
Emmy Wohlgemuth
$1,000-$4,999
Anonymous (6)
Susan Adelman and Claudio Llanos
Yetide Badaki
The Anchor Point Gift Fund of Bradley A. Feld and M. Amy Batchelor
Fredrica Rudell Beveridge
Mia Birkhead
Stephanie K. Blackwood
Benedicte Boresta
Graham Bridgeman
Tarana Burke
Jayne L. and Jenna Bussman-Wise
Melanie Campbell
Patricia T. Carbine
Maureen Cavanaugh
Catherine Cerulli and Christopher Thomas
Ellen and Donald Clark
Rebecca Cokley
Jane S. Comer
Eve Ellis and Annette Niemtzow
Kate Ferlic and Chris Stanek
Jean Fletcher
Gabriela Flores
Michelle Fox
Reide L. Garnett
Charline Gipson
Global Fund For Women
Michele Gorcey and Kenneth Biblowitz
Jane Hallworth
Steven Hammell
Cathie B. Hartnett
Benjamin Hartwell
Pierre Hauser
Mary and Dennis Helf
Susan J. Hessel
Cynthia Holland
Betsee Isenberg
Jesse Jacobs
Yolanda F. Johnson
Carolyn Tyirin Kirk
Kate Klein Fund at the Santa Fe Community Foundation
The Louis J. Kuriansky Foundation
Mary Laumer
Shirley and Barbara Leary
Elizabeth Lewis, M.D. and M. David Thier, M.D.
Elsa Limbach
Diane M. Manuel
Catherine Mulligan
Natanja Oquendo
Christine A. Padesky
Carol T. Pencke
Susan Penick
Susan L. Perley
Suzanne Pierce-Moore
Lynn Povich
René Redwood
Alysia Reiner and David Basche
Amy Rugel
Christine L. Rugh
Bozoma Saint John
Mary Beth Salerno and Denise Kleis
Patricia A. Samuel
John Scanlan
Jana Shea and Seaview Productions
Janet Singer
Jordan and David Smith Fund, Santa Fe Community Foundation
Stacey Stevenson
Jeanette Stokes
Charlotte and John Suhler
Lorna Tanner
Nadia Telsey
Melanie Stander Tomanov
Mary Turney
Sonali Virendra
K. Shakira Washington
James White
Suzann Willhite and Kristin Siegesmund
Verna L. Williams and David Singleton
Cora R. Wortman
Teresa C. Younger
Asian Women Giving Circle $1,000+
Anonymous
Rini Banerjee
Hyatt Bass
Leslie Chang
Lily Chang and Paul Hyun
Lisa C. Chen
Clara Chow
Aditi Davray
Steven and Frazer Goldberg
Shinhee Han and Scott Cushman
Elizabeth and Olympia Ingriselli-Moy
Patricia J. Kozu
Dana Lee
Hali Lee and Peter Von Ziegesar
Ellen Liu
BJ and Suok Noh
Eva and Jerry Posman
Melinda D. Sarafa, Esq.
Raquel Sumulong
Andine Sutarjadi
Unbound Philanthropy
Elizabeth von Ziegesar-Whip
Mannar Wong
Melissa Wansin Wong
Pamela Wu-Kochiyama
Xin Xin
Joyce Lin-Yueh Yu and Edward Lai
Gloria’s Legacy Circle
Anonymous (135)
Cammi Abston-Bibbs
Evebonee Acosta
Josefina Aguirre
Sono Aibe
Ervina Ajkic
Jinan Al Mouzani and Ali Zudani
Simon Allard
Peggi Allen
Kimberly Alvarado
Kirsten Anderson
Samantha Anderson
Tiffany Andras-Myers
Vani Aryan
Mary Backlund
Kimberly A. Baer
Ramandeep Baghiana
Lisa K. Bailey
Sara and Joshua Bailey
Tiffany Bailey
Tina Barber
Caitlin and Riley Barnes
Renee Barrera
Freyja Baum
Sabrina and Jeremy Beitler
Wendy and Jeffrey Bender
Stephanie K. Blackwood
Sierra Blair
Erin Bossert
Jacob Bowden
Lisabeth G. Boyce
Kayla Boyle
Jennifer Braun
Elizabeth Bremner and Karen Crow
Shannon Brendel
Alexandra Brennan
Katherine Bromley
Anna Brown
Eugene Brown
Catrionna Bruce
Brianne Burnett
Robert Burnett
Denise Burton
Deborah Calabro
Deborah Campbell
Lindsey Cannon
John Cassell
Liam Cattell
Cheryl Checchio
Erica Cisneros
Susan Nora Clark
Michelle M. Clarkin
Nyla Clinton
Margaret Cloud
Monique Coker
Jessica Coleman
Katie Coley
Sheila Collins
Bernice Colman
Jane S. Comer
Stacey and James Cooper
Ginny Corsi
Regina Cowles
Robbin Crabtree
Amy Crane
Mariela Fernandez
Fiechia Crosby
Cynthia Curnow Armstrong
Kimberly Curry
Rachael Dallaserra
Lily Dang
Patricia Dantona
Carroll Davis
Kimberly and Marcus Davis
Lisa Davis
Adam Dawson
Lori Dawson
Élise DeAngelis
Barbara Dearth
Rhonda Debique
Janine and Robert Diak
Susan Dickler and Sig Van Raan
Rebekah Donohue
Stefanie Dubose
Betty Dudney
Adi Eckhouse Barzilai and Ori Barzilai
Linsi Edris
Jodie Evans
Kendrick Evans
Taylor Fearce
Kathleen Fengya
Valerie Ina Fennell
Gregory Ferrar
Marjorie Fine
Kelsi Flatland
Zarena and John Flemmings
Rebecca Flint
Mary Folk
Theresa Francese-Smith and Russell Smith
Rhona Frank
Jose Fresco Benaim
Anakin Frost
Jordan Frost
Katrina Frye
Jodell S. Gabriel
Danielle Gaffney and Barry Ortiz Robledo
Victoria Gallucci
Olusegun Ganiyu
Erica and Ricardo Garcia
Tracy D. Gary
Sheila Gershen
Jessica Ghata
Seth Gislain
Hannah and Kyle Goehner
Jillian Golar
Kara Gonzales
Fan Gonzalez
Holly Gorman
Eugina Graham
Constance Grant and Thomas Lively
Debra Green
Alice Greenhouse
Kathryn Gregorio
Alexandra Griffin
Mary Grimes
Katie Grover and Mike Campbell
Amanda Grube
Rachell and Jorge Gualpa
Sarah Haines
Leigh Hallingby
Eric Hamilton
Tiffany Hanson
Courtney Harchaoui
James Hardy
Glenna Harlow
Cayleigh Harris
Brianna Harrison
Jennifer Hedden
Molly Heikkinen
Mary C. Helf
Alize Henson
Cristina Hiatt
Michele Hill
Tonya Hill
Genevieve Holubik
Ashley Houzenga
Sharon E. Howe
Jonette Hubred-Golden
Anastacia and Zachary Hudson
Madelyn Hungerford
Gayle Husselbee
Kathryn Inacio
Alicia Jackson
Linda Janklow
Shatara Jarrell
Teresa Job
Tara and Mark Joffe
Michael Johnson
Reginald Johnson, Jr.
Aidan Jones
Avery Joyner
Sherry Jubilo
Laurie Kane
Julie F. Kay
Melike Kaya
Brittany Kehr
Courtney Kent
Carol F. King
Terri Ki
Denise Kleis
Ilene Knopf
Ellen L. Konrad
Kailee Kremer
Jennifer Krueger
Nanthini Kumararajan
Linda Lambert
Allycia Lamere and Seth Maki
LaCresha Lawson
Lesley Leach
Molly Leahy
Brenda Leal
Diane Lebow
Anna Lee
Christine Lee
Suzanne L. Lerner
Monica Levin
Rachel Levine
Sming Lin
Lisa Lines
Amy C. Liss
Alexis Littrell
Kristina Loew
Rachael Long
Trina Long
Lora Lonsberry, PhD
Eleanor Y. Lord
Ruthann Lorentzen
Heather and Kyle Lowery
Margaret and William Lynch
Mary Lynch
Erin MacCoy and William Ibsen
Stephanie Mackay and William Gant
Hayley Maged
Omolara Makini
Lisa Marmolejo
Miranda Martin
Patricia Y. Martin
Thomas Martin, Jr.
Ariadna Martinez
Katelyn Mathews
Michele M. Mattei
Lara Mattos
Nellie Mbewe
Martin Mcgaha
Andrea Mckinney
Mary Meader
Megan Medina
Katharyne Mensah
Katherine Meyers and Mark Willenbring
Denise Miceli
Bonnie Miller
Clayton Miller
Jennifer Mitchell
Mikal Moore
Ruthi Muffler
Monica L. Nelson
Janet Neufeld
Kasey Nippes and Timothy Coyle
Erika Nomeland
Hellen Obondi
Kathleen O’Brien
Kelsea Olszewski
Tamika Owens
Shea Park
Jonathan Parker
Brianna Parker-Dinan
Catherine Percell
Francis Perez
John Perry
Tatiana Perry
Leslie Pieters
Mirja Pitkin and Aaron Kennedy
Ethan Posey
Anika Rahman
Samantha Rankin
Catherine Raphael
Olivia Redd
Susan Resz
James Reynolds
Bernadine Rice
Sandra Rice and Gregory Akar
Susan Rickhoff
Ene Riisna
Kevin Riley
Trudi S. Riley
Samantha Rivas
Francine V. Rivkin
Jozelle Roberts
Brianna Robertson
Irina Rojek
Nancy Romalov
Mary Rose
Mary Sue Rose
Morgan Rose and Joshua Nelson
Lynne Rosenthal, Leo S. Guthman Fund
Charlie Rowe
Erin Rutherford
Mary Beth Salerno
Adrianna Santos
Cash Satterfield
Cami Savage
Emily Savoye
Felicia Scaife
Lindsay J. Schutz
Ellen A. Schwartz
Emily and Kodi Scott
Hannah Servetter
Remona Shelley
Sandra Shepard
June A. Siebert
Claire A. Siesfeld
Jane A. Silverman
Darwin Smith
Christina Snorgrass
Crystal Somogyi
Nanda Sookhai
Mary Spanabel-Weber
Gloria Steinem
Lisa E. Stone
Harriet Stults
Stephanie and Matthew Susko
Sabrina Talley
Kingsey Terziev
Travis Thomas
Lennell Threat
Nancy L. Toder
Whitney Tressel
Stevie Tropeano
Tammy Trudelle
Nohn Tyson
Oscar Vasquez
Amy Webb
Monica Wehrle and Harriet Miller
Erica Wheeler
Joshua Whiteho
Lauren Williams
Whitney and Austin Willis
Jada Winchester
Christopher Winter
Susan M. Wolford
Emma Wood
Cora R. Wortman
Teresa C. Younger
Estates
Laila Abou-Saif
Beverly Balch Allinsmith
Alice A. Atchison
Suzanne Barnett
Alfred J. Berger
Katherine Brownlie
Helen Bill Casey
Edith Coulter
Shirley Cucchi
Christine J. Drennan
Manfred W. Ehrich
Freddy Sirott Engelman
Dr. Idella M. Evans
Barbara K. Ferrin
Elaine Fine
Elthea A. Gill
Dorothy Jane Haegele
Nancy L. Hamilton
Rosetta W. Harris
William M. Hawkins
Linda J. Henry
Marion Holmes
Margaret E. Jacobs
Marjorie Fine Knowles
Lucia Woods Lindley
Dolly L. Maass
Monique Marti
Victoria J. Mastrobuono
Bambi McDonald
Cynthia McLachlan
Helen Mintz
Elli Nilsen
Louise Rosenfield Noun
Leslie Prince
Sylvia Geraldine Radyx
Ingrid Reti
Constance M. Rogier
Marion Sawyer
Elizabeth M. Schmitt
Jane Sherwin Schwartz
Barbara Sherman
Jean L. Sherman
Vera Skubic
Jessie Sinclair Smith
Carolyn Sonfield
Carolyn Gunn Strickler
Anne Thaler
Edith VanHo
Since 2016 we have strived to maximize the impact of our endowment by aligning 100% of its assets in support of our mission to build women’s collective power in the U.S. to advance equity and justice for all.
At the end of FY22, the endowment was valued at $54.8M. Our endowment provides long-term sustainability, but also the use of investment returns to provide funding for current operating expenses.
Board Officers
Alicia Lara
Chair
Yin Ling Leung
Treasurer
Danielle Moodie
Secretary
Jenna Skinner Scanlan
Vice Chair
Board Members
Alex Busansky
Gwen Chapman
Wade Davis
Lauren Embrey
Charline Gipson
Cathie Hartnett
Suzanne Lerner
Diane Manuel
René Redwood
Rinku Sen
Pamela Shifman
Candi Castleberry Singleton
Catherine Yelverton
Founding Mothers
Patricia Carbine
Letty Cottin Pogrebin
Gloria Steinem
Marlo Thomas
Marie C. Wilson
Honorary Founding Mother
Our Team
Mara Ayora
Finance Associate
Rosina Barba
Special Advisor, Office of the President
Bri Barnett
Director of Institutional Partnerships
Stephanie K. Blackwood
Senior Director, Engagement & Major Gifts
Shawnda Chapman
Director of Innovative Grantmaking & Research
Taliah Duncan
Operations Assistant
Samantha Franklin
Program Officer
Alaya Gaddy
Grants Administrator
Elisabeth Gaikema Platt
Senior Manager of Development Operations & Direct Marketing
Anjelica Garcia
Director of Major Gifts
Elaine Hunt
Communications Coordinator
Sandra Isiofiah
Human Resources Manager
Camille Kennedy
Senior Director, Advancement Strategy
Ellen Liu
VP, Grantmaking & Capacity Building
Marlene Martinez
Director of Finance & Operations
Calondra McArthur
Director of Communications
Ruth McFarlane
Chief Advancement Officer
Maureen McNamara
Development Coordinator
Ebun Olaloko
Executive Assistant & Board Coordinator
Aime Patrick
Donor Relations Assistant
Wanda Miroslava Peguero
Grants Manager
Arelis Perallon
Finance Manager
Stephanie Rameau
Program Officer, Office of the President
Sydney Schwartz
Program Associate
Sona Smith
Program Officer, Birth Justice
Coya White Hat-Artichoker
Program Officer
Julia White
Major Gifts Officer
Teresa C. Younger
President & CEO
Mission
The mission of the Ms. Foundation for Women is to build women’s collective power in the U.S. to advance equity and justice for all.
We achieve our mission by investing in, and strengthening, the capacity of women-led movements to advance meaningful social, cultural and economic change in the lives of women.
Vision
We believe in a just and safe world where power and possibility are not limited by gender, race, class, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or age.
We believe that equity and inclusion are the cornerstones of a true democracy in which the worth and dignity of every person are valued.
Values
Integrity: We also believe in holding ourselves responsible and accountable for all that we say in order to build an aligned, principled and powerful movement for gender equity.
Trust and Respect: We believe in the truth that comes from those we work with and those most impacted by the issues affecting their communities. We believe in honoring their voices and supporting their leadership.
Interconnectedness: We believe that by achieving equity for women of color, we achieve equity for all. Given the complexity of the issues we face, we are committed to addressing issues holistically, understanding that we need to build power and alignment across multiple movements and sectors to win the battles we are facing.
Social Justice: We believe that structural changes are needed in order to increase opportunities for those who are least well off politically, socially and economically.