Ms. Foundation for Women
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Economic Justice/Childcare
As the first national women’s fund, the Ms. Foundation for Women is the lead grantmaker on women in the U.S. The Foundation invests in game-changing organizations in communities across the country to advance systemic change. We invest deeply in the most marginalized communities, supporting the next generation of grassroots leaders, providing deep capacity building to anchor organizations while strategically linking local and state leaders to national tables. In addition to grant support, the Foundation invests deeply in the organizational capacity of grantees on several levels, including financial health and communications capacity to grow their reach, scale, and impact.
In the area of economic justice, the Ms. Foundation has always understood that fighting for the rights of women at the bottom of the economic ladder is key to a vibrant economy and a critical turning point for advancing the overall status of women. As such, the Foundation has earned a distinguished reputation for advancing women’s economic development as an emerging field, launching campaigns to raise the minimum wage, and supporting other critical efforts around women’s economic justice. Tied to the health and safety of women, the Ms. Foundation now turns its focus toward the issue of childcare.
Through our grantmaking and capacity building programs, the Ms. Foundation invests in organizing for just economic policies that promote the well being and security of women, families, and communities. We support a multi-pronged strategy to help low income women, immigrant women and women of color achieve economic stability: supporting work family policies that provide quality, flexible and accessible child care; improving job quality for child care workers; and advancing child care as an economic development strategy.
Reproductive Health
As the first national women’s fund, the Ms. Foundation for Women is the lead grantmaker on women in the U.S. The Foundation invests in game-changing organizations in communities across the country to advance systemic change. We invest deeply in the most marginalized communities, supporting the next generation of grassroots leaders, providing deep capacity building to anchor organizations while strategically linking local and state leaders to national tables. In addition to grant support, the Foundation invests deeply in the organizational capacity of grantees on several levels, including financial health and communications capacity to grow their reach, scale, and impact.
In the area of Health, the Ms. Foundation has a distinguished record of supporting state based and coalition efforts to defend against attacks on women’s health. Early on, the Foundation played a central and critical role in identifying and supporting emerging women of color led organizations focused on women’s health. As a result of its efforts, the Foundation is credited with nurturing the voices of women in the most marginalized communities into a collective crescendo that now leads the way on women’s health.
Through our grantmaking and capacity building programs, the Ms. Foundation supports organizations working at the local, state and national levels to ensure that ALL women have access to the full range of women’s reproductive health services. We support the voices of those most affected are heard (especially low-income women, women of color, immigrant, and youth) and help build an authentic leadership base toward a vibrant movement around women’s reproductive health.
Donor Advised Funds
As the first national women’s fund, the Ms. Foundation for Women is the lead grantmaker on women in the U.S. We are a “go to” organization on philanthropic activism on women and gender, stewarding funds of individual donors for the purpose of supporting activism around gender or of women and girls in a variety of areas.
The Ms. Foundation for Women currently hosts several donor advised funds:
· The OMA Fund, focused on supporting groups that are tackling the most challenging issues in reproductive health
- Asian Women Giving Circle, focused on arts activism in the Asian American community in New York City
Safety/Violence Against Women
As the first national women’s fund, the Ms. Foundation for Women is the lead grantmaker on women in the U.S. The Foundation invests in game-changing organizations in communities across the country to advance systemic change. We invest deeply in the most marginalized communities, supporting the next generation of grassroots leaders, providing deep capacity building to anchor organizations while strategically linking local and state leaders to national tables. In addition to grant support, the Foundation invests deeply in the organizational capacity of grantees on several levels, including financial health and communications capacity to grow their reach, scale, and impact.
In the area of Safety, the Ms. Foundation has a distinguished record of nurturing the growth of the women’s anti-violence movement through grants to the first domestic violence shelters, rape crisis hotlines and state coalitions. Today, the Foundation continues that cutting edge trend and leads the way on supporting efforts to end child sexual abuse.
Child sexual abuse is one of the last remaining taboos, a fundamental barrier to the health and economic security of our communities, linked to every intractable social problem of our day. Society’s inability to address child sexual abuse affects not only individuals, but also our collective ability to create safe communities. Through our grantmaking and capacity building programs, the Ms. Foundation supports a diverse range of strategies at the local, state, and national levels that deeply engage communities toward preventing child sexual abuse.
Where we work
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Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
For every woman who has reached the “top", there are millions of women struggling to earn a living wage, gain access to basic health care, secure affordable child care and participate in the opportunities that should be available to every person in the U.S.
At the Ms. Foundation, we work to bring attention to the real challenges facing women, especially women of color and low-income women who are living in poverty, working paycheck to paycheck or both. We tirelessly advocate for national and statewide policy change that will address these challenges, and we support more than 100 organizations each year throughout the country that are working for change on a grassroots level.
We are committed. We are motivated. And we will not stop. Not until all women enjoy true equality, equity and opportunity.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
The Ms. Foundation for Women believes in a just and safe world where power and possibility are not limited by gender, race, class, sexual orientation, 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.
We believe that women are the engine for change in their communities. By funding game changing organizations that are successfully addressing pivotal issues of reproductive health; affordable child care with living wage jobs; and fighting gender-based violence – we are having real impact on the lives of women, children, families and paving the road toward a nation of justice for all.
As a national grantmaker, the Ms. Foundation for Women supports organizations at all levels, from grassroots to state and national organizations. We believe that women most directly impacted by an issue are the real experts and we select groups that are of the community they work in.
We choose our grantees carefully, informed by decades of work in the field. Our goals is to connect with emerging and established groups poised to act when and where change is needed.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
The Ms. Foundation for Women
• Raises funds from individuals, corporations, and foundation partners to support the needs of our grantees both operationally and programmatically.
• Promotes healthcare access and choice, economic justice, and violence against women and girls through dedicated communications, advocacy, and marketing efforts that reach a broad audience through social media, websites, email, and print collateral.
• Hosts events that promote and highlight gender equality, including an annual benefit, and that promote and honor our grantees for their efforts to effect progressive change on behalf of their communities.
• Provides convenings and conferences that bring together our grantee partners, providing training, network-building, and partnership to strengthen their efforts.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
In the past year, the Ms. Foundation for Women has increased our presence at the national level in initiatives and discussions that focus on progressive actions to benefit women and their families. They include:
• #MyFeminism campaign: Launched as follow-up action re national survey of views about feminism/gender equality
• Joining the Prosperity Together partnership to commit $100 million toward women's economic security
• Partnering with NBC (Black, Latino, Asian America) for #31Days of Feminism in March to spotlight women of color leading the way toward a more equal world
• Participating in the White House Council on Women and Girls' United State of Women summit (June 2016) with a focus on women's health and reproductive justice, supporting survivors of gender-based violence, civic engagement and leadership, economic empowerment, human rights, and education access.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Ms. Foundation for Women
Board of directorsas of 04/29/2019
Susan Dickler
Retired
Term: 2016 - 2018
Jenna Bussman-Wise
Vice President, AIG Investments
Jocelyn Frye
Senior Fellow, American Progress
Heather Arnet
CEO, Women & Girls Foundation of SW Pennsylvania
Alicia Lara
Senior Vice President, United Way of Greater Los Angeles
Lauren Embrey
President and CEO, Embrey Family Foundation
Eve E Ellis
Principal, The Matterhorn Group of Morgan Stanley
Lynn Malerba
Mohegan Tribe, 18th Chief
Cathie Hartnett
Nonprofit management consultant
Suzanne Lerner
President, Michael Stars
Seth M. Rosen
Senior Associate, Joan Garry Consulting
Simone Sneed
Adjunct Assitant Professor, NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
Gail Wasserman
Tom Watson
President and Founder, CauseWired
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes