Is Money Alone Enough to Recharge the U.S. Women’s and Gender Movement?
Recent infusions of cash, support, and resources have me wondering…
“It’s raining money” is a phrase I’ve never heard uttered by women’s organizations or leaders. Raising funds to end gender-based violence, build women’s power, close the gender pay gap, and expand and secure women’s and LGBTQIA rights is often a thankless task to fill chronically near-empty coffers. Despite the urgent need to build a more inclusive, safer, and representative democracy – the penultimate goal of women’s and gender organizations – they receive less than two percent of all philanthropic investments. Organizations focused on women of color receive just .5 of investments. In May this year, things changed.
Recently, billionaire philanthropist and changemaker Melinda French Gates announced she’s donating $1 billion across the next two years to individuals and organizations working on behalf of women and families globally. French Gates’ commitment comes on the heels of a newly released report by Women Moving Millions that estimates their members contributed $157 million to organizations and initiatives focused on women and girls in 2023. Foundations such as Ford, Open Society, Fondation CHANEL, and other funds and collaboratives have also chipped in, doing their part. This is what we need, and more of it.
While the infusion of cash and resources is certainly a boon for organizations and the movement in general, it obscures two significant issues. The first is the lack of consistent investment over time in women’s organizations. Without steady funding, the movement sometimes hobbled and was ineffective at countering attacks or mounting an offense.
The second concern is resources without strategy or vision can’t or won’t yield big results or wins for the movement. Ignoring these two elements makes the movement vulnerable to high expectations that can't be met. Right now, it’s unclear whether the movement or the organizations that make it up have a compelling and coherent vision or fresh strategies that can meet the moment or that will deploy the resources most effectively. I can easily be convinced otherwise.
Historically, funders and donors have been highly fickle when it comes to supporting and funding women’s organizations and gender or racial issues. Over the years, I have seen foundations create and fund gender strategies only to dismantle them or change direction soon after, extending the time it takes to achieve goals and make progress. I have also witnessed a once-influential foundation abandon a significant number of women’s organizations in a philosophical about-face with little to no accountability, leaving many of them in shambles.
When the Supreme Court handed down its historic decision overturning Roe v. Wade in 2022, donors and Funders poured money into organizations — rightfully so. However, many donors and foundations shifted dollars from one issue to another rather than infusing new or more money into the movement or organizations — destabilizing some organizations and turbocharging others.
Resourcing and supporting organizations and stepping in to fill a need is crucial; however, it’s not as simple as turning on a spigot and expecting it to create an oasis in a desert. Despite the urgency of the moment, which often necessitates the infusion of dollars, organizations still need time and space to plot, organize, plan, and build their infrastructure, even when their issues might not be the issue of the moment.
Late out of the gate. A deeper probe of what’s what in terms of resources reveals collectively the most prominent national and community-based women’s organizations, including the National Women’s Law Center, the Ms. Foundation for Women, the American Association of University Women (AAUW), the National Organization for Women, and the National Partnership for Women and Families, among them, receive less than $300 million annually to realize their respective missions and beat back recent attacks on everything from reproductive rights to diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in the U.S. And with the exception of Planned Parenthood, and some of their affiliates, none of these organizations have budgets larger than $25 million to move an ambitious agenda focused on gender equality.
In sharp contrast, the anti-gender movement has poured at least $6 Billion over the last decade into a constellation of efforts and organizations meant to erode and undermine women’s and gender equality globally. If it seems we’re playing catch-up, it's because we are.
Further, in a review of several national women’s organizations, in a year-over-year analysis, contributions and revenue fell by nearly 50 percent within the last five years, threatening their very existence. As a result, many organizations are preoccupied with keeping their doors open and competing for resources, making collaboration and partnership among groups less desirable.
Money is a vital component of most, if not all, change-making efforts, but it is not sufficient. We need more risk-taking, new strategies, and more leaders open to doing their work differently with an eye toward our most significant asks (what do we want) and desired outcomes. We also need to be willing to admit that our past efforts have yielded mixed results and, in some cases, none at all. That’s OK. Evaluating our work and adjusting strategies to redirect toward our goals is part of the work, too.
What do you think about the infusion of capital into the women’s and gender movement? Is it helpful? Enough? In what ways can we use it optimally to meet our goals? Let me know–subscribe, comment, and share.
What’s Nicole up to? Nicole is hard at work on her next book and Future Forward, a new project powered by the New York Women’s Foundation & Fondation CHANEL. iamcnicolemason.com | @cnicolemason