Arab-American Family Support Center (AAFSC) in downtown Brooklyn & Queens is an integral and intergenerational…
Who we support
FEATURED GRANTEES
In our two decades (plus) of investing in people, organizations, and ideas, we’ve put our dollars where we think they will do the most good at the moment our funding is most needed. Sometimes our grant is a lone, early vote of confidence, other gifts are part of a massive campaign involving thousands of supporters. We’re early believers in organizations that we expect to outgrow us. We provide small amounts of initial capital, celebrating when a grantee has succeeded enough that we can no longer afford to be a lead sponsor.
Here are some of our greatest hits! Scroll down for more grantees.
WHAT ATTRACTS INVESTMENT FROM US?
We invest in individuals and organizations working for a fairer world. We look for ways to create opportunities and advancement for women, girls, and other people who have been excluded by systems that weren’t designed for their success.
We invest not only our financial resources – we have decades of experience as donor partners we’re willing to share with our grantees.
LEADERSHIP
Who gets to be a leader? Only in recent decades has society expanded the definition of who is qualified to lead, who is allowed to lead. Our grantmaking seeks to advance the leadership of those who have not been traditionally included. We recognize that leadership skills can be taught, and since many women wish they’d learned those skills earlier in life, we designed a program to teach leadership skills to girls. We invest in communities of leaders, coaching for leadership, community leadership, organizations that support leaders.
STORYTELLING
It’s been said that storytelling is the essence of being human, that we have always been defined by the stories we tell each other. Until recently, stories were centered on men, written by men, brought to the screen or the page by men. We want the power of storytelling to be available to more voices. Because storytelling is a powerful vehicle for change, we invest in individual stories and storytellers, as well as the systemic shifts aimed at creating a more equitable landscape.
CONVENINGS
For over two decades we’ve invested in gatherings, conferences, special occasions and other events that bring people together, both online and in real life. When we’re in the company of others, the possibilities for creative outcomes multiply exponentially.
We partner with others to make sure that we’re convening a diverse and inclusive group of participants and leaders, as well as meeting with a purpose and a hoped-for outcome. We participate in collaborative philanthropy, a different kind of convening. Giving circles offer opportunities for people to pool their resources and maximize the effect of their collective investment.
A SELECTION OF OUR GRANTEES
Air Force Academy Center for Character and Leadership Development focuses on developing officers and leaders…
Established over 25 years ago, the Brotherhood Sister Sol (BroSis) is dedicated to making space…
Henry Street Settlement in the Lowest East Side of Manhattan is a leader in child…
LEAP NYC provides educational arts programs to promote access and equality for NYC students underserved…
NYC Great! is a NYC DOE Leadership Program that helps young girls develop leadership and…
International Girls Ensemble works to build a strong and safe community for girls to feel…
Riverdale is a Pre-K through grade 12 independent school in New York City committed to…
HYPOTHEkids works to provide underserved students with hands-on educational and mentorship experiences in science and…
The Young Women’s Leadership School of Astoria (TYWLS of Astoria) is an all-girls public school…
The #MeToo movement for Black women is complex, explored thoughtfully in this documentary, with a…
There’s an asterisk after The 19th* in its logo. The number refers to the amendment…
When we met this female filmmaking team at a Sundance film financing event, we were…
Even if you’re among the millions of people who suffer from crippling migraine headaches, you…
How would you feel if you – and your neighbors – noticed strange vehicles parked…
Here’s an unusual film (in progress): teenage refugees hatch a crazy plot to reunite 60s…
How come if most kitchens are presided over by women that so few professional kitchens…
This documentary focusing on Black women running for a variety of elected offices is still…
This nostalgic bio of the beloved Mr. Rogers was one of the top-performing documentaries in…
Here’s what happens when women are targeted on the internet and their lives are upended…
When a documentary filmmaker catches a moment in history, the result is an irreplaceable behind-the-scenes…
Perhaps it’s not so hard to believe that abortion was once entirely illegal in the…
The Oakland-based Radical Monarchs started out as the Radical Brownies until the Girl Scouts put…
Multiple bang for the buck! With a single grant we support internet she-ro Anita Sarkeesian, …
Maybe you remember seeing the talented Brown family on Oprah or 60Minutes. The 5 Browns…
When the documentaries Sexy Baby and Hot Girls Wanted exposed the insidious ways underage girls…
If Hollywood seems like a private club (mostly for white men), there’s a reason for…
Yes, Congress is dysfunctional. Some members (OK, former members) are willing to admit it and…
In 2011, long before #MeToo, the epidemic of sexual assault in the military was exposed…
The idea started out simply: support girls who are the first in their family to…
The statistics were so dismal that Katie Orenstein had to do something – the opinionators…
This is today’s tech take on the idea of a suicide hotline. Instead of making…
It seems like ancient history now, those days when there were so many places with…
Let’s be frank: It’s going to take bold leadership for women and people of color…
Sloane Davidson’s leadership in making refugees welcome has expanded, now including a national network of…
If you’ve ever seen the GA Tally on social media, it’s because Gina Glantz and…
Oh, sure, NOW you know all about podcasts and you probably have your own. But…
When we met the courageous founders– Sofie Karasek, Andrea Pino, and Annie Clark– of End…
In 2013, when “giving days” were a new way to raise major philanthropic dollars in…
Years ago, WDN recognized the need to undertake bold anti-racist education for its (mostly white)…
In the decades since our founding, we’ve learned that it’s best to give money to…
It’s impossible to be free if one’s personal medical decisions are made by the government,…
How will we ever achieve gender parity in elected office if women won’t run? Vote…
There’s nothing we love more than a grant that puts itself out of business. We…
You can’t fix a problem you won’t admit exists. Dr. Stacy L. Smith leads The…
We think it’s smart to take a good hard look at yourself when you’ve been…
Since 1996, South Asian Youth Action (SAYA) has been serving young people from diverse ethnic…
RHI believes that social change to overcome systemic inequities begins with empowered youth. In partnership…
For more than 17 years, Girls For A Change has been supporting Black girls and…
Global Kids is an educational organization with over 25 years of experience in New York…
Casita Maria Center for Arts & Education is the first and oldest Latino charity in…
AAFSC empowers new immigrants in downtown Brooklyn with the tools they need to successfully acclimate…
How do we change the culture to be more inclusive at every level? Chaz Ebert…
We favor grantees that serve overlapping areas of investment for us. Philanthropy Women hits targets…
Does the name Molly Ivins ring a bell? If yes, we don’t need to explain…
How do girls of color become leaders? Studies show that they’re hungry to lead. But…
For four decades, the Sundance name has been synonymous with championing independent cinema. Through the…
TED is one of our favorite creative communities, full of rising stars who are bringing…
Our investments in female-centric stories occasionally earn that rare industry plaudit, like “The Eagle Huntress,”…
Love the Sinner is a personal documentary essay exploring the connection between fundamentalist Christianity and homophobia….
This documentary is the story of two teenage girls, sexually assaulted while unconscious by boys…
College Behind Bars: The Bard Prison Initiative tells the story of incarcerated men and women…
Winner of seven “Best Feature Documentary” awards, this film festival favorite is now available on…
Told by the activists and leaders who live and breathe this movement for justice, WHOSE…
We contributed to the campaign of The Women’s Film Preservation Fund to restore this 1986…
Jane Gray was a young first-time filmmaker when she asked her friends and colleagues to…
Long before “Little People Big World” brought television viewers into the lives of “little people,”…
Did you know that tribal courts can keep people out of state courts? Ruth Cowan’s…
Led by Producer-Writer-Director Katrina Browne, a largely female filmmaking team spent almost a decade documenting…
This inspiring documentary by director Julia Bacha and a female-led American/Israeli/Palestinian filmmaking team was strongly…
We met William Kamkwamba long before he gained international fame as “The Boy Who Harnessed…
Filmmaker Ruth Cowan’s documentary follows seven female judges working to transform South Africa from apartheid…
Reproductive rights activist Dr. Rebecca Gomperts uses an offshore vessel as a clinic to serve…
Another TED Fellow, another Kickstarter campaign. Jen Brea’s life was disrupted by a diagnosis of…
Maybe by now you’ve heard of Alice Guy-Blaché, the first female director in the motion…
Although the subject is disturbing, we joined with other feminist funders to bring the work…
At least half of American women will experience an unintended pregnancy by the age of…
She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry resurrects the buried history of the outrageous, often brilliant women…
Ah, “ancient history.” What seems like a generation ago (but really less than a decade…
Women Moving Millions is a growing community of individuals who have each made pledges of…
Acumen founder Jacqueline Novogratz models bold, visionary, global leadership and relentlessly seeks equally committed social…
The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee established The Women’s Fund in 1994 to support programs…
Many cities boast a leadership program that connects the area’s most powerful people representing diverse…
When our Founder Ruth Ann Harnisch was a journalist, her work brought her in constant…
If it weren’t for Baruch College, you wouldn’t be reading this. The Harnisch Foundation’s co-founder…
It seemed like the most strategic investment possible: help the wealthiest people learn to put…
As traditional media revenue sources evaporated and legacy media scrambled for survival, KSU professor Leonard…
When theHF began its pioneering work in the field of coaching, the profession was so…
1 in 5 women is sexually assaulted while in college, according to the Campus Sexual…