Prompted by the latest Women & Girls Index research, Give to Women and Girls Day is a landmark moment bringing together hundreds of women’s and girls’ organizations to raise awareness and galvanize support for women and girls
The Women’s Philanthropy Institute (WPI) today launched the inaugural Give to Women and Girls Day, a national campaign to increase charitable giving to women’s and girls’ organizations in collaboration with Giving Tuesday, the Ms. Foundation, Philanos, Philanthropy Together, Pivotal Ventures, Schusterman Family Philanthropies, United Nations Foundation, Vital Voices, Women’s Funding Network, and Women Moving Millions. Give to Women and Girls Day culminates today with a virtual event featuring Broadway performer Morgan Wood and Women Moving Millions’ Mona Sinha to celebrate organizations dedicated to women and girls and equip them with research and tools to amplify their cause.
Since 2019, WPI has measured giving to women’s and girls’ organizations through its Women & Girls Index (WGI), made possible by funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. While nearly 50,000 organizations are dedicated to women and girls across the United States, the WGI consistently shows that less than 2% of total charitable giving goes to these organizations. Give to Women and Girls Day, which coincides with the fourth annual release of the WGI research findings, provides donors and organizations with an actionable step toward closing the gap in giving to women and girls.
“Women Moving Millions is honored to support Give to Women and Girls Day—a day that speaks to the heart of our mission to catalyze unprecedented resources for gender equality,” said Women Moving Millions CEO Sarah Haacke Byrd. “Investing in women and girls builds a better future for us all, and we hope philanthropists at every level will join the movement and support organizations creating a gender equal world.”
“I want unfettered opportunities for girls and women. This means putting girls and women at the center of everything. It means supporting girls and women to speak for themselves and to design and lead solutions to the stubborn problems that get in the way of creating a more equal world for all. It means allowing girls and women to control the resources that are needed to implement those solutions,” said Michelle Milford Morse, Vice President, Girls & Women Strategy, United Nations Foundation. “Give to Women and Girls Day is a celebration of the great potential for change.”
To celebrate Give to Women and Girls Day, WPI is hosting a virtual event to share this year’s WGI research findings, as well as catalyze discussion and action to spur greater philanthropic support for women and girls. The event, which coincides with the International Day of the Girl, will feature voices that provide important insight on the research and the need to increase funding for women’s and girls’ causes.
“As we release the fourth annual Women & Girls Index, giving to women’s and girls’ organizations still represents a small share of overall charitable giving,” said Jeannie Sager, director of the Women’s Philanthropy Institute at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. “For those committed to advancing gender equity, the WGI continues to be a powerful tool to help increase philanthropic support and drive much-needed resources to women and girls.”
Key findings from the 2022 WGI include:
- In 2019, women’s and girls’ organizations received nearly $8 billion in philanthropic support, or approximately 1.9% of overall charitable giving—a share that remained relatively unchanged from 2018.
- Among all types of WGI organizations, reproductive health and family planning organizations continue to receive the greatest amount of philanthropic support.
- Although they receive a smaller amount of charitable giving, gender equality and employment organizations experienced the largest increase in philanthropic support among all WGI organizations from 2012 to 2019.
- Among collectives of women volunteers and/or donors (e.g., women’s funds and foundations, Impact 100s, Junior Leagues), those serving women and girls receive greater philanthropic support compared with those serving the general population. Collectives of women serving women and girls also grew at a much faster rate from 2012 to 2019 than those serving the general population.
The full research brief is available here. Additional information about how to participate in Give to Women and Girls Day can be found here.
About the Women’s Philanthropy Institute
The Women’s Philanthropy Institute (WPI) is part of the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at IU Indianapolis. WPI increases understanding of women’s philanthropy through rigorous research and education, interpreting and sharing these insights broadly to improve philanthropy. By addressing significant and groundbreaking research questions and translating that research into increased understanding and improvements in practice, WPI helps to leverage new and expanded resources for the common good.
About the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy
The Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at IU Indianapolis is dedicated to improving philanthropy to improve the world by training and empowering students and professionals to be innovators and leaders who create positive and lasting change. The school offers a comprehensive approach to philanthropy through its undergraduate, graduate, certificate and professional development programs, its research and international programs and through The Fund Raising School, Lake Institute on Faith & Giving, the Mays Family Institute on Diverse Philanthropy and the Women’s Philanthropy Institute. Follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, or Instagram, and “Like” us on Facebook.