The Growing Trend of Feminist Philanthropy Worldwide

In recent years, the philanthropic world has increasingly acknowledged that supporting women and girls is essential for global progress. Governments like Sweden, Canada, France, and Wales have adopted feminist approaches to their international development programs. Meanwhile, prominent individuals like Melinda French Gates have pledged significant financial support—she recently committed $1 billion over two years to organizations focused on women’s and families’ issues, including reproductive rights in the U.S.

Research overwhelmingly supports the importance of funding this kind of work. The World Bank emphasizes that gender equality is “smart economics,” while McKinsey research suggests that addressing the women’s health gap could lead to “years to life and life to years,” potentially boosting the global economy by $1 trillion annually by 2040.

Despite these encouraging funding commitments, the overall picture is less positive. In 2022, women’s rights organizations received just 0.34% of Official Development Assistance (global aid aimed at promoting economic development and welfare), and only 0.42% of foundation grants were allocated towards women’s rights, according to the Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID). The Women’s Philanthropy Institute notes that less than 2% of philanthropic giving in the U.S. directly benefits women and girls.

“There’s a lot of talk about doing this work globally, but not many dollars match that talk,” says Kiersten Marek, founder of the website Philanthropy Women. “I would argue that there is a ‘say/do’ gap in gender justice funding, both in the U.S. and globally.”

Even when donors prioritize gender in their giving, Marek observes that they often scale back their commitment to feminist philanthropy over time. Jennifer and Peter Buffett, founders and co-chairs of the NoVo Foundation, for example, allocated a remarkable $90 million in 2016 to address structural challenges facing girls and young women of color in the U.S., the largest effort ever undertaken by a private organization. However, by 2020, they had scaled back their plans to fund a women’s building in Manhattan and for critical programs focused on women and girls, acknowledging the need for greater donor participation.

“Donors have a tendency to start off strong and strident, and then lose momentum over time,” Marek explains.

Meanwhile, the need for funding has surged against a backdrop of increasing authoritarianism and global humanitarian crises. In 2020, for instance, the U.S. joined Brazil, Egypt, Hungary, Indonesia, and Uganda in co-sponsoring an international resolution that the U.N. characterizes as “anti-gender.” This resolution undermines reproductive rights, sexuality, gender-sensitive education, LGBTQ+ rights, and even the concept of gender itself. Between 2013 and 2017, this “anti-gender” movement received over $3.7 billion, more than triple the funding for LGBTQ+ groups globally during that period.

In developing nations, women’s rights are being eroded in severe ways. The Taliban government in Afghanistan has banned women and girls from attending school, while women have been caught in the crossfire during conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza. In countries like Sudan, women and girls are particularly vulnerable to violence following the outbreak of conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) last year.

Keeley Longate, co-director of the Gender Funders CoLab, observes that private organizations often struggle to coordinate their efforts towards shared goals that advance women’s rights. “Philanthropy isn’t structured for strong collaboration, but there’s a desire and a deep sense that gender work is essential,” says Longate.

To bridge this gap, 10 years ago, Longate’s CoLab brought together some of the largest private foundations to create a community of funders who can collectively leverage their power to provide more resources, especially in the global south and east. Its members include the Ford Foundation, the Foundation for a Just Society, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, among others.

Between 2014 and 2023, CoLab members directed at least $2.2 billion towards women’s rights and gender equality work. In 2017, the group helped secure a $45 million fund from the Dutch government for four Global South women’s funds, with private members committing to fund a related initiative. In 2019, it played a key role in establishing the Equality Fund, the largest single investment ever made by a government in global feminist movements, by securing $300 million from the Canadian government after numerous private foundations met in Ottawa to highlight the importance of funding feminist movements. Additionally, CoLab has secured $354 million in pooled fund grants from bilateral donors, including support for the Bulgarian Fund for Women, which assists 24 grassroots organizations working to end gender-based violence.

“CoLab has been able to bring the recognition that governments can’t do everything,” says Longate, “so here are the places or spaces where philanthropy can complement governments, and where governments can support philanthropy.” (This is the first time that CoLab has spoken out publicly about its efforts, with the aim of “further engaging with the wider philanthropic community.”)

Monica Aleman, the Ford Foundation’s international program director of gender, racial, and ethnic justice, who collaborates closely with CoLab, underscores the importance of strengthening public-private partnerships. “That’s not something that we are accustomed to in the feminist movement, but I do think it’s important to open that door,” says Aleman.

Feminist philanthropy can have a profound impact by directing resources towards overlooked and underrepresented crises. A 2022 study from Shake the Table, a global research and action hub, and The Bridgespan Group, a nonprofit advisory firm, found that women’s funding was at the forefront of supporting social movements and had the highest impact. “Women’s funds play critical roles in moving money to groups traditionally locked out of mainstream funding opportunities,” says a spokesperson for Shake the Table. Highlighting successful examples such as the Black Feminist Fund in Sudan, the Dalan Fund supporting displaced Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, and the Urgent Action Fund in Papua New Guinea, the group has called on philanthropists to invest around $1.5 billion annually.

Despite these positive developments, there’s still a long way to go. While announcing a new chapter in her philanthropy, Melinda French Gates wrote: “In nearly 20 years as an advocate for women and girls, I have learned that there will always be people who say it’s not the right time to talk about gender equality.”

She continued, “It’s frustrating and shortsighted.”