News
Towards justice, 365 days of the year
[Aurora borealis in Watertown, South Dakota on October 6, 2024. Photo credit: Alex Resel] We’ve lost over 1,300 Israelis and 42,000 Palestinians this past year and are still counting. Every life represents a loved one, a family shattered, and dreams cut short. Our WDN community has been a beacon of bold action and unity. Across our network, […]
Rapid Response Resources: Hurricane Helene
As tragic reports are coming in from partners across the Southeast U.S., we’re witnessing in real time the devastating toll of climate crises on our communities, impacting our very own ecosystem of movement partners in Florida, Georgia, Western North Carolina, and Eastern Tennessee. Hurricane Helene has already taken the lives of hundreds, and millions more […]
The Passing of Cindy Ewing, One of WDN’s Founding Members
By Tracy Gary, A WDN Co-Founder & Member A founding member of WDN in 1989, Cindy Ewing passed away on September 17, 2024, surrounded by one of her caregivers and a close friend. She was 83 years old. Cindy was a force and will be remembered for her loyal and generous spirit and dedication to […]
Bridging the Information Gap: How the Good Information Foundation is Strengthening Democracy
Women Donors Network combines long-term strategic investments with responsive funding to meet the moment. From climate, to reproductive justice, to democracy, to human rights, our approach is the same: we move money strategically and nimbly to sustain movements. We are honored to support the work of Good Information Foundation, Democracy Now!, Unión de Afectados por […]
Empowering Change: Takeaways from WDN’s 2023 Impact
In 2023, we mobilized an incredible $20.2 million via WDN and WDN Action, funding 175 organizations and projects. We strengthened our community by welcoming new members and hitting three decade member anniversaries for others! And we harnessed our collective wisdom and deepest aspirations to chart our next era through our new strategic plan. We’re proud […]
ABC Fund: Dobbs Doesn’t Stop Us
By Amanda Beatriz Williams, Abortion Bridge Collaborative Fund Director June 24 marks the second anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court decision on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health, a landmark decision that overturned Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, and decimated abortion access across the country. Since Dobbs, the majority of states – 27 […]
Making Climate Justice Inevitable
Climate Justice Alliance (CJA) formed in response to a simple truth: traditional environmental movements are not fighting for the communities most impacted by climate change. The environmental justice landscape has historically been dominated by white-led organizations that work through moderate legislative policies, single-issue campaigns, and market-based solutions driven by profit. Only 1.3% of climate philanthropic […]
4 Ways These Mother-Daughter Pairs Are Influencing Each Other’s Philanthropy
Did you know that WDN has nearly 10 mother-daughter duos in our network? Activism and philanthropy can be a lot more joyful when done with a community – but often, it goes further than that. When we spoke with some of our mother-daughter member pairs, they shared how they are making each other better philanthropists […]
Q&A With Member Jane Segal Following First All-Initiative Meeting of 2024
One of the things revealed during our strategic planning process is that the vast majority of WDN members want to move towards a Participatory Grantmaking Model, with 87% of our survey respondents in support. One reason for this is that participatory grantmaking empowers impacted communities to decide who and what gets funded. Last month all four […]
Highlights from WDN Connect 2023
In November, we gathered in Charlotte for WDN Connect 2023: Rise & Renew. From our opening night workshop on art and culture to a discussion about how our fates are intertwined, WDN Connect 2023 in Charlotte was full of inspiring content and powerful connections. This year’s conference was full of ideas, inspiration, camaraderie, and some […]
