“2021 was a year of learning. 2022 is a year of action.” – WDN Programs & Initiatives Manager, Summer Migliori Soto

Anti-abortion advocates are expecting the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade in July, midterms are underway, we are at a tipping point in our response to climate change, and the number of anti-democratic bills continues to swell. This is a year of action. In our first round of grantmaking for 2022, WDN’s initiatives granted $2.67 million to women leaders, communities of color, and a new generation of activists who are building a country that works for all Americans. 

Jean Hardisty Initiative

Oppressive legislation and attacks against Black LGBTQIA+ youth, women, and communities, are at their highest levels ever. We must sustain efforts to dismantle racist, undemocratic systems by and for those who are most directly impacted. The Jean Hardisty Initiative’s first round of funding this year resources grassroots efforts centering LGBTQIA+ youth, reparations, abolition, and voter engagement. These grants prioritize renewal funding for grassroots organizations fighting timely legislative battles, engaging Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) voters, or building critical movement infrastructure.

$750,000 to 8 organizations:

• Bet On Us Program, Center for Working Families Fund: $100,000 
• Liberation Ventures: $100,000 
• ProjectQ: $50,000
• Dream Defenders Education Fund: $100,000 
• Freedom, Inc: $100,000 
• Interrupting Criminalization: $100,000 
• Leaders Igniting Transformation: $100,000 
• The Rising Majority: $100,000 

“With trust based philanthropy, it is so wonderful not to have to work from a place of lack. It lets us take chances and we know that we can because I’m not having to worry about where funding is going to come from.” – Madin Ray Lopez, Founder & Executive Director, ProjectQ

Opportunity & Equality For All Impact Collective

We are experiencing an unprecedented assault on reproductive rights that disproportionately harms marginalized people, particularly women of color, low-wage workers, LGBTQIA+, and immigrant communities. We’ve responded to these attacks in our first round of grants in 2022 by prioritizing funding for organizations working at the intersection of reproductive and economic justice, as well as groups engaging low-wage workers and BIPOC women in urgent policy advocacy and outreach efforts.

$550,000 to 6 organizations:

• All* Above All: $100,000 
• If/When/How: $100,000 
• Equal Rights Advocates: $100,000
• Miscarriage and Abortion Hotline: $100,000 
• North Carolina Domestic Workers Alliance: $75,000 
• Pennsylvania Domestic Workers Alliance: $75,000 

“This [grant] has come at a perfect time, as we are exploring ways to expand and be prepared for the coming SCOTUS decisions which may render abortion almost unobtainable for people in 26 states in the US. We are planning some changes and this funding will make it so much easier for us to adapt quickly to this ever evolving landscape.” – Dr. Linda Prine, Founder, Miscarriage & Abortion Hotline

Participation & Representation For All Impact Collective

The primaries are underway, and we are already seeing the effects of voter suppression tactics across the country. This year, legislators in 27 states introduced, pre-filed, or carried over 250 bills with restrictive provisions. Recognizing the vital and urgent need to combat these efforts, our Participation & Representation Impact Collective prioritized renewal grants for grassroots organizations to expand the electorate and fight voter suppression.

$800,000 to 8 organizations:

• Arizona Coalition for Change: $100,000
• Rural Arizona Engagement: $100,000
• Texas Freedom Network Education Fund: $100,000
• Texas Organizing Education Fund: $100,000
• Michigan Voices: $100,000
• Blueprint NC: $100,000
• Make the Road PA: $100,000
• Voter Formation Project: $100,000

“To have a donor network like WDN that is committed to building the leadership of women of color is incredibly important for the leadership of the state [of Texas]. We are building to have seats at the table because it’s not about winning races and building a party, it’s about the livelihoods of the people who live here.” – Val Benavidez, President & Executive Director, Texas Freedom Network

Safe & Sustainable Future For All Impact Collective

The climate justice movement is working to create a new center of gravity by uniting frontline communities and organizations into a formidable force. The Safe & Sustainable Impact Collective supports global and place-based Just Transition efforts, moving us away from extractive systems of production, consumption, and political oppression, and toward resilient, regenerative, and equitable economies. Our latest round of funding supports this work with a special focus on women leaders – especially young women, Indigenous women, and other women of color leaders – in the climate movement.

$573,000 to 5 organizations:

• Black Solidarity Economy Fund: $100,000
• Climate Justice Alliance: $100,000
• Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa: $100,000
• Gulf Coast Center for Law & Policy: $100,000
• Sogorea Te’ Land Trust: $100,000

Rapid Response Grants:

• Richmond Our Power Coalition: $15,000
• Urban Tilth: $58,000

“I consider your partnership a much needed inspiration in these defining moments of our existence and shared humanity.” – Aderonke Ige, Associate Director, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa

Our frontline partners have shown us that the path toward liberation includes deep, sustained investment so they can grow their capacity, strengthen their organizational and movement infrastructure, and focus on the work rather than fundraising. 

We aim to move resources nimbly while continuing multi-year support for grassroots organizations. Our deep trust and partnership with movement leaders enables us to eliminate funding barriers and enables organizations to focus on their work. We prioritize grantees with a strong vision for transformative change, power-building in marginalized and underserved communities, leadership that reflects the communities served, and an opportunity for our funding to be catalytic. This is how our network leverages our resources to power justice.

For more information about our work, read our 2021 annual report.