In 1983, the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota was founded as the very first community foundation in the United States dedicated to gender equity. And now, as they celebrate their 40th anniversary, they’re blazing another new trail as they launch the first-ever giving day to support causes that center women, girls, and gender-expansive people across Minnesota.
That giving movement—Feminist Giving Day—will take place Thursday, May 9, on GiveMN.org. As their partners in helping bring this event to life, we wanted to share more with you about this campaign which launches today!
Data shows less than 2% of philanthropic giving goes to causes centering women and girls.
Each year, hundreds of billions of dollars are donated to nonprofits across the United States. Much of that money is given by donors like you, supporting the causes you trust to make our communities stronger. In addition, many corporations and foundations give to causes they believe in, too.
Of those investments, though, less than 2% are directed to causes centering women and girls. Along with our partners at Women’s Foundation of Minnesota (WFM), we think it’s time to change that statistic.
That’s where Feminist Giving Day comes in. WFM envisions a Minnesota where all women, girls, gender-expansive people, and families have the resources we need to lead safe and prosperous lives. And they envision a world in which Minnesotans come together to increase that 2%.
We know big and important things happen when we all take action around a common cause. This inaugural year of this campaign is about taking action to change that 2%—together.
How you can join this movement—starting today.
As part of the first year of Feminist Giving Day, the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota invites you to take 2 steps to grow the 2% of charitable giving that centers women and girls.
1) Make a gift by the end of May 9 to have your generosity counted as a show of support for organizations across Minnesota supporting women and girls.
2) Spread the word about this campaign—let others know about the 2% giving statistic and invite them to join you in helping support a new reality.
Feminist Giving Day officially launches Thursday, May 9, but all gifts made beginning May 1 will count toward the goal of raising $500,000 in this very first year.
Your gift could be matched twice—going that much further to grow the 2%! Thanks to the generosity of the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation and an anonymous donor, the first $30,000 in gifts made as part of this campaign could be matched up to $60,000.
What will your generosity support?
Although WFM wants to close the gap around philanthropic funding to women and girls, the real measure of impact is that when women and girls are supported fully, our families and communities will thrive.
WFM supports hundreds of causes that center women, girls, and gender-expansive people through their grantmaking and philanthropic investments. Your support during Feminist Giving Day will help WFM invest in even more community-based, community-led solutions to ensure equal opportunity for girls, women, and families across Minnesota.
GiveMN’s role in this partnership
As part of our mission to ignite generosity and grow giving, GiveMN is proud to serve as trusted partners in helping WFM launch this giving movement. That’s why we’re serving as WFM’s online fundraising platform and campaign advisors, and amplifying this campaign to the community of generous donors who use GiveMN.org.
We’re guided in this work by our mission and our four key values: operating from abundance, connection to community, equity in action, and courage to try. We believe in shining a light on funding disparities in the nonprofit sector and giving donors the opportunity to use generosity to put their values into action and close known gaps.