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Our Vision
Our society’s well-being depends on achieving true gender equity. This means women* are equal decision-makers and leaders. They have opportunities to advance economically and achieve and maintain financial security. They live free from harassment and violence. And they have the freedom to decide whether and when to have children.
Even as women make up half of the U.S. and global populations, they continue to face significant barriers to achieving full equity and autonomy—barriers that are only heightened for Black women, Indigenous women, women of color and transgender and nonbinary people.
We invest in gender and reproductive equity because we believe that when women are fully free to shape their own lives, we can build a healthy, vibrant future for our families, our communities, our country and our world.
Quote from Fatima Goss Graves
Equality in my mind really is that vision for women and girls to live and learn and work and really be who they want to be.President and CEO, National Women’s Law Center
The Opportunity
The women-led movement for gender equity has fought for and won many gains over the past century. Now we need to invest in efforts to build on these successes and take on the political, cultural and economic challenges that threaten them.
To achieve our vision, we take a holistic approach to addressing the interconnected barriers women face—from lack of reproductive autonomy, to limited economic opportunities, to gender-based violence, to inequitable political representation.
Together with our grantees, we are working to:
- Increase comprehensive sex education, birth equity and access to abortion. This work that has become especially urgent with the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in June 2022 to overturn the long-recognized constitutional right to abortion.
- Advance policies that build women’s economic power, particularly fair and equitable protections for caregivers and care workers.
- Support women’s safety and security at home, in the workplace and in society at large.
- Build political power for women at the state and national levels.
We prioritize efforts led and informed by the people most impacted by structural inequities, including Black, Indigenous and women of color, transgender and gender-nonconforming people, and women struggling to make ends meet. Through this work, we want to see women—across race, geography and income—achieve power and freedom in all aspects of their lives.
2%
Of U.S. charitable dollars go toward supporting women and girls. (Source)
6 in 10
U.S. adults believe that abortion should be legal in all or most cases. (Source)
90%
Of survivors of violence believe that victims should be the ones to decide whether and to whom they report violence and harassment. (Source)
27%
Of U.S. Congress is made up of women. While the most women in Congress to date, it is still far from equal representation. (Source)
Our Focus Areas
The challenges and inequities we work to address are complex and entrenched in existing systems. We invest in four interconnected focus areas and approach our investments with a race and gender lens.
Reproductive Freedom and Power
We work to support efforts to expand comprehensive sex education, abortion and contraception access, and birth equity.
Economic Power
We support advocacy and organizing efforts to increase paid family leave, child care coverage and equal pay for women, especially for women of color and those struggling to make ends meet.
Safety and Security
We partner with organizations preventing gender-based violence and support younger people and survivors of gender-based violence and harassment to lead cultural change.
Political Power and Leadership
We support civic engagement and organizing and invest in pathways to increase and support the political leadership of women who are committed to the issues we fund.
Our Grantees
Our grantees include state and national organizations, advocacy and legislative initiatives, and funder collaboratives that draw together the voices of those most affected by gender and reproductive inequity.
View more grantees in our Gender and Reproductive Equity Grantmaking portfolio
Pooling Funds to Magnify Impact
As a group of committed donors and foundations, the Collaborative for Gender and Reproductive Equity (CGRE) works to fund game-changing investments that protect and advance gender and reproductive equity in the U.S.
Building Grassroots Power
Family Values @ Work supports grassroots efforts fighting for protections such as paid family leave, paid sick leave and affordable, high-quality child care.
Fighting for Reproductive Justice
In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda fights to secure reproductive justice for all women and girls by amplifying and lifting the voices of Black women leaders at the national and state levels.
Supporting Black Women Running for Office
Higher Heights for America PAC builds the political power and leadership of Black women from the voting booth to elected office and creates the environment for Black women to run, win and lead.
Creating a Future Free From Violence
‘me too.’ centers individual and community healing and transformation, empowerment through empathy, shifting cultural narratives and practices, and advancing a global survivor-led movement to end sexual violence.
Jessica Williams-Szenes
Senior Program Officer, Gender and Reproductive Equity Grantmaking
Get to know Jessica
Krithika Harish
Senior Program Officer, Gender and Reproductive Equity Grantmaking
Get to know Krithika
RESOURCE SPOTLIGHT
4 Effective Ways to Invest in Women and Girls Now
Funders at all levels are critical to achieving gender and reproductive equity. Get started with our guide to the most pressing issues to support and the organizations making headway toward change.
*Our Terminology
We support every person's right to define their gender identity. For the purposes of our grantmaking and shaped by Schusterman's commitment to equity, our definition of “women” includes cisgender women, transgender women, femme-identified people, and gender-nonconforming people.