Giving by Women’s Funds Has Soared. And They’re Getting More Savvy and Strategic

A new study by the Women’s Philanthropy Institute, “Women’s Foundations and Funds: A Landscape Study,” reveals the grantmaking practices and range of giving philosophies and principles among 209 American women’s foundations and funds that focus on giving to nonprofits that benefit women and girls.  It is the first study of its kind since 2009, when the Women’s Funding Network and Foundation Center issued the report “Accelerating Change for Women: The Role of Women’s Funds,” which studied 145 women’s funds in the Women’s Funding Network. 

Read more in Inside Philanthropy.

Philanthropy and Politics Round-Up

Several scholarly reports and other research at the intersection of philanthropy and politics have been published recently.

Here’s a round-up:

• The Philanthropy Framework (Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors)

• Warehousing Wealth: Donor-Advised Charity Funds Sequestering Billions in the Face of Growing Inequality (Institute for Policy Studies)

• When Political Mega-Donors Join Forces: How the Koch Network and the Democracy Alliance Influence Organized U.S. Politics on the Right and Left (Cambridge University Press)

• Why Competition in the Politics Industry is Failing America (Harvard Business School)

Where to Give Now: March 2019

With the first fundraising deadline of the 2020 cycle rapidly approaching (midnight on Sunday, March 31st, for those who have not been bombarded with calls and emails yet), I wanted to take a moment to stress why giving now is smart money.

First, there’s a reason why EMILY’s List has the best acronym in politics — early money IS like yeast (it makes the dough rise). In our current, terrible campaign finance system, fundraising is one of the only ways to show viability and money begets money.

Second, early communications and organizing set the tone and lay the groundwork for the race. Every candidate wants to be out there communicating with voters early on, defining their own message and setting the policy agenda. Early communications can be more positive in tone, focused on issues, and — bonus points! — are much more cost-effective than during a crowded fall campaign season.

Finally, money helps scare off challengers. This has been shown time and time again but we have great examples to point to in 2018: Sens. Tammy Baldwin, Sherrod Brown, and Debbie Stabenow all raised significant war chests and did not face top tier challengers. This cycle, we need to shore up House and Senate incumbents (see more below) early on to take those races off the map and focus on offense.

So while things at the presidential level are very much in flux, concentrate on the incumbents who need those early dollars. It’s not as sexy as flipping a seat in the final weeks but it’s easier and cheaper in the long run.

Is It 2020 yet?

With multiple candidates having declared already, the 2020 presidential election is well underway. While we will be providing more information about grassroots organzations, down-ballot races, and other investments, we know all eyes are on the race for the White House.

Here are a few resources:

• Follow the magazines we curate on Flipboard, Election 2020 and The Political Power of Women

• FiveThirtyEight has an interesting analysis of the Democratic electorate

• A wonderful article by NARAL President Ilyse Hogue, Let’s Talk 2020 Women

• Axios has a tracker of who is in, who is a maybe, and who is out

• Ballotpedia has a rundown of candidates

• More to come!

From Passion to Impact: Inside a Growing Push to Help Individual Donors Get More Strategic

Here’s a great article from Inside Philanthropy about encouraging donors to use a “portfolio” strategy for investments — something we strongly encourage as well.