We Should All Be Intersectional Feminists
How do we answer the call to move funders from intent to ACTION?
In collaboration with Radha Friedman Consulting Inc and Curious Co, we identified five UHNWIs, three of whom were able to commit to joining a cohort right away. We decided to begin with those three philanthropists who were eager to start, and then ask them to reach out to their networks of peers, keeping the characteristics of a transformative systems change the mindset in mind, in order to begin inspiring other philanthropists to reimagine their giving.
Our goal was to work closely with this cohort of philanthropists to design a learning journey that can change the way philanthropists see, know and act when it comes to thinking intersectionally about barriers to equality, helping them to move from intent to action. The GCfGE built this prototype as a model that can be adapted more widely for other philanthropists, foundation leaders, trustees, and others who may be in positions of power to shift resources for greater equality.
Rooted in our deepest desire to create a resource mechanism that ultimately affects the needs of BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and disabled communities, we created a shared affirmative vision of society is a central component of this work. Principles for that vision include imagining new systems and moving past defensive postures toward those proactive visions. Additionally, the stronger a funder’s relationship with people working on gender and racial justice, the more likely they are to succeed in achieving impact. In this cohort, we sought to encourage an understanding that those in the field (grantee partners) are the best resources for proving that building power for racial and gender justice works. Grantees are the partners who are closest to the work, and their insights—while not all-powerful—should guide philanthropic choices, rather than the opposite.
In 2020, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Philanthropic Partnerships team tasked Stanford University’s Global Center for Gender Equality (GCfGE) to help make gender integration practices available to the broader philanthropic sector outside the foundation, beginning with ultra-high-net-worth individuals (UHNWIs) currently participating in The Giving Pledge-a commitment by the world’s wealthiest individuals and families to dedicate the majority of their wealth to giving back- interested in accelerating impact by increasing their investment in gender equality. In particular, the foundation asked the GCfGE to help shift these philanthropists from intent to invest in gender equality to action.
This pilot project co-created space for UNHWIs philanthropists to authentically integrate intersectional gender equality into their giving strategies across various giving vehicles. Our vision is to support them both individually and as a peer cohort by creating a safe and trusted space to grapple with core issues of power and privilege, and to provide them with the knowledge, tools, and technical support to deepen their impact.
Center Intersectionality and De-Center Philanthropists When Creating Strategy
“For too long, feminism and feminist philanthropy has not been intersectional. As the philanthropic sector faces an inflection point following 2020’s reckoning with the disproportionate effects of COVID and systemic racism, it is critical to continually reinforce intersectionality in our efforts to move resources to the places where historically marginalized communities have been hurt the worst. The #MeToo movement, for example, built an intersectional take on sexual violence that highlights
race and class while still building solidarity among women across identity lines.”
Learn more about the pilot project here: