Honoring Women’s History by Investing in Our Future
As Women’s History Month comes to a close, so does a year-long learning journey through the Richer Life Foundation’s Women’s Equity Community Impact Circle.
A Year in Review
This Community Impact Circle brought together budding and seasoned philanthropists with a shared interest in promoting equity and justice for women and girls. Together, we learned from community-based movement leaders, challenged ourselves and our perspectives, gained a greater understanding of strategic approaches to philanthropy, and worked to align our intentions with action.
We are pleased to introduce you to the eight organizations we invited to present to our Circle, working to address a wide spectrum of domestic and international gender equity issues – the wage gap in agricultural supply chains, representation of Native women in community leadership, investing in thriving communities to end the incarceration of women, and more. We invite you to explore their websites, follow their work, and reach out to our Philanthropy Lead Advisor, Debra Shapira, to learn more about these organizations and future Community Impact Circles.
Our Partnering Organizations
Bean Voyage creates thriving businesses with smallholder women coffee farmers in Costa Rica and Mexico. They offer training, financing, and international market access support – working to eradicate the gender gap in this sector by ensuring stable incomes and improving the overall quality of individual women’s lives in coffee communities across Central America.
Dress for Success empowers women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire, and the development tools to help women thrive in work and in life. As the leading global nonprofit employment resource for women, Dress for Success empowers women to transform their lives and re-envision their futures.
Grace Nanana is a safe-haven for at-risk girls in rural Kenya – a boarding school and rescue center for young women running away from gender-based violence. Grace Nanana is a long-time partner of Brighton Jones, read more about their transformative work here.
Maternal Coalition is a community-led organization that supports individuals on the perinatal and reproductive spectrum by putting generational healing back into the hands of the community. They offer advocacy, social, educational, and healing opportunities through their Birth Advocacy Toolkits, Healing Birth Trauma Workshops, and community listening sessions for those who have experienced birth trauma.
National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women was founded in 2010 by a group of women incarcerated in federal prison in Danbury, CT. The organization works to end the criminal legal system’s forced separation of women and girls from their families and communities through hyper-local organizing, public awareness education, movement lawyering, and the national #FreeHer Campaign. Their mission is to end the incarceration of women and girls.
Native Action Network promotes Native women’s full representation, participation, and leadership in local, state, tribal, and national affairs. For more than twenty years, NAN has mobilized generations of Native leaders dedicated to serving their communities. By uplifting Native women’s legacies and positive impacts of Native-led initiatives, they affirm Native identities and futures, while advancing justice through community organization.
Women Moving Millions represents a new era of resources by and for women, using the power of advocacy and influence to inspire others to invest with a gender lens. This community of individuals each make a minimum $1M philanthropic commitment to organizations and initiatives that benefit women and girls, and collaborate to sprout new solutions that propel us closer to a more equitable future.
Xcelerate is a transformative community recognizing the systemic inequities and experiences of business owners who embody or share traits of womanhood, within or beyond the gender binary. They work together to build economic power for those traditionally marginalized by the system today, and into the future.
How to Get Involved
If you’re interested in supporting these organizations, please reach out to philanthropy@brightonjones.com, as we are happy to make a personal introduction to their leadership teams. Additionally, use the following links for more information on our Community Impact Circles, and learn more about the Brighton Jones’ Women Living A Richer Life and opportunities for conversation, connection, and community.
