This essay is part of a Women & Democracy package focused on who’s funding the women and LGBTQ people on the frontlines of democracy. We’re manifesting a new era for philanthropy—one that centers feminism. The need is real: Funding for women and girls amounts to less than 2 percent of all philanthropic giving; for women of color, it’s less than 1 percent. Explore the “Feminist Philanthropy Is Essential to Democracy” collection.
During a gathering of over 100 girl-led and girl-serving organizations in California hosted by Alliance for Girls, a 17-year-old high school journalist described the walkouts at local high schools after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade: “Just because we can’t vote yet doesn’t mean we don’t care!” she exclaimed.
For centuries, girls and gender-expansive youth from around the world have been engaging in democracy in their peer groups, homes, schools and communities. They have developed social contracts, built networks of care to protect one another, organized to improve conditions in their communities and schools and mobilized their families and peers about the importance of civic engagement. And yet, the unique role young people play in protecting, upholding and advancing democracy is consistently undervalued.
Grantmakers for Girls of Color (G4GC) is the primary national intermediary exclusively focused on mobilizing resources for organizations around the country led by young people. Launched in 2020, G4GC has raised and regranted over $25 million to 380 organizations in all 50 states, Guam and Puerto Rico.
Our donors believe in the power of girls and gender-expansive youth of color as agents of social change. But these donors are philanthropy outliers, especially when it comes to initiatives focused on democracy. Only 1.8 percent of all philanthropic giving goes explicitly to women and girls. In the U.S., less than 0.5 percent of it goes to women and girls of color, and around the globe a mere 0.1 to 0.35 percent of foundation giving goes to Black women, girls and trans people.
Young People are Shaping Democracy Today Beyond Voting
From school board meetings to university campuses, students are engaging in democratic protests; organizations like Freedom Inc., Black Organizing Project, Black Swan Academy, Intransitive, Transgender Education Network of Texas and Girls for Gender Equity are developing policy agendas and mobilizing voters.
Despite contrary notions, young people understand and care about democracy. They are clear about their expectations for institutions and the future they desire—and deserve. They know the power of their vote and voice. And they are organizing in sophisticated ways that mobilize across regions and communities. Just this year, DoSomething.org registered more than 400,000 voters and is creating pathways for youth activism.
Our world has been cracked open at its seams—and still, young people are fighting for a future where we can live together with dignity and justice.
Justice and Joy National Collaborative has partnered with Lake Research Strategies and HIIT strategies to engage young women, young mothers, survivors of sexual exploitation, transgender and gender-expansive youth of color ages 16-25 who would otherwise be considered non-voters. And, as the nation’s largest and most diverse nonpartisan young women’s political organization, IGNITE National is expressly focused on engaging young women and girls in political participation in 2024, particularly in swing states.
Nationally, reproductive rights and trans rights are actively being eroded while attacks on longstanding protections for racial and gender justice continue. Globally, fascism and anti-gender movements are on the rise. Young people are at the forefront of the efforts to fight back, knocking on doors, educating families and communities, translating ballots for non-English speakers and developing culturally-relevant messaging for young voters of color. And yet, there is no direct source of funding for their explicit leadership in achieving the multi-racial democracy we seek.
A retrenchment in funding for racial and gender-justice movements has left many of our G4GC grantees in need of support. If we are truly committed to a more just, more equitable future, funding portfolios focused on democracy mustinclude girls and gender-expansive youth of color. Funding strategies focused on democracy need to ensure that organizations led by and focusing on this constituency are resourced in long-term, flexible ways, including both 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) funding. We need to be asking ‘where are the young people in our investment strategy?’
Our world has been cracked open at its seams—and still, young people are fighting for a future where we can live together with dignity and justice. It is time for us to follow their lead, and put resources behind them. Democracy depends on it.
Think investing in women is essential to democracy? We do too. Sign up for our daily or weekly emails to hear from (and join!) the feminist philanthropists funding the future. (We heard alliteration is back in style.) Or go back to the essay collection.
