I’m so proud of the work my fellow Gender Justice Giving Project members and I did these last 6 months and want to share my experience with you. Plus, I can’t wait to tell you how much we raised and which organizations we decided to fund!

24 Gender Justice Giving Project members came together to build a shared understanding of what Gender Justice is, learn how to fundraise and ultimately help fund the movement for gender justice.

We raised $216,557 from 265 donors and made 2-year grants to 10 organizations in the NW!

I have worked passionately on gender justice issues over the last few years, so when I was nudged towards joining this year’s Gender Justice Giving Project, it was an opportunity to connect more with Social Justice Fund and learn about the broader Gender Justice community organizing work being done in the region.

Connecting with Social Justice Fund meant building community with the 23 other members of the Giving Project and learning about the different perspectives and experiences we all brought to the process. The great thing about having 24 different perspectives at the table was bringing them all together to make our decisions. We were willing to understand each other’s story and see a bigger picture of how we all can help build a movement for gender justice. Even with all of those voices, we were able to reach consensus on which organizations to fund – collective decision-making is possible!

One of the most important things I learned about gender justice work is that we need both organizations with proven strategies AND organizations coming up with new, creative solutions to achieve gender justice. No one is perfect, nor does any one person have the absolute solution to justice. We need to support a wide variety of organizations using different tactics and reaching different communities to see our vision of gender justice become reality.

I’m proud that we provided general operating funds to the organizations we funded. That gives these organizations more creative freedom to organize and the flexibility they need. Plus, we are giving 2-year grants, which means that they can focus more on the work and less on finding the resources to do their work.

Because of our collective power, the Gender Justice Giving Project and Learning Group raised $216,557 for community organizing in the NW by engaging 265 donors! We are funding a movement!

Presenting this year’s Gender Justice grantees:

Center for Intercultural Organizing – Portland, OR

Incarcerated Mothers Advocacy Project – Gig Harbor, WA

Montana Women Vote – Missoula, MT

Momentum Alliance – Portland, OR

Na’ah Illahee Fund – Seattle, WA

National Coalition Building Institute (NCBI) – Missoula, MT

PFLAG Portland Black Chapter – Portland, OR

Seattle Young People’s Project – Seattle, WA

Voz Workers’ Rights Education Project – Portland, OR

Women of Color Alliance (WOCA) – Boise, ID

Read more about the organizations we funded here.

Listen an interview from Micah Nielsen of Montana Women Vote, one of our Gender Justice grantees, about how your support is making an impact.

I hope reading what we were able to accomplish together inspires you the way this experience inspired me.

In Community,

Saara Ahmed, 2015 Gender Justice Giving Project member

P.S. I’m already considering joining another Giving Project! The Momentum Giving Project is starting in the Fall and will focus on Black-Led Organizing. This Giving Project is for Alumni only and is a shorter commitment than a regular Giving Project. If you’re interested in joining, please contact Karen Toering.