Womens Foundation Of Minnesota

Research, Education, and Public PolicyStatus of Women and Girls in MinnesotaIn 2009, the Foundation launched the Status of Women & Girls in Minnesota (Status) research project in partnership with the University of Minnesota's Humphrey School's Center on Gender, Women, and Public Policy. Data specific to Minnesota women and girls has been gathered, analyzed, and published in economics, safety, health, and leadership. The Status research and community input expands the available data on women and girls, provides ongoing trend analysis, informs the Foundation's annual grantmaking and policy agenda, identifies new areas where research is needed, and raises public awareness about the needs of women and girls in Minnesota. Every two years, the Foundation releases the most comprehensive data in the state on women, girls, and gender-expansive people as well as recommendations for policy solutions that could advance systemic change. The 2024 Status of Women and Girls+ in Minnesota was released in March FY24 in a public presentation with Dr. Christina Ewig, lead researcher and director of the Center on Women, Gender and Public Policy at the University of Minnesota's Humphrey School of Public Affairs; WFM President & CEO Gloria Perez; and Ruth Richardson, CEO, Planned Parenthood North Central States. Economics data from the report was shared with House and Senate jobs committees, and key data from the report was shared business, public services, and communities statewide, including the women's affinity group at US Bank, RSP, Women in Public Administration, Society for Women in Educational Leadership, the Federation of Women's Clubs of Minnesota, in media on MPR, and more.WFM leverages listening, research, and convening to inform the field, cross-sector engagement, policy advocacy, and investments. In addition to producing research reports, we invest in listening to grantee-partners, advocates, and community leaders to better understand how disparities and solutions are experienced in distinct communities around the state, and to inform our investments in policy, future research, and philanthropy. WFM engages biannual Community Connect events with grantee-partners to network, share WFM research and updates, and connect partners across issue areas and geography. In FY25, WFM hosted an in-person Community Connect in Rochester to create lasting connections by hearing about local issues and networking with an emphasis on our intersecting and varied identities. The event was hosted by the Rochester Area Foundation and sponsored by the Mayo Clinic. On the way to Rochester, we visited two community partners in safety to learn more about local needs in an increasingly diverse community.Public PolicyAs a systems-change statewide community foundation, WFM invests in advocacy as a key lever to transform conditions in Minnesota so all people can thrive. Policies on our legislative agenda are grounded in data from our Status of Women & Girls in Minnesota research report and from listening to community partners. WFM is committed to policies that remove barriers and increase access for women, girls, and gender-expansive people across Minnesota in health, economics, and safety, by addressing racism, gender-based violence, and gaps in leadership and representation. WFM's legislative agenda advances public policy in partnership with young women, gender-expansive people, and grantee-partner organizations. Since 2016, the Governor-appointed Young Women's Cabinet has developed a legislative agenda, testified at the Capitol, and directed more than $3 million in grants to our state's communities. The Young Women's Cabinet created a comprehensive policy agenda to advance bills affecting their lives. To prepare for their advocacy, young women received rigorous policy training using a curriculum that centers people of color to engage in policy for systems change. Cabinet members were active in testifying, writing letters of support, and increasing awareness of their policy agenda issues.Research in our Status of Women & Girls+ in Minnesota was in the spotlight through session, including as fuel for new legislation requiring salary transparency as a tool to advance pay equity. In FY25, WFM advanced a policy agenda at the Capitol, working with a hired lobbyist to carry a legislative agenda, mobilize the public, and increase the visibility and priorities of women, girls, gender-expansive people. WFM leaders, Dr. Reatha Clark King Fellow, and Young Women's Cabinet members testified and submitted letters on behalf of the WFM policy agenda for issues central to economic justice, safety, and reproductive justice, including creating a statewide health education standard; support for crime victims' services; an inclusive ERA for Minnesota; a task force on preventing violence against Latinas; expanding coverage for abortions, pre- and post-natal healthcare; coverage for gender-affirming care; and supporting better outcomes for Black and Native births and pregnancies. In 2024, the beginning of FY25, we made progress on key legislation and allocations for policies on our agenda, in partnership with coalitions that include grantee-partners and longtime leaders in this work. These policies and more support a culture of collective care, led by our state's communities and advocates working on the frontlines for change. ]In late FY25, the focus of the legislative session was deciding the state budget. Our policy agenda prioritized the health and well-being of women, families, and all Minnesotans. Cabinet members submitted letter on behalf of their agenda, including on funding to support crime victims' services and ERA MN. This session, our victories were as much in showing up for policies and partners that benefit women and families as they are for defending against the rollback of policies like Paid Family Leave, comprehensive health education for students, state funding for fake clinics, and insurance coverage for undocumented Minnesotans. We will continue to advocate for funding and policies that support women, girls, and gender-expansive people.State & National PartnershipsWFM engages in collaborative partnerships within Minnesota and the national foundation community. To continue making an impact in social change grantmaking in Minnesota and in the national and global women's funding movement, we participate as a member in collaboratives including the National Philanthropic Collaborative of Young Women's Initiatives, Women's Funding Network, Minnesota Council of Foundations, Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, Grantmakers for Effective Organizations, Mission Investors Exchange and Confluence Philanthropy.

Building Philanthropy for Gender & Racial JusticeA critical part of the Foundation's work is helping people and organizations understand the power they have to change the world through philanthropy. Our donor-partners and donor advisors are encouraged to embrace their philanthropic leadership by participating in donor workshops, sharing community and grantee connections, and engaging in giving opportunities, such as donor advised funds and legacy and planned giving. Additional donor engagement opportunities building philanthropy for gender and racial justice include:* In FY25, WFM honored recipients of the Mary Lee Dayton Catalyst for Change awards and celebrated a legacy of leadership and the promise of reproductive freedom. A panel of leaders across sectors underscored the importance of centering communities in making decisions, supporting organizations leading on the frontlines, and working for policy change and funding at the Capitol. At the event, we announced a first-of-its-kind reproductive health endowment in Minnesota.*Participatory Grantmaking: WFM democratizes philanthropy and infuses equity and justice into the design of its processes through participatory grantmaking that engages individuals most impacted by gender and racial injustice in funding decisions that affect their communities. In FY25, we selected our second participatory grantmaking committees to determine all competitive grantmaking distributions. Two grantmaking committees bring together the Women's Foundation's community of stakeholders across race and ethnicity, geography, and socioeconomic status to support and invest in a shared vision of gender and racial justice in Minnesota. Members are appointed for a two-year term and each group convenes for training and orientation, followed by virtual site visits and grantmaking days. * Donor-Centered Grantmaking: Ripley Memorial Foundation, a donor advised fund of the Women's Foundation of Minnesota, examined the focus of their funding to serve community needs in alignment with Dr. Martha Ripley's legacy. Ripley Memorial Foundation began making larger grants to fund efforts to prevent teen pregnancy, which will continue to be multi-year general operating support grants. Funding builds on current work to promote access to women's health education and services using cultural and community strengths so that young women and gender-expansive youth know about their bodies and can make healthy, informed choices as they grow. In the past two years, as access to women's healthcare was severely restricted at the federal level and in many states, Ripley grantees shared that general operating support creates opportunities for success during challenges such as staffing transitions, post-pandemic expenses, and the need to increase education on reproductive justice due to the reversal of Roe v. Wade. Further, the Midwest Legacy Fund, a longtime donor advised fund at WFM that was created with proceeds from the sale of Midwest Health Center for Women to Whole Woman's Health, dissolved its donor advised fund and made a generous $400,000 seed-funding gift to the launch the Reproductive Freedom Fund.* Engaged a paid Wenda Weekes Moore Intern and Dr. Reatha Clark King Fellow as we invest in building a pipeline of leadership opportunities for Black, Indigenous, and women of color a value to philanthropy, nonprofits, and communities. Through the program to date, WFM has engaged 51 Black, Indigenous, and women of color in all aspects of its operations, including evaluation, fundraising, grantmaking, and administration. The program also provides rigorous training and professional development opportunities.* As of 3/31/25, the Foundation has 75 active donor advised funds. The combined assets of our donor advised funds totals: $8,561,830. * In FY25, WFM provided virtual and in-person opportunities for donors, stakeholders, and institutional partners to engage with research, listening, and policy actions, including the importance of holistic well-being and reproductive justice. WFM partnered with GiveMN to launch the first-ever statewide Feminist Giving Day to ignite generosity and grow giving to women, girls, and gender-expansive people. We connected with 338 new and longtime donor-partners who gave $437,754 to grow our collective investment in women, girls, and gender-expansive people across the state. * With the Governor-appointed Young Women's Cabinet, WFM hosted a Young Women's Day at the Capitol, inviting all partners, including donors and donor advised holders, to attend. For the first time in the Rotunda, Cabinet members, Innovators, WFM staff, and elected officials shared the power of investing in young leaders, speaking up for the issues that matter, and using our leadership to advocate on behalf of those who are pushed to the margins. Senators Mary Kunesh and Liz Boldon shared the importance of investing in women and gender-expansive people and making pathways for young people to lead.