Womens Way

WOMEN'S WAY IS THE GREATER PHILADELPHIA REGION'S LEADING NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION DEDICATED TO THE ADVANCEMENT OF WOMEN, GIRLS, AND GENDER EQUITY. ESTABLISHED IN THE MID-70'S, THE ORGANIZATION INSPIRES AND MOBILIZES THE COMMUNITY TO INVEST IN ORGANIZATIONS AND LEADERS THAT WILL ADVANCE THE RIGHTS OF AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN AND GIRLS, AND ACHIEVE GENDER EQUITY FOR ALL.

PUBLIC EDUCATION:GENDER WEALTH INSTITUTE (GWI):IN SEPTEMBER 2021, WOMEN'S WAY LAUNCHED THE GENDER WEALTH INSTITUTE (GWI) WHOSE MISSION IS TO CLOSE THE GENDER WEALTH GAP IN THE GREATER PHILADELPHIA REGION BY ADVANCING RESEARCH AND PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS THAT BUILD WEALTH FOR WOMEN WHO ARE ECONOMICALLY INSECURE. GWI'S FIVE PRIORITY AREAS OF INTERVENTION ARE:. STRENGTHEN THE FINANCIAL HEALTH OF WOMEN AND GIRLS THROUGH OUR FINANCIAL COACH TRAINING PROGRAM. CHANGE MENTAL MODELS THROUGH CHANGING NARRATIVES THROUGH OUR NARRATIVE CHANGE FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM. EDUCATE STAKEHOLDERS ON THE DRIVERS OF THE GENDER WEALTH GAP THROUGH OUR CLOSING THE GENDER WEALTH GAP VIRTUAL EDUCATION SERIES. BUILD AN EQUITABLE BUSINESS ECOSYSTEM FOR WOMEN OF COLOR ENTREPRENEURS-- PHIRST MARKET VENTURES, AN INVESTMENT FOR WOC ENTREPRENEURS. PIONEER POLICY SOLUTIONS TO ADDRESS GENDER WEALTH INEQUITY THROUGH OUR GENDER WEALTH INDEX RESEARCH PROJECT FINANCIAL COACH TRAINING PROGRAM (FCTP): SINCE ITS LAUNCHING IN 2021, 37 ORGANIZATIONS HAVE ENGAGED IN THE FCTP, AND 64 SERVICE PROVIDERS AND 37 SUPERVISORS HAVE BEEN TRAINED. COLLECTIVELY THEY PROVIDED FINANCIAL COACHING TO MORE THAN 2,500 WOMEN IN OUR REGION. NARRATIVE CHANGE FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM:SINCE ITS LAUNCH IN 2021, 18 WOMEN SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED THE FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM RESULTING IN 18 VIDEOS OF THEIR STORIES. IN ADDITION, 100% OF THE FELLOWS IMPROVED THEIR CONFIDENCE AND SKILLS IN USING THEIR STORIES TO AFFECT CHANGE IN THEIR COMMUNITY. CLOSING THE GENDER WEALTH GAP EDUCATION SERIES:FIVE FORUMS WERE CONDUCTED AND ADDRESSED KEY DRIVERS OF THE GENDER WEALTH GAP INCLUDING INTERSECTIONS OF ECONOMIC AND REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE, WHY NARRATIVES MATTER, THE STUDENT LOAN CRISIS, SAVING FOR RETIREMENT, AND INTERSECTIONS OF IPV AND ECONOMIC SECURITY OF WOMEN. MORE THAN 1,200 INDIVIDUALS ATTENDED AND VIEWED THE FORUMS AND SEVERAL HUNDRED INDIVIDUALS WERE MOBILIZED TO ACT IN PURSUIT OF ADVANCING GENDER AND RACIAL EQUITY.BUILD AN EQUITABLE BUSINESS SYSTEM FOR WOMEN OF COLOR ENTREPRENEURS:DURING FISCAL YEAR 2022, WE LAUNCHED PHIRST MARKET VENTURES, A FUND TO SUPPORT EARLY-STAGE COMPANIES FOUNDED BY WOMEN OF COLOR. WE RAISED $450,000 AND DISTRIBUTED $150,000 TO TEN LOCAL WOMEN OF COLOR ENTREPRENEURS.YOUNG WOMEN'S INITIATIVE (YWI):NOW IN ITS 24TH YEAR, THE WOMEN'S WAY YOUNG WOMEN'S INITIATIVE (YWI) IS A DYNAMIC GROUP OF PEOPLE BETWEEN THE AGES OF 21 AND 45 WHO IDENTIFY AS WOMEN OR GENDER-EXPANSIVE/GENDER NON-CONFORMING/NON-BINARY. THIS VOLUNTEER-LED YOUNG FRIENDS GROUP IS COMPOSED OF INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE FOCUSED ON SOCIAL JUSTICE AND DEDICATED TO ADVANCING GENDER AND RACIAL EQUITY. YWI WORKS TO DEVELOP ITS MEMBERS AS COMMUNITY AND BUSINESS LEADERS, ADVOCATES FOR SOCIAL CHANGE, AND CIVICALLY-ENGAGED PHILANTHROPISTS RAISING CRITICAL FUNDS FOR WOMEN'S WAY. IT ALSO SERVES AS A WAY TO CONNECT WITH PROGRESSIVE PEERS AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE COMMUNITY.

GRANTMAKING THROUGH THE FOLLOWING PROGRAMS:IMMEDIATE RESPONSE ACTION FUND (IRAF): IN FISCAL YEAR 2022, WE AWARDED ELEVEN IRAF GRANTS TO ADDRESS URGENT NEEDS IN THE AREAS OF INCREASING ECONOMIC SECURITY, ADVANCING REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE AND SEXUAL HEALTH,INCREASING SAFETY AGAINST GENDER BASED VIOLENCE AND DEVELOPING THE LEADERSHIP OF GIRLS AND YOUNG WOMEN. COLLECTIVELY THE GRANTS IMPACTED MORE THAN 9,000 WOMEN, GIRLS, AND GENDER-EXPANSIVE INDIVIDUALS. GENERAL OPERATING FUND:IN OUR COMMITMENT TO EQUITY IN GRANTMAKING AND IN DIRECT RESPONSE TO INPUT FROM OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS, WOMEN'S WAY LAUNCHED THE GENERAL OPERATING FUND IN EARLY 2022 TO PROVIDE 2-YEAR GRANTS TO ORGANIZATIONS PRIMARILY SERVING WOMEN, GIRLS, AND THE GENDER-EXPANSIVE COMMUNITY. PRIORITY WAS GIVEN TO ORGANIZATIONS LED BY WOMEN OF COLOR WITH BUDGETS UNDER $500,000 THAT HAD NOT RECEIVED FUNDING FROM WOMEN'S WAY IN 2021. ELEVEN GRANTS WERE GIVEN OUT IMPACTING OVER 33,000 WOMEN, GIRLS AND GENDER-EXPANSIVE INDIVIDUALS. EIGHT OF THE ORGANIZATIONS WERE LED BY WOMEN OF COLOR AND ONLY TWO HAD BUDGETS OF OVER $500,000.

RESEARCH:DURING FISCAL YEAR 2022, WE RAISED $145,000 TO DESIGN AND IMPLEMENT A LARGE SCALE REGIONAL RESEARCH CAMPAIGN TO IDENTIFY AND ADDRESS KEY DRIVERS OF GENDER WEALTH INEQUITY. THIS MULTI-PHASE RESEARCH STRATEGY WILL CULMINATE IN THE CREAT[ON OF PHILADELPHIA REGION'S (+BUCKS, CHESTER, DELAWARE AND MONTGOMERY COUNTIES) FIRST GENDER WEALTH INDEX. THIS RESEARCH-ENABLED ASSESSMENT TOOL WILL BE COMPRISED OF QUANTIFIABLE SOCIOECONOMIC MEASURES, CO-CONSTRUCTED BY SYSTEMS-IMPACTED COMMUNITIES, DESIGNED TO DRIVE EVIDENCE-BASED ACTION ON POLICIES AND PRACTICES THAT ENABLE GENDER WEALTH PARITY AND WILL TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE ONGOING AND LINGERING IMPACT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC.IN ADDITION TO THE GENDER WEALTH INDEX RESEARCH PROJECT, WE PARTNERED WITH ZS GLOBAL, TO CREATE A REPOSITORY OF DATA POINTS THAT ADDRESS THE DRIVERS OF THE GENDER WEALTH GAP. WE ARE BUILDING THE CAPACITY OF OUR MORE THAN 80 PARTNERS TO USE THE DATA POINTS AND STORIES OF WOMEN WITH LIVED EXPERIENCE TO STRENGTHEN THEIR ADVOCACY AND FUNDRAISING EFFORTS. WE ARE ALSO TRACKING PROCESS AND IMPACT METRICS FOR ALL GENDER WEALTH INSTITUTE PROGRAMS, INCLUDING TRACKING LEARNINGS AMONUG THE GENDER WEALTH INSTITUTE PARTNERS, AND USING THEIR LEARNINGS TO INFORM AND GUIDE STRATEGY.WITH RESPECT TO GRANTMAKING, WE EVALUATE THE FINAL REPORTS OF THE IRAF AND GENERAL OPERATING GRANTS TO DETERMINE BREATH AND DEPTH OF IMPACT. WE ALSO CONTINUALLY CONDUCT PROSPECTIVE DONOR RESEARCH TO EXPAND OUR LIST OF INDIVIDUALS, CORPORATE AND FOUNDATION FUNDERS. OUR RESEARCH EFFORTS RESULTED IN EXPANDING OUR DONOR LIST BY 35%.