Philanthropy and Feminism: 7 Causes We Love

WE CAN

"Empowering women since 2001."

Originally based out of a Cape Cod Community College program known as Women in Transition, WE CAN (Women's Empowerment Through Cape Area Networking) was founded by Jacquie Scarborough in 2001 to meet the needs that program left behind--namely, to help women of all ages and demographics improve their lives through education. Their services, which encompass everything from mentoring, no-cost legal services, information/referral, and workshops, work hard to make sure women in their community are provided for, even as they promote making Cape Cod a thriving and caring place to live and work.

Though it is a regionally based nonprofit, WE CAN inspires us in their diligence to serving and empowering the women in their Cape Cod community--something we think every community should work harder to do.

Donate or get involved with WE CAN.

 Days for Girls International           

“Every girl. Everywhere. Period.”

Days for Girls is an organization born from CEO Celeste Mergens’ trip to an orphanage in Nairobi, Kenya. On her visit, she realized that the girls in the orphanage were essentially confined to their rooms for the whole week when they got their periods—a huge issue throughout the world in places where women and girls don’t have access to feminine hygiene products and health education.

Days for Girls is unique in that they not only provide what they call “DfG Kits,” they also educate and train the women and girls they provide the kits to so that they can educate and train others. As of 2017, Days for Girls has reached over 640,000 women and girls in over 100 countries around the world, reaching more every day. Periods are rough even when you have total access to everything you need for them, so we love that Days for Girls is not only equipping women and girls to survive their periods, they are empowering them to thrive through them and live long, happy, impactful lives.

Donate to or get involved with Days for Girls International.

AAUW: American Association of University Women           

“Advancing equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy, and research.”

 The AAUW was founded by 17 women who came together to fight for equality for women in education in 1881. In the 136 years since it was formed, AAUW has been a powerful voice for women in educational, social, economic, and political arenas.

The AAUW funds research on gender equality issues, advocates public policy to advance equity for women and girls, and provides educational funding for women—all in addition to supporting women who fall victim to sex discrimination in higher education and in the workplace. Their mission to empower women both individually and as a community is something that we admire.

Donate to or get involved with AAUW.

Girls Who Code

“We're a national non-profit organization dedicated to closing the gender gap in technology.”

 From ages 6-12, 66% of girls are enrolled in computing programs. That number drops to 32% from ages 13-17 and all the way down to 4% for college freshmen. Girls Who Code realized that, while tech jobs are growing faster than most (1.4 million jobs will be available by 2020), women are drastically missing from the scene (they will only make up 3% of those 1.4 million jobs). Girls Who Code strives to change that.

While they started with just 20 girls in New York, Girls Who Code now has over 40,000 women in its programs in all 50 states. Learning to code is a unique and incredibly powerful way to influence people, and we love the idea of emboldening girls to follow their tech-based dreams to change the world.

Donate to or get involved with Girls Who Code.

Global Fund for Women

            “Every woman and girl is strong, safe, powerful, and heard. No exceptions.”

The Global Fund for Women was founded in 1987 by four women who believed that the advancement of the world would be impossible without investing in and fighting for the rights of women. Since no one then was very interested in funding such things, they formed their own organization to directly fund women-led grassroots movements.

Today Global Fund for Women invests in the sexual and reproductive health of women, freedom from violence, and the economic and political empowerment of women. By working with grassroots organizations, GfW is able to empower women who are working at the ground level, who know the issues inside and out and best equipped to create and enact solutions. We love how personal GfW is while still keeping their eyes on the world and women as a whole—meeting women where they’re at and empowering them uplift their own communities.

Donate to or get involved with the Global Fund for Women

The Movemeant Foundation

            “We enable young women to feel confident about their bodies by empowering them with the tools to be active.”

            It is no secret that women and girls are constantly overwhelmed with images and ideas that tell them that to be thin is to be beautiful. When the founder and CEO of Movemeant, Jenny Gaither, realized just how negatively these messages were impacting her and the women around her, she decided to do something about it.

Movemeant is focused on empowering women by teaching them how to take care of themselves and showing them that their bodies are powerful and good—not objects to be fought with, but beings to be loved and nourished. They focus on body positivity, especially on the idea that a woman’s physical, mental, and emotional health is greatly impacted by movement.

Movemeant has programs in middle schools, as well as a grant called #ShePlaysWeWin that goes funds girls ages 8-16 playing sports or participating in other physical activities. Here at Uwila, we are totally on board with being healthy and body positive, as well as supporting all the different ways that looks on different people.

Donate to or get involved with The Movemeant Foundation. 

 Words By: Katey L. + Joanna A.