Inaugural Giving List Women Summit Launches with a Unifying Rally Cry; Bridging Global Leaders, Nonprofits and Funders Around Intersectional Feminist Philanthropy

In the wake of new abortion bans and the overturning of the Weinstein conviction – compounded by the fact that currently less than 2% of all philanthropic dollars go to women's orgs – Summit themes held steadfast to the need to honor women and girls as the most powerful lever of social change.

SANTA BARBARA, Calif., May 8, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- On April 25 and 26, the Giving List Women hosted their inaugural Summit, which brought together prominent philanthropic and movement leaders from around the world to share perspectives on Intersectional Feminist Philanthropy. The motivating statistic for the Summit was the fact that women and girls' organizations currently receive less than 1.8 % of philanthropic dollars, yet research shows that women and girls are the most powerful lever for change. The goal of the Summit is to broaden the tent of donors who understand women and girls must be seen as a lens of philanthropy, rather than a lane.

Held in Montecito, California, the two-day Summit included 170 attendees and leaders across diverse perspectives and interests, including Kimberlé Crenshaw, a recent National Women's Hall of Fame inductee and a pioneering scholar in Intersectional Feminism and Critical Race Theory who led the #SayHerName movement; Ilwad Elman, three-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee who – with her mother, Fartuun Adan – co-founded Elman Peace; Jennifer Lynn Siebel Newsom, the First Partner of California, who shared themes from her documentary follow-up to Miss Representation; Mona Sinha, CEO of Equality Now and former CEO of Women Moving Millions; Alex Jakana, Senior Program Manager with Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Dianne Bailey, Managing Director of National Philanthropic Strategy for Bank of America; Hannah Riley Bowles, Senior Lecturer in Public Policy and Management at the Kennedy School, Harvard; and many more.

"The Inaugural Giving List Women Summit was a hugely successful step in building a movement of donors, philanthropic leaders and movement leaders who are pushing a paradigm shift on how we can give more effectively. Together, we are rethinking what good leadership looks like," stated Gwyn Lurie, Co-Founder and CEO of Giving List Women. "The clarity that women and girls are the key to moving our world to a better place was palpable at this convening. The moment is now for all of us to leave our silos and join as a network of networks to reprioritize where dollars go. The clear outcome of the summit is that everyone overwhelmingly committed to moving the needle – and we're just getting started."

The Summit, an orchestrated logistical feat unto itself, commenced at the Music Academy in Montecito followed by 12 privately hosted dinners at the homes of local funders with a diverse array of discussion topics. Day two of the Summit was held at the famous Hill House, home of Lynda Weinman and Bruce Heavin, and included such breakout themes as Women and Girls & Democracy: the role of policy & law; Representation Matters; When Women Thrive, our Planet Thrives; The Imperative for Solidarity with Men and Boys; and more. For a full program and list of featured speakers and moderators, click HERE.

"Gender equality is critical to creating a just world – as equal laws have the potential to unlock $28 trillion in annual global GDP," noted Mona Sinha, Global Executive Director for Equality Now. "Giving List Women can be the catalyst to make that change happen! I am proud to kick off the inaugural Summit with a discussion on bringing an intersectional lens to equality."

Resonating themes acknowledged the need for women and men to rethink what good leadership looks like and why supporting women and girls is the key to making our world safer, better, and more equitable for everyone. Discussions were had on the importance of "intersectionality" in the context of philanthropy, justice, gender justice, and many layers that need to be acknowledged and addressed with all women, including women of color and LGBTIQA+ communities.

Other themes explored the value of disarming traditional weapons of patriarchy as being beneficial to men and boys by providing access to mental health, family planning/connecting, authentic relationships, and expression. Leaders called out the importance of men and boys working with women and girls in solidarity to build a better world. Across the board was a push to change our individual algorithms, digitally and IRL, to find common ground with people of different views.

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SOURCE Giving List Women