At G4GC, we believe funding community-led research is essential. Learning is central to our philanthropic identity. We invest in high-quality research that is democratic, vibrant, and accessible by funding the work of our grantees — creating original research in partnership with grantees, youth, and allies. This research reflects the legacy of movements rooted in accountability and care.
Transformations’ Liberation Camp attendees during their morning check-in
Now more than ever, it’s crucial to highlight the stories of girls and gender-expansive youth of color — their leadership, their organizing, and their impact — because research amplifies the voices and experiences of girls and gender expansive youth of color, supports youth-led long-term transformation, uncovers existing gaps and informs more equitable grantmaking and advocacy, strengthens accountability, and protects data that is systematically being erased and defunded in the public sphere.
Our research commitments
- Honesty, integrity, and transparency in our research practices, data use, and the accessibility of our findings
- Consent and affirmative language as core practices, including open communication around boundaries, capacity, and the power of saying “no”
- Language and accessibility as essential to every aspect of our work
- Recognition of power dynamics in research, with a commitment to naming, defining, and addressing them
- Centering Black feminist praxis and Indigenous research methodologies
- Movement-centered approaches that move away from damage-centered narratives
- Centering those most impacted—especially youth of color—without tokenizing
How we’re investing in research
Since its inception, G4GC has helped fund participatory girl and gender expansive youth of color-centered research projects helmed by some of our grantee partners. Here are some projects we’ve invested in:
Young Womens Freedom Center
Georgetown Center on Gender Justice & Opportunity
We’re piloting a survey of our grantee community
Over the last five years, G4GC has designed and launched a survey of our grantee community. This broad landscape analysis spans across all states and encompasses over 400 organizations. We invest in research that centers on girls and gender-expansive youth of color, guided by a critical, ethical, and participatory approach.
In this pilot phase, we’re engaging with a diverse group of respondents across organizational size, budget, geographic location, and the identities of the youth they serve. At the core of this project is a commitment to modeling data collection that is responsive, transparent, and accountable. (One key way we do this is through reciprocity: we compensate our grantees for their time because unpaid labor is not equitable.)
We’re actively advocating for more intersectional research
Nuanced data is essential in philanthropy. Right now, most philanthropic research combines data on women and girls, making it nearly impossible to isolate and understand the specific needs of girls and gender-expansive youth of color. That lack of visibility has real consequences. At G4GC, we’re advocating for more community-centered, intersectional research — and urging other funders to collect and disaggregate data that truly reflects the lived experiences of young people.
Start From the Ground Up
“Start from the Ground Up: Increasing Support for Girls of Color” is a foundational G4GC research project consisting of a report and a toolkit that opens a window into opportunities for philanthropy to be more equitable and accountable to girls of color, and shines a light on how critical the reality of underfunding is for organizations led by and for girls of color.
Download our free “Start from the Ground Up” report and toolkit
“Start from the Ground Up” continues to facilitate important conversations within philanthropy, bolster the work of leaders in the G4GC ecosystem, and catalyze an increase in resources to organizations and leaders focused on girls and youth of color.
This project was created in part through town hall discussions with youth across the U.S. in 2018. Check out these listening sessions on our YouTube channel.
Impact Reports
2024 G4GC Executive Summary
In 2024, investments in racial and gender justice were significantly reduced, and our grantee community was greatly impacted by this underinvestment. We haven’t let this deter us in our mission to support organizations and movements led by and for girls and gender-expansive youth of color. During this year we held our annual Black Girl Freedom Week in February, organized a convening for our New Songs Rising Fellowship with 10 Indigenous young people, hosted an event with community members and special guests at Martha’s Vineyard, and continued to connect with grantee partners across the country.
2023 G4GC Impact Report
In 2023, we expanded our work through youth engagement. We built out a Future Economy Lab and filmed our Pass The Mic Project with young people in our community. Additionally, we continued to elevate youth as decision-makers by creating a Holding A Sister Cohort with trans young people of color. And through our New Songs Rising Fellowship for Indigenous girls and youth, we furthered our participatory grantmaking process.
2022 G4GC Executive Summary
In 2021 and 2022, we focused on strengthening our internal infrastructure, continuing to raise and distribute grants to the field, and growing our community of co-investors. We also launched our New Songs Rising Initiative and Holding a Sister Initiative.
2020 G4GC Impact Report
In our first year, the global pandemic and movement for racial justice shook the world and placed a harsh spotlight on what we have always known: Girls and gender-expansive youth of color are facing multiple, intersecting systems of oppression. This year, we launched Love Is Healing and the Black Girl Freedom Fund (and launched the #1Billion4BlackGirls campaign), motivated by the urgency to meet the moment.
