Dear G4GC Community,
As we continue to unite and work towards a world that abundantly resources our communities, we hope this letter finds you feeling revitalized and recharged for the summer season! G4GC is excited to share how our latest initiatives, grantee partners, and community have been harnessing the power of storytelling to share their truths and narratives, and propelling necessary conversations forward. Girls, femmes, and gender-expansive youth of Color are cultivating safe spaces for honesty, connection and change – and we should all be tuned in.
One of our latest research-focused storytelling initiatives, Pass the Mic Project, has been making exciting strides this year. Launched in September 2022 as a creative filmmaking and workshop project, G4GC ‘passed the mic’ to a cohort of girls and youth of Color researchers to describe how the pandemic impacted their lived experiences and to disrupt the limiting national narrative that continues to erase them from larger conversations about the pandemic. Later this year, we’ll be amplifying the multimedia outcomes from the project – including more than 20 compelling interviews from girls, femmes, and gender-expansive youth of Color from six different organizations around the U.S.
We’ve continued to nourish and grow our various partnerships and collaborative efforts. With our New Songs Rising Initiative (NSRI), a partnership with Seventh Generation Fund for Indigenous Peoples, we’re proud to bring you a ”Day of Indigenous Joy” and invite you to join us on July 20th (Register here). We have continued to explore ways to expand opportunities for Indigenous girls* and support multi-generational healing and organizing. In recognition of the National Day of Action for Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) on May 5, we offered 10 general operating support grants to resource community efforts responding to this crisis. You can find more information on these important community-led projects here.
Despite the countless challenges that our communities and families continue to encounter, we are steadfast in our commitment to recognize and center the wisdom and leadership of girls and gender-expansive youth of Color, who are at the forefront of defining equitable and inclusive structures.
In Community,
Josefina Casati & G4GC Team
Senior Director of Communications
Grantmakers For Girls of Color
Quick Links
Catch up on all the latest G4GC has been up to!
Welcome Tran and Tara to the G4GC team!
We’d like to welcome Tran Tonnu (they/them) as our Digital Communications Strategist who joined our team on June 16th. Tran is a multidisciplinary storyteller and community organizer who strives to elevate community-led initiatives that center healing and celebration. Learn more about Tran and their work here.
We’re excited that Tara Quarrie (she/her) joined our team as Vice President of Development on July 10th. Tara is a seasoned development and fundraising professional with a commitment to empowering marginalized communities. Learn more about her and her work here.
You can learn more about the rest of our wonderful team here.
BGFW ‘23 Recap & Save the Date!
We’re still feeling inspired by the valuable conversations and connections we facilitated in February during our third annual #BlackGirlFreedomWeek. Check out some highlights from this year’s exciting sessions in our recap video! And save the date for the next Black Girl Freedom Week: February 12-18, 2024. Catch ALL the enriching videos from this, and past year’s Black Girl Freedom Weeks on our YouTube channel.
Celebrating Indigenous Joy
Join our New Songs Rising Initiative (NSRI) as we host a “Celebration of Indigenous Joy” on July 20th with panels and videos from Indigenous girls, femmes and gender-expansive youth, as well as representatives from NSRI grantee partner organizations who support the brilliance and leadership of Indigenous youth.
We’ll be presenting a conversation with our NSRI partners Seventh Generation Fund for Indigenous Peoples, a panel with grantee partners on Centering Indigenous Representation in Data as well as a conversation with Indigenous youth.
We’re proud to also be debuting a video by NSRI grantee partner Allie Young (of Protect the Sacred) with appearances and testimonials from New Songs Rising Initiative grantee partner organizations.
Sign up for the webinar HERE.
Happening this summer: HASI Youth Cohort
G4GC’s Holding a Sister Initiative is sponsoring 6 trans and gender non-conforming young people of Color (ages 18-25) to participate in Transformations (@kctransformations) Liberation Camp. The cohort will have the unique opportunity to meet virtually monthly in July to November, and join a retreat in Arkansas this September. Youth can learn more here.
New Songs Rising Fellowship
Grantmakers for Girls of Color is excited to announce our New Songs Rising Fellowship!
This 18-month fellowship for Native American and Globally-Indigenous girls*, femmes, and gender-expansive youth ages 12-24 will focus on skill-building, community building, deepening fellows’ feelings of identity and self, participatory grantmaking, and mentorship.
This fellowship is primarily virtual, with one in-person gathering in Summer 2024. Fellows will receive $2,500 upon full completion of the program. Learn more and apply HERE.
*:This includes Indigenous identities with a global lens, including communities such as Palestinian, Garifuna, Hmong, Lendu, Māori, Nahuatl, etc. Learn more HERE and apply here.
Pass the Mic Project Update 🎥🎤
G4GC’s Pass the Mic Project (PTMP) is currently in its post-production editing phase! This summer, we’ll be excited to share dates for an official documentary film release, how you can watch, and how to share and amplify this powerful, narrative-shifting project.
About the project: PTMP is a creative filmmaking project to amplify compelling participatory research and stories by girls, femmes, and youth of Color from around the U.S. To date, G4GC has hosted nine filmmaking workshops, interviewed and filmed across five major cities, with participation from six grantee partners. [Pictured: Youth from The Beautiful Project in Durham, NC. Photo credit: Zahrah Farmer and Doward Hicks III]
PTMP participating orgs include:
- HEART, D.C. | Focus: Reproductive justice and research on sexual health for muslim women, youth, and girls
- National Crittenton, National | Focus: Impacts of COVID-18 on cis and trans girls and gender-expansive young people
- The Beautiful Project, North Carolina | Focus: Black women’s experience of COVID-19 in NC
- Beyond Identity at CUNY, NYC | Focus: Identity-driven research by women of Color from immigrant and U.S.-based minority communities
- IGNITE National, Oakland, CA/National | Focus: Gen Z political participation, behaviors and mindset
- African American Policy Forum Young Scholars Program, NY/D.C.| Focus: Racial equity, gender-justice, and Black girl lived experiences across spaces
7th Generation Fund visit G4GC in NYC!
It’s always memorable to be in community with our New Songs Rising Initiative (NSRI) partners, Seventh Generation Fund for Indigenous Peoples. Last month we joined Seventh Gen Fund at the premiere of their documentary, “Time Of Prophecy: Walking in the Prayers of Our Ancestors,” an impactful story on the causes and effects of climate change told by Indigenous leaders. We got the chance to bond with our G4GC board member, and Seventh Generation Fund CEO, Tia Oros Peters (Shiwi), and Seventh Generation Fund Board Chairperson, Dr. Henrietta Mann (Tsetsehestaestse), who was recently honored by President Joe Biden with the National Humanities Medal for her decades-long work in academia and activism. Learn more about Dr. Mann’s honor here.
Coming this July: kahani magazine ‘Freedom’ issue!
G4GC partnered with youth-led magazine kahani magazine on a special edition for July 2023 focused on the experiences of girls, femmes, and gender-expansive youth of Color in the U.S. and territories. The theme for the July issue is “Our Freedom,” and youth from our community of grantee partners contributed creative writing and art centered around this theme. In July, you’ll be able to check it out here!
It’s Here: Charisma’s Turn, a graphic novel by our Dr. Monique Couvson!
Charisma’s Turn, a graphic novel by our very own G4GC President and CEO, Dr. Monique Couvson was released this May! G4GC successfully distributed more than 3,000 books to girls, femmes, and gender-expansive youth of Color, shared the book at a Brooklyn Children’s Theatre event (see below ⤵️), and we have other exciting events in the works. If you or your youth have read the book, we invite you to share your thoughts and pictures with us—just email [email protected]. And, we think this graphic novel is a perfect opportunity to launch a youth reading club this summer! If you know a youth who would love to host one, please reach out to [email protected].
Virtual Coworking Fun
We spent some time coworking and using the fun platform Gatherround to connect with one another in Q2!
Brooklyn Children’s Theater Gala
“That is your voice within….and it tells you exactly who you are and exactly what you can become.” – Viola Davis
We were thrilled to attend Brooklyn Children’s Theatre gala, where we’re proud to sponsor scholarships for the Brooklyn Children’s Theatre Viola Davis Summer Program, to celebrate their amazing work and talented young people! Learn more here.
(Photo: Dr. Monique Couvson and Viola Davis at the event, photo credit: @drmoniquecouvson via Dr. Couvson’s Instagram)
Ms Foundation Women of Vision Awards
Our team was ecstatic to support the Ms.Foundation’s 2023 Women of Vision Awards, honoring half a century of investing in, and strengthening, the capacity of women-led movements to advance meaningful social, cultural and economic change in the lives of women. It was incredibly meaningful to be in celebration with philanthropic leaders and organizers who center girls, femmes, and gender-expansive youth of Color in their work.
1st pic: G4GC staff members with #1Billion4BlackGirls co-founders Ms.Foundation President & CEO Teresa C. Younger and Co-founder of the Black Voters Matter Fund& the Southern Black Girls & Women’s Consortium, LaTosha Brown, and Ms.Foundation founding mother Gloria Steinem.
2nd pic: G4GC staff members with Abigail Richards and Julia Arroyo, co-Executive Directors of grantee partner Young Women’s Freedom Center, and young people from the organization.
Young musicians take center stage at Dreamer Arts Festival
Black Violin Foundation (a G4GC grantee partner that empowers youth through access to quality music programs and encourages creativity and innovation) hosted their “Dreamer Arts Festival” in May in south Florida. G4GC was a proud sponsor of the event, which featured exciting youth musical performances. Learn more about Black Violin Foundation.
Open call for Black Girl Freedom Fund Applications! 📢
During BGFW 2023, we launched a new funding cycle that will focus on organizations and projects that center the artistic vision, activism and innovationof Black girls, femmes and gender-expansive youth. This funding is available to organizations and projects that are not currently funded by G4GC, and the deadline to apply is March 31st.
Black Girl Freedom Week in the Media
Elevating #1Billion4BlackGirls on MSNBC
President & CEO of Grantmakers for Girls of Color Dr. Monique Couvson, and founding President and CEO for Girls for Gender Equity Joanne N. Smith MSW, co-founders of the #1Billion4BlackGirls campaign, joined American Voices guest host Michael Steele to discuss Black Girl Freedom Week 2023 and the #1Billion4BlackGirls campaign. Tune in here!
Cidra’s op-ed on The Grio
“I still remember the day I met Tina Turner at Tower Records as a 5-year-old Black girl…It was exhilarating to see her, a Black woman artist owning the entire store. I was in awe of the presence of this powerful example of a Black woman artist…” Read the full article written by Cidra M. Sebastien, BGFF Fund Manager, at The Grio here.
Essence elevates BGFW23!
Investing in Black girls needs to be more than just words. Explore how to support and engage Black girls and understand how to move investments in a meaningful way. Read the full article from Essence here.
Find more BGFW 2023 media coverage here!
G4GC embraces a model of engagement that reflects our commitment to supporting and uplifting our grantee partners, colleagues and organizations in philanthropy, and others working at the forefront of social impact spaces, focused on building a just and equitable world. Below are some of the conferences and spaces where our G4GC team is presenting or joining:
Maheen joins ‘Werk Stories’ Podcast
Maheen Kaleem, our Vice President of Operations and Programs, joined the Werk Stories podcast to talk about her experience as an attorney working in human rights, with a focus on women, girls, and non-binary folks of Color. Tune in to this powerful conversation on how we can be better advocates for the causes we care about. Tune in through Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Women’s Philanthropy Institute Symposium in Chicago
In April, members of our team attended the Women’s Philanthropy Institute ‘All In, All Rise’ Symposium in Chicago, where they met up with some of our amazing Chicago-based grantee partners and a few of our philanthropic friends and colleagues. We’re always grateful for the chance to be in community with our grantee partners and folks committed to resourcing girls, femmes, and gender-expansive youth of Color!
2023 Nonprofit Technology Conference
Members of our data and tech team, Sam Lee and Dominique Couvson, went to the Nonprofit Technology Conference in Denver, where they sharpened their tech skills and also connected with New Songs Rising Initiative fund manager Rana LaPine.
Rockwood’s Art of Leadership
Our Senior Director of Communications, Josefina Casati, joined a cohort of phenomenal movement changemakers for a week of slowing down, creating community and honing in on best practices at “The Art of Leadership for Philanthropic Leaders” in Santa Cruz, CA. Learn more about Rockwood Leadership Institute.
Women’s Philanthropy Institute Symposium in Chicago
In April, members of our team attended the Women’s Philanthropy Institute ‘All In, All Rise’ Symposium in Chicago, where they met up with some of our amazing Chicago-based grantee partners and a few of our philanthropic friends and colleagues. We’re always grateful for the chance to be in community with our grantee partners and folks committed to resourcing girls, femmes, and gender-expansive youth of Color!
New Songs Rising Fellowship!
Grantmakers for Girls of Color is excited to announce our New Songs Rising Fellowship!
This 18-month fellowship for Native American and Globally-Indigenous girls*, femmes, and gender-expansive youth, ages 12-24, will focus on skill-building, community building, deepening fellows’ feelings of identity and self, participatory grantmaking, and mentorship.
This fellowship is primarily virtual, with one in-person gathering in Summer 2024. Fellows will receive $2,500 upon full completion of the program. Learn more and apply here.
*:This includes Indigenous identities with a global lens, including communities such as Palestinian, Garifuna, Hmong, Lendu, Māori, Nahuatl, etc. Learn more here and apply here.
Capacity Building, Storytelling & Community with Resilia
The G4GC and Resilia partnership supports nonprofit effectiveness, creativity, and workflow in grassroots changemakers and community builders. With 24/7 on-demand technical assistance, the partnership aims to build organizational capacity, while granting opportunities to capture and communicate program outcomes and narratives in real-time. Learn more about the program and sign up here.
Coming Soon: Grantee Partner Survey
G4GC is excited to soon launch our first Grantee Partner Survey! Grantees will be invited to share the incredible work you are doing that will help build an archive of the diverse and impactful movements supporting our community. The brilliant research consultant Dr. Vanessa Patiño Lydia will be helping us launch the survey. We hope that the information we get from this survey will be inspiring, transformational, and further allow you to see how you are helping the larger movement for girls, femmes, and gender-expansive youth of Color. Look out for an email with the survey link and information sessions this August. Questions? [email protected]
The Grantseekers’ Guide to the Galaxy Workshops
Join Yeojeong Consulting and Coaching for the Grantseekers’ Guide to the Galaxy: a virtual foundation fundraising workshop series for grassroots and nonprofit collectives, groups, and organizations! Sliding scale registration starts at $10 for June or $35 for July-Sept! You can sign up HERE.
Application Open for Thriving Futures Program
Muslims for Just Futures ‘Thriving Futures: A Guaranteed Income Pilot Program’ application is now open! Thriving Futures is the first guaranteed income program focused on Muslim women and will provide a $500 monthly cash assistance, alongside workforce development, career services support, financial literacy, and community organizing training. This program will support 5 working-class DMV-based Muslim women who are heads of households for 18 months. Learn and apply here.
Grant & fundraising opportunities
- Third Wave/Mobile Power Fund: Rapid response grants for youth-led groups, nonprofits, and coalitions – supports time-sensitive projects, including community organizing and mobilization, healing justice work, transformative and restorative justice work and more. Deadlines in March, June, and September 2023. Apply here.
- Saxena Family Foundation: STEM education grants for girls, femmes and gender-expansive youth – applications are accepted throughout the year. Apply here.
- Black Fox Philanthropy: Valuable open source materials for nonprofit organizations, including best practices for engaging deeply aligned funders, comms tips, and their latest Fundraising Handbook.
- William T. Grant Foundation: ‘Youth Service Capacity-Building’ grants that provide $60,000 over three years for small nonprofits that serve youth ages 5-25. Apply here.
- Echoing Green, Ballmer Group, New Profit: $40M in seed funding for new initiative to address the systemic funding gap for Black-led nonprofit organizations in the U.S. The grant will fund a five-year initiative to build leadership and sustainability of Black-led organizations focused on economic mobility. Learn more here.
The Little Mermaid and Black Girl Joy
Photo credits: Kaia Naadira (The Bronx); Cameron Snell (Baltimore) Tarana Burke with two young people at the theater buyout in Baltimore.
In collaboration with #1Billion4BlackGirls co-founder and founder of @metoomvmt, @taranajaneen, G4GC offered free tickets to a screening of The Little Mermaid film on June 4 in Baltimore, MD and the Bronx, NY.
Our Past & Future Freedom Fighters: The Power of Black Trans Leadership, Joy and Dreaming
“I ask you to think deeply about the impact that Marsha P. Johnson’s brick-throwing at Stonewall has on Black trans communities. For me, the brick represents protection and honors all the girls carrying around a brick to survive. The throwing of that brick didn’t just start a riot; it awakened something in all of us that no longer allows Black trans power to be ignored,” writes Bré Rivera, Director of Black Trans Fund in our funding partner’s newly launched blog.
“LGBTQ communities would not experience their freedom in this world without Black trans people. We live vibrant and joyous lives that exist outside of Pride. Celebrate us, love on us, and resource us every day.” Read Bré’s full story of how she dreamed up Black Trans Fund, and the legacy of Black trans power, joy and liberation here.
Share your org’s work with G4GC
Are you interested in having your organization’s latest work featured on the G4GC blog and our socials? Does your organization have a funding opportunity, upcoming conference, or other celebration centering girls of Color you want to share with the G4GC community?
We invite you to share it with us! We’d love to amplify your mission and efforts that center the wisdom and leadership of girls, femmes and youth of Color. Just fill out this simple Google form. We request information at least 3-4 weeks in advance for events and any deadlines.
