We’ve been busy.
Our mission and our calling is to grow Grantmakers for Girls of Color as a philanthropic home to cultivate investments and philanthropic resources so that all girls of color can achieve equity and justice. Given the breadth of everything our girls are facing, and how much we need to support their wisdom and leadership for our collective future, we have no time to waste.
Since starting as the first Executive Director of Grantmakers for Girls of Color in April of this year, I’ve worked in partnership with committed leaders across the country to grow the strength of this network.
In the last six months we:
- Announced our incredible interim advisory committee, placing G4GC under the wise guidance of eight incredible women: Tynesha McHarris, Prachi Patankar, Leticia Peguero, Tia Oros Peters (Zuni), Ada Williams Prince, Bré Anne Rivera, Lateefah Simon, and Teresa C. Younger.
- Launched our Love Is Healing COVID-19 Respond Fund, and in just a few months provided more than $1.5 million in grants to more than 80 outstanding organizations in 26 states across the country and the District of Columbia, who are supporting the leadership of girls of color throughout this pandemic. Click here to learn more about our incredible grantees! We also hosted a webinar with outstanding partners National Crittenton, SOUL Sisters Leadership Collective, and National Compadres Network, on how COVID-19 is impacting girls, fem(mes), and gender expansive youth of color.
- Kicked off a survey series to collect data on how organizations serving girls of color do their work, starting with two rounds of surveys on the ongoing impact of COVID-19 on the office and work space needs of the organizations leading the work to support girls of color and gender expansive youth of color. Our intention is for the information we gather to inform immediate and long-term planning, and help to increase the capacity of our G4GC network during these critical times.
- Hosted a live talk with African American Policy Forum’s Dr. Kimberlé Crenshaw focused on why philanthropy must use an intersectional approach to meet this moment of national reckoning around anti-Black racism and other forms of injustice by increasing its investment in movements and organizations that center Black girls and gender-expansive youth, and are led by Black girls, women, and gender-expansive people.
- Expanded our team, bringing on board our incredible Deputy Director Maheen Kaleem, Esq., whose experience and deep commitment to our girls will be an enormous asset to the growth of G4GC.
- Grew our community of funders in exciting ways, including by receiving a pledge of significant financial support from MacKenzie Scott and announcing our new partnership with GRAMMY Award-winning artist Ciara. Through her Why Not You Foundation, Ciara will donate a portion of the proceeds from her new song “Rooted” to G4GC to support Black girls and other girls of color.
We know we have more to do.
In the coming months, we will share more news about major partnerships and initiatives all working toward lifting up the leadership of BIPOC girls.
Our girls are sacred and loved. I am so proud to be working with all of you to continue to build G4GC into the philanthropic home, community builder, and leader that our girls need and deserve.
Monique W. Morris, Ed.D.
Executive Director
Grantmakers for Girls of Color
