Official Statement in Support of Giselle Byrd

The Boston Women's Fund and the Equality Fund at the Boston Foundation stand with Giselle Byrd.

We write to you in solidarity and anger.



Giselle Byrd, Executive Director of The Theater Offensive and the first Black trans woman appointed to the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women and Girls, is facing a wave of hateful, targeted attacks. These are not critiques of policy or leadership—these are attempts to erase her humanity, discredit her identity, and cast doubt on her right to lead.

These attacks aren’t happening in isolation. They are part of a coordinated and growing effort to push LGBTQ+ people—especially trans women—out of public leadership, off commissions, out of the media, and back into invisibility. And we are not having it.

Giselle is a leader grounded in community, creativity, compassion, and courage. Her presence on the Commission is not just appropriate—it’s essential. Her leadership at The Theater Offensive builds safety, belonging, and joy for queer and trans people of color in Boston and beyond. She brings a deep understanding of what justice looks like when it’s lived out loud—and that is exactly why she’s being targeted.

We will not stay silent while this happens.

We will not let bigotry go unanswered.

We will not allow fear to decide who gets to lead.

Here’s how we show up — right now:

Sign On.

This letter is our public stand with Giselle Byrd. We encourage you to join us and lend your name in supporting Giselle. Use this quick form to sign.

Support Now.

Uplift the organization Giselle leads—The Theater Offensive—and support other local organizations working to protect, strengthen, and advance trans lives in Massachusetts.

Less than 0.05%—five cents of every $100 in U.S. charitable giving—goes to trans-serving organizations in our country. We must do better.

We urge philanthropic institutions and individual donors to correct that imbalance. Support organizations led by and for trans people in Massachusetts and beyond.

In addition to TTO, you can take action by supporting local organizations like Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition (MTPC), BAGLY, and the Transgender Emergency Fund of Massachusetts, to name a few, each doing critical, on-the-ground work to support trans lives across the Commonwealth.

Engage Relentlessly.

Talk to your networks about what’s happening—and about Giselle. Name the harm. Name the leadership. Name the stakes.

Learn what structural equity for trans people in Massachusetts actually requires—from policies and healthcare to housing, safety, and cultural power. Don’t stop at affirmation. 

If you’re not sure where to start, we’re here to help. Reach out to Natanja or Scott directly—like so many of you, we are committed to moving resources, not just making statements.

This is a time to move.



If they come for one of us, they come for all of us. And we ask you to join us in meeting this moment with collective power, protection, and pride.

In Solidarity,

Natanja Craig Oquendo, CEO, The Boston Women’s Fund 

M. Scott Knox, Executive Director, The Equality Fund at the Boston Foundation

A Call To Action — Research Unveiling & Dialogue Event

Boston Women's Fund is sending a huge thank you to everyone who attended our Research Unveiling & Dialogue Event!

We are thrilled to have come together among community for a morning of connection, dialogue, and collective reimagining around the well-being of BIPOC women and gender-expansive grassroots leaders.

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Call To Action

"This data has not changed since the Boston Women’s Fund was put into existence back in 1984.” — Natanja Craig Oquendo, CEO of Boston Women's Fund

Our research findings echo conversations that have taken place over the past few decades on the challenges BIPOC women grassroots leaders face in Greater Boston. This is the crux of the issue. We need a broader movement of support for BIPOC women leaders in order for the data to change.

This event was only the beginning. We hope that you'll keep the momentum going and choose a way to stay involved in furthering the movement. Not sure where to start? Here are a few suggestions.

“I believe in the power of radical imagination. I think it's something we don't spend enough time investing in...We need to build that muscle around imagining the world that we want, because we don't have a blueprint for it. So, [this is] an invitation to really push ourselves to imagine something that feels unimaginable, but to remind ourselves that there are little snippets of examples.” — Aba Taylor, President & CEO of YW Boston

For Our Fellow Funders

In our research, BIPOC women grassroots leaders noted that they rarely experience tangible support that aligns with the philanthropic sector’s rhetoric of inclusion. So many innovative and beautiful ideas come from within communities, but they can't come to fruition without resources. Yet, exclusive networks and rigid evaluation metrics in philanthropy often limit grassroots organizations’ access to those resources.

We encourage you to commit one first-time grant to an emerging or fiscally-sponsored organization next quarter and tell us about it! Set public goals for Black-led, women-led, and gender-expansive organizations — and publish your progress. As you build and deepen relationships with these organizations, we encourage you to end site visits and instead show up as volunteers and partners in this work. Our external efforts toward liberation are only as strong as our internal practices and culture.

For Board Members

BIPOC women grassroots leaders often provide essential services through their organizations while operating with relatively small capacity. At your next board of directors meeting, we encourage you to motion to shorten applications and rightsize reporting. Join the commitment to prioritize people over paperwork.

For All Who Believe In This Movement

The data won’t change unless we do. Every dollar you give helps directly fund women and gender-expansive leaders of color who are already building the future.

Give today to move resources differently.

Become A Monthly Donor

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Thank You Movement Builders & Grassroots Leaders

Boston Women’s Fund cannot thank you enough for the work that you do on a daily basis, the labor, the emotional toll, and spiritual toll that you endure. We see you and know how difficult it is to sustain movements in a culture of scarcity. Let's work together to end the scarcity mindset that places grassroots leaders in competition with their peers. Tell us about the underfunded organizations you trust so that we can grow our network and explore partnerships.

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Thanks To Our Panelists & Speakers

We'd like to share a special thanks to our incredible panelists for a captivating and vulnerable conversation around how they see themselves and their work in our research findings and what we need to unlearn and reimagine to better support BIPOC women and gender-expansive grassroots leaders in Greater Boston.

• Natanja Craig Oquendo, CEO of Boston Women's Fund

• Dr. Laurie Nsiah-Jefferson, Director of UMass Boston's Center for Women in Politics & Public Policy

• Aba Taylor, President & CEO of YW Boston

• Diana Hwang, Founder & Executive Director of Asian American Women's Political Initiative

We'd also like to thank Adanna Kalejaye, Graduate Assistant at UMass Boston's Center for Women in Politics & Public Policy, for an incredible presentation of our research findings!

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Carrying The Weight, Leading The Change

How Women of Color Grassroots Leaders Navigate Inequities While Driving Solutions

We look forward to releasing our first-of-its-kind report in partnership with Center for Women in Politics & Public Policy at UMass Boston soon!

Learn More & Download The One-Pager

Announcing Our 2025 Grantee Partners — Over $475K in Grantmaking and Sponsorships

Boston Women’s Fund is excited to announce our 2025 grantee partners! Amid a year of unprecedented uncertainty for non-profit organizations, we are proud to reaffirm our commitment to grassroots organizations and the vital work they do in communities most impacted by injustice. 

This year, BWF has welcomed new grantee partners through our Movement Building and Youth-Centered Movement Building programs. We have also renewed our support of our 2024 Community Impact grantees. Fifteen of our grantee partners are returning partners, an emblem of our belief that sustained support for grassroots organizations is a part of the path to lasting change.

Our Momentum Grants are typically final funding for BWF grantee partners that have grown beyond a $500,000 operating budget. However, BWF has chosen to extend our support for last year’s Momentum Grantee partners for another year to aid in their weathering this unpredictable political and funding environment. 

In total, BWF has awarded over $475,700 in grants and sponsorships to 19 grassroots grantee partners and other organizations supporting women, girls, and gender-expansive individuals in Greater Boston.

“When I look at our grantee partners and the ways they double down and resist in the face of uncertainty, I think it emboldens us to follow suit. It’s never been more important to affirm BWF’s support of grassroots leaders and the work they do to get us all closer to liberation. The BWF team and I are honored to continue being a trusted partner and funder to our existing partners and to bring new organizations into the fold!” 

— Kiarah Hortance, Senior Program Associate, BWF

Our 2025 grantee partners represent each of BWF’s communities — women, girls, and gender-expansive individuals who are Black and Brown, LGBTQIA+, low-income, youth, elderly, immigrants, refugees, and disabled. From building people power through storytelling amongst undocumented youth to training women of color to join the healthcare field and combat medical discrimination, our grantee partners’ work is deeply intersectional and explores a variety of approaches to movement building and systems change. BWF is incredibly excited to continue our work uplifting, investing in, and building capacity for these innovative leaders over the years to come!

We are proud to support the following organizations as BWF’s 2025 grantee partners:

Abilities Dance Boston

Asian American Women's Political Initiative

Asian Women for Health

Association of Haitian Women in Boston

Birth Equity & Justice MA

Dominican Development Center

Essex County Community Organization

For Black Girls

Grimes King Foundation for the Elderly

Love Your Magic

Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition

Matahari Women Workers' Center

Melanin Mass Moms

Propa City Community Outreach

Sisters Unchained

Small House

Somali Parents Advocacy Center for Education

Stories Inspiring Movements

Women Encouraging Empowerment

Bolstering Grassroots Power Through Sponsorships

We are excited to continue growing our sponsorship efforts and exploring micro grant opportunities with more grassroots and nonprofit organizations driving racial, economic, social, and gender justice in Greater Boston. This year, we have sponsored Resource Organizing Project and other grassroots organizations in hosting the Celebration of Grassroots Organizing, Trans Resistance MA in their 2025 Trans Pride Campaign, the LUCE Immigrant Justice Network, and many more! 

We’d like to recognize the following organizations that were finalists in our community-led Movement Building Grant process and received micro grants from BWF:

CHUANG Stage 

Center for Cooperative Development & Solidarity

LUCE Immigrant Justice Network

The following incredible youth-run organizations were finalists in our youth-led grantmaking selection process and received micro grants as well:

Revere Youth In Action

Young Queens Rising

BWF is also proud to have sponsored the following organizations:

Resource Organizing Project

Mass Mentoring Partnership 

Haymarket People's Fund Save Ourselves

Stories Inspiring Movements

Boston Education Fund 

Walker, Inc.

Abilities Dance 

GROWUP

Ruffen Fund

Trans Resistance MA

Stay Connected

Vist our grants page for more information on our grants on our website. Follow us on Instagram and Linkedin for stories on the change we and our partners are driving across Greater Boston!