40 Years of the Boston Women's Fund!

We are beyond honored to share that the Boston Women’s Fund is turning 40 and is fiercer than ever. In 1984, seven radical women, met in Cambridge to talk about the urgent need for a philanthropic organization like BWF — one that recognizes women and gender-expansive people’s power and prioritizes leaders working in their own communities to make radical change.

In creating BWF our founding mothers established commitments that still guide us today:

• We work to create a radically better world for women, girls, and gender-expansive people.
  

• We believe that meaningful change originates with the work and ideas of women, girls, and gender-expansive people in their own communities.
  

• We do philanthropy differently: democratically, inclusively, and in partnership with communities and grantee partners.

In the decades since, thanks to your unwavering support, BWF has awarded over $7.6 million in over 385 grant awards. We’ve gone beyond funding to build skills, power, and connections among today’s movement leaders across generations, and we’ve pushed the philanthropic world to do better by grassroots leaders who have been persistently excluded from the table.

We are only interested in lasting, radical change. Alongside our innovative grantee partners, we’re driving a freedom train for women, girls, and gender-expansive folks. And our next stop – our only stop – is liberation.

This year, we’ll honor the many women who have boldly fought for justice in Greater Boston.

Be on the lookout for:

• A celebration event in September 2024 bringing our community together along with special guests.
  

• A series of Getting Proximate Conversations featuring today’s progressive grassroots leaders.
  

• A public honoring of 40 changemakers who’ve contributed outstanding work toward justice in Greater Boston.

Please bookmark this 40th anniversary page on our website to keep up with the events! We are so grateful for your support and look forward to being in community with you this year and in the years to come.

In Solidarity,

Akosua Ampofo Siever, Chair Claudia Thompson, 40th Anniversary Chair Natanja Craig Oquendo, Executive Director

P.S. Boston Women’s Fund has led 40 years of radical giving in Greater Boston. Help us march toward 40 more and give today.

Meet our Program and Operations Coordinator, Sumaya Mohamed Ibrahim!

Introducing Sumaya Mohamed Ibrahim (she/they), BWF’s Program and Operations Coordinator! We first met Sumaya during our Youth in Transformative Philanthropy program last summer where she joined as one of the Youth Leaders. We later welcomed them to the team to continue developing BWF’s youth programming, tighten our operations, and so much more. Read on to get to know Sumaya in our Q&A!

What's your background in Philanthropy or activism work?

I have been engaged in community organizing and activism for as long as I could remember. This has looked like many things: rallying my second grade class to write protest letters to Lunchables for their lack of halal options, volunteering at my local community center for years, and raising funds and donations with and for fellow Somali Bostonians. I believe in collective action!

What’s one highlight from your role/time at BWF?

I have met some of the most incredible and dedicated people at BWF. People are at the center of all we do at BWF. I am so grateful for the connections I have made and all those to come.

What are some fun facts about you?

1) My favorite movie is Fantastic Mr Fox.

2) I love potatoes. I’m always looking for ways to incorporate them into dishes. Never too much potato for me!

3) I am a filmmaker! I love to write and play the drums, too.

What's one quote that gives you life?

“Those who say it can’t be done are usually interrupted by others doing it.” — James Baldwin

Boston Globe: Boston-based Maternal Health Organizations get Funding Boost, a win for Women of Color

Three local organizations receive $75,000 in grants for their work addressing the maternal health crisis

Members of the Birth Equity and Justice Massachusetts Steering Committee. Photo by Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff.

"...Three Boston-based organizations...earlier this month received $25,000 grants for their work filling gaps in maternal and reproductive support that continue to fuel the Black maternal health crisis.

The funding is part of an effort by the Boston Women’s Fund, a foundation that supports marginalized women, girls, and gender-diverse people, to shore up funding for women of color, who are often overlooked for grants."

Female-led organizations are often the first to respond to the needs of their communities during crises, providing essential services to marginalized groups, raising awareness around risks to human rights and health, and demanding accountability, according to UNICEF. But they often lack adequate financial support.

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