Women's Funding Network Conference Starts This Week!

On Thursday April 7, the Women's Funding Network will kick off its annual conference in Brooklyn, NY -- and the Ms. Foundation is proud to be one of the local hosts of this important event!

This year's WFN conference aims to mobilize women leaders to activate, harness and amplify the Power of Global Networks. The conference program -- which runs through Saturday, April 9 -- will focus on:

• How women’s funds turn the conventional model of philanthropy upside down, radically changing the way individuals, corporations, foundations and governments invest in women and girls.
• How women’s funds, and the network at large, is an effective vehicle for shared leadership and collective action, allowing us to authentically and effectively extend our reach, increase our impact and build a movement for social change.

Representatives from the Ms. Foundation will be in attendance throughout the conference, participating in panels, and leading workshops. On Friday, April 8, Program Officer Sangeeta Budhiraja will speak on the panel, "Embracing New Leadership to Advance the Women's Funding Movement," while Leslie MacKrell, Senior Officer for Planning and Development, will help lead the workshop, "Value, Power and Viability: A Business Model for Women’s Funds." On Saturday, April 9, the Ms. Foundation will host a convening of Southern Women’s Funds. And throughout the event, we’ll be pleased to introduce our new president and CEO, Anika Rahman, to our beloved community of women’s funds.

One especially exciting component of the conference is the opportunity it provides to attend "local to global excursions," visits to grassroots organizations like Domestic Workers United and Restaurant Opportunities Center United, two Ms. Foundation grantees who are igniting transformative change by and for women workers in New York and nationwide. Also, be sure not to miss the closing keynote address by Michelle Bachelet, the first under secretary-general and executive director of UN Women!

For more information, and to learn how to participate, please visit WFN's conference site. We hope to see you there!

Photo: globes by Paul Goyette, flickr