Women of color face greater disparities in health outcomes, pay, wealth, access to capital, and more. At the same time, women of color contribute immensely to the health, well-being, and advancement of our communities. Economic security and direct investments in women and girls of color help level the playing field and create pathways to prosperity by removing hurdles. But even when women of color receive equal funding, they are playing catch up. Philanthropy wasn't created for justice and it will take more than equal funding to make up for centuries of inequality. We must go above and beyond, redirecting funding and sharing power.

We aim to create systems change, influence the philanthropic sector as a whole, and use our power and privilege to give women of color and communities of color the resources they have been denied to prosper.

• Trans women are women. People who do not benefit from existing gender power structures, including nonbinary people, are included and welcomed in The Women's Foundation of Colorado's work.
• Women of color, girls of color, and nonbinary people of color don't need us to empower them. Their gifts, experiences, leadership, innate power, and potential need investment by institutions that traditionally ignore or patronize them. We will use an asset-based approach in this work.
• We must move from an empowerment model, where we help women navigate a racist and patriarchal system, to a liberatory model that removes those constraints entirely.
• The Women and Girls of Color Fund is equally by and for women of color, girls of color, and nonbinary people of color. We trust women of color, girls of color, and nonbinary people of color to know how best to invest in their community.
• Philanthropy is at the service of the nonprofit sector and of our communities. The best way to use our power is to offer funding, relationships, and capacity building while letting our communities lead our priorities.
• Centering lived experience as an essential skill, knowledgebase, and qualification as we invest in women of color leaders is critical to trust-based philanthropy.
• We reject the traditional philanthropic norms that uphold the grossly inequitable distribution of resources to women of color that deem women-of-color-led work as "risky."
• We will prioritize the most marginalized communities, leaders, and initiatives in our funding.

This Women & Girls of Color Fund is an extension of our existing investments in advancing the economic security of women of color through our comprehensive programmatic WAGES research, public policy advocacy, and grantmaking as well as our work to expand our innovative philanthropic offerings such as impact investing supporting women-of-color entrepreneurs. We will continue to promote and amplify the messages of women and girls of color in our broader work for systemic change.

This explanation on who is included when we use the words “woman” and "people of color" is offered not as an end point, but as a beginning, a jumping-off point from which to invite others into this crucial dialogue on diversity and inclusion we find ourselves in at this moment. As we learn, our language will evolve just as we evolve. But our goal is always, always to be as inclusive and as anti-racist as possible. We welcome your thoughts, ideas, critique, and feedback, and to taking this equity journey with you and our community

Our society was constructed with a patriarchal hierarchy designed to benefit, and exclude anyone who was not, a cisgender, heterosexual, white, man. WFCO's mission includes everyone who does not benefit from historical gender power structures, including transgender women, non-transgender women, and nonbinary people. You are welcomed into our community and the Women & Girls of Color Fund.

By women of color, we mean women who have been historically impacted by colonialism, slavery, patriarchal systems, and state violence and people who today experience violence, oppression, discrimination, and racism because of the color of their skin, their culture, heritage, language, or country of origin.

Similarly, our values compel us to use an intersectional gender lens in all of our work. First used by Kimberlé Crenshaw - a Black woman, civil rights activist, and legal scholar - intersectionality describes how someone's race, class, gender, ability,  gender identity, sexual orientation, and more connect to create unique experiences, advantages, and disadvantages within multiple systems of oppression. Using an intersectional gender lens means prioritizing Coloradans who are unequally impacted by these systems of oppression because of their identities, including and in addition to race and gender - for example, trans women and nonbinary people of color, LGBTQI people, women with disabilities, rural women, immigrants and refugees, etc.

Women and girls of color, including nonbinary people of color, are valuable, worthy, and important members of our communities. Their leadership, knowledge, heritage, traditions, experiences, and work have the capacity to enhance our communities and make us all better. They do not need to be saved or empowered by philanthropy. But we can invest in them and support their projects while dismantling the systems that continue to oppress communities of color. Our approach will focus on elevating women and girls of color across the state of Colorado to create a better future for all of us.

Our framework and priorities for the Women & Girls of Color Fund are based on your feedback. The fund will focus on organizations led by women or girls of color executive directors that are committed to building economic power and dismantling oppressive systems through direct service or community organizing.

The Women & Girls of Color Fund will open two grant cycles per year:

• January - March 2021: Rural-focus
• July - September 2021: Front Range-focus (Larimer, Boulder, Broomfield, Jefferson, Denver, Arapahoe, Douglas, Adams, and El Paso counties)

The first cycle will open in January 2021. Learn more

Grants will be unrestricted. Organizations are encouraged to apply for any expenses that support their current work, expand their work, increase investments in staff and leadership development, and anything in between.

The advisory committee, made up of community members with lived experience from across Colorado, will review proposals and select grantees.

In addition to funding, WFCO is committed to helping grantees and community leaders increase their capacity, funder relationships, and peer networks.

Grantees must be fiscally sponsored or have a 501c3 by March 2021. If your initiative does not have a fiscal sponsor or 501c3 but your work aligns with our funding priorities, please reach out to WFCO Donor Relations Manager Camisha Lashbrook at camishal@wfco.org.

The Women & Girls of Color Fund is community-designed and community-led. The Women & Girls of Color Fund advisory council will oversee two application cycles in 2021, learning together, reviewing applications, and selecting grantees.

The council is made up of Colorado women of color, girls of color, and nonbinary people of color ages 17 and up passionate about The Women’s Foundation of Colorado’s mission. Community members with lived experience in our funding priorities, rural Coloradans, trans women and nonbinary people, and community organizers/activists who work on these issues were especially encouraged to apply.

Meet Our Advisory Council

  Amber Coté, Colorado Nonprofit Association

Amber's diverse experience in the field of nonprofit administration, education and judicial advocacy and business informs her approach to civic engagement, collaboration-building and organizational leadership. She particularly enjoys developing alliances that leverage shared values to achieve a common vision. Amber is a life-long activist and strong proponent of consensus-building through creative partnerships. She was recently a member of Chinook's Giving Project.

  Carly Hare, CHANGE Philanthropy

Carly (Pawnee/Yankton) strives to live a commitment to advancing equity and community engagement through her professional and personal life. Carly was executive director of Native Americans in Philanthropy from 2010-2015 and she served as Director of Programs for The Community Foundation Serving Boulder County for five years. Carly has served on planning committees and presented at over 30 conferences at the intersection of equity and philanthropy. She is a proud daughter, sister, auntie, ally, friend and equity advocate. Carly’s Pawnee name is <i kita u hoo <i ]a hiks which translates into kind leader of men.

  Nneka McPhee, American Associates - Ben-Gurion University, SPIN (Sisterhood of Philanthropists Impacting Needs)

Nneka McPhee is an executive-level professional with over fifteen years of experience in resource development and non-profit management. Prior roles have included Chief Operating Officer and Chief of Staff for JEWISH Colorado. Nneka is a co-founder and active member of the Sisterhood of Philanthropists Impacting Needs (SPIN) giving circle and she is passionate about giving back to her community.

  Angell Pérez, M.A., Colorado Circles for Change, Angell Pérez Consulting

Angell has over 20 years’ experience working in the nonprofit sector and working in partnership with low income, communities of color. This has included championing racial equity in the sector and providing transformative youth programing with a specialization in gender specific programing for girls. She has lead programming for various organizations including Girls Inc., Mi Casa Resource Center, Servicios De La Raza, and many others. She is a 2019 Bonfils Stanton Foundation Livingston Fellow and professor of gender, women, sexualities studies at Metropolitan State University of Denver. Angell feels strongly that her personal lived experience is what informs her work and is only complemented by her formal education and training. Angell’s passion is rooted in opening space for youth to find their voice, build power and become self-determined.

  Cori Wong, PhD, Colorado State University - Office of the Vice President for Diversity, Positive Philosophy Consulting

Cori is a speaker, writer, educator, and consultant with over 10 years of training and leadership experience related to intersectional feminism, anti-racism, social justice, and inclusive culture change. Cori leads diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts at Colorado State University. Her dissertation entitled, Positive Philosophy: A Feminist Practice of Affective Therapy and Political Resistance, explored the liberatory potential of thinking critically about oppression in ways that excite, energize, inspire, connect, motivate, and heal. Cori is a member of The Women's Foundation's direct service grantmaking committee.