During its 20-plus year history, the Women and Girls Foundation has awarded more than $2 million in grants to community organizations that work to advance gender equity and increase the rights of women and girls.

Grantmaking initiatives currently are focused on organizations whose missions support civic engagement and voting rights, and our grant-giving season takes place in August – the anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. 

Here’s how our August appeal works: 

  • Based on input from the community, the Board of Directors, and our staff, the Women and Girls Foundation selects three organizations that support voting rights and gender and racial equity to highlight throughout August across WGF’s communication channels. 
  • Each organization receives a mini grant from the Women and Girls Foundation. 
  • Throughout August, the public is invited to vote for one organization to receive additional funding to support their work. 

In 2023, the Women and Girls Foundation awarded mini grants to The Sisters Lifting As We Climb Network and the League of Women Voters of Greater Pittsburgh, and Casa San José was selected by the public as the organization to receive additional funds. 

In 2024, the Women and Girls Foundation awarded The Coalition for Youth Engagement, I Have The Right To and PERIOD. Each organization received a mini-grant from the Women & Girls Foundation to support their impactful work.  

OTHER INITIATIVES

The Women and Girls Foundation is proud to collaborate with several organizations across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to support initiatives and advocacy efforts related to the intersection of gender and racial equity, climate justice, paid leave, and the gender wage gap. 

Here are some of those initiatives: 

LEVEL UP GREATER PITTSBURGH PAY EQUITY CAMPAIGN: The campaign exists to improve the Greater Pittsburgh region’s economy, strengthen its organizations, and build strength for its families by closing the wage gap that perpetuates the issue of poverty that Black women face in the area. The campaign is powered by the Women and Girls Foundation, the Black Women’s Policy Center, and YWCA Greater Pittsburgh. Learn more at levelup-pa.com.

JUST FILMS PITTSBURGH: A series of social justice films that aims to educate, inspire, challenge, and move viewers to action. It’s sponsored by the Black Women’s Policy Center, Chatham University Art & Design Department and Women’s Institute, MomsWork Powered by NCJW Pittsburgh, the Women and Girls Foundation, the Women’s Law Project, and YWCA Greater Pittsburgh. View the latest lineup of films at justfilmspgh.org.

FAMILY CARE COALITION: The Family Care Coalition advocates for a paid family, medical, and safe leave policy in Pennsylvania that would enable workers to receive compensation when they take extended time off work for qualifying reasons. The Women and Girls Foundation is one of the anchor organizations of the coalition. Learn more and join the coalition at familycareact.com.