Many women are not aware of the resources available to them. A number of charities have programs and services directed specifically toward women with the intention of supporting their economic, professional, and social success. Female entrepreneurs can benefit from the work done by these charities with tangible gains like grants or scholarships, or broader impacts like the effects of advocacy and policy change that these charities stir.
Additionally, there are many opportunities for students or aspiring entrepreneurs who come from backgrounds void of economic or professional support. However, this list doesn’t just include charities that can help entrepreneurs. It also includes charities that female entrepreneurs themselves should help. Especially for those who have found some level of success, it is vital to give back and do whatever is possible to help secure a strong financial future for women and their families.
1. Dress for Success
This charity focuses on a small but mighty contributor to the economic success of women: clothing. According to its website, Dress for Success wants to help women achieve economic independence by “providing a network of support, professional attire and the development tools to help women thrive in work and in life.” Through programs like free suitings, clothes donations, and general monetary contributions, the charity has made an impact on more than one million women from over 30 different countries.
2. Women for Women
Women for Women has many different arms of programming to help women who have survived war. Focusing mainly on countries that were/are at war, the charity has helped countless women across the world since it was founded in 1993. A number of Women for Women’s efforts are specifically dedicated to giving women the tools they need to lift themselves and their families out of poverty. The women they work with often have very little formal education, and are taught the fundamentals of earning and saving money. Entrepreneurs can join the solidarity circle, serving as community leaders, to help women support each other.
3. Inspire Women
Inspire Women is a religious charity that since its founding in 2003 has invested millions in grants, scholarships, and general support for women of diverse backgrounds. The mission is to create “a united sisterhood of women who have unlocked their God-given potential, found their spark and use their lives to change the world.” Though the charity is religious in nature, it doesn’t only intend to benefit people within the same denomination. The goal is to help women of all economic levels, denominations, and ethnicities. In addition to the funding opportunities, Inspire Women hosts conferences, monthly programs and leadership seminars, and oversees a Leadership Academy.
4. Women Employed
For 45 years, Women Employed has been working to improve the economic status of women and tear down the barriers to gender economic equality. The charity works to ensure justice in all major issues faced by women, and has been instrumental in pushes to “outlaw pay discrimination, pregnancy discrimination and sexual harassment and to strengthen federal equal opportunitiy policies and work/family benefits.” Therefore, female entrepreneurs have a lot to gain from Women Employed. Specific programs Women Employed holds are its Career Foundations and Bridge programs to form career pathways for young women, as well as student debt-relief efforts.
5. Jewish Women International
This charity supports Jewish women with the goal of empowering women and girls by ensuring physical safety, economic security, and providing inter-generational leadership and inspiration. JWI has many initiatives that female entrepreneurs could find beneficial, namely the classes on financial literacy, the Young Women’s Leadership Network, the Jewish Communal Women’s Leadership Project, and the Annual Leadership Awards/Conference which convenes and celebrates up-and-coming “Women to Watch” in the organization.
6. Ms. Foundation for Women
Aiming for social, economic, and reproductive justice for women, the Ms. Foundation for Women does important work that helps build the framework on which female entrepreneurs can stand. Women can also receive direct help from the charity in the form of grants, which Ms. Foundation for Women hands out to “changing organizations that are successfully addressing pivotal issues of reproductive health; affordable child care with living wage jobs; and fighting gender-based violence…” This charity doesn’t just supply funds, however. There are also opportunities to help strengthen organizations, cultivate leaders, and build momentum. Ms. wants to see women succeed, and currently supports over 100 organizations across the U.S. in pursuit of this goal.
7. Chicago Foundation for Women
The Chicago Foundation for Women believes in investing in the future, and does so by identifying women and girls and supporting them as catalysts to build strong communities. Specifically, the charity will fund — with grants ranging from $15,000 to $150,000 — advocacy or direct service work that aligns with CFW’s key priorities of economic security, freedom from violence, and health. The foundation has awarded around 4,000 grants since it was created in 1985, totaling over $30 million.
8. National Advocates for Pregnant Women
One big obstacle that women in business consistently face is being disadvantaged because of pregnancy. Companies often have poor maternity leave policies, which makes professional success difficult for women who want children. That’s why the work that National Advocates for Pregnant Women (NAPW) does is so important. NAPW will provide legal advocacy for women who have been wronged. The charity also organizes conferences, rallies and protests, open letters, and amicus to show its support for women (and so women can show their support of each other, too). Finally, NAPW has dedicated itself to starting from the bottom and has plans to reform public education so that it no longer puts women at a disadvantage.
9. Women of Tomorrow Mentor & Scholarship Program
Started in Miami in 1997, the Women of Tomorrow Mentor & Scholarship Program aims to empower young women by helping them achieve educational, professional, and personal success. Its website says, “Girls who would have otherwise likely dropped out of high school not only graduate, but pursue higher education at the likes of Yale, Harvard, Duke, Columbia, Howard, University of Miami, St. Thomas, Miami-Dade and Broward College.” The program has already helped over 16,000 girls and supplied nearly $6.5 million in scholarship money — and could serve any low-income, aspiring entrepreneurs in Miami.
10. National Partnership for Women & Families
The National Partnership for Women & Families has played a massive role in enacting policy that ranges from prohibiting pregnancy discrimination to increasing medical leave for families. A key concern of this charity is helping “women and men meet the dual demands of work and family.” This is accomplished predominantly through policy, which does in fact impact the day-to-day life of all working women.