Women’s Fund founded at Austin Community Foundation to support nonprofit organizations that benefit women and their children.
During the second half of 2020, Women’s Fund investors participated in a series of workshops aimed at updating the Fund’s grants process and strategy through a racial equity lens.
In partnership with Women’s Fund investors, nonprofit leaders, and community members, we’re proud to present the outcomes of this work as well as the long-term direction of the Fund.
Women’s Fund History
2004
2016
Women’s Fund commits to supporting economic security of women in Central Texas using data and investor input around four impact areas; housing, child care, education, unintended pregnancy prevention.
2017
Status report on women and children in Central Texas released, Women’s Issues Are Community Issues.
2018
Child Care – An Essential Work Support for Women data report released in partnership with Children At Risk.
2020
Revision of the Women’s Fund’s grantmaking strategy using recent data, investor input and community & nonprofit leadership feedback.
The Process
In fall 2020, we leveraged two critical partnerships—Nicholas Jayanty & MEASURE—to help gather input from nonprofit leaders and community members about the current Women’s Fund grantmaking process & strategy.
This is the first time in the Fund’s history that stakeholder and community voice would influence how we deploy resources.
Strategy Evolution
Nicholas Jayanty
Nicholas Jayanty and his team of design researchers met with nonprofit leaders serving Austin’s historically under resourced communities.
They explored the lived experiences of those leaders’ fundraising efforts, including their challenges with the current Women’s Fund grants process.
MEASURE
MEASURE conducted two focus groups (one in English and one in Spanish) with 20 Central Texas women of color. Participants included:
- nonprofit leaders whose organizations have never received funding from the Women’s Fund
- women of color who benefit from services through existing Women’s Fund grant partners
Participants were offered an incentive of $150 to participate in the focus group to provide their insight and share their lived experience.
Workshops
Concurrently, Women’s Fund investors participated in multiple virtual workshops, each themed around one of the Fund’s strategic pillars. Nicholas and his team led our sessions and presented their findings from nonprofit leaders to help guide our conversation.
Special thanks to the subject-matter-experts who joined our calls:
/ Mechelle Dickerson / Dr. Knatokie Ford / Lourdes Rodriguez / Dena Jackson, PhD
By the Numbers
70+
Unique workshop participants
18
Community volunteers
10
Investor workshops
100+
Combined hours
7
Nonprofit partners
5
Empathy sessions & focus groups
"Thank you so much for being nimble, sensitive and inclusive in your work. You embody what is so wonderful about Community Foundations."RUTH H.
WOMEN'S FUND INVESTOR
The Outcome
ACF Leadership synthesized the data, feedback and input from community members and Women’s Fund investors, which resulted in updated strategy statements that will guide our future grantmaking.
While our impact areas remain the same, the revisions highlight key learnings from our focus groups and workshops including more inclusive language and an emphasis on systemic change. Our updated strategy statements reflect the need to build trust in our community and fund culturally competent programs and organizations.
Future grant cycles will challenge the Fund and its investors to actively combat implicit bias and listen to the needs in our community as we work to support economic security for more Central Texas women.