Foundations & Philanthropic Partners
Strategies, tools, and innovative approaches that expand programmatic reach and strengthen philanthropic effectiveness
Philanthropic organizations are under growing pressure to ensure their investments deliver real, lasting change, in a moment where resources can feel scarce. Those investing in gender equality outcomes directly often lack time and expertise to translate that commitment into achievable strategies, program design, and measurable outcomes.
But a gender lens matters just as much in initiatives where equality isn't the explicit goal: failing to account for gender differences risks missing entire populations and undermining results in every sector. Taking gender differences into consideration in what gets designed and how it is implemented is often the difference between programs that reach their targets and ones that don't. Without deep gender expertise embedded throughout the grantmaking cycle and strategic goal setting, even well-resourced initiatives can fall short of their potential.
What We Do
We partner with foundations, philanthropic advisors and broader philanthropy networks to embed gender equality at every stage of their work so that every dollar invested goes further.
Research & Evidence
Identify strategic funding gaps and the barriers most worth addressing in a specific sector
Surface evidence on what interventions actually move the needle on gender equality
Advise on gender-integrated research, data collection, and issue-specific briefs
Develop landscape reviews, issue-specific briefs, and case studies
Advisory & Capacity Building
Hands-on support at every stage of the grantmaking cycle — from RFP design to grantee selection, project design and implementation, and measurement and learning
Support grantees to develop gender action plans and strategies to mitigate unintended harm
Advise on grant design to identify where gender barriers may affect reach, uptake, or outcomes; and, offer solutions on how to address them
Custom trainings, workshops, and 1:1 coaching for staff and partners as well as gender-integrated convenings
Strategy Development
Apply a gender equality lens to the design or refresh of new and existing strategies
Identify the highest-leverage, cross-cutting strategic plays with potential to optimize impact
Develop learning agendas to guide future direction and growth
Inclusive Leadership
Identify how and where to fund programs that meaningfully advance women's leadership and inclusive leadership
Advise on what support is needed — and who to fund — to drive lasting change
Examine how gender shapes your institution’s own culture, governance, and decision-making and build capacity to ensure the values you fund externally are reflected internally
Impact Storytelling & MEL
Design or advise on monitoring, evaluation, and learning frameworks that capture meaningful change, including on complex topics such as agency and empowerment
Translate evidence into compelling narratives that demonstrate sectoral impact to partners and the public.
Support M&E approaches and implementation to ensure grants are designed to capture key insights
Analysis to understand impact across multiple grants or entire portfolios
© Gates Foundation 2024