Foundations & Philanthropic Partners

Strategies, tools, and innovative approaches that expand programmatic reach and strengthen philanthropic effectiveness.

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✦ The Challenge

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.

✦ How We Help

We partner with foundations and philanthropic funders to embed gender equality into every stage of the grantmaking cycle.

We help funders build gender equality into strategy, grant design, and evaluation - not as a separate workstream, but as a lens that strengthens results across every portfolio, including those without an explicit gender focus.

From surfacing the evidence that shapes smarter investments to building the internal capacity and measurement systems to track what's working, we act as an embedded partner throughout the grantmaking cycle, so ambition translates into outcomes funders can point to.

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✦ Our Services

Our work with foundations and philanthropic partners spans five integrated service areas:

  • A magnifying glass examining a line graph with an upward trend, inside a circle representing Research & Evidence

    Research & Evidence

    Surface gaps and what actually moves the needle on gender equality.

  • Simplified icon of a person giving a thumbs-up with a checkmark representing Advisory & Capacity Building

    Advisory & Capacity Building

    Hands-on support at every stage of the grantmaking cycle.

  • Icon of three people connected by lines, representing teamwork or collaboration representing Inclusive Leadership

    Inclusive Leadership

    Advance women’s leadership and examine your institution’s own culture.

  • A bar chart on a presentation board with three vertical bars of varying heights representing Impact Storytelling & MLE

    Impact Storytelling & MLE

    Design M&E frameworks that capture complex changes such as agency and empowerment, and translate evidence into compelling narratives.

  • Two interlocking gear icons, one darker and one lighter, representing machinery or settings representing Strategy Development

    Strategy Development

    Apply a gender equality lens to new and existing strategies.

✦ Our Work

Evidence, stories, and insights from our work around the world.

Let’s make an impact together.

Contact us to learn how we can improve your team’s results and move the needle on gender equality.

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