Seventeen years after its founding campaign, Women Moving Millions has grown to become the largest philanthropic community dedicated to cultivating women’s bold, collaborative leadership and stands as a dynamic and influential force in shaping the landscape of gender-lens philanthropy.
Through our Measurement, Evaluation, and Learning program, we have clear, evidence-based insights into how WMM drives transformative, gender-equitable change—and how our members are shifting norms, practices, and outcomes in the philanthropic ecosystem.
We are excited to share our 2023 inaugural report, Catalyzing Change: Powering the Movement through Community & Collaboration, a compilation of our learnings and insights from our community. We are pleased that the results of this survey not only confirmed the validity of our theory of change but also provided us with a deeper understanding of how our work influences members’ personal growth, philanthropic leadership, advocacy, and grantmaking.
In this recent study, the WMM community reported collectively giving nearly $160 million to women and girls, with total giving reaching $252M. WMM members give more than their peers and do so with greater speed, collaboration, and confidence. Remarkably, nearly all the members who reported completing their $1M membership commitment did so in less time than initially anticipated and went far beyond their initial investment—with a median pledge of $3M and extending up to $40M.
The ripple effect of this work has been significant. WMM members frequently serve as “first in” investors, seeding new and innovative organizations and initiatives advancing women’s and girls’ rights globally. Their investments span a wide spectrum: investing in new women and gender equity funds, crucial women’s health interventions and systems, policy change efforts, women’s representation in the media, film and the arts, pioneering efforts to combat gender-based violence, and more. It is a legacy to be proud of—it’s just the beginning of what’s possible.
This annual survey and report is the beginning of our work to build a body of knowledge, insights, and best practices to improve our core community-building work, expand our influence on the philanthropy sector, and further our mission to catalyze greater resources for a gender equal world. Additionally, we hope these learnings will shed light on the transformative power of women’s philanthropy to drive more equitable change and offer a better path forward.
Our 2024 survey will be released in the fall of 2025.
