Ms Foundation CEO Teresa Younger Reflects on Unfinished Fight for Equality
As Teresa Younger prepares to step down from her role as CEO of the Ms Foundation in June, she offers a sobering assessment of the pursuit of political equality in the United States. "We are currently not in the best shape," Younger stated frankly, referring to the core mission of the foundation, which is the first national philanthropy run by women and for women.
A Tenure Spanning Tumultuous Times
Younger's leadership has spanned pivotal moments, including the rise of the #MeToo movement, the rollback of national abortion rights, and now the conclusion of her term during Donald Trump's second presidency. Despite these challenges, she remains steadfast in her commitment. "I believe feminism is still alive and well," Younger emphasized in an interview with The Associated Press. "In fact, it has been the one thing that has been the preservation of democracy and our constitutional rights in some way over the past 12 years."
Under her guidance, the Ms Foundation tackled domestic abuse by professional football players, significantly expanded investments in grassroots groups across the South and Midwest, and raised over $100 million for its endowment. A major strategic shift occurred in 2018 when the foundation explicitly centered its advocacy on resources for girls and women of color.
Centering Women and Girls of Color
Younger, a Black and Indigenous woman, highlighted that this change was long overdue and resonated deeply under her leadership. "The institution was explicit in our strategic plan to say that we want to center women and girls of color as a point of inclusion, not exclusion," she explained. "And now we are sitting in a spot where quote-unquote DEI is looked at as bad. And we refuse to accept that."
This strategic pivot led to the 2020 report, "Pocket Change: How Women and Girls of Color Do More with Less," which called on philanthropic funders to overhaul their approaches. The report revealed that charitable foundations granted only about $356 million to women and girls of color in 2017, representing less than 0.05% of total funds granted in 2018.
Addressing Funding Misalignments
Beyond exposing this minimal investment, the report identified significant misalignments between funders and groups led by women of color. Many nonprofits employ multiple strategies, such as providing child care and diapers while advocating for reproductive justice, yet funders often compartmentalize grants by population or issue, limiting support to partial activities.
The report advocates for flexible, long-term funding, alignment with grantee strategies, solicitation of feedback, and support for well-connected intermediaries. This role has long been championed by women's funds and the Ms Foundation, which pioneer innovative funding practices later adopted as best practices by others.
Historical Context and Legacy Gifts
The Ms Foundation, founded in 1973 by Gloria Steinem, Patricia Carbine, Letty Cottin Pogrebin, and Marlo Thomas, was the first national funder to support women's groups and feminist movements. Sunny Fischer, a founder of the Chicago Foundation for Women, noted that early women's funds aimed to serve women differently, focusing on empowerment rather than traditional social service models.
In 2023, the Ms Foundation received a landmark $50 million estate gift from Lucia Woods Lindley, a founder of the Chicago Foundation for Women, marking the largest donation in its history and contributing nearly half of the $106 million raised for its endowment. Younger expressed surprise at the gift's size, noting Woods Lindley's trust in the foundation's thought leadership.
Philanthropic Landscape and Future Outlook
Despite such contributions, the assets controlled by women's funds remain minuscule compared to major foundations and individual philanthropists like Melinda French Gates. Research from the Women’s Philanthropy Institute shows that philanthropic support for women and girls has slowly increased from 1.59% in 2012 to 2.04% in 2023, with a peak of 2.18% in 2022.
Jacqueline Ackerman, director of the institute, observed, "The vast majority of philanthropic dollars are going to the general population and based on need rather than identity," but tracking these trends helps reveal shifts in funding for historically underfunded groups.
Transition and Legacy
The Ms Foundation plans to announce Younger's successor later this spring, while Younger herself has not disclosed her next steps. Reflecting emotionally on her tenure, she expressed love for her work and confidence in the foundation's future under new leadership. "I want to look back and see somebody who’s built on what I’ve been able to do and take it to the next level," she said. "And I will sit back with pride in what they are able to accomplish."
