Our Mission
Global Foundation for Girls is an intermediary, advocate, resource provider, and network for community organizations that work with girls, gender-diverse youth, birthing persons of color and children in crisis worldwide.
Our Model
- Grants Making: We utilize, partner with, and support exceptional community-centered BIPOC-led organizations in order to shift the philanthropic landscape to an ecosystem that contributes more equitably — with the result that girls, gender fluid youth, and birthing persons in target communities gain access to the resources they need.
- Capacity: We support local organizations, providing training, webinars, conventions, and development resources; tools that help organizations sustain their operations while expanding their outreach.
- Market Place: Our network shares information collaboratively — trends, open-source materials, resources, news — within our global marketplace.
- Global Network: We are active thought partners, serving global communities, girls, gender fluid youth, birthing persons, and allied organizations, in order to advance and support the advocacy movement.
- Policy, News and Advocacy: We are a hub for knowledge sharing and updates — a source for the mutual exchange of ideas and information which can influence activism, policy, and advocacy around global issues of child welfare, birthing persons, gender expansive youth and girls of color.
Our Method
Global Foundation for Girls GFG) is a Black Female Youth led intermediary that acts as a modern day Harriet Tubman, redirecting wealth distribution to BIPOC-led community organizations which serve girls, gender-fluid youth, and birthing persons of color. We hold a dual responsibility: to amplify the work of grassroot organizations, and to respond as an advocate, news distributor, resource provider, capacity builder, and network convenor around the core topics of Racial injustice, Gender injustice, Birth injustice & Reproductive Violence, Gender Based Violence and Crisis. Authentically representative of the organizations we serve, and cognizant of the challenges faced, we are ideally situated to provide tangible support that makes for real change in funding, policy, and visibility. GFG hopes to be a thought leader, catalyst, innovator, and partner that fortifies community organizations, and acts to disrupt, reduce, and eliminate the harms experienced in communities of color. We focus specifically on girls, gender-diverse youth and birthing persons and define youth as prenatal to 27 years of age.
Our volunteer, consultant, and leadership teams are composed almost entirely of young adult girls 18-27 years old, gender-fluid persons, & birthing people of color. We represent the demographic we serve, and are therefore best-positioned to understand the needs of our constituents. As an organization led entirely by young activists, Black women/girls, non-binary, gender-fluid and birthing persons fighting for change in their own communities. We were founded because we acknowledged the present day and historical gaps in the philanthropic space led by BIPOC leaders and positioned to respond to grassroot community groups on the ground supporting sustainable efforts for girls, gender-fluid youth and birthing persons.
We practice Anti-Oppressive, Trust Based and Grantee-Led Philanthropy centering the voices and needs of our networks on the ground. Our work with diverse communities starts with connection (to us and to each other), network building, needs alignment and customized support. Organizations within our network receive training, capacity building, resource development and amplification of their work, needs and message to a greater audience.
Our Logic Model
OUTPUT
ACTIVITIES
- Ongoing capacity training
- Resource kit including toolkits, articles, white papers, policy, organizing and advocacy work, training, conventions, and capacity building
- Virtual assistance
- Local updates
- Grants
- Campaign events complete with virtual content and calls to action
- Global networking
- Grantee highlights promoting local updates and development sharing
PARTICIPATION
- Five pilot countries over the last decade, all part of our global network
- Prioritization of B2B relationships for local organizations
OUTCOME
SHORT TERM
- Scale in six countries
- Increase awareness of the abuse of Black and brown girls and gender-diverse youth
- Virtual events, including campaigns, town halls, petitions, and more
- Advocate for policy amendments
- Establish international networks, models, and training for current services
MID TERM
- Convention attendance and task forces
- Decrease abuse of gender-diverse youth and Black and brown girls nationally and internationally
- Policy development and support for children (CRC, Maternal Care Act, CEDAW)
- Grantmaking in five countries for gender-diverse youth and girls of color and the rapid response emergency fund
- Increase awareness of policies, culture, and religious rituals that encourage the abuse of gender-diverse youth and brown girls
MID TERM
- Established and well-funded organizations advancing children’s rights, decreasing GBV against gender-diverse youth and girls of color, highlighting specific needs of children, and aiding them in times of crisis
ASSUMPTIONS
The international community often rejects foreign support or guidance as it may impede local projects.
EXTERNAL FACTORS
Shifts in movement focus or trends/patterns related to children. Philanthropic or grantmaking changes.
Our Theory of Change
With a mission to support smaller BIPOC-led grassroots and start-up organizations that serve communities of color, we envision the creation of a more just world for girls, gender-diverse youth and birthing persons of color. Our theory of change for is focused on four main areas:
STAFFING
Professional development to fortify organizations; building capacity to effectively respond to the needs of girls, gender-diverse youth, and birthing persons of color.
EDUCATION
Shared knowledge and strategies to raise awareness; expanding understanding of the ever-changing needs of girls, gender- diverse youth, and birthing persons of color.
ADVOCACY
Engagement and communications to deepen investment; bolster activism and drive policy shifts targeted to meet those needs.
CONNECTION
Partnerships and collaboration to increase impact; growing a network of shared resources and support that fosters momentum for the movement.
Our Vision
GFG hopes to be a catalyst for change. We will support local youth and community organizers to reduce and eliminate threats to children and fight for birth justice. Our mission as a thought-leader on youth crisis support is to protect gender-diverse youth and girls of color; we will advocate, organize, scale our capacity, and advance the movement for them.
Our Values
- Authenticity: We are bold, unapologetic, and explicit in our messaging and action.
- Accountability: Our mission and its execution is grounded in the aspirations, dreams, and demands of girls of color and gender-diverse youth, as directly articulated by our constituency.
- Urgency and Efficiency: We are goal-oriented, disciplined, and focused on achieving measurable change for gender-diverse youth and girls of color. We advance our agenda with speed and expedience.
- Inclusivity: We are a place of belonging, collaboration, and collective learning.
- Transformation: We seek to break molds, redefine, or transform structures, systems, and mindsets.
- Freedom & Creativity: We are nontraditional in our approach, unafraid and excited by the new and the soon-to-be possible.
- Love: We transform through the exercised power of love and healing. We center the well-being of ourselves, our colleagues, and our partners in our mission, creating safe spaces for healing, growth, and evolution.
Our values include the following, adapted from those of the Grantmakers for Girls of Color:
- Service – we provide high-quality services and respect to our donor partners and grantees;
- Transparency – We gladly share information about our approach, services, cost, and knowledge base;
- Anti-Racist – Our internal and external work seeks to acknowledge and dismantle white supremacist values and culture. We embrace racial and gender justice and affirm the diversity of lived experiences in the community we fight for.
Our Impact
Our global impact spans eight countries, with grantees representing a wide range of diverse community-based organizations. Our grantees are always local and uniquely situated to make real change for girls, gender-diverse youth, and families of color. Our support, resources, and funds bolster their capacity to do this incredible work. Our grantees help create a global community focused on gender-diverse youth and girls of color, support the movement for girls, families, and children in crisis.
Our Countries
Our current funds and projects serve BIPOC led organizations and charities for gender-diverse youth and girls of color worldwide. We currently have connections in eight countries: Brazil, Bali/Indonesia, Haiti, Uganda, Dominican Republic, South Africa, Trinidad, and the United States and we continue to do extensive work locally and abroad.
Our grantees serve Black and brown girls (trans or cis) and gender-diverse youth survivors of sexual violence, retributive (corrective) violence, assault, obstetric violence, birth injustice, discrimination, or disenfranchisement due to their gender, race, sexual orientation, gender expression, faith, ability, or other identity markers. This demographic likely includes youth from low-income neighborhoods and varying language skills and immigration statuses.