The Fund for Haitian Women
Only 1.9% of charitable gifts are going to organizations dedicated to women and girls. And Black feminist social movements get even less-smaller than 0.5%.
The Fund for Haitian Women is a new entity “in formation”. Currently we are in a strategic planning process which will allow us to hear from our partners, women leaders and those in the philanthropic world. This new “Fund” will allow for a new approach to philanthropy in Haiti, taking into consideration issues of equity, trust, and using a gender empowering lens.
“It’s time for a change in the narrative for women in Haiti that not only respects and appreciates them but also provides recognition for our organizational leaders. We want to also celebrate them for their their commitment and ongoing, tireless efforts. Equitable Access to funds and meaningful partnerships with funders is the key to success.”ACCOMPLISHMENTS
The Chanel Foundation provides 4 years of support to launch a Fund for Haitian Women. Together with MADRE, we begin to plan.
The New York Women’s Foundation provides 2 years of general operating support allowing us to focus on development and our overall infrastructure. HWC is the NYWF’s first international grant to launch a women’s fund.
Attended and presented at the Haiti Development Institute Conference - June 2023
Attended and presented at the Women’s Funding Network Conference - September 2023
We started a strategic planning process by listening and learning to our partners. This process will help with identifying challenges, successes and priorities for our future and the launch of “The Fund.”
We completed the initial round of 1:1 sessions with 15 Haitian women led organizations in our portfolio.
We hired our first Development team member to begin developing our infrastructure and prospecting for key founders that we want to build a partnership with.
Advisors for the development of The Fund
- Igdalia Rojas- MADRE
- Veronica Colon – The Puerto Rican Women’s Fund
- Madeline Holder – The New York Women’s Foundation
- Marielle Sanders, Former UNFPA Representative- Haïti
- Marie Marthe St. Cyr, HWC Advisor
Annual Report 2021 - 2022
Our response to the August 2021 earthquake included a streamlined process to provide cash to our partner organizations all led by women in the impacted areas. Together with others, they were able to support women restarting their small business, providing stipends to teachers, allowing women to feed their families and access their basic needs such as clean water, clothing and household items.
Testimonials from HWC Capacity grant recipients
We are thankful for HWC's capacity grant which has helped to identify, cultivate and strengthen our girls' leadership skills.
Capacity building and capacity development are essential components for a nonprofit’s health and longevity. We were able to provide our board and staff a productive in person retreat where we explored values, organizational development, and our strategic plans.
The HWC capacity grant helped contribute to the teaching supply distributions we did with our partnering schools.