Foundation for a Just Society

Yesterday, we announced the launch of the Bhoomi Youth Leadership Initiative (BYLI) in partnership with Women’s Fund Asia. ✊Through BYLI, we invest in the leadership of historically oppressed communities in South Asia, particularly Indigenous, Dalit, caste-oppressed, queer, trans, and disabled young people, and ensure the impact of their visionary work reaches a regional and global audience. 🍀 Join us as we embark on a journey to promote peer-to-peer learning—sharing powerful stories and dreams, weaving a tapestry of leadership that celebrates the unique strengths of these historically marginalized communities. ✨ Discover more about our inspiring initiative at www.bhoomileadership.org

🚨 Launch Announcement! 🚨 Together with Women's Fund Asia, we are proud to announce the Bhoomi Youth Leadership Initiative (BYLI). 🌿 BYLI is a capacity-strengthening initiative that seeks to develop and strengthen the leadership skills among young people in South Asia’s most historically oppressed groups, particularly Indigenous, Dalit, caste-oppressed, queer, trans, and disabled young people. ✨ Follow the journey of 11 courageous leaders here: www.bhoomileadership.org

📣TODAY, Global Philanthropy Project launched the #FundOurFutures campaign to secure $150M funding for global LGBTI movements at this crucial time. #FundOurFutures has already secured $100 million in new funding commitments from 25 foundations, corporations, and governments at the first-ever Global LGBTI Funding Summit in Cape Town, South Africa. Join the campaign and learn more here: fundourfutures.org

On October 1st, Phoebe De Padua, SSEA Senior Program Associate, participated in a conversation on language justice at the Simmons Center for Global Chicago. The panel, moderated by Jessyca Dudley, CEO of Bold Ventures, featured co-presenter Lilach Shafir, Director of the Leaders Program at the Obama Foundation. Together with participants, they explored practical strategies for incorporating language justice into organizations. We’re excited to share a beautiful graphic report from the event, capturing the key takeaways visually, including: • Language justice is a journey. Organizations may need to start small, gradually embracing and understanding language justice as a transformative process; • A political commitment is essential, ensuring shared power and recognizing that multilingual movements are vital to global feminist solidarity; and • Practical tools are in high demand, like a living glossary, multilingual meeting guidelines, and spaces to define feminist language in different languages. Check out the graphic report below:

📚 Looking for a weekend read? Check out Global Philanthropy Project’s latest report! Global Philanthropy Project’s third edition of The State of Trans Organizing and The State of Intersex Organizing reports reveals key insights for civil society and philanthropy, highlighting the urgent need to support trans and intersex movements globally. Despite severe challenges and underfunding, these resilient movements continue to organize and champion human rights locally and globally. We are grateful to GPP for their continued efforts to capture data that makes trans and intersex organizing visible to a global audience, and for highlighting the urgent needs of trans and intersex communities as they battle rising anti-gender movements and authoritarianism in every corner of the world. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gjAV53M5

FJS is looking for our new COO! The Chief Operating Officer (COO) will oversee the Finance and Operations team and serve, along with the CEO and Vice President of Programs and Strategy, on FJS’s leadership team. We’re looking for an experienced people leader with a strong commitment to social justice and feminist values who will provide strategic leadership for, and management of FJS’s most integral operational functions. Come work with us! See below for more information on how to apply via Bridge Partners - Executive Search.

At the Central America Donors Forum (@CADF) in Antigua, Guatemala last week, FJS staff member Félix Endara moderated "Redefining History: Latin American Trans Men Speak." The panel explored the rich, feminist history of Latin American trans masculine activism and the power of storytelling in advancing rights and challenging gender norms. Panelists included Alex Castillo, the founder and director of FJS grantee partner Colectivo Trans-Formación, the first collective of trans men in Central America; and Pau González Sánchez, one of the most prominent advocates for equality for the LGBTQI+ community in Panama. Trans men have and always will be a part of feminist movements for change, and we are grateful to the organizers of CADF for providing a critical platform to showcase their work, and to engage funders in a dialogue about resourcing trans masculine movements in Latin America and beyond.  #TransRights #LatinAmerica #Feminism #Storytelling #CADF2024 📷: ITF Program Officer Viviane Vergueiro ----------- La semana pasada en el Foro de Donantes de Centroamérica (CADF) celebrado en Antigua, Guatemala, Félix Endara, miembro del equipo de FJS, moderó el panel «Redefiniendo la historia: Hablan los hombres trans latinoamericanos». El panel exploró las raíces feministas del activismo trans masculino latinoamericano y el poder de las narrativas para desafiar rígidas normas de género. Les panelistas incluyeron a Alex Castillo, fundador y director del Colectivo Trans-Formación, la primera organización de hombres trans de Guatemala y Centroamérica; y Pau González Sánchez, uno de los más destacados defensores de la igualdad para la comunidad LGBTQI+ en Panamá. Estamos agradecides a les organizadores del CADF por prestarnos su plataforma y destacar un movimiento trans masculino que sigue tomando fuerza y busca involucrar a los donantes pidiendo un mayor apoyo para el impacto continuo de este movimiento. 📷: Viviane Vergueiro, Oficial de Programas de la ITF

🌟 International Day of the Girl 2024 : Supporting Girls’ Visions for the Future Girls around the world are not just dreamers—they are waymakers, leading bold initiatives at local, national, and international levels. Our grantee partners like Grantmakers for Girls of Color, Fondo CAMY, and Girls First Fund, are investing in the leadership of women and girls, empowering them to take charge of their communities and futures. Whether advocating for the planet, standing up for democratic principles, or fighting for social justice, girls are leading the way forward. FJS is proud to support those who support women and girls. We believe that when we invest in girls, we’re advancing solutions that address root causes of injustice and building a world where the lived experiences of those who face the greatest oppression—women, girls, and LGBTQI+ people—shape how change happens. By supporting organizations and movements led by these communities, we ensure more just and sustainable solutions to systemic inequality. Let’s continue to uplift, invest in, and follow the trailblazing vision of girls everywhere. #DayOfTheGirl #FeministPhilanthropy

As we head into an election year, the stakes couldn’t be higher for democracy, and we believe that defending democracy doesn’t start or stop at the ballot box. Our grantees are community builders, voter educators, and grassroots organizers, working year-round to advance racial, gender, and economic justice. Groups like ProGeorgia and the Mississippi Black Women's Roundtable are making strides to ensure that historically underrepresented communities have a voice—not just in this election year, but every year. As funders, we understand that supporting civic engagement during election cycles is crucial—but so is supporting the infrastructure that keeps these movements thriving when the cameras are off. The fight for democracy is ongoing, and investing in community power is key to transformative change. Check out this article on the importance of pro-democracy funding by FJS CEO Nicky McIntyre USSE program officer Paulina Helm-Hernández. https://lnkd.in/gEMWM-Jp

🎙️New Podcast Alert 🎙️ Moonshot: Making the Equality Fund "We knew that when properly and sustainably resourced, feminist organizations could transform the world." - Nicky McIntyre, CEO of Foundation for a Just Society Need something to listen to over the weekend? Put "Moonshot: Making the Equality Fund" in the queue. This three part series tells the incredible story of the fund’s creation, and features the changemakers who turned the dream of a $1 billion feminist fund into a reality. We are grateful that FJS CEO Nicky McIntyre was interviewed for the series, along with Joanna Kerr, Mebrat "Mimi" Beyene, Katharine Im-Jenkins, Monica Aleman Cunningham, Beatriz Gonzalez Manchon, Marie-Claude Bibeau, Maryam Monsef, Karina Gould, Keely Tongate, Manisha Mehta and Rajasvini B. 🎧 Listen now to learn more about this innovative funding model and its global impact. https://lnkd.in/ekkWac9C