Our Latest Research
Realizing the Potential of an Equitable Economy: Centering Black Women’s Upward Mobility in the Cincinnati Region
Read moreThe Women's Fund
Through leadership, research and policy advocacy, the Women’s Fund works to identify and address employment barriers affecting working women and their families.
Our mission is to ensure the economic self-sufficiency of women in the Greater Cincinnati area and ignite a shared desire to improve it. We focus on child care, employment, living wage, and training and education interventions for women and their families at a systems level.
Our Impact
2019 IMPACT REPORT
The Women’s Fund activated 2019 by empowering all segments of our community to speed the pace of change on gender equity.
Learn MoreWhy Women?
Women are disproportionately affected by poverty, as they tend to hold jobs in low-paying sectors and bear greater responsibility for caregiving in their family. In our region, nearly 18% of women are living in poverty and 69% of the children in poverty reside in a single female-headed household. The Federal Poverty Level is not a true representation of who is struggling financially as families continue to be economically vulnerable until they reach self-sufficiency levels (generally 200%-250% of the Federal Poverty Level) or more. We believe, and research shows, by improving the circumstances for women, the entire community will benefit.
Learn MoreNews & Events
WCPO: Eager to learn about the nation's racial divide and how we got here? New Women's Fund analysis can help
Local 12: Cliff Effect keeps Hamilton County families below...
That’s because she is one of thousands of low-income workers impacted by what’s called the Cliff Effect. The…
Read MoreWCPO: New Women’s Fund advisory council puts power in the...
The Women’s Fund created the new advisory council for exactly that reason, said Executive Director Meghan Cummings. Already…
Read MoreLocal 12: Senator Sherrod Brown introduces “Paid Sick...
United States Senator Sherrod Brown introduced an emergency paid sick days legislation to provide workers in Ohio paid…
Read MoreTomorrowland Townhall | Education & Equality
Meet us in Tomorrowland! In recent decades, greater educational achievement has been hailed as the great economic equalizer….
Register NowSPARK Host/Hostess FAQ Session 1
You pick the space, we’ll bring the SPARK. Women’s Fund SPARK parties, our annual fundraising event, provide spaces…
Register NowAdvocacy & Lobbying Series
Join experts from across the region for an Advocacy & Lobbying Series to help organizations learn to be…
Register Now
Today the Women’s Fund celebrates Juneteenth.
We’ll be spending a half day in service, and the other half in joyful celebration with our community.
Happy Juneteenth!
https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2021/06/16/cincinnatis-juneteenth-block-party-growing-community-support/7619788002/
Don't Forget to Register!
Join us Tuesday, June 22nd at 9:30 a.m. as we facilitate a discussion about the role of education as we imagine tomorrow, with some of our communities leading voices:
Heidi Black (she, her, hers), Director of Collaborative Improvement at StriveTogether, has deep experience with educational policy and works to improve the conditions for children and families. She will share her perspective about how systems thinking can impact outcomes and promote continuous improvement for our communities.
Dr. Fernando Figueroa is the President at Gateway Community & Technical College, and has served students in higher education for over 25 years, from classroom instruction to administration. He will share his perspective on the value of higher education, and how to build strong communities that are informed and passionate about learning.
Sherry Sims is the Founder and CEO of Black Career Women's Network and the Director of Diversity and Inclusion at BrightView. She will share her perspective about nurturing and supporting individuals as they grow professionally.
We’ll connect with break-out groups so you can take part in the discussion!
Register Today: https://www.gcfdn.org/events/tomorrowland-townhall-education-equality/
It’s not too late!
Join experts from across the region for an Advocacy & Lobbying Series to help organizations learn to be better advocates and develop an advocacy agenda. Registration is open to all, but we are expressly looking for organizations who intentionally seek to impact Black women and their experiences in some aspect of their work.
Registration will apply to the entire series, but you are welcome to attend just those sessions most relevant to you. Our next session:
Session 2: Different Governments, Different Approaches
Date: 6/30/21 Time: 12:00pm – 1:00pm
This session will address differences between federal, state and local government: budgets, how they operate and engagement strategies for each.
Did you miss Session 1? Don't worry you can watch it here: https://youtu.be/TM9XV765SYA
Register Today: https://www.gcfdn.org/events/advocacy-lobbying-series/
Join us for a 30-minute webinar on Tuesday, June 15 at 6:00pm to learn more about the state of child care in Ohio's biennial budget, the Senate's damaging language on child care, and how you can join thousands of Ohioans in this urgent call to action to save quality child care. During the webinar, you will receive tools and guidance on how to effectively engage in state budget child care advocacy and how to recruit members of your community to swiftly take action on behalf of Ohio’s youngest learners.
Register here: www.GroundworkOhio.org/events
Children do not have a voice in state policy, but you do – your advocacy is more important now than ever. This event is brought to you by a unified front of child care advocates and professionals including:
Groundwork Ohio, Ohio Association of Child Care Providers, Ohio Association for the Education of Young Children, Ohio Child Care Resource & Referral Association, National Black Child Development Institute-Cleveland, 4C for Children, Corporation for Ohio Appalachian Development, Early Childhood Resource Center, YWCA of Northwest Ohio, Starting Point.
Meet us in Tomorrowland!
Join us Tuesday, June 22nd at 9:30 a.m. as we facilitate a discussion about the role of education as we imagine tomorrow, with some of our community's leading voices:
Heidi Black (she, her, hers) Black, Director of Collaborative Improvement at StriveTogether. She has deep experience with educational policy and works to improve the conditions for children and families. She will share her perspective about how systems thinking can impact outcomes and promote continuous improvement for our communities.
Dr. Fernando Figueroa is the President at Gateway Community & Technical College. He has served students in higher education for over 25 years, from classroom instruction to administration. He will share his perspective on the value of higher education, and how to build strong communities that are informed and passionate about learning.
Sherry Sims is the Founder and CEO of Black Career Women's Network and the Director of Diversity and Inclusion at Brightview. She will share her perspective about nurturing and supporting individuals as they grow professionally.
We’ll connect with break-out groups so you can take part in the discussion!
Register Today: https://www.gcfdn.org/events/tomorrowland-townhall-education-equality/
Join us in Tomorrowland!
In recent decades, greater educational achievement has been hailed as the great economic equalizer. Have we inadvertently limited the power of education by tying its value to economic mobility? At the Women’s Fund, we are designing a community where every woman can participate, prosper and reach their full potential. To do this, education and economic mobility should be complementary not conditional upon each other. We need to reimagine the role that education plays.
You are invited for Tomorrowland Townhall – A virtual Women’s Fund forum where folks can connect and learn from experts about meaningful topics. We’ll shape our Tomorrowland together!
On Tuesday, June 22nd at 9:30 a.m. we will facilitate a discussion about the importance of education as we imagine tomorrow.
Register Today! https://www.gcfdn.org/events/tomorrowland-townhall-education-
YOUR ACTION NEEDED: The Ohio Senate has dealt a devastating blow to Ohio’s child care system and the early childhood education workforce. Contact your legislators and urge them to save Step Up to Quality and lift restrictions on federal funding dedicated to child care: www.GroundworkOhio.org/takeaction
“These are the things we deal with, and these are the struggles that people have,” said Davis, a member of the Women’s Fund Advisory Council formed with the help of the community engagement company Cohear. “And it’s ridiculous that it can be just shoved under the rug or looked at as if this isn’t the case. So I’m really happy to work with the Women’s Fund and know that this research is out there.”
WCPO 9 spoke with Kendra Davis about our latest research release. Read more here: https://www.wcpo.com/news/our-community/this-cincinnati-mom-has-lived-what-new-womens-fund-data-analysis-found-the-economys-not-equal
Don’t forget to register for the first session of our Advocacy & Lobbying series on Wednesday, June, 2nd! Learn the difference between advocacy and lobbying, how to safely advocate and lobby as a 501(c)(3) and fundamental strategies to be a better advocate.
For more information and to sign up, visit: https://www.gcfdn.org/events/advocacy-lobbying-series/
On average, Black households have carried more student loan debt then their white counterparts since 2004.
In 2016, Black households on average had $14,225 in student loan debt compared to $11,108 for white households. According to the Urban Institute’s estimates, 42% of Black households had student loan debt in 2016, compared to 34% of white households. Further, Black graduates with a bachelor’s degree default at five-times the rate of white bachelor’s graduates according to research conducted by the Community College Research Center. Being a student loan borrower does not equate to completing the degree, as according to the National Center for Education Statistics, 39% of people who took out college loans between 2012-2017 did not finish college in that period. And from the same source Black students have lower graduation rates than white students in both two- and four-year degree programs.
Discover more with our latest research release: https://www.gcfdn.org/womensfund/learn/