Organizations around the world are working to uplift women through programs that empower them. Whether these organizations tackle pay inequality, sexual and domestic violence, or women's health, they all have one goal in mind: to make life better for women and girls all over the world. We've compiled a list of 10 organizations working toward this noble goal.
In 2024, the UN has called on all of us to rally behind the call to invest in women to accelerate gender equality. One of the biggest obstacles to realizing SDG 5 – achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls – is a staggering lack of funding. In this article, we highlight ten charities working toward women’s rights and empowerment. Keep reading to find out about these organizations, their programs, and initiatives, and how you can help them make a difference.
With women and girls making up almost half the global population; the time to support organizations driven to empower women is now. Whether it comes to income inequality, sexual harassment, discriminatory practices, reproductive rights, or sex trafficking, women face numerous adversities. Thankfully, many incredible organizations are working to address them.
Note: The following nonprofits are in no particular order and are only some of the many organizations working for women’s rights and empowerment.
Mission: To empower young women of color between the ages of 7-17 to embrace the current tech marketplace as builders and creators by introducing them to skills in computer programming and technology.
Black Girls Code (BGC) is an organization that addresses the lack of black women in the tech field. Their goal to train one million girls by 2040 is ambitious, but they are already well on their way. This organization has chapters in 14 cities across the country and South Africa. They provide one-day workshops, enrichment activities, summer camps, and code clubs that cover 5 different domains:
Individuals can donate online to support BGC’s STEM programs for girls from disenfranchised communities, including workshops, summer camp sessions, and enrichment activities. Anyone can also sponsor a girl and pay their workshop costs. The organization also offers partnership opportunities for businesses and foundations.
Here’s a glimpse into their donation page hosted by Donorbox.
Mission: We are a network of Jewish women working together to empower women and communities through the bonds of sisterhood, spirituality, and social justice.
Women of Reform Judaism (WRJ) is an organization of Jewish women that empowers, inspires, and mobilizes collective action. WRJ is a national nonprofit and has affiliated groups working together in all areas of the United States.
The core of the organization is its Sisterhoods. These are a group of active and engaged women who belong to a Jewish congregation and work towards a common cause. Sisterhoods are based in the US, Israel, and throughout the world.
Donors can give to several different funds. These funds range from support for Ukraine and social justice to Sisterhood membership fees and Chai Society contributions. They also have a YES fund that finances youth and education programs.
Mission: By identifying and tackling the barriers to elected leadership, She Should Run convinces women from all political leanings, ethnicities, sexual identities, and backgrounds to see themselves as future candidates.
She Should Run’s entire focus is on getting more women to run for office. So far, they pride themselves on the number of women who’ve attended their events and explored the opportunity to run.
She Should Run encourages supporters to participate in one of the two primary areas:
The nonprofit has embedded the Donorbox donation form on its website donation page to accept online donations.
Mission: Our mission is to end human trafficking by creating pathways to safe employment, and empowering women and girls to break cycles of exploitation in their families and communities.
Nomi Network is dedicated to creating pathways to safe and sustainable employment for women and girls. By creating opportunities for survivors of human trafficking and women at risk for human trafficking Nomi Network’s goals aid in the prevention of human trafficking and help to break the generational cycles of exploitation.
See Her Thrive is just one of their programs focused on providing a woman or girl with the technical training and job placement support needed to obtain gainful employment and disrupt the cycles of poverty that keep her vulnerable to trafficking.
Take a look at how they’re using gift matching and recurring donations to maximize their support.
Mission: Our mission is to resource the resilience of women and non-binary human rights defenders by strengthening and sustaining webs of security and care. Our strategies are multi-faceted and linked to a transformative agenda of achieving social justice, building a solidarity economy, and re-imagining cultures, including the culture of giving in Asia and the Pacific.
Urgent Action Fund, Asia and Pacific, as part of women’s rights movements worldwide, supports women’s rights activists striving to create cultures of justice, equality, and peace. They provide Rapid Response Grants to women and transgender human rights defenders that enable strategic interventions.
Urgent Action Fund is an independent fund that is deeply integrated within local networks in the regions they work in.
Beyond their funding programs, their distinctive approach to achieving their mission is innovative. In addition to rapid response grants and holistic support to safety and well-being, UAF also disrupts traditional philanthropy by responding to the needs of activists and organizations in real-time and sharing that knowledge with their community.
Since August 2021, UAF A&P has supported over 1000 women and non-binary defenders in crises following the political takeover by the Taliban government.
As a feminist rapid response fund, they have raised and redistributed over $1.99mn to Afghanistan to support the survival and relocation needs of women and non-binary human rights defenders who faced several threats and risks due to their work.
Their donation form is a great tool that not only leverages donations in multiple currencies, and recurring donations but also tells the story of their impact in a clear and inspiring way.
Mission: Gender equality is an important catalyst for social justice and the restructuring of human rights for all, and it remains the prime focus of all our initiatives. Our organization is driven by a plan of self-sustenance and productivity. From strategic planning to fundraising to watching over the business of the Women Like Us Foundation, we are working to make sure our efforts continue for years to come.
The Women Like Us Foundation is a cause-based global nonprofit organization changing the world by empowering women and girls through education and economic development.
Their flagship project, the Women Like Us Center in Nakuru, Kenya transforms women’s lives through education, counseling, and teaching micro-enterprise skills focused on sewing, vocational training, health, farming, and poultry projects.
In addition to the skills development work they do, the Women Like Us Foundation also provides counseling for victims and their families affected by violence and abuse. This work is done through individual and group therapy, and confidence and character-building workshops. The counseling programs have benefited 700 women and their families.
The Women Like Us Foundation has a dynamic donation form that strongly highlights the impact of each donation received. Supporters can sponsor a woman because as their slogan says, When She Can Learn, She Can Earn.
Mission: From woman-controlled HIV protection to therapies that could prevent the recurrence of ovarian cancer, we are helping to solve real-world problems and impacting women’s lives.
Until 1992, there wasn’t a research institute dedicated to women’s health. Magee-Women’s Research Institute and Foundation has changed that reality and fights for more clinical trials and research devoted to women’s health and reproductive biology. This organization focuses on several areas of women’s general and reproductive health.
The organization also focuses on other areas of women’s wellness, including domestic violence, addiction, and mental health issues.
Donors can support the organization by funding several projects including Breast cancer research and education fund, Gynecological cancer research and education fund, Maternal-Fetal Medicine/Neonatology Research and Education Fund, UPMC Magee Center for Reproduction and Transplantation, and more.
The below screenshot is from the organization’s website donation page that leverages Donorbox’s recurring donation form.
Mission: The mission of the Women’s Cancer Research Foundation (WCRF) is to improve the cure rates and quality of life for women with gynecologic and breast cancers and other complicated gynecologic conditions.
Since 1985, the physicians and researchers at the Women’s Cancer Research Foundation (WCRF) have been at the forefront of pioneering clinical research, aimed at enhancing cure rates among women diagnosed with breast, ovarian, uterine, and cervical cancers. WCRF actively engages in designing, conducting, and disseminating groundbreaking research focused on cutting-edge medical treatments.
The foundation also serves as a vital hub for both foundational and applied research and education on the latest advancements in the treatment of breast and gynecologic cancers.
In addition to conducting and publishing original research, the WCRF provides valuable clinical information to physicians and patients alike.
When supporters donate to WCRF, they can be certain that 90% of their generous contribution is going toward lifesaving research. Donors are also encouraged to stipulate whether their funds should go to research, or other expenses, such as building construction.
Mission: Sport is one of the most powerful platforms for promoting gender equality and empowering girls and women. We’re focused on two vital areas to help women and girls thrive through sport:
While progress has been made, the opportunity gap persists.
Through a first-of-its-kind grant program, the SimiSleighs Foundation helps to level the playing field for female Olympic and Paralympic athletes and hopefuls by providing funding and connecting athletes with crucial resources. The grant program increases available funding to female athletes with financial need.
Additionally, the foundation provides the tools and training adolescent girls need to reach their full potential. This is achieved through an engaging, educational, and fun sport-based curriculum focused on building core leadership principles, confidence, and courage. Their impact is scaled through mentorship, partnerships with grassroots organizations, in-person and virtual events programming, and long-term community impact projects.
While their donation form stands out with strong visuals and options for recurring donations, what truly makes it stand out is the seamless way the foundation has integrated peer-to-peer fundraising on its donation page.
Mission: A world where women are empowered to have freedom of choice, economic independence, and dignity. A world where every child is educated. A world that is sustainable so our children don’t swim in plastic.
S.H.I.N.E works to uplift marginalized and underprivileged girls & women out of poverty to bring back dignity and hope in their lives.
In the United States, for the most part, menstruation can be an inconvenience, but it is not life-altering. However, in rural villages and impoverished urban areas in India, the situation is vastly different. S.H.I.N.E’s “Pen & Pads” initiative uplifts disadvantaged girls and women out of period poverty, reinstates dignity and empowers them through education and employment initiatives.
S.H.I.N.E was started in early 2020 by a group of girls from Robbinsville High School who are highly motivated social enthusiasts.
Supporters can choose from 6 different causes when donating to S.H.I.N.E. Their donation form is filled with useful information not only about their mission but why it is important and the impact donations can have on the young women they support.
Women around the world face sexual, economic, and health discrimination in several ways. These nonprofits are only a few of the organizations around the globe fighting against such practices.
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Kristine Ensor is a freelance writer with over a decade of experience working with local and international nonprofits. As a nonprofit professional she has specialized in fundraising, marketing, event planning, volunteer management, and board development.
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Kristine Ensor