Organisations tackling inequality for women and girls receive just 2 per cent of all philanthropic giving in the US. 

According to a new report by the Women’s Philanthropy Institute at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, philanthropic support for women and girls was still lower than the growth in overall charitable giving in 2020. 

The university compiles an annual Women & Girls Index that takes stock of giving towards women and girls.  

Findings suggest that reproductive health and family planning organisations received the greatest amount of philanthropic support for women’s and girls’ organisations in 2020, the most up to date year from latest research.  

However, other types of women’s and girls’ organisations experienced changes likely due to the Covid pandemic, such as an increase in contributions to women’s and girls’ human services organisations, and a decrease in contributions to women’s and girls’ sports and recreation.   

Both arts and culture, and girls’ education, received boosts between 2019-2020, which the study says was down to a few large donations. 

“2020 was marked by upheaval across all areas of life, and philanthropy—especially giving to women and girls—was no exception,” said Jeannie Sager, director of the Women’s Philanthropy Institute.  

“This year’s WGI [Women and Gender Index] confirms that while the pandemic catalysed philanthropic action in the US and around the world, giving to women’s and girls’ causes continues to lag other areas of philanthropy. The pandemic erased progress that had been made toward gender equity, and women and girls will need additional resources to continue to make gains,” she added. 

Shafi Musaddique is a news editor at Alliance magazine.