The Women & Girls Index 2024: Measuring Giving to Women’s and Girls’ Organizations

Abstract

The Women & Girls Index (WGI) from the Women's Philanthropy Institute (WPI) is the only comprehensive index that measures charitable giving to organizations dedicated to women and girls in the United States, including the amount of philanthropic support they receive from individuals, foundations and corporations. The 2024 WGI adds 2021 giving data across 54,588 charitable organizations. It provides an analysis on a full decade-long span for the first time, from 2012 to 2021, highlighting both gaps and growth in philanthropic support for women and girls. Also a first, women’s and girls’ organizations surpassed $10 billion in giving as they received $10.2 billion in philanthropic support in 2021. This historic milestone is set against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic’s ongoing disproportionate impact on women, particularly women of color and those in low-wage jobs, and ongoing discussions about the systemic barriers to gender equity. While awareness of gender-focused issues such as pay equity and reproductive rights has grown, overall charitable giving that supports women and girls remains relatively small at 1.9% of total giving. This statistic highlights the continued need for greater philanthropic support across the full spectrum of causes that improve the lives of women and girls.