The Women & Girls Index: Measuring Giving to Women's and Girls' Causes

Abstract

Partially due to the absence of a technical definition of giving to women and girls—such as a formal subsector classification—this area of philanthropy has not been rigorously studied. Therefore, it has not been possible to answer these questions, let alone determine whether giving to women and girls is growing. To fill this gap in knowledge, the Women’s Philanthropy Institute developed the Women & Girls Index (WGI)—the first systematically generated, comprehensive index of charitable organizations dedicated to women and girls in the United States. This report introduces the WGI and uses this tool to provide those who study and practice philanthropy with a clearer picture of the characteristics of women’s and girls’ organizations and patterns of giving to this population. This picture reveals that while gender issues may be receiving increased public attention, charitable giving to women’s and girls’ causes does not necessarily reflect these societal conversations.