The Evolution Of The Sister Fund (Continued)

In 2004, The Sister Fund made grantmaking to progressive, faith-based nonprofits our primary priority. We developed programmatic offerings in line with our grant making and began hosting evening dialogues and brown bag lunch discussions on various aspects of the exciting theme that had emerged from our grantmaking: Women Transforming Faith, Faith Transforming Feminism. Hundreds of women (and a cadre of brave men) joined our gatherings. Aware that our society was being challenged and changed, both positively and negatively, by religion’s relationship with women, we developed a Web site dedicated to the exploration of faith and feminism and commissioned a research report on this emerging field of study.

Meanwhile, some of our sister foundations in New York, Western Massachusetts, Colorado, Atlanta and Dallas began making grants to and collaborations with faith-based nonprofits as well. At the same time, an increasing number of our nonreligious grantee partners began working with progressive religious women and girls, intentionally expanding their programs to include this vast population of religious practitioners.

Last year, The Sister Fund, joined by 40 colleagues, activists and grantees participated in a branding exercise to help us find welcoming language for our agenda of faith and feminism. It was clear to all of us that the social justice activism of women of faith is offered in an effort to heal the fragmentation sexism imposes on our society. “This work is healing,” we all agreed, “and those who do it are healers.” Most of our grantees don’t have MD degrees, and some don’t have GEDs; still they are powerfully and obviously healers—one and all. The term “Healing Our Time” emerged, and its acronym, H.O.T., seemed fitting to us. “Women of Faith are H.O.T.,” we said, “They are Healing Our Time!” The language stuck and provided us with a way to reframe the way we view ourselves and those with whom we are privileged to work. To read more about why The Sister Fund believes that women of faith are H.O.T., click here.

Like a butterfly freed from the chrysalis, The Sister Fund has spread its wings and taken to flight again! Our formation has been enabled and strengthened by the partners with whom we have shared space. From our original office space in Harlem, we moved into a newly renovated space with The Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice, where we operated for a full decade. During the last four years, we have shared space with Philanthropy New York, the Foundation Center and the Daphne Foundation. We have also been privileged to provide space and be a cocoon for grantee organizations in their formative stages, including the Third Wave Foundation, the Latina Roundtable for Reproductive Rights, Project People Foundation and Women for Afghan Women.

With a dynamic, visionary founder, a talented and dedicated staff, a second generation of family grantmakers with keen sensibilities and admirable sensitivity, an esteemed board of veteran trustees, and grantee organizations whose leadership humbles and inspires us, greater heights and opportunities to actualize await. We hope you will join us in this evolving journey.