About the series
Ms. Foundation for Women’s Pocket Change series closely observes how organizations by and for women, girls, and gender-expansive people operate and how philanthropic support for them evolves over time. The series describes a chronic state of severe challenges and risks resulting from persistent underfunding. The first report, Pocket Change: How Women and Girls of Color Do More With Less, sought to depict how these organizations accomplish their mission and the support they need in order to thrive. It turned a critical lens on the philanthropic sector, showing how the support has fallen far short of the need. The second report, Living With Pocket Change: What it Means to Do More with Less, dove deeper into the perspectives of women, girls, and gender-expansive leaders working in this space, documenting the cost of chronic disinvestment in a time of mounting threats to democracy, organizational sustainability, and personal well-being.
Introducing the new report
The current report, Beyond Pocket Change: Creating Stability and Strength, checks in on how the landscape shifted as organizations and funders responded to an era that included a global pandemic, a national reckoning with race, and spiraling attacks on gender, reproductive justice, and bodily autonomy. Beyond Pocket Change looks at where the philanthropic sector improved on the past record and points to where we must continue to do better.
This report describes some positive progress since the first Pocket Change was published in 2020. The data shared in this report documents funding trends through 2023. It indicates that the landscape for women, girls, and gender-expansive people of color serving organizations began to improve before dipping in 2023. As the political climate has become increasingly unstable and threatening over the last two years, shifting dramatically in 2025, the philanthropic sector has pulled back from commitments.
Our previous research pC1
Women and girls of color are pivotal frontline leaders and organizers in the powerful social change movements that pave the way for a more equitable and just democracy. Our report, Pocket Change: How Women and Girls of Color Do More With Less, seeks to better understand how they do this work and asks critical questions of philanthropy and donors.
Our previous research pC2
Organizations led by women and nonbinary leaders of color stand at the forefront of the most urgent struggles of our times, resolute in their commitment to constructing a just society where all can thrive. Living with Pocket Change: What It Means to Do More With Less shares that supporting, investing in, and demonstrating genuine care for these leaders is not a mere choice, it is an imperative.
