New York Women’s Foundation
The New York Women's Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity founded in 1987 that mobilizes philanthropic capital for women, girls, and gender-expansive people across New York City and beyond, deploying multi-year unrestricted grants, pooled collaborative funds, and Program-Related Investments to more than 500 community-based partner organizations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1987
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What New York Women’s Foundation does
The New York Women's Foundation (NYWF), founded in 1987 by Gloria W. Milliken, Helen LaKelly Hunt, Joan Melber Warburg, Alice Cardona, Betty Terrell-Cruz, and others, is a 501(c)(3) public charity headquartered at 39 Broadway in Lower Manhattan. The Foundation operates as a participatory, trust-based philanthropic platform that mobilizes donated capital from individuals, corporations, and institutional foundations and channels it through multi-year unrestricted grants, pooled collaboratives, and Program-Related Investments to women-led, gender-expansive, and community-based organizations across New York City's five boroughs and, increasingly, nationally. Since founding, NYWF has invested over $133 million in more than 500 organizations, awarding over $8 million to 138 community partners in 2025 alone and reaching 131,000 people that year, with 50% of 2025 partners reporting policy breakthroughs such as the Good Cause Eviction Law, How Many Stops Act, Clean Slate Act, and Fair Chance for Housing Act.
NYWF's core product set spans four interconnected lines: (1) Grantmaking — participatory, multi-year unrestricted funding guided by a volunteer Grants Advisory Committee, with streams including seed funding for emerging causes and place-based accelerators such as the Brooklyn Economic Justice Project (2020) and Bronx Economic Power Project; (2) Philanthropic Advisements — personalized donor strategy, donor-advised fund setup, and impact-investing guidance for individual philanthropists; (3) Collaborations — managed pooled funds including the NYC Fund for Girls and Young Women of Color (over $22M to 80+ organizations), The Justice Initiative, and the National Philanthropic Collaborative of Young Women's Initiatives (now 19 member foundations); and (4) Impact Investing via Program-Related Investment funds. Supporting infrastructure includes the Emerging Leaders Network for young professionals, the Polly W. Guth Legacy Circle for planned giving, signature annual events (Celebrating Women Breakfast and Neighborhood Dinners), and a SpreadShop merchandise storefront.
NYWF has no technology products or AI capabilities; its go-to-market relies on relationship-driven fundraising, annual flagship events, and convening power. Revenue derives entirely from charitable contributions (one-time, monthly sustainer, stock, crypto, legacy, donor-advised), corporate sponsorships, management fees on collaborative funds, and impact-investing activity. The Foundation maintains a small staff of approximately 18-25 led by a President & CEO (Ana L. Oliveira, who announced her retirement in March 2026 after 20 years), with a board of roughly 25 members, and holds Charity Navigator 4-Star and GuideStar Platinum designations. Its largest institutional and corporate partners include Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan Chase Foundation, Ford Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Goldman Sachs, Open Society Foundations, Bank of America, Pivotal Ventures, Fondation CHANEL, MetLife Foundation, and Surdna Foundation.
New York Women’s Foundation firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- New York Women’s Foundation
- Legal name
- The New York Women's Foundation
- Website
- https://nywf.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1987
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The New York Women's Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity founded in 1987 that mobilizes philanthropic capital for women, girls, and gender-expansive people across New York City and beyond, deploying multi-year unrestricted grants, pooled collaborative funds, and Program-Related Investments to more than 500 community-based partner organizations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
New York Women’s Foundation industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Philanthropic Grantmaking / Women's Foundation
- NAICS
- Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Civic and Social Organizations (8134)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN), Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment (BPAGABAF)
Keywords
Where New York Women’s Foundation is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
New York Women’s Foundation business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Donor Contributions: As a public community foundation, NYWF raises every dollar it invests through donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations. They offer various giving mechanisms including one-time donations, monthly sustainer programs, stock donations, wire transfers, cryptocurrency, legacy giving, and donor-advised funds.
- Collaborative Funds Management: The Foundation manages collaborative funds that bring together multiple funders to respond to community needs, charging management fees or serving as a fiscal sponsor for pooled philanthropy initiatives.
- Philanthropic Advisement Services: Provides personalized philanthropic strategies and advisement for donors who wish to make a lasting impact, including setting up donor-advised funds, impact investing guidance, and finding the right non-profits to support.
- Impact Investing / Program-Related Investments: Through Program-related investment (PRI) funds, NYWF makes mission-driven investments that generate below-market-rate returns for community partners, attracting socially conscious investors while supporting larger projects.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
New York Women’s Foundation product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The New York Women's Foundation is a public community foundation that raises charitable donations and re-grants them to women-led, gender-expansive, and community-based organizations through trust-based, participatory grantmaking. It also provides personalized philanthropic advisement to donors, manages pooled collaborative funds and program-related impact investments, and supports a national network of women's foundations advancing gender, racial, and economic justice.
Product overview
The New York Women's Foundation operates as a philanthropic organization offering a portfolio of interconnected programs centered on trust-based, participatory grantmaking for gender, racial, and economic justice. The core offerings include Grantmaking (providing multi-year unrestricted funding to emerging women-led organizations), Philanthropic Advisements (personalized donor strategy services), and Collaborations (managing pooled-funding initiatives such as the Justice Initiative and the NYC Fund for Girls and Young Women). Supporting programs include Impact Investing through Program-Related Investments, the Emerging Leaders Network volunteer initiative, and the Grants Advisory Committee volunteer grantmaking process. Signature events include the annual Celebrating Women Breakfast and Neighborhood Dinner series. Legacy giving is facilitated through the Polly W. Guth Legacy Circle. A branded merchandise store operates via third-party e-commerce platform SpreadShop.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Impact Investing: Program-related investment (PRI) funds for community partners
- Collaborative Funds
- Emerging Leaders Network (ELN)
- Polly W. Guth Legacy Circle
Products and services
- Grantmaking
- Philanthropic Advisements
- Collaborations
- Impact Investing (Program-Related Investments)
- Collaborative Funds
- Polly W. Guth Legacy Circle
Quantifiable outcome
- Over $133 million invested since 1987
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use New York Women’s Foundation
Customer profileNamed customers11 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
New York Women’s Foundation technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
New York Women’s Foundation partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Phillips OppenheimcoreExecutive search firm engaged by the Board to lead the search for Ana L. Oliveira's successor as President and CEO.
- Me Too Movement / Fund for Me Too Movement and AlliescoreEarly and sustained investment in the Me Too Movement when it was just an idea by founder Tarana Burke. NYWF played a crucial role in helping this now international movement take root, funding survivor-led programs and organizations across the U.S.
- Grantmakers United for Trans Communities (GUTC)coreNYWF is one of the top ten funders of U.S. trans communities and an inaugural GUTC Pledge signatory. Committed to professional development for supporting trans communities, improving recruitment/retention of trans staff and board members, and increasing grants for trans-led organizations.
- Presidents' Council of the Disability & Philanthropy ForumcoreCouncil of 16 foundations working together to advance disability inclusion. NYWF's President and CEO joins other foundation executives to champion inclusion in their institutions and across philanthropy.
- Brooklyn Economic Justice Project (BEJP)corePlace-based accelerator launched in 2020 to advance economic justice and resist gentrification in Brooklyn. Invests in local leaders with multi-year funding, capacity building, and facilitated community of practice.
- Bronx Economic Power Project (BxEPP)corePlace-based initiative in the Bronx focused on climate justice, workers' rights, and economic empowerment for women and gender-expansive people of color using a solidarity economy framework.
- National Philanthropic Collaborative of Young Women's InitiativescoreNational initiative with nine (now 19) leading women's foundations working toward safety, health, and economic prosperity of young women, particularly young women of color. Created in 2014 in partnership with Michelle Obama and the White House Council on Women and Girls.
- NYC Fund for Girls and Young Women of ColorcoreFirst of its kind in the U.S., investing in economic and social challenges faced by girls, young women, and gender-expansive youth. Has granted over $22 million to more than 80 community partner organizations.
- The Justice Initiative and Collaborative FundcorePioneering philanthropic mobilization effort to end mass incarceration with the lens of gender and racial equality.
- Women's Funding NetworkcoreNetwork of women's foundations including NYWF working collectively to advance gender justice through philanthropy.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
New York Women’s Foundation competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Black Feminist Fund: Emerging pooled fund specifically resourcing Black feminist movements globally. Comparable in trust-based grantmaking to women of color-led organizations, but newer and more narrowly focused.
Direct peers
- Foundation for a Just Society: Private foundation funding movements for gender, racial, and economic justice internationally. Comparable as a fellow progressive grantmaking foundation with multi-year unrestricted grant philosophy.
- Women's Funding Network: Network of women's foundations worldwide of which NYWF is a member. Comparable as a peer organization within the same women's funding ecosystem, supporting field-building and shared infrastructure.
- Global Fund for Women: International women's fund supporting feminist movements through grantmaking. Comparable in participatory grantmaking model and gender/racial justice focus, though with a global rather than NYC-specific footprint.
- Ms. Foundation for Women: One of the oldest U.S. women's foundations, also focused on gender, racial, and economic justice through grantmaking. Highly comparable in mission, participatory grantmaking approach, and constituency served.
- Chicago Foundation for Women: Regional women's foundation providing participatory grantmaking across the Chicago area. Highly comparable in mission, model, and constituency, though serving a different metro region.
- Women's Foundation of Colorado: Statewide women's foundation providing grantmaking and advocacy for economic security. Comparable in gender-focused grantmaking model, though anchored in Colorado rather than NYC.
Broad incumbents
- Ford Foundation: Major global foundation with substantial gender, racial, and economic justice grantmaking programs — and a current NYWF institutional funder. Comparable mission, but vastly larger scale and global footprint.
- NoVo Foundation: Large private foundation with significant gender justice and girls of color funding portfolios. Comparable in mission focus on gender equity, though operating at substantially larger scale and asset base.
- Open Society Foundations: Large global foundation supporting justice, equity, and human rights — also a current NYWF funder. Overlapping mission areas (mass incarceration reform, gender justice) but operates at materially greater scale.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
New York Women’s Foundation social profiles
Digital presenceNew York Women’s Foundation financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
New York Women’s Foundation leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles16 records
New York Women’s Foundation funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors2 records
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New York Women’s Foundation M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about New York Women’s Foundation
What does New York Women’s Foundation do?
The New York Women's Foundation is a public community foundation that raises charitable donations and re-grants them to women-led, gender-expansive, and community-based organizations through trust-based, participatory grantmaking. It also provides personalized philanthropic advisement to donors, manages pooled collaborative funds and program-related impact investments, and supports a national network of women's foundations advancing gender, racial, and economic justice.
Is New York Women’s Foundation a public or private company?
New York Women’s Foundation is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was New York Women’s Foundation founded?
New York Women’s Foundation was founded in 1987. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is New York Women’s Foundation based?
New York Women’s Foundation is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does New York Women’s Foundation make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Donor Contributions are the primary driver. The others are collaborative Funds Management, philanthropic Advisement Services and impact Investing / Program-Related Investments.
Who are New York Women’s Foundation's main competitors?
Black Feminist Fund is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are Foundation for a Just Society, Women's Funding Network, Global Fund for Women, Ms. Foundation for Women, Chicago Foundation for Women and Women's Foundation of Colorado. Broad incumbents are Ford Foundation, NoVo Foundation and Open Society Foundations.
Does New York Women’s Foundation have an API?
No public API is recorded for New York Women’s Foundation.
What industry is New York Women’s Foundation in?
New York Women’s Foundation's product category is Philanthropic Grantmaking / Women's Foundation. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAKAE, Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries, with a secondary code of BPAGAKAN, Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations. Its NAICS code is 813211 and its SIC code is 8300.