New York Women’s Foundation

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.

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

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

• Philanthropic grantmaking
• Women's foundation
• Community grant funding
• Donor advised funds
• Nonprofit charitable giving

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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

Core 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

Named customers11 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Phillips OppenheimcoreOthers · 26 March 2026Executive 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 AlliescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Early 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)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNYWF 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 ForumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCouncil 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)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlace-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)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlace-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 InitiativescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational 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 ColorcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirst 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 FundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPioneering philanthropic mobilization effort to end mass incarceration with the lens of gender and racial equality.
• Women's Funding NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of women's foundations including NYWF working collectively to advance gender justice through philanthropy.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging 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

• Xx.com/nywomensfdn
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/NYWomensFoundation
• Facebookfacebook.com/newyorkwomensfoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-new-york-women%27s-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/nywomensfdn

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

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M&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