Philanos

What Philanos does

Philanos is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership association (EIN 46-3953482) founded in 2009 and headquartered in Seattle, operating as the leading US women's collective giving network with 110+ affiliates spanning 30 states, the District of Columbia, England, and Australia. The organization connects and supports women-led giving circles — groups of women who pool donations to make larger, democratically voted grants to local nonprofits — and reports 22,000 women philanthropists in its network who have collectively granted more than $271 million to community organizations, with $27.1 million awarded in the year ending December 2025. Philanos itself does not make grants; it provides the infrastructure, peer learning, and convening layer that individual giving circles cannot sustain independently.

The organization's core "products" are programmatic rather than software-based: the Affiliate Portal (members-only platform), monthly Webinars, Philanos U educational programming, seven Affinity Groups (Comms Club, Membership Roundtable, Grantmakers, Young Philanthropist, Philanos 101, A Table for Chairs, Staff Chat), biennial PowerUP! national conferences (PowerUP! Texas 2026), regional CircleUp Gatherings, the annual Spotlight Awards, and the Willoughby Award. Underlying technology is built on Wild Apricot membership management software integrated with Affinipay for payment processing, supplemented by Google Drive for internal collaboration and YouTube for webinar archiving.

Revenue is generated through four streams: Affiliate Member dues of $300 annually, Affiliate Network dues of $1,000 annually for foundations and community foundations, a six-tier corporate sponsorship program ranging from under $5,000 (Friend) to $50,000 (Partner), conference registration fees, and individual tax-deductible donations. Operations are lean: the Board of Directors functions as both working and governance board on a volunteer basis, with one part-time administrator (Nancy Clark) supporting organizational administration. The network's go-to-market is community-led, with affiliate referrals, conference visibility, and the public Affiliate Directory serving as primary recruitment channels.

Name

Philanos

Legal name

Philanos

Website

https://philanos.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Philanos is a 501(c)(3) membership association operating the leading US women's collective giving network, connecting 110+ giving circle affiliates across 30 states, DC, England, and Australia and serving 22,000 women philanthropists through peer learning, conferences, and grantmaking infrastructure.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropy Network Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Federated Giving Organizations (e.g., United Way-type) (BPAGAKAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Conference Communications, Marketing & Community Engagement (THAHACAN), Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

Keywords

• Collective giving networks
• Women's philanthropy
• Membership associations
• Grantmaking infrastructure
• Nonprofit networks

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Affiliate Membership Dues: Affiliate Member organizations pay $300 annually for membership. Affiliate Network membership (for foundations and community foundations with women-led giving circles) costs $1,000 annually. Dues help pay for modest operating expenses including website, communications fees, webinars, and conference support.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Philanos generates revenue through corporate sponsorships at multiple levels: Partner ($50,000), Blaze ($25,000), Ignite ($15,000), Light ($10,000), Spark ($5,000), and Friend (up to $5,000). Sponsorships enable giving circles to support local nonprofits and educate members about sponsor services.
3. Conference Registration: Revenue generated from conference registrations for PowerUP! national conferences. Philanos conferences include discounted registration for affiliate members versus non-member rates.
4. Individual Donations: Philanos accepts donations from individuals, board members, and supporters to support organizational work. Donations are tax-deductible when paid by individuals as gifts to the organization.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Philanos operates a nonprofit membership association that serves as a national network infrastructure for women's collective giving organizations. Its core offering is tiered organizational membership (Affiliate Member at $300/year for women's giving circles; Affiliate Network at $1,000/year for community foundations) bundled with peer learning programs (Affinity Groups), educational webinars (Philanos Webinars, Philanos U), a private Affiliate Portal, the biennial PowerUP! national conference, and recognition programs (Spotlight Awards, Willoughby Award).

Product overview

Philanos is a membership organization (not a software product company) that operates a network of over 110 women's giving circles. The organization provides a suite of programs and services including the Affiliate Portal (members-only platform), Philanos Webinars (monthly educational sessions), Affinity Groups (peer networking groups like Membership Roundtable, Comms Club, Grantmakers), the PowerUP! annual conference, Spotlight Awards and Willoughby Award recognition programs, Philanos U educational resources, and regular newsletters. These offerings work together to connect, educate, and empower women's collective giving organizations across the US and internationally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Affiliate Member Membership Annual organizational membership for women-led collective giving organizations at $300/year. Provides access to webinars, affinity groups, Affiliate Portal, discounted conference registration, and full Philanos programs and benefits for all members of the affiliate organization.
• Affiliate Network Membership Annual organizational membership at $1,000/year for foundations, community foundations, and philanthropic networks hosting women-led giving circles. Includes all Affiliate Member benefits.
• Affinity Groups Program Member-only interactive peer groups including Membership Roundtable, Comms Club, Grantmakers, Philanos 101, A Table for Chairs, Staff Chat, Young Philanthropist, and YP Cohort that facilitate networking and knowledge sharing among affiliate members.
• Philanos Webinars Monthly educational webinars covering topics relevant to giving circle operations, governance, communications, and philanthropy for affiliate members.
• Philanos Affiliate Portal Members-only online portal providing access to resources, discussion forums, PR/Press Toolkits, recordings from previous discussions, and affiliate-only content.
• PowerUP! National Conference National conference bringing together Philanos affiliates for networking, education, and the Spotlight Awards celebration. Affiliate members receive discounted registration.
• Spotlight Awards Annual awards recognizing high-impact transformational grantmaking by Philanos affiliates, celebrating grantmaking grounded in trust and community responsiveness.
• Willoughby Award Annual award honoring a visionary philanthropic leader who demonstrates extraordinary leadership through the collective giving movement at local or national level, presented on International Women's Day.
• Philanos U Educational programming and resources for professional development of Philanos affiliates and giving circle leaders.
• Philanos Newsletters Monthly eNewsletters and eBlasts keeping affiliates informed about events, resources, and network activities.
• Corporate Sponsorship Program Multi-tier corporate sponsorship program for organizations wanting to support women's collective giving. Tiers: Friend (up to $5,000), Spark ($5,000), Light ($10,000), Ignite ($15,000), Blaze ($25,000), Partner ($50,000). Sponsorships enable giving circles to support local nonprofits and educate members about sponsor services.

Quantifiable outcome

• 22,000 women philanthropists involved in collective giving through the network
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• National Council of NonprofitscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2026Diane Yentel, President & CEO of National Council of Nonprofits, served as keynote speaker at PowerUP! Texas 2026 conference, challenging Philanos members to stand firmly with and for nonprofits, understand policy landscapes, and use collective voices boldly.
• Wild ApricotcoreTechnology or IntegrationWild Apricot provides membership management software powering Philanos' website, member database, event registration, and online payment processing for membership dues and donations. Philanos uses Affinipay through Wild Apricot for secure online credit card payments.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Independent Sector: National membership organization of nonprofits, foundations, and corporate giving programs advocating for the charitable sector. Comparable as a peer/membership infrastructure organization serving philanthropies and nonprofits, though with a broader scope than Philanos' women-focused collective giving niche.
• United Way Worldwide: Federated giving organization that pools individual donations to fund local nonprofits through member affiliates. Most directly comparable to Philanos in the federated/network giving model, though operating at vastly larger scale and across broader cause areas.
• National Council of Nonprofits: National network of state and regional nonprofit associations providing advocacy and resources to the nonprofit sector. A PowerUP! Texas 2026 keynote partner of Philanos and broadly comparable as a nonprofit/membership association serving mission-driven organizations.

Direct peers

• Council on Foundations: National membership association for grantmaking foundations and philanthropies, providing networking, conferences, and learning resources. Directly comparable as a peer-support infrastructure for giving organizations, including community foundations that are Philanos Affiliate Network members.
• Impact100 (national network): Federation of local Impact100 chapters that pool $100K+ from 100+ members for transformational grants. Multiple Impact100 affiliates (Sonoma, San Antonio, Richmond, Denver, etc.) are Philanos members, making it a directly comparable collective-giving model at the affiliate level.
• Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers: National network of regional philanthropy associations supporting grantmakers across the US. Comparable as a peer infrastructure organization providing learning, convening, and advocacy for giving entities.
• Women's Funding Network: Network of women's funds and foundations globally, providing peer learning, advocacy, and convening for gender-focused philanthropy. Closely comparable to Philanos in serving women's collective giving infrastructure, though oriented to institutions rather than giving circles.

Emerging players

• Women's Philanthropy Institute: Research and education institute at Indiana University focused on studying and advancing women's philanthropy. Complementary to Philanos as a knowledge infrastructure player in the same women's philanthropy space, but academic/research-led rather than network-led.
• Confluence Philanthropy Partners: Network of private foundations and individual philanthropists practicing mission-aligned and values-based investing. Comparable as a peer-learning and convening organization for philanthropic practitioners, though focused on investing rather than grantmaking.
• Global Fund for Women: International women's fund supporting gender justice movements through grantmaking. Comparable as a women's philanthropy organization with international reach, though operating as a direct grantmaker rather than a network convener.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/philanos
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/philanos
• Xx.com/philanoswomen
• Facebookfacebook.com/philanos

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Philanos