With Latest Gift, United Women in Faith Hopes to Spur Investments in Entities Led by Women of Color

NEW YORK – United Women in Faith today announced a second grant in furtherance of its commitment to racial justice. After granting $250,000 to Girls Embracing Mothers last month, the organization’s executive for racial justice, Emily Jones, disclosed that United Women in Faith is also granting $250,000 over two years to the Seventh Generation Fund for Indigenous Peoples. Tia Oros Peters, chief executive officer, leads the Seventh Generation Fund for Indigenous Peoples, which is the oldest organization of its kind and is dedicated to Indigenous peoples’ self-determination and Native nations’ sovereignty.

"The Seventh Generation Fund for Indigenous Peoples happily thanks United Women in Faith for their support of the Thriving Women Program,” said Tia Oros Peters, Chief Executive Officer, Seventh Generation Fund for Indigenous Peoples. “The recognition of Indigenous women’s capacity, leadership, and contributions for the reclamation of a safer world empowers Indigenous communities to address gender-based oppression and violence."

“We not only want to support the leadership of women of color, but we want to encourage others to do the same,” said Harriett Jane Olson, general secretary and CEO of United Women in Faith. “We want to increasingly affirm our belief in the leadership of women of color and the critical role they play in the uplift of communities and society.”

The gift aligns with United Women in Faith’s desire to support the leadership of Native women and capacity building for movements furthering racial and gender justice. It is also a tangible demonstration of the organization’s belief in indigenous self-determination and the importance of acts of repentance for this nation’s history of genocide toward Indigenous communities.

“Our nation has a horrible history of genocide, erasure and violence towards Indigenous people,” Jones said. “Apologies without restorative action are short-sighted and meaningless. With this gift and our commitment to continued learning and action, we hope to be an example for what true repentance looks like.”

The gift is unusual in its size. Typically, United Women in Faith issues grants ranging between $500 and $10,000. This is one of the largest grants the organization has issued. And it is the second grant of size that United Women in Faith has awarded in recent months. In May, it granted $250,000 to Girls Embracing Mothers, which Brittany K. Barnett founded and runs.

“We know that structural racism is evident in every facet of life, including grant-making. As such, women of color-led organizations are not funded to the level that their white counterparts are, even though their work is no less significant and their leaders equally competent,” Jones said. “When organizations led by Black, Indigenous and Latinx women do receive funding, there are often onerous application processes and stringent reporting requirements. This limits the pool of leaders who could avail themselves of such funds and robs leaders of precious time that could be spent on service delivery.”