Women in the Know:
Non-Profits Working For You!
This is just a sampling of the many non-profit organizations working to impact gender inequality. If you are abused, your rights are obstructed, or you feel you have been unfairly treated, these organizations may be able to help you or you may elect to help them as a volunteer.
If your organization is not listed here and you would like it included, please email kristen@visbalsculpture.com.
ORGANIZATIONS IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER
Abaad Centre for Gender Equality (Lebanese)
Abaad Centre for Gender Equality (Abaad MENA) was established in 2011 with an aim to promote sustainable social and economic development in the MENA region (Middle East and North Africa), through equality, protection and empowerment of women. It envisions the world in which men and women are equal and working as partners to secure better future for their lives, and, in which, women are empowered to participate in the democratic processes and have fair access to economic resources, without facing discrimination.
American Association Of University Women
The American Association of University Women, officially founded in 1881, is a non-profit organization that advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, and research.
American Business Women’s Association
The American Business Women’s Association is a national professional association for women, established by Kansas City businessman, Hilary Bufton Jr. On Sept. 22, 1949, Mr. Bufton and three Kansas City businesswomen incorporated the American Business Women’s Association.
American Medical Women’s Association
The American Medical Women’s Association is a professional advocacy and educational organization of women physicians and medical students. Founded in 1915 by Bertha Van Hoosen, the AMWA works to advance women in medicine and to serve as a voice for women’s health.
Amnesty International is a worldwide movement of with over 2.2 million members, who campaigns for internationally recognized human rights for all. The Amnesty International works on improving the Universal Declaration of Human Rights through international solidarity and campaigning on human rights issue. Its mission is to conduct research to generate action to prevent and put an end to grave human rights abuses, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been abused.
One of the key activities of Amnesty International is fight against violence against women and advocacy for gender equality.
AnitaB.org is a global nonprofit organization based in Belmont, California. Founded by computer scientists Anita Borg and Telle Whitney, the institute’s primary aim is to recruit, retain, and advance women in technology.
Association for Women in Science
The Association for Women in Science was founded in 1971 at the annual Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology meeting. The organization aims to combat job discrimination, lower pay, and professional isolation.
Association for Women’s Rights in Development
The Association for Women’s Rights in Development, formerly the Association for Women in Development, is an international, feminist, membership organization committed to achieving gender equality, sustainable development and women’s human rights established in 1982.
Black Girls Code is a not-for-profit organization that focuses on providing technology education for African-American girls.
Business and Professional Women’s Foundation
Business and Professional Women’s Foundation is an organization that promotes workforce development programs and workplace policies to acknowledge the needs of working women, communities and businesses. It supports the National Federation of Business and Professional Women’s Clubs.
Center for Reproductive Rights
The Center for Reproductive Rights is a global legal advocacy organization that seeks to advance reproductive rights, such as abortion.
Beginning October 1, join us for 11 Days of transformative action, to shine a light on ideas, solutions and our unity in support of girls rights. Be sure to check back for more details on our sponsors and how you can help each day become a beacon to all. Together, our voices will be heard around the world!
Ellevate Network is a global community of women committed fostering and promoting gender equality in the workplace. The organization provides women and femme-identifying non-binary individuals with a community to lean on and learn from through networking, online and offline education, inspiration, and opportunity.
EMILY’s List is an American political action committee that aims to help elect Democratic female candidates in favor of abortion rights to office. It was founded by Ellen Malcolm in 1985. The group’s name is an acronym for “Early Money Is Like Yeast”, Malcolm commenting that “it makes the dough rise”.
Equality Now is a non-governmental organization founded in 1992 to advocate for the protection and promotion of the human rights of women and girls.
The European Women’s Lobby (EWL) is the largest European umbrella networks of women’s associations representing more than 2.000 organizations in all European Union Member States, as well as its candidate countries. The EWL was founded with a vision of a society in which contribution of women to all aspects of life is recognized and celebrated. This means that women should be recognized as leaders with self-confidence, freedom of choice and freedom from exploitation and violence.
The Feminist Majority Foundation is a non-profit organization headquartered in Arlington County, Virginia, whose stated mission is to advance non-violence and women’s power, equality, and economic development.
The Financial Women’s Association is a New York-based network of female professionals from various sectors of the financial world. Founded in 1956, the FWA is a professional organization focused on enhancing the role of women in finance, as well as fostering the development of young female leaders.
Gender at Work Gender at Work is an international feminist knowledge network working to build inclusive cultures and end discrimination against women. It partners up with researchers and activists across the world to produce new knowledge on inequality structures and embedded societal discriminatory norms and to produce innovative approaches and tools to transform them in organizations and communities.
Gender Equality Resource Center
The Gender Equality Resource Center (GERC) 2013 and registered in 2014 as a non-government in the Philippines, with an aim to promote gender equality (GE) for development in and through cooperatives. The core of the GERC’s work are volunteers, advocates, development facilitators and trainers. The GERC partners up with cooperatives, NGOs, local government units, development councils, government agencies and other actors to implement gender equality.
Girl Develop It is a nonprofit organization devoted to getting women the materials they need to pursue careers in software development. Founded in 2010 in New York City, GDI provides affordable programs for adult women interested in learning web and software development in a judgment-free environment.
Girl Scouts prepares girls to empower themselves and promotes compassion, courage, confidence, character, leadership, entrepreneurship, and active citizenship through activities involving camping, community service, learning first aid, and earning badges by acquiring practical skills.
Vision: A world without child marriage where girls and women enjoy equal status with boys and men and are able to achieve their full potential in all aspects of their lives.
- Collaborate to prevent child marriage and support girls who are — or have ever been — married.
- Amplify the voices of girls at risk of child marriage and defend girls’ rights to health, education and the opportunity to fulfil their potential.
- Enhance and strengthen efforts to end child marriage at every level.
- Raise awareness of the harmful impact of child marriage by encouraging open, inclusive and informed discussion at the community, local, national and international level.
- Facilitate learning and coordination between organisations working to end child marriage.
- Mobilise all necessary policy, financial and other support to end child marriage.
Girls on the Run, a national non-profit organization, designs programming that strengthens third- to eighth grade girls’ social, emotional, physical and behavioral skills to successfully navigate life experiences.
Girls Who Code is a nonprofit organization which aims to support and increase the number of women in computer science by equipping young women with the necessary computing skills to pursue 21st century opportunities.
Girls Inc. is a United States 501 nonprofit organization that encourages all girls to be “Strong, Smart, and Bold” through direct service and advocacy. The organization equips girls with the skills to navigate through economic, gender, and social barriers and to grow up as independent individuals.
The Global Fund for Women is a non-profit foundation funding women’s human rights initiatives. It was founded in 1987 by New Zealander Anne Firth Murray, and co-founded by Frances Kissling and Laura Lederer to fund women’s initiatives around the world. It is headquartered in San Francisco, California.
International Center for Research on Women
The International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) is a global research institute with headquarters in Washington D.C. and regional offices in India and Uganda. The ICRW is comprised of social scientists, economists, public health specialists and demographers, all of whom are experts in gender issues. The mission of ICRW is guided by the principle of human dignity, gender equity, inclusion and shared prosperity.The ICRW conducts research to tackle the causes of gender inequality and offers solutions for fundamental social change.
International Federation of Business and Professional Women
International Federation of Business and Professional Women is a worldwide organization committed to networking among and empowering women worldwide.
International Women’s Development Agency (Australia)
International Women’s Development Agency (IWDA) is an Australian based non-governmental organization working to directly address poverty and oppression in developing countries and create positive change for women and their communities. So far, IWDA has worked with more 100 grassroots organizations in developing parts of the world, to support and advance the life choices and well-being of women and their families.
The League of Women Voters is a nonprofit organization in the United States that was formed to help women take a larger role in public affairs after they won the right to vote. It was founded in 1920 to support the new women suffrage rights and was a merger of National Council of Women Voters, founded by Emma Smith DeVoe, and National American Woman Suffrage Association, led by Carrie Chapman Catt, approximately six months before the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution gave women the right to vote.
Inspired by Malala and Ziauddin’s activist roots, Malala Fund believes that local educators and advocates provide the greatest insight, innovation and energy needed to address barriers that keep girls out of school in their communities. Through our Education Champion Network, we invest in their work so they can scale their efforts and leverage their collective power to create broader change to make it easier for all girls to learn.
MATCH International Women’s Fund
MATCH International Women’s Fund is a non-profit, non-governmental organization based in Ottawa, Canada, dedicated to funding women’s rights movements and grassroots organizations working on women’s rights worldwide with a particular interest in the global South.
National Association for Female Executives
National Association for Female Executives, is a division of the Working Mother Media, based in New York City. Established in 1972, NAFE is an organization of businesswomen in the United States. It offers education, training, skills development, and networking to women in the business world.
National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs (NACWC)
The National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs (NACWC) is an American organization that was formed in July 1896 at the First Annual Convention of the National Federation of Afro-American Women in Washington, D.C., United States, by a merger of the National Federation of African-American Women, the Woman’s Era Club of Boston, and the Colored Women’s League of Washington, DC, at the call of Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin.
National Association of Women Business Owners
The National Association of Women Business Owners is an organization in the United States founded in 1975 that has the purpose of networking the approximately 10.6 million women-owned businesses so as to provide mutual support, share resources, and provide a single voice to help shape economic and public policy.
National Council Of Negro Women
The National Council of Negro Women is a nonprofit organization founded in 1935 with the mission to advance the opportunities and the quality of life for African American women, their families, and communities.
National Council of Jewish Women
The National Council of Jewish Women is a volunteer organization. Founded in 1893, it is the oldest volunteer Jewish women’s organization in the United States. Currently, NCJW consists of 90,000 advocates across the country. There are sixty-two sections in twenty-one states. Prompted by Jewish values, the organization works with both the Jewish community and the general public to safeguard rights and freedoms for people worldwide
National Organization For Women
The National Organization for Women is an American feminist organization founded in 1966. The organization consists of 550 chapters in all 50 U.S. states and in Washington, D.C.
The National Women’s Law Center is a United States non-profit organization founded by Marcia Greenberger in 1972 and based in Washington, D.C. The Center advocates for women’s rights through litigation and policy initiatives.
National Women’s Political Caucus
The National Women’s Political Caucus, or the Caucus, describes itself as a multi-partisan grassroots organization in the United States dedicated to recruiting, training, and supporting women who seek elected and appointed offices at all levels of government.
PCI helps people to help themselves, so they can thrive, achieve their hopes and dreams, and create a healthier future for their children. In the past 25 years, more than 1 billion people have been lifted out of extreme poverty; child mortality has been cut in half; tens of millions more girls are in school; millions more people have access to clean water; and the average life expectancy around the world is 10 years longer. PCI is one of the organizations driving those impressive results.
Promundo is an international organization that promotes gender justice and prevents violence by engaging men and boys in partnership with women, girls, and individuals of all gender identities. It was established in 1997 in Brazil with a belief that working with men and boys will contribute in eliminating harmful gender norms and provide solutions related to issues related to achieving gender equality. So far, Promundo has worked in over 40 countries to prevent violence and advocate for gender equality.
At Fundación ReachingU we believe that providing a comprehensive quality education to the most vulnerable children and teens in Uruguay contributes to their well-being and that of the entire community. We implement and articulate effective, replicable and scalable solutions that target the most important education challenges in Uruguay. Founded In 2001 in the United States, we are a foundation with a global presence and a focus on Uruguay.
Rise Up strengthens the leadership of women and girls to be able to drive changes in their communities. It focuses on advancing women’s rights, equality, education, sexual and reproductive health, and economic empowerment.
Save the Children is one of the biggest international NGOs advancing and protecting rights of children in almost 120 countries around the world. It works in the most disadvantaged local communities educating them about the rights of children. Save the Children seeks to advance gender equality in all aspects of its work, recognizing that gender inequalities create major barriers for sustainable development.
The Society of Women Engineers, founded in 1950, is an international not-for-profit educational and service organization headquartered in the United States. The Society of Women Engineers is the world’s largest advocate and catalyst for change for women in engineering and technology.
Soroptimist International, consists of five Federations: Soroptimist International Africa Federation, Soroptimist International of the Americas, Soroptimist International of Europe, Soroptimist International of Great Britain & Ireland and Soroptimist International of the South West Pacific. A global volunteer movement, we work together to transform the lives of women and girls. Our network of around 72,000 club members in 121 countries works at a local, national and international level to Educate, Empower and Enable opportunities for women and girls.
The Association for Women in Communications
The Association for Women in Communications is an American professional organization for women in the communications industry.
Vision: A world where people live in peace, conscious of their common humanity and their shared responsibilities for each other, for the planet and for future generations.
Working both publicly and through private diplomacy, their mission is to engage with global leaders and civil society at all levels to resolve conflict and address its root causes, to challenge injustice, and to promote ethical leadership and good governance.
The International Alliance For Women
The International Alliance for Women, formerly known as The National Alliance and The International Alliance of Professional and Executive Women, is a nonprofit corporation founded in 1980 to promote the interests of professional women.
The National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc.
The National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc. is a non-profit volunteer organization for African American women. Its members address common issues in their communities, families and personal lives, promoting gender and racial equity.
Time’s Up is a charity which raises money to support victims of sexual harassment, founded on January 1, 2018 by Hollywood celebrities in response to the Weinstein effect and the Me Too movement.
The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, also known as UN Women, is a United Nations entity working for the empowerment of women. UN Women became operational in January 2011.
United Nations Development Fund
The United Nations Development Fund for Women was established in December 1976 originally as the Voluntary Fund for the United Nations Decade for Women in the International Women’s Year. Its first director was Margaret C. Snyder.
EMPOWERING LIVES THROUGH EDUCATION
The Unstoppable Foundation is a non-profit humanitarian organization bringing sustainable education to children and communities in developing countries thereby creating a safer and more just world for everyone.
Our Mission: To ensure EVERY child has access to the life-long gift of an education.
Womankind Worldwide is an international organization for women’s rights that works in solidarity and equal partnership with women’s rights organizations and movements with a goal to transform the lives of women.
WIPP is a national nonpartisan organization advocating on behalf of women entrepreneurs—strengthening their impact on our nation’s public policy, creating economic opportunities, and forging alliances with other business organizations.
Women in Technology International is a non-governmental organisation promoting the achievements of women in technology and extending support, opportunities, and inspiration. It was founded by Carolyn Leighton in 1989 as the International Network of Women in Technology.
Women’s Environment & Development Organization
The Women’s Environment & Development Organization is an international non-governmental organization based in New York City, U.S. that advocates women’s equality in global policy. Its early successes included achieving gender equality in the final documents of Agenda 21 and the Rio Declaration.
The Women’s Refugee Commission is a 5013 organization that improves the lives and protects the rights of women, children and youth displaced by conflict and crisis. Established in 1989, it was part of the International Rescue Committee until the summer of 2014 when it became a legally separate entity.
Vision: A world where people live in peace, conscious of their common humanity and their shared responsibilities for each other, for the planet and for future generations.
Working both publicly and through private diplomacy, our mission is to engage with global leader and civil society at all levels to resolve conflict and address its root causes, to challenge injustice, and to promote ethical leadership and good governance.
YWCA USA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all. It is one of the “oldest and largest multicultural organizations promoting solutions to enhance the lives of women, girls and families.”
Zonta International is an international service organization with the mission of advancing the status of women.