Happy Monday, Feministas. And happy National Philanthropy Day! As we transition into this season of giving, we’re assuming our most feminist state of mind—a healthy combination of gratitude for what we have and how far we’ve come and unrest about the persistence of the patriarchy and how far we have to go. 

In that spirit, we want to take this opportunity to spotlight a few of the organizations and charities doing important feminist work all year long, from supporting female refugees and the victims of domestic violence to funding education and period equity and protecting reproductive rights.

So if you’ve got Christmas lights and equal rights on your mind and a little extra cash to spare in the name of your feminist beliefs, we hope you’ll consider these charities, on National Philanthropy Day 2021 or any damn day of the year <3

Feminist Charity #1: Texas Abortion Funds

This year, National Philanthropy Day 2021 coincides with a very tenuous time for abortion rights. Soon the Supreme Court will hear a Mississippi case that challenges Roe v. Wade nationally, but for now, Texas has the most restrictive anti-abortion legislation in the country, and the best thing we can do to help is donate to abortion funds. 

Act Blue has gathered all of the best organizations helping people pay for and access reproductive health care in Texas—including The Lilith Fund, Texas Equal Access Fund, Whole Women’s Health Alliance, and more—and automatically splits your donation evenly between them. Laws like the one currently in place in Texas don’t prevent abortion, they just make it harder for women to access safe care, and these funds go a long way to helping women cover the costs of procedures, time off work, transportation, and more.

Feminist Charity #2: PERIOD.

Founded by two high school students in Portland, Oregon, this feminist organization has since grown into a global, youth-powered nonprofit providing menstrual products for free to people in need. Its larger aim is to end period poverty and period stigma with grassroots advocacy and education around the world. 

According to a study by Always, nearly one in five girls has missed school due to lack of period protection(!!), and a lack of consistent access can mean missing out more than once. And according to the folks at PERIOD., destigmatizing this natural bodily function and making tampons and pads more affordable changes the game entirely. A few of their latest goals? Eliminating the luxury, or “pink,” tax on menstrual items and mandating period products in schools—two policy changes we can easily get behind :)

Feminist Charity #3: Women’s Refugee Commission

This feminist charity was founded in 1989 by four women hoping to address the specific needs, rights, and safety of refugee women and children. Since then, the need for this organization has only grown, as more and more people are displaced around the world by conflict and crisis, but thankfully the Women’s Refugee Commission’s programs are tried and true by now. 

One part humanitarian response and two parts resilience-based, economic empowerment, this organization is dynamic in its approach to protecting the rights and dignity of immigrant and refugee populations through social programming, international policy advocacy, and the distribution of vital resources to those most in need. 

Feminist Charity #4: Malala Fund

Co-founded by feminist icon, education activist and youngest Nobel Peace Prize laureate ever, Malala Yousafzai, this organization wants to create a more equal world by making sure all girls can go to school without fear. To be more specific, their work is to fund and advocate for 12 full years of free, safe, and quality education for girls in Lebanon, Brazil, Ethiopia, and beyond.

With more than 130 million girls still out of school today, there’s plenty of work to do to make that a reality. Malala is an inspiration, to be sure, but what makes this organization a no-brainer to support is its 100/100 score on Charity Navigator, which means they truly make every dollar count towards ensuring easier access to education for girls and young women around the world. In the words of Malala herself, “let us pick up our books and our pens. They are our most powerful weapons. One child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world.”

Feminist Charity #5: American Association of University Women

We’re sticking with the education theme for this next recommendation, but now we’re heading to university. The American Association of University Women (AAUW) uses a multi-pronged approach to empower female college students from all walks of life to succeed in higher education and go on to find financial and career success in the real world. 

From scholarships and funding to on-campus leadership programs and training, AAUW is building towards education equity, workplace inclusivity, and equal pay, and helping prepare women for economic security now and in the future, which, if you ask us, is a truly beautiful thing.

Feminist Charity #6: Domestic Violence National Hotline

The Domestic Violence National Hotline provides free and totally confidential tools and support for survivors of domestic violence 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Since its founding, this organization's highly-trained advocates have fielded more than 5 million calls in over 200 languages, offering support in the form of crisis intervention, safety planning, and referrals for victims and survivors.

Beyond that, they're committed to education and awareness about domestic violence in the broader community, always without judgement and in the spirit of understanding and respect. To round it all out, they've also got resources for friends and family members who suspect and feel concerned about loved ones potentially experiencing abuse. In our eyes, the hotline is both a good number to have on hand and a great feminist organization to support. 

Thanks for reading, Feministas. And thanks for taking the time to get to know a few of our favorite feminist organizations, even in trying times, as the pandemic stretches on and on and life feels a little harder than usual. 

As Roxane Gay so eloquently puts it, “it is damn hard to expand the limits of our empathy when our emotional attention is already stretched too thin in a world run through with inequity, strife and suffering.” A donation is a lovely gift, but sometimes your attention, care, and commitment to learning more than you knew before is enough <3

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