The crisp fall winds have swept in, signaling a busy harvest for NewMexicoWomen.Org (NMW.O). Members of our team just returned from Feminist Funded 2023, a gathering of women’s foundations in Washington, D.C. where we met with our New Mexico congressional delegation. We are also in the midst of completing our seventh year of Gender Justice grants, and last week, the Healthy Masculinities Collaborative convened a group of partners to strengthen our healthy masculinities work across the state. In this edition of our newsletter, we offer updates about this bountiful harvest yielded from our movement for gender justice and healing. Learn more about our latest grantee partners and the incredible work they are doing. It's a season of change and transformation, and we're thrilled to share it all with you.

Earlier this month, our team attended Feminist Funded 2023 in Washington, D.C., an international gathering of over 137 women’s foundations. Hosted by the Women’s Funding Network, whose members are responsible for moving $4.2 billion annually toward gender justice, the conference was a whirlwind of inspiration and left no room for complacency. We were honored to join a panel of national speakers where we shared about our healthy masculinities work. Women’s foundations are helping to reshape the philanthropic landscape by investing in the leadership of women, women of color, and gender expansive folks. As Amalia Luxardo, the dynamic CEO of the Women's Foundation of Southern Arizona, boldly declared, “It is our role as women's foundations to be disruptive.” Tynesha McHarris, the visionary Founder of the Black Freedom Fund, echoed this sentiment, “Mobilizing resources in service of freedom is a political project. We need to act with urgency and while maintaining a 200-year long-term view.”  The conference began with Feminist Philanthropy Hill Day, which included a training on policy advocacy by the National Women's Law Center and a Senate briefing on gender equity issues. The briefings were followed by a day of meetings with New Mexico's congressional delegation and their staff to discuss issues such as pay equity, child care funding, maternal and child health, and reproductive rights. As a statewide women’s foundation, we join with other sister funds who support the gender justice advocacy work of their community partners. NewMexicoWomen.Org is proud to be immersed in these conversations and we are committed to ensuring the vital work of New Mexican communities is in the national conversation and at the heart of the future we seek to build.

Now in its seventh year, NMW.O's Gender Justice Grants aim to strengthen the gender justice movement across New Mexico by prioritizing organizations and efforts working towards gender and racial justice, with a particular focus on self-identified women and girls of color, transgender and gender non-conforming individuals, immigrant populations, low-income communities, and rural communities. This funding has supported programs advocating and organizing for structural-level changes, including advocacy for paid family leave, living wages, abortion access, transgender rights, and more. Additionally, this funding continues to support various direct service providers offering domestic violence and sexual assault prevention services, culturally relevant birthing services, and other direct services in rural, tribal, and underserved communities throughout New Mexico. In the spirit of deepening our commitment to advancing gender justice, we are excited and honored to add new grantee partners to the Gender Justice grant cohort (highlighted in red)! Learn more about each of these incredible organizations below.

Black Health New Mexico Bold Futures NM Breath of My Heart Birthplace Changing Woman Initiative Encuentro Equality New Mexico Foundation Flowering Tree Permaculture Institute Healing Circle Drop In Center New Mexico Asian Family Center New Mexico Doula Association OLÉ New Mexico Otero/Lincoln SANE- Southern New Mexico Wellness Alliance Tewa Women United Sexual Assault Services of Northwest New Mexico Southwest Organizing Project Southwest Women's Law Center Transgender Resource Center of New Mexico Tri-County Family Justice Center

Last week, surrounded by beautiful views of the Sandia Mountains, the New Mexico Healthy Masculinities Collaborative and our wider community gathered for a two-day retreat to dig into the transformative work of healing, reflection, and movement building. Through poetry, asset mapping, workshops, and deep conversations, we explored creative avenues to continue to support healthy masculinities programing across the state. Our group delved into the importance of intentional community healing spaces, multi-gendered dynamics in our movement, the delicate balance between healing and accountability, and, finally, how to improve the NM Healthy Masculinities Toolkit.   As a women’s foundation, we know that patriarchal violence takes an immense toll on our communities. To truly address the root issues of patriarchy and systemic violence, our work must include men and masculine identifying people. As a multi-gendered group seeking to disrupt these harmful behaviors and impacts, we took time to acknowledge our individual journeys, discuss vulnerability, and embrace the transformative power of community in challenging the norms of toxic masculinity.    We are honored and thankful to be part of this work, and especially for the incredible partnership of the New Mexico Healthy Masculinities Collaborative partners, Tewa Women United, Together for Brothers, the Transgender Resource Center of New Mexico, and New Mexico Health Equity Partnership for five years of deep work and creativity. Be sure to check out the Healthy Masculinities Toolkit here if you want to dig into some great tools and resources!

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