LEADERSHIP INITIATIVE

Our Goal: Building a Culture in Texas Where Women and Girls Are Full Participants at Every Level.

Women are more likely than men to be dramatically underrepresented in leadership positions. Yet evidence abounds regarding the countless economic and social benefits of women leaders in business and the community.

To make real progress for women and girls on all fronts, we must strengthen the pipeline of female leaders – from the classroom to the first job, the executive suite, the boardroom and the political arena.

Help us support women in leadership

Join the Legion Supporting Our Leadership Initiative

Texas Women’s Foundation established its Leadership Initiative, making a $2M annual commitment to develop and support programs, policies and practices that increase the number of women in leadership positions, and create and fund new opportunities for women and girls to lead.

Along with providing unique and effective programs for women and girls to acquire, refine and strengthen their leadership skills and potential, we also produce timely, targeted research on the issues impacting women and girls across our state. Our research helps focus the work of our Leadership and provides lawmakers and decision-makers with conclusive information to help shape policies relating to women and girls.

Leadership Programs for Women and Girls

Our Leadership Initiative invests in helping girls become strong women, and preparing women to lead in their lives, their workplaces and their communities, which in turn make our state a better place for all.

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Women's Leadership Institute

Women’s Leadership Institute is a year-long leadership development program, designed by the Foundation’s Economic Leadership Council (ELC) to address the unique needs of senior-level women executives who are currently not in the C-suite nor the succession plan today, but have the potential to take more senior executive positions in the future. Senior-level women in corporations, business and professional service firms are identified and sponsored by their organizations to be part of an intimate learning cohort. Program participants hone their leadership skills, while developing new cross-industry, cross-sector and cross-functional relationships and broader market knowledge, becoming increasingly valuable to their companies and well positioned for advancement.Learn More >

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Young Women’s Initiative - Dallas

Young Women’s Initiative-Dallas (YWI-Dallas) is a seven-year programmatic response and broad cross-sector collaboration aimed to empower and affirm young women of color ages 17-24 from Dallas’ southern and western sectors. Through research, collaborative grantmaking and advocacy, YWI-Dallas is amplifying the collective power of young women to identify and address core issues, and create solutions toward meaningful systemic change.Learn More >

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#BestSelf

#BestSelf is a one-day intensive leadership development program for girls ages 11-16 that challenges stereotypes and helps girls be confident in the pursuit of their dreams. Through workshops by nationally known speaker-educators and interactive activities, girls learn skills in leadership, healthy conflict resolution and more, so they can embrace and be their “best selves.” Learn More >

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Leadership Forum & Awards

Leadership Forum & Awards - Texas Women’s Foundation produces the Leadership Forum & Awards Dinner to elevate the voice of women leaders by bringing notable, high profile leaders to speak to audiences of women leaders. The event also celebrates trailblazers by awarding exemplary leaders in our community the Maura Women Helping Women Awards and the Young Leader Awards. Learn More >

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Women & Wealth: Gendered Impact Investing

Educating Donors and Investors on Gendered Impact Investing - Texas Women’s Foundation is driving change by deploying our capital in investments that yield a strong financial return and social benefit to women and girls. We believe in the power of impact investing with a gender lens, and seek to educate donors and investors through our Women & Wealth educational series. These events offer information on the impact of investing in women, with presentations from financial experts on emerging trends and opportunities in gendered impact investing. Learn More >

Impact And Reach

Since 2013, Leadership Initiative-funded programs, grants and events have benefited a total of 79,707 women and girls.

Women’s Leadership Institute

We must strengthen the pipeline of female leaders, in both the public and private sectors, if women and girls are to be full participants in an equitable society.

  • 52 percent of all professional jobs are held by women, but only 14.6 percent of executive positions are held by women.
  • 82 percent of Americans say it’s important for women and men to have the same opportunities for career advancement, but only 34 percent say their current workplace puts a high priority on having women in leadership positions.

The Women’s Leadership Institute (WLI) is a program developed by the Foundation’s Economic Leadership Council (ELC) to strengthen and accelerate the pipeline of women in leadership positions at all levels of society. The Institute provides senior-level women a customized leadership curriculum and meaningful interaction with powerful corporate leaders and other high-potential, senior-level women.

The year-long program includes multiple virtual workshops and simulations designed to empower participants to increase their value by:

  • Advancing leadership competencies to move purposefully toward the highest levels of leadership.
  • Learning to apply lessons from the curriculum, workshops and simulations to achieve real-life outcomes for their organization, industry and community.
  • Obtaining practical guidance from seasoned corporate executive and top female leaders representing a cross section of industries.
  • Developing and supporting women leaders to create a high-performing team culture that fosters an environment that is inclusive and celebrates diversity to generate equity.

 

 

 

Click the image to read more about the Women’s Leadership Institute.

Participating Companies

7-Eleven
American Airlines
AMN Healthcare
Arcosa
AT&T
AXXESS
Baring Multifamily
Boeing Global Services
Caliber Home Loans
Capital One
Celanese
Chevron Philips
Children’s Health
Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
Civitas Capital
Comerica
D Magazine
Dallas Mavericks
EY
FC Dallas
First United Bank
Fossil Group, Inc
Freeman
Frito Lay, Inc
Haynes and Boone, LLP
Hilltop Holdings
Hilti North America
Hunt
Jackson Walker
Jacobs Engineering
Jones Day
McKesson
Mercedes-Benz Financial Services
Nighthawk
OM Group
Oliver Wyman
Oncor Electric Delivery
Pinnacle Group
Regions Bank
Southwest Airlines
Texas Capital Bank
Texas Instruments
Toyota
Trade Last
Vizient, Inc.

 

 

Young Women’s Initiative

The Young Women’s Initiative-Dallas strives to ensure all young women – particularly young women of color – lead, prosper economically, and live safe and healthy lives. This cross-sector effort empowers and affirms young women by engaging current and new community partners, our donor community, service agencies and the public sector through research, collaborative grantmaking and advocacy.

This first-of-its-kind program is a seven-year, multi-million-dollar investment focused on young women of color, ages 12 – 24, living in under-served southern and western sectors of Dallas County. It provides training, resources and support, enabling these young women to:

  • Identify and address their personal circumstances and needs.
  • Recognize opportunities to be part of making real system changes.
  • Make and implement a plan to improve their health, safety and economic prosperity.

CLICK HERE to here the voices of our Young Women’s Advisory Council Fellows give their personal narratives on the importance of the Census.

Listening to Young Women

The voices of young women are at the core of the Young Women’s Initiative. Prior to launching the program, the Texas Women’s Foundation (formerly Dallas Women’s Foundation) organized a listening tour, gathering knowledge and insights from 200 young women in the community. Among the recommendations from the tour was the formation of an 18-member Young Women’s Advisory Council, which helps to prioritize issues and drive solutions for addressing problems most directly affecting young women of color.

Helping to support and advance the recommendations of the Young Women’s Advisory Council is the Cross Sector Committee, comprised of 15 adult allies from government, corporate, nonprofit, faith and education organizations.

More About the Initiative

We are proud to be one of eight women’s foundations that have formed the National Philanthropic Collaborative of Young Women’s Initiatives. It is the first collaborative of its kind, using its collective ability to galvanize and invest resources to strengthen the safety, health and economic prosperity of young women in Texas and across the country.

Women & Wealth

Educating on Impact Investing

“Invest in a woman and change the world.” – Educating on Impact Investing

Texas Women’s Foundation is stimulating change by intentionally deploying our own capital to investments that yield a financial and social benefit to women and girls, and actively advocating for more gender lens investing overall.

In 2017, we introduced our Women & Wealth series – events that highlight individuals and institutions that are leading in the social impact and gender lens investing space. These events gather together investors, donors, wealth advisors, accounting and legal professionals, and estate planners to learn about key trends in gender lens investing, impact investing overall, and the role that women and millennials are playing in demanding more ability and options to align their investments with their values.

The Women & Wealth educational series features financial experts who discuss how to invest for financial return while also considering the impact of those investments on women by evaluating:

  • Women’s roles in leadership
  • Workplace equity performance
  • Products/services impact on women and girls
  • Involvement in human rights or social justice issues affecting women
  • Popularity among other women investors

Please join us at the next Women & Wealth event to learn more about gender lens investing, why it’s important, and how it can benefit your investment strategies.

Women & Wealth 

Clipped Wings: A Look at Millennial Women and Wealth
By: Jhumpa Bhattacharya, Fenaba Addo and Anne Price

January 15, 2019

Clipped Wings: Looking at Millennial Women and Wealth
January 15, 2019

The presentation spoke to the issues millennial women are facing as they try to build wealth despite societal barriers and policies that hinder their financial security.  The presentation showed how the millennial gender wealth gap is compounded by systematic barriers including the lack of affordable childcare and paid family leave policies, in addition to increasing student debt, mass incarceration, and changing family structures.

Click here to view the presentation

Click here to view the Clipped Wings Brief

 

Presenter:

Anne E. Price is the first woman President of the Insight Center for Community Economic Development. She previously served as Director of the Closing the Racial Wealth Gap Initiative at Insight from 2011 to 2016. Anne is an experienced researcher, advocate and trainer.  She has spent 25 years in the public sector working on a wide range of issues including child welfare, hunger, welfare reform, workforce development, community development and higher education.  Prior to joining the Insight Center, Anne served as Project Director for California Tomorrow’s Community College Access and Equity Initiative. Anne also spent several years at Seattle’s Human Services Department where she served as the Community Development Block Grant Administrator and Strategic Advisor to the Director.

Anne holds a B.A. in Economics from Hampton University and earned her M.A. in Management and Policy Analysis from the New School’s Milano Graduate School of Management and Urban Policy in New York City.

Presented by:

This program is part of the Texas Women’s Foundation Gender Matters® research portfolio.

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