Women’s Philanthropy Institute receives grant

INDIANAPOLIS (Inside INdiana Business) — The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has awarded a grant to the Women’s Philanthropy Institute at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at IUPUI. The. $1.9 million in funding will be used for research on women’s domestic and global giving.

WPI has researched gender and philanthropy since 2015 in its Giving By All Initiative, which emphasizes growing and helping donors strategically donate. The three-year grant will allow for an expansion of their research, including exploring the giving patterns of millenials and Gen Z. 

“Change is happening rapidly all around us: in philanthropy, technology, women’s wealth, and diversity and inclusion. Our research must facilitate understanding of these changes and meet the needs of today’s donors and practitioners. The support from the Gates Foundation will help WPI uncover relevant trends and insights about gender and giving that can ultimately fuel the growth of women’s philanthropy around the world,” said Debra Mesch, Ph.D., Professor of Philanthropic Studies at the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. 

The funding is also expected to support the institute’s work developing materials and working with partners on case studies to find best practices. 

“The power of WPI’s research is its potential to help increase giving by everyone. As part of this grant, we look forward to focusing more intentionally on gathering empirical evidence to show how organizations are incorporating research learnings into their work effectively — and then disseminating those stories to our broader community,” said Jeannie Sager, Director of the Women’s Philanthropy Institute.