why Does Chicago Foundation for Women believe in advocacy?
Chicago Foundation for Women believes if we do not engage in advocacy, we leave the decisions of our society to those who may not understand women's concerns and issues. For every issue on the national agenda—from violence to health care—there is a major dimension specific to women. There are few community problems that can be resolved without programs and strategies that specifically address the needs of women and children. Women's issues involve the entire community. When a woman is given an opportunity, an entire family can benefit.
In Chicago Foundation for Women's new Strategic Plan (PDF), we set the following goal: "Champion issues and solutions critical to the success of women and girls through research, communications, and strategic partnerships." To accomplish this goal, we have chosen five strategies: -
Emphasize the value and necessity of analyzing economic and social issues through a "gender lens" (i.e., how policies, systems, institutions, etc. specifically affect women and girls).
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Support and disseminate research about the needs and positive outcomes of investing in women and girls.
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Bring together, listen to, and learn from a wide spectrum of stakeholders and partners (grantees, activists, academics, researchers, donors, business leaders, policymakers, etc.) in order to inform the Foundation's work, connect resources, and build momentum.
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Frame women's issues as important for the public agenda.
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Participate as a prominent voice for women around major issues confronting the Chicago region.
what is advocacy?
Chicago Foundation for Women defines advocacy as seeking to affect or inform the actions of community systems (examples include the media, health care, or education) or any level of government expressed in laws, annual budgets, administrative practices, regulations, executive or judicial actions. We support advocacy through grantmaking, public programming, leadership development and strategic partnerships.
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