Third Wave Fund History

Rebecca Walker wrote an article for Ms. Magazine, examining the impact of the Clarence Thomas confirmation after the Anita Hill hearing. Her article was titled “Becoming the Third Wave.”

Shannon Liss-Riordan and Rebecca Walker incorporated Third Wave Direct Action Corporation to mobilize young people, especially young women

Freedom Summer began; feminist activists registered more than 20,000 voters while fostering community and the leadership of young people

Third Wave Direct Action Corporation prioritized responding to letters from young feminists across the country. Additionally, they made narrative interventions in mainstream media, built the organization, and fundraised for projects led by and for women

Responding to the philanthropic sector’s shocking statistic of less than four percent of all philanthropic dollars moved towards programs serving young women and girls, Catherine Gund, Dawn Lundy Martin, Amy Richards, and Rebecca Walker launched Third Wave Fund, a separate entity from Third Wave Direct Action Corporation

Twenty-five Board of Advisors members officially convened for the first time with Third Wave Fund. The board was multi-class, multi-gendered, and multi-racial, including writer Farai Chideya and filmmaker Sandy Dubowski

Vivien Labaton hired as first part-time staff person at Third Wave Fund

Third Wave Fund held its first donor dinner party at the home of Gloria Steinem, hosted by Board of Advisors Julie Parker, Amy Richards, and Alexandra Shiva

Third Wave Fund and Third Wave Direct Action Corporation morphed together into Third Wave Foundation, combining the activist spirit of Direct Action with the philanthropic focus of the Fund, creating a dynamic activist foundation focused on young women ages 15-30

Third Wave Foundation distributed $12,050 in grants. Funds went to emergency funding for abortions, scholarships, building young women-led, reproductive rights organizations, and general operating support for young women-led groups and projects

Third Wave’s Emergency Abortion Fund sought to prevent economic injustice from determining the reproductive lives of young people, particularly young people of color. Before closing in 2011, this fund awarded grants to over 2,000 people in need

First grant made to Danzine, a sex worker industry zine

Third Wave Foundation launched the “I Spy Sexism” campaign, a public campaign to provide the opportunity and tools for young women to speak out and begin conversations in their community about the impacts of sexism

Third Wave Foundation collaborated with Tides Foundation and the Funding Exchange to create the first Making Money Make Change (MMMC) retreat for progressive people with wealth, ages 15-35. MMMC still takes place annually under the leadership of Resource Generation

Third Wave Foundation distributed $36,000 in grants. Funds went to the National Abortion Federation, Chicago Women’s Health Center, New York Civil Liberties Union Teen Health Initiative, emergency grants to individuals seeking abortions, and other organizing and advocacy efforts

Funded Live Nude Girls Unite film, a Lusty Lady organizing documentary released in 2000, centered around labor organizing for better working conditions and among strippers

Third Wave Foundation launched ROAMS (Reaching Out Across Movements), a trip that brought young women activists together with progressive organizations in regions that were historically under-funded by national foundations

Third Wave Foundation distributed $119,143 in grants

Third Wave Foundation set up emergency relief grants to young women and girls impacted by 9/11, including funding for the zine Bamboo Girl, which featured articles and photographers from the anti-war movement, stories of 9/11 racial profiling, and resources for people of color who have been victims of hate crimes or racial profiling

Third Wave Foundation’s board and staff began an intentional discussion on the intersections of trans issues and feminism

Third Wave Foundation launched the Reproductive Health and Justice Initiative (RHJI), a grantmaking project to strengthen the reproductive justice movement and to support work done by and for young women of color and trans and gender non-conforming youth under 30

Third Wave Foundation received a two-year $300,000 grant from Ford Foundation to support organizational development and the Reproductive Health & Justice Initiative (RHJI)

Reproductive Justice Network Convening took place in Northern California. Convening participants participated in a training to consider a range of collaborative work from alliances, networks, and coalitions to lay the groundwork for shared action

Third Wave Foundation changed its mission to include transgender youth as a core constituency

Third Wave Foundation re-launched the “I Spy Sexism” campaign with addition materials to launch the "I Spy Transphobia” campaign

Third Wave Foundation gave Tarana Burke’s organization Just Be Inc. one of their first grants as they launched their “me too” project, which would receive global attention over 10 years later

Ford Foundation committed $1 million dollars over three years to Third Wave Foundation

Of Third Wave Foundation’s 18 grantee partners in 2008, 44% were involved in shifting public policy to maintain or create rights that would positively impact their sexual or reproductive health and overall well-being

St. James Infirmary, a sex worker-led health service and advocacy organization in the Bay Area, received a multi-year grant

Reproductive Justice Network members held the first Reproductive Justice National Week of Action, conducting activities to educate youth, service providers, and policymakers, in addition to a YouTube video entitled “What is reproductive justice?” highlighting how youth define RJ across the country

Third Wave Foundation distributed $500,000 in grants, including to the Chicago Abortion Fund

Third Wave Foundation released a statement on supporting youth in the sex trade with leadership support and advocacy from Shira Hassan of Young Women’s Empowerment Project and other organizations in INCITE’s Fuse Network

Third Wave Foundation’s Emergency Abortion Fund, alongside the National Abortion Federation, were one of the few national funds with national funding available year-round

Third Wave Foundation’s Emergency Abortion Fund received 2,342 requests for funding, and funded 505 procedures

Third Wave Foundation’s Emergency Abortion Fund 2010 report is released, being one of the first publications to address abortion in gender-neutral terms

Threatened with closure, Third Wave Foundation restructured as Third Wave Fund, supported by stakeholders and Rye Young as the Executive Director

Third Wave Fund paused grantmaking to go through a strategic re-envisioning process

Third Wave Fund relaunched grantmaking with the Mobilize Power Fund, a monthly rapid response grantmaking area offering immediate funds to organizations faced with unanticipated threats or opportunities in their organizing work

Third Wave Fund launched the Flush Transphobia Fund, created to quickly move resources for direct action and community mobilization in response to a growing number of bathroom bills and other anti-trans legislation

The first Gender Bash is held, an annual fundraising party with the goal of raising funds and organizing donors of all sizes to sustain Third Wave’s grantmaking

Third Wave Fund launched the Grow Power Fund, a long-term, six-year investment in youth-led, gender justice organizing. The fund was created and informed by conversations with past grantees on funding gaps and needs

Alternative Rock duo MS MR donates proceeds from tour to Third Wave Fund

Third Wave Fund implemented a 4-day work week for all staff

Third Wave Fund celebrated their 20th anniversary, raising $170,000 at the live celebration event

Third Wave Fund, Groundswell Fund, New York Women's Foundation, and Ms. Foundation draft and release an open letter to foundations and donors, calling for increased funding to People of Color

Third Wave Fund launched the Own Our Power Fund, a capacity-building grant program to support organizations with by and for leadership transitions, revenue diversity and sustainability, and participatory action research

Third Wave grew their budget to over $1.2 million while spending at least 50% of budget for direct grant funding

Third Wave Fund’s Maryse Mitchell-Brody, Nicole Myles, and Rye Young launched the Sex Worker Giving Circle, the first sex worker-led fund housed at a U.S. foundation

Third Wave Fund launched the podcast, Mic Check! featuring conversations with young women, queer, trans, and intersex people of color on the intersection of organizing and philanthropy

After 10 years at Third Wave Fund, Rye Young stepped down as Executive Director

Ana Conner & Kiyomi Fujikawa became Third Wave Fund’s new Co-Directors. Kiyomi is the first openly transgender women to serve in a senior leadership position in the history of institutional philanthropy, and Ana is the youngest philanthropic executive in the U.S.

Third Wave Fund broke $1 million in grantmaking, distributing $1.4 million dollars, with 70% of those dollars towards multi-year funding

​For the first time in Third Wave Fund history, staff utilized a participatory budget process to collectively decide how dollars should be allocated in alignment with organizational values, prioritizing a culture of abundance, mutual care, and building grantee’s sustained capacity for long-term movement building

Third Wave Fund launched the Accountable Futures Fund to support grassroots organizations developing the fields of transformative justice, restorative justice, and community accountability.

Third Wave Fund moved over $2 million dollars in grantmaking during a global pandemic and uprisings for Black lives. 85% of those dollars were rapid response funds towards mutual aid and COVID-19 relief work

The Sex Worker Giving Circle hit a record of moving over $1.5 million to 36 sex worker-led groups across the U.S. since 2018, becoming Third Wave Fund’s largest grantmaking area

Third Wave Fund celebrated our 25th anniversary with Radical Journey, Powerful Futures, and moved nearly $3 million to 97 groups, organizations, and coalitions across the U.S.

Third Wave Fund selected as a recipient of a $3 million dollar unrestricted donation from Mackenzie Scott, the largest gift received in our 25+ year history

Third Wave Fund launched the Disability Frontlines Fund to support Disability Justice (DJ) organizations across all social justice movements. The inaugural cohort awarded $960k per year for two years across 18 organizations and individuals

Kiyomi Fujikawa received the Reed Erickson Award for Trailblazing Philanthropic Leadership, honoring Kiyomi’s leadership in furthering trans issues and grantmaking in philanthropy

After five years of leading Third Wave Fund, Ana Conner and Kiyomi Fujikawa are stepping down as Co-Directors at the beginning of 2024. This has been a planned transition, centering the values of Third Wave in creating space for bold, young leaders to always be at the helm in philanthropy.