The Ms. Foundation for Women is not just another nonprofit; it is a cultural cornerstone that has spent five decades attempting to move the needle on gender equity. With the appointment of Tracy Sturdivant as its new president and CEO, the organization is signaling a fundamental shift in how feminist philanthropy operates. Sturdivant is not entering the role to maintain the status quo or simply manage a legacy. She is there to dismantle the traditional, often siloed approach to grant-making and replace it with a massive, multi-racial coalition that treats political power and economic survival as inseparable forces. This strategy comes at a time when the very foundations of reproductive rights and civil liberties are under sustained legal and social attack.
Sturdivant’s arrival marks a transition from "charity" to "power building." For years, feminist funding often mirrored the problems of the broader corporate world—top-down, risk-averse, and frequently disconnected from the grassroots organizers who actually do the heavy lifting in local communities. Sturdivant, a veteran organizer with deep roots in civic engagement, understands that a foundation’s bank account is only as effective as the network it supports. Her plan focuses on expanding the tent to include those often left at the margins of mainstream feminist movements, specifically women of color and those in rural areas, ensuring that the foundation’s capital serves as a catalyst for systemic change rather than a temporary band-aid for recurring social symptoms. Read more on a connected subject: this related article.
The Strategy of Aggressive Inclusivity
Philanthropy has a gatekeeping problem. Historically, the flow of money has been dictated by wealthy donors who may not fully grasp the lived realities of the populations they intend to help. Sturdivant is flipping this script. By emphasizing a "coalition-first" model, she is moving the Ms. Foundation toward a reality where the people closest to the problems are the ones designing the solutions. This is not about diversity for the sake of optics; it is a calculated business move to ensure the survival and relevance of the feminist movement.
A coalition is difficult to manage. It requires balancing the needs of urban activists with those of Southern grassroots leaders, all while keeping high-net-worth donors engaged. Sturdivant’s background as a co-founder of Make It Work and her experience in political organizing provide her with a unique toolkit to navigate these tensions. She views the foundation not as a vault, but as a distribution hub for resources—financial, intellectual, and strategic. Further reporting by Business Insider explores comparable perspectives on this issue.
Breaking the Silos of Social Justice
In the past, funding was often split into neat categories: healthcare, education, or voting rights. Sturdivant argues that these issues are deeply interconnected. A woman cannot exercise her right to vote if she is facing an eviction notice, and she cannot focus on her education if her reproductive healthcare is being stripped away by state legislation.
The new mandate at the Ms. Foundation is to fund the "whole person." This means supporting organizations that work across multiple sectors simultaneously. By breaking down these silos, the foundation aims to create a more resilient infrastructure that can withstand the ebms and flows of the political tide. This approach requires a level of trust in grantees that is rare in the philanthropic world, where strict reporting requirements often stifle innovation.
The Financial Reality of Feminist Funding
Money follows interest, and for a long time, the interest of big-money donors has been fickle. When a major political crisis hits, donations surge. When the news cycle moves on, the well often runs dry. Sturdivant’s challenge is to build a sustainable financial engine that doesn’t rely on "rage-giving."
The Ms. Foundation must compete with massive, well-funded conservative think tanks and advocacy groups that have spent decades building a coordinated infrastructure. To match this, Sturdivant is looking to diversify the donor base. This involves moving beyond the traditional "gala and checkbook" model and engaging a younger, more tech-savvy generation of donors who view their contributions as investments in social infrastructure.
The Problem with Short Term Grants
One of the most significant hurdles in the nonprofit sector is the one-year grant cycle. It forces leaders to spend half their time applying for money they already have, rather than doing the work. Sturdivant has been a vocal proponent of multi-year, general operating support. This type of funding is the gold standard for activists because it allows them to hire staff, plan long-term campaigns, and pivot when the political environment shifts.
If the Ms. Foundation can prove that trust-based philanthropy leads to better outcomes, it could set a precedent for the entire sector. However, this requires a massive shift in how "success" is measured. Instead of counting the number of brochures printed, the foundation will need to track long-term indicators like legislative changes, voter turnout in marginalized districts, and shifts in public sentiment over several years.
Navigating the Political Minefield
The current American political climate is increasingly hostile to the core mission of the Ms. Foundation. With the overturning of Roe v. Wade and the ongoing legal challenges to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, Sturdivant is taking the helm during a storm. This is not a time for cautious diplomacy; it is a time for strategic boldness.
Sturdivant’s strategy involves leaning into the discomfort. She recognizes that the "feminist" label itself is being weaponized in the culture wars. Rather than backing away, her goal is to redefine what feminism means in the 21st century—moving it away from a narrow focus on individual glass ceilings and toward a broad-based movement for collective economic and social liberation.
Reaching the Deep South and the Midwest
Mainstream feminist funding has long been accused of being too "coastal." New York and California get the lion's share of the resources, while organizers in the South and Midwest are left to scrape by. Sturdivant’s plan specifically targets these "philanthropic deserts."
The South is the front line for many of the battles the foundation cares about. By shifting resources to these regions, the Ms. Foundation is not just helping local groups; it is building a national defense. If the feminist movement cannot win in Georgia, Mississippi, or Ohio, it cannot win anywhere. This geographic shift is perhaps the most radical part of Sturdivant's vision, as it requires convincing donors that their money is often more effective in a small town in Alabama than in a high-profile nonprofit in Manhattan.
The Leadership Burden
Taking over a legacy brand like the Ms. Foundation carries a heavy weight. There are expectations from the "old guard" who remember the foundation’s founding in the 1970s, and there are demands from the "new guard" who want to see more radical, immediate action. Sturdivant occupies the space between these two worlds.
Her leadership style is described as collaborative but decisive. She is known for asking the hard questions: Who is not at this table? Why are we doing it this way? What happens if we fail? In an industry that often hides behind jargon and vague mission statements, this directness is a breath of fresh air—and a necessary tool for survival.
Dealing with the Backlash
As the foundation becomes more vocal and its coalition grows, the backlash is inevitable. We are seeing a coordinated effort to defund and de-legitimize organizations that focus on racial and gender equity. Sturdivant is preparing the foundation for this reality by strengthening its legal and communications teams.
This is not just about defending the foundation; it is about protecting the grantees. When a small, local organization gets targeted by a national hate group or a hostile state legislature, the Ms. Foundation needs to be able to provide more than just a check. It needs to provide a shield.
Redefining the Win
What does victory look like for Tracy Sturdivant? It isn't just a successful fundraising quarter or a positive profile in a major newspaper. Success is measured by the strength of the network. If the Ms. Foundation can create a self-sustaining ecosystem where grassroots leaders have the tools, the money, and the connections they need to win their local battles, the national landscape will change as a natural consequence.
This is a long game. The forces opposing the foundation’s mission have been planning for fifty years, and Sturdivant knows she cannot undo that work overnight. Her focus is on the "how" of the work—the slow, often invisible process of building trust and alignment across diverse groups of people who share a common goal but different priorities.
The Shift in Donor Expectations
Donors are becoming more sophisticated. They are no longer satisfied with "feeling good" about a donation; they want to see a return on their social investment. Sturdivant is leaning into this trend by being transparent about the challenges and the failures.
Honesty is a rare commodity in philanthropy. Most foundations only want to talk about their "wins." Sturdivant’s approach is different. She is willing to admit when a strategy didn't work and explain why. This builds a different kind of trust with donors—a trust based on shared reality rather than curated perfection. This transparency is vital for maintaining a coalition that includes both grassroots activists and high-level philanthropists.
The Role of Technology and Data
While the work is grounded in human relationships, Sturdivant is not ignoring the power of data. The foundation is increasingly using sophisticated mapping and social sentiment analysis to determine where resources are needed most. This isn't about replacing the human element; it's about augmenting it.
Data allows the foundation to identify emerging trends before they become full-blown crises. For example, by tracking legislative patterns across different states, the foundation can help organizers prepare for upcoming attacks on voting rights or healthcare access. This proactive stance is a significant departure from the reactive "emergency funding" model that has characterized much of the sector's history.
The Cultural Impact of the Ms. Foundation
The Ms. Foundation has always been a cultural influencer. From its early days with Gloria Steinem to the present, it has helped shape the national conversation about what it means to be a woman in America. Under Sturdivant, that cultural work is becoming more pointed.
She understands that policy change rarely happens without cultural change. The foundation is investing in storytellers, artists, and media makers who can shift the narrative around gender and power. This is about winning hearts and minds, not just votes. By supporting creators who represent the full spectrum of the feminist movement, the foundation is ensuring that the "Ms." brand remains relevant to a generation that views gender through a much more fluid and intersectional lens.
Challenging the Status Quo of Power
Ultimately, Sturdivant’s mission is about power. Who has it, who wants it, and how it is used. Most philanthropic organizations are designed to mitigate the worst effects of power imbalances. Sturdivant wants to change the balance itself.
This is uncomfortable work. It requires challenging the very systems that allowed the foundation’s wealth to be created in the first place. It means asking donors to relinquish some of their control and trust the process. It means being willing to take political risks that might alienate some supporters.
The risk of doing nothing is far greater than the risk of being bold. The current legal and social climate does not allow for incrementalism. Sturdivant’s "power-building" model is a recognition of this reality. It is a bet that a broad, diverse, and well-funded coalition can not only protect the gains of the past but also push forward into a more equitable future.
The effectiveness of this new direction will not be determined in a boardroom. It will be determined in the union halls, the community centers, and the statehouses where the Ms. Foundation’s grantees are fighting every day. Sturdivant is betting the legacy of one of America’s most storied feminist institutions on the idea that the movement’s greatest strength lies in its most ignored members. If she is right, she won't just expand a coalition; she will rewrite the rules of social change.
The transition at the Ms. Foundation serves as a clear signal to the rest of the nonprofit world. The era of the "white-led, top-down" feminist organization is over. The future belongs to those who can bridge the gap between high-level philanthropy and the raw, unvarnished power of grassroots organizing. Tracy Sturdivant is not just leading a foundation; she is stress-testing a new model for the survival of the American feminist movement.
Move your resources to where the pain is most acute. Stop funding the symptoms and start funding the cure. Build a network that is too large to be ignored and too diverse to be broken. This is the Sturdivant doctrine, and it is the only way forward for a movement that finds itself at a historic crossroads.
