Author: Ana María Sánchez Rodríguez, Adjunct Lecturer ALL Institute and Director of Philanthropy at the Mexican Centre of Philanthropy, Mexico.
Introduction
Gabriela Brimmer was a disability activist. In her poem, she wrote that she might not be able to walk, but she knew how to fly. Her powerful words show what it was like to face discrimination as a woman with a disability when many were pushed to the margins. Inspired by her story, I want to explore how different groups, including philanthropic foundations, civil society, and people like us, can help make inclusion a reality.
I have worked in philanthropy for more than 4 years, and I am still surprised by the ongoing gaps and the lack of real acknowledgement of overlapping forms of discrimination, even though people often talk about them. In this piece, I share how foundations can combat discrimination against people with disabilities, with examples of their work supporting inclusion. I also point out that not many projects address the combined discrimination faced by women and girls with disabilities. My main point is that philanthropy needs to do more to support a truly inclusive rights agenda, working together with the wider community.
Philanthropic commitment to disability inclusion
In Time for Philanthropy to Confront Ableism, Sandy Ho and Jen Bokoff note: “The philanthropy sector has waved the banner of ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ for years, and yet ableism (discrimination against people with disabilities) continues to affect staffing and talent development, knowledge sharing, governance, and funding.” Ho leads the Disability and Philanthropy Forum, a network that advances disability inclusion and promotes the Disability Inclusion Pledge. This pledge is specific to the US but shows how philanthropy can adopt disability-inclusive approaches. Highlighting disability grant-making and measuring disability are important steps. This helps us see disability as a cross-cutting issue for philanthropic action.
Before the Disability Pledge, the Disability Rights Fund donor’s guide directly promoted the rights of persons with disabilities in line with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). This guide marked a decisive step in disability inclusion. It demands that donors take a human rights approach and embrace different experiences of people with disabilities. Donors must commit resources, involve people with disabilities in decision-making, and drive data collection for evidence-based programming. While first released in the US, both the Disability Pledge and the donor’s guide offer concepts and methods that must be adapted globally. Philanthropic leaders everywhere should adopt these frameworks to drive disability and gender inclusion worldwide. More than 60 foundations have signed on since 2021. However, a specific focus on disability and gender inclusion still requires urgent attention.
Driving an intersectional framework to a human rights-based approach
Stephanie Ortoleva, founder of Women Enabled, declared in “The Future is Hers:” “An intersectional framework is absolutely essential to the work we do. So, it’s looking at all aspects of a person. And for me, of course, two of the primary intersections that I work on are gender and disability. But women with disabilities, like all women, have many other aspects of their lives.” When I say intersectional, I insist on recognising how social identities—such as gender, ability, race, and class—overlap and interact. These intersections shape individual experiences and challenges. This principle demands that our approaches reflect the full complexity faced by diverse groups.
Current philanthropic giving rarely targets the intersection of gender and disability. The Foundation Giving for Disability: Priorities and Trends report, which reviewed 1,000 US foundations, shows that in 2019, only 3% of all disability-related funding, in the US and globally, supported women and girls with disabilities. This data underscores the urgent need to prioritise intersectional funding within philanthropy.
This disparity requires urgent action. Funders should: 1) clearly dedicate a percentage of funding to women and girls with disabilities; 2) start grant programs specifically for intersectional projects; 3) partner with organisations led by women with disabilities to co-create relevant funding criteria; and 4) prioritise accountability and results. Refer to “Supporting Inclusive Movements: Funding the Rights of Women with Disabilities” for best practices like listening to women with disabilities, offering inclusive training, funding participation, and building peer mentorship networks. Place intersectional work at the heart of philanthropy by acting on these steps now.
Gaining momentum—Increasing philanthropy commitment to the rights of women and girls with disabilities
As we recognise another International Women’s Day, I call for philanthropy to step forward. Some donors do focus on women and girls with disabilities. The Disability Rights Fund, the Disability Justice Fund for Women, and Disability Rights Advocacy Funds are examples. Plan International has highlighted issues through its “Let me decide and Thrive” report on discrimination against young women with disabilities. Disability and gender activists are also gaining more visibility. However, challenges remain, as Women Enable’s report, “Activist From Strength: What you need to know to be a disability and gender inclusive funder,” reflects, and funding is still one of them, as Minieri and Nelms pointed out.
Imagine a future where, three years from now, philanthropy has transformed disability and gender rights. This future can only happen if funders pledge today to transcend old boundaries and set new, ambitious standards for inclusion, working with the wider community and engaging academics and practitioners. Centre the rights of women and girls with disabilities in your agenda and take decisive steps to make this vision a reality. Commit, act, and lead—create the change the world needs.
