Funders for Reproductive Equity, formerly the Funders Network on Population, Reproductive Health, and Rights, is a network of more than 50 center-left and left-of-center grantmaking organizations that support pro-abortion causes, with focuses on ethnic minorities and transgender people. Members include the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the Hewlett Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the United Nations Foundation. Arabella Advisors, a left-of-center philanthropic consulting company, advises the coalition. ¹

Founding and History

In 1996, population program advisors from the Ford Foundation, Hewlett Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, and three other small foundations established Funders for Reproductive Equity, then known as the Funders Network on Population, Reproductive Health, and Rights. ²

According to the organization’s first co-chair Joe Spiedel, the Funders for Reproductive Equity network was created to provide “expert” knowledge and circulate information between funders in the pro-abortion space. ³

In 2007, the Funders for Reproductive Equity established the pro-abortion Catalyst Fund. The Catalyst Fund is operated by the Groundswell Fund, which itself is run by the left-of-center Tides Foundation. ⁴ In its first year, the Catalyst Fund distributed $800,000 to pro-abortion organizations. ⁵

In 2016, the network began its partnership with the Rockwood Leadership Institute to fund its Fellowship for Leaders in Reproductive Health, Rights, and Justice. ⁶

The group has historically been insular, making very few public comments. In 2017, the Funders for Reproductive Equity made a statement following the violence at the Charlottesville “Unite the Right” rally. ⁷ In the document, the group expanded on its grantmaking philosophy, writing, “We know there can be no reproductive justice without racial justice.” It also linked to a Google document titled “Syllabus for White People to Educate Themselves,” which has since been removed for violating Google’s Terms of Service.

Present Activities

Funders for Reproductive Equity hosts annual meetings and organizes four working groups to foster grantmaking cooperation between the network’s member foundations. ⁸ Through its working groups, the coalition invites members to seminars, workshops, and reading groups and uses email listservs to exchange information and ideas. ⁹

Occasionally, the network partners with external organizations, like the Rockwood Leadership Institute and the Tides Foundation, to create pro-abortion funding vehicles in order to encourage member donations. The network also provides toolkits to funders who are interested in exploring pro-abortion causes and organizations led by women and minorities. ¹⁰

Finances

Funders for Reproductive Equity’s most recent publicly available filings show total revenues of $1,413,186 and total expenses of $1,034,942. Three of the network’s original foundations—the Ford, Hewlett, and MacArthur Foundations—remain the organization’s largest donors. In 2019 alone, the foundations gave $563,098, $476,250, and $130,000 to the Funders for Reproductive Equity, respectively. Other large contributors included the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation (STBF), which gave $685,000, and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, which contributed $410,000. ¹¹

The MacArthur Foundation has historically been one of the network’s biggest financial supporters, awarding nearly $1,000,000 to the Funders for Reproductive Equity since its 1996 foundation. ¹²

Leadership

Rocio Cordoba is the executive director of the Funders for Reproductive Equity. ¹³

Funders for Reproductive Equity’s board includes program officers from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and the United Nations Foundation. ¹⁴

1. “Legal and Financial.” Funders for Reproductive Equity – Home. Accessed April 16, 2021. https://wearefre.org/about-funders-for-reproductive-equity/legal-and-financial.
2. Elkind , Perrin Liana. “How Foundations’ Field-Building Helped the Reproductive Health Movement Change the International Population and Development Paradigm.” University of California: Berkeley. University of Calirofnia: Berkeley , 2015. https://escholarship.org/content/qt0c25c6hw/qt0c25c6hw_noSplash_013dae2a949020456ed0c0bd8121c036.pdf?t=p6piv7.
3. Elkind , Perrin Liana. “How Foundations’ Field-Building Helped the Reproductive Health Movement Change the International Population and Development Paradigm.” University of California: Berkeley. University of Calirofnia: Berkeley , 2015. https://escholarship.org/content/qt0c25c6hw/qt0c25c6hw_noSplash_013dae2a949020456ed0c0bd8121c036.pdf?t=p6piv7.
4. “Catalyst Fund at Tides Foundation Awards $800,000 for Reproductive Justice Projects.” Philanthropy News Digest (PND), December 16, 2007. https://philanthropynewsdigest.org/news/catalyst-fund-at-tides-foundation-awards-800-000-for-reproductive-justice-projects.  ; “What We Do.” Funders for Reproductive Equity – Home. Accessed April 16, 2021. https://wearefre.org/about-funders-for-reproductive-equity/what-we-do.
5. “Catalyst Fund at Tides Foundation Awards $800,000 for Reproductive Justice Projects.” Philanthropy News Digest (PND), December 16, 2007. https://philanthropynewsdigest.org/news/catalyst-fund-at-tides-foundation-awards-800-000-for-reproductive-justice-projects.  ; “What We Do.” Funders for Reproductive Equity – Home. Accessed April 16, 2021. https://wearefre.org/about-funders-for-reproductive-equity/what-we-do.
6. Kimble , Lucia Castaneda. “2016 Fellowship for Leaders in Reproductive Health, Rights, and Justice Fellows Announced!” Rockwood Leadership Institute, February 9, 2016. https://rockwoodleadership.org/2016-fellowship-for-leaders-in-reproductive-health-rights-and-justice-fellows-announced/.
7. “Statement from Funders for Reproductive Equity Leaders: Toward a More Just Nation.” Funders for Reproductive Equity. Accessed April 16, 2021. https://www.unitedphilforum.org/sites/default/files/FRE%20Statement-%20Toward%20a%20More%20Just%20Nation.pdf.
8. “Working Groups.” Funders for Reproductive Equity – Home. Accessed April 16, 2021. https://wearefre.org/membership/fre-working-groups.
9. “Working Groups.” Funders for Reproductive Equity – Home. Accessed April 16, 2021. https://wearefre.org/membership/fre-working-groups.
10. “Growing the Reproductive Justice Movement: A Toolkit for Funders.” Funders for Reproductive Equity – Home. Accessed April 16, 2021. https://wearefre.org/resources/reproductive-justice-toolkit-for-funders.
11. “Legal and Financial.” Funders for Reproductive Equity – Home. Accessed April 16, 2021. https://wearefre.org/about-funders-for-reproductive-equity/legal-and-financial.
12. “Funders for Reproductive Equity – MacArthur Foundation.” RSS. Accessed April 16, 2021. https://www.macfound.org/grantee/funders-for-reproductive-equity-27780/.
13. “Board and Staff.” Funders for Reproductive Equity – Home. Accessed April 16, 2021. https://wearefre.org/about-funders-for-reproductive-equity/board-and-staff.
14. “Board and Staff.” Funders for Reproductive Equity – Home. Accessed April 16, 2021. https://wearefre.org/about-funders-for-reproductive-equity/board-and-staff.