National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) Action Fund is the political and lobbying arm of the left-of-center National Women’s Law Center. 1 The Fund promotes left-of-center policy on women’s issues through legislative and educational advocacy, social organizing, and voter outreach campaigns. 2 3
2020 Election Activities
Campaigning for Vice President Kamala Harris
Fatima Goss Graves, president of the National Women’s Law Center Action Fund, co-leads We Have Her Back, a coalition of organizations that aims to reduce allegedly stereotyped negative coverage of women. In 2020, the coalition focused on pressuring news organizations into providing more positive coverage of Democratic Vice-Presidential nominee Kamala Harris. 4
During the 2020 election cycle, the coalition wrote a memo addressed to all media personnel and outlets advising the media on how to report on Harris’s candidacy and nomination, including paying special attention to the fact that she is an African-American woman. The authors of the memo, including the presidents and CEOs of left-of-center organizations such as Time’s Up, the Black Women’s Agenda, NARAL Pro-Choice America, and Planned Parenthood Action Fund, claimed that the groups would collectively and individually monitor news coverage and “call out” media outlets if they did not meet their reporting standards. 5 Graves particularly targeted conservative news programs, news anchors, and former President Donald Trump. 6
Following the original letter co-signed by Graves and other leaders of some of the nation’s largest left-of-center organizations, the coalition released a second letter shaming the media for publishing information about the then-Vice President-elect Harris’s alleged use of romantic relationships to advance her career. The coalition called the allegations false, in addition to claiming that they were “racist and sexist.” 7
A coalition of groups including NWLC, Women’s March, NARAL Pro-Choice America, and Planned Parenthood Action Fund co-authored a letter to then-presidential candidates Joe Biden and U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT). The letter insisted that whoever became the nominee must select a woman as his running mate, appoint women to at least half of all presidential appointments, and focus particularly on issues affecting ethnic minority women. 8
Abortion Advocacy
In a joint statement with several organizations, including Ultraviolet Action, National Organization for Women, and the Population Connection Action Fund, NWLC Action Fund demanded that the Democratic Party unite to support the implementation of a policy which would provide government funding for abortions. The coalition claimed that a “person’s income, insurance coverage, citizenship, or where they live” should not determine whether they are able to receive an abortion. Graves blamed the former Trump administration for not granting easy access to abortions and argued that the Democratic Party’s platform must focus on providing easy access to abortion and supporting proposals for government-controlled healthcare, especially for ethnic minority and LGBT communities. 9
Democratic National Convention Women’s Summit
On July 12, 2020, NWLC was one of ten sponsors of the Women’s Summit held the day before the Democratic National Convention. Other sponsors included the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund, and NARAL Pro-Choice America. The groups, which are particularly focused on women’s access to abortion, aimed to draw attention to the Democratic Party, while brining women’s issues to the forefront of the Democratic National Convention. Graves stated on behalf of the NWLC Action Fund that any candidate for president needed to put the issues of women of color at the forefront of his or her campaign. 10
Michigan
NWLC Action Fund focuses specifically on the state of Michigan, dedicating a page on its website to its work within the state. The Fund joined with the Mothering Justice Action Fund, a left-of-center Michigan organization that focused on voter turnout among women of color, LGBT people, and low-income women with families in Michigan during the 2020 election. 11 Along with Mothering Justice Action Fund, NWLC Action Fund attempted to engage women of color during the 2020 election and persuade them to vote in favor of left-of-center candidates. 12
Advocacy
NWLC Action Fund advocates for the appointment of left-leaning U. S. Supreme Court Justices and denounced the confirmation of Justice Amy Coney Barrett, calling her an “extremist.” 13 Fatima Goss Graves stated that in retaliation to Justice Coney Barrett’s appointment, the group and its supporters would remember who “ignored” them when voting for left-of-center candidates in the 2020 elections. 14 NWLC Action Fund claimed that Republican senators ignored issues of COVID-19 relief in order to appoint Justice Barrett. 15
NWLC Action Fund also supports a broad left-of-center agenda. The Fund has blamed former U.S. Secretary of Education Betsey DeVos for allegedly weakening protections against sexual harassment in schools. 16 The Fund has also advocated in support of government-controlled healthcare programs and increased abortion access, funding by federal dollars. 17 During the COVID-19 pandemic, NWLC Action Fund called on the federal government to provide more funding to states and local governments for COVID-19 relief. The organization also called for continuous unemployment benefits until economic conditions improved and demanded that the federal government provide $50 billion in funding for the childcare sector. 18
During the 2020 presidential election, NWLC Action Fund partnered with other left-progressive organizations to sway voters on what the organization deemed as “critical issues,” particularly those related to ethnic minority women, LGBT people, and low-income women and families. NWLC Action Fund worked towards this goal by engaging in direct advocacy, lobbying, community organizing, and voter mobilization initiatives. 19
Leadership
Fatima Goss Graves, president and CEO of NWLC and president of the NWLC Action Fund, has worked with NWLC for over a decade. She is a co-founder of the left-of-center TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund. Graves currently sits as an advisor on the American Law Institute Project on Sexual and Gender-Based Misconduct on Campus and was on the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Select Task Force on the Study of Harassment in the Workplace. Graves was also a public voices fellow at the Ford Foundation. 20 Graves sits on the advisory board of Supreme Court Voter, an organization aimed at fighting against the appointment of right-of-center justices to the U. S. Supreme Court. 21
Financials
In an independent auditor’s report of both the National Women’s Law Center and the National Women’s Law Center Action Fund, the statements for both organizations were consolidated due to the NWLC’s controlling interest in the Action Fund. NWLC is the sole member of the NWLC Action Fund. The two organizations share some personnel and overhead costs. 22
NWLC is funded primarily through grants and contributions from private foundations, corporations, and individuals. 23 In 2007, National Women’s Law Center received a grant from the Ford Foundation totaling $10 million to start its Ford Endowment. 24 Conditions of the grant stated that NWLC had to raise an additional $5 million and support programs focused on family economic security, education and employment opportunities, and health. 25
In 2013, the Nokomis Foundation allocated a legacy grant to NWLC for $6 million to create the Nokomis Endowment to provide general support for the NWLC. 26
References
- Michigan. National Women’s Law Center Action Fund. Accessed February 20, 2021. https://nwlcactionfund.org/michigan/
- Press Release. “Leading Progressive Groups Announce Women’s Summit Before Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee.” NARAL Pro-Choice America. March 13, 2020. Accessed February 23, 2021. https://www.prochoiceamerica.org/2020/03/13/naral-and-leading-progressive-groups-announce-womens-summit/
- National Women’s Law Center, Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990), 2018, Schedule R, Parts 1 and II. Accessed January 24, 2021. https://990s.foundationcenter.org/990_pdf_archive/521/521865575/521865575_201712_990.pdf
- Shafer, Scott. “’Won’t Stand for It’: Women of Color Prepare for Biased Attacks on Kamala Harris.” KQED. September 16, 2020. Accessed February 26, 2021. https://www.kqed.org/news/11838020/wont-stand-for-it-women-of-color-prepare-for-biased-attacks-on-kamala-harris
- We Have Her Back. “Memo: News Coverage for the Vice President Candidate.” August 6, 2020. Accessed February 22, 2021. https://timesupnow.org/work/we-have-her-back/we-have-her-back-letter/
- Shafer, Scott. “’Won’t Stand for It’: Women of Color Prepare for Biased Attacks on Kamala Harris.” KQED. September 16, 2020. Accessed February 26, 2021. https://www.kqed.org/news/11838020/wont-stand-for-it-women-of-color-prepare-for-biased-attacks-on-kamala-harris
- We Have Her Back. “Memo: Your Duty to Call It Out.” Time’s Up. September 3, 2020. Accessed February 22, 2021. https://timesupnow.org/newsroom/memo-your-duty-to-call-it-out/
- Letter. “Tell Biden and Sanders to Appoint Women Leadership in Their Administration.” Action Network. Accessed February 26, 2021. https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/tell-the-candidates-to-appoint-women-leadership-in-their-administration/?source=ads-ea-facebook-20200312-womensagenda-org-ad02
- Press Release. “National Coalition of Progressive Groups Push DNC to Adopt Bold, Inclusive Vison for Sexual and Reproductive Health, Rights, and Justice in 2020.” National Organization for Women. July 9, 2020. Accessed February 23, 2021. https://now.org/media-center/press-release/national-coalition-of-progressive-groups-push-dnc-to-adopt-bold-inclusive-vision-for-sexual-and-reproductive-health-rights-and-justice-in-2020/
- Press Release. “Leading Progressive Groups Announce Women’s Summit Before Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee.” NARAL Pro-Choice America. March 13, 2020. Accessed February 23, 2021. https://www.prochoiceamerica.org/2020/03/13/naral-and-leading-progressive-groups-announce-womens-summit/
- Michigan. National Women’s Law Center Action Fund. Accessed February 20, 2021. https://nwlcactionfund.org/michigan/
- NWLC Action Fund and Mothering Justice Action Fund Join Forces to Engage Michigan Voters on Gender Justice Issues.” National Women’s Law Center. September 29, 2020. Accessed February 27, 2021. https://nwlcactionfund.org/2020/09/29/nwlc-action-fund-and-mothering-justice-action-fund-join-forces-to-engage-michigan-voters-on-gender-justice-issues/
- Supreme Court. National Women’s Law Center Action Fund. Accessed February 26, 2021. https://nwlcactionfund.org/supreme-court/
- NWLC Action Fund Responds to Amy Coney Barrett’s Confirmation to the Supreme Court. National Women’s Law Center Action Fund. October 27, 2020. Accessed February 27, 2021. https://nwlcactionfund.org/2020/10/27/nwlc-action-fund-responds-to-amy-coney-barretts-confirmation-to-the-supreme-court/
- Supreme Court. National Women’s Law Center Action Fund. Accessed February 26, 2021. https://nwlcactionfund.org/supreme-court/
- Sexual Harassment. National Women’s Law Center Action Fund. Accessed February 26, 2021. https://nwlcactionfund.org/sexual-harassment/
- Healthcare and Reproductive Rights. National Women’s Law Center Action Fund. Accessed February 26, 2021. https://nwlcactionfund.org/health-care-reproductive-rights/
- COVID Relief. National Women’s Law Center Action Fund. Accessed February 27, 2021. https://nwlcactionfund.org/covid-relief/
- NWLC Action Fun to Engage Voters on Gender Justice Issues, Alerting ‘Everything is on the Line’ this Election.” National Women’s Law Center Action Fund. September 24, 2020. Accessed February 26, 2021. https://nwlcactionfund.org/2020/09/24/nwlc-action-fund-to-engage-voters-on-gender-justice-issues-alerting-everything-is-on-the-line-this-election/
- Member – Fatima Goss Graves. Institute for Women’s Policy Research. Accessed February 26, 2021. https://iwpr.org/member/fatima-goss-graves/
- About – Advisory Board. Supreme Court Voter. Accessed February 26, 2021. https://supremecourtvoter.org/about/advisory-board/
- Consolidated Financial Statements and Independent Auditors’ Report. National Women’s Law Center and National Women’s Law Center Action Fund. June 30, 2014. Accessed February 26, 2021. https://www.nwlc.org/sites/default/files/nwlc_audited_financial_statement_2014.pdf
- Consolidated Financial Statements. National Women’s Law Center and National Women’s Law Center Action Fund. June 30, 2014. Accessed February 26, 2021. https://www.nwlc.org/sites/default/files/nwlc_audited_financial_statement_2014.pdf
- Consolidated Financial Statements and Independent Auditors’ Report. National Women’s Law Center and National Women’s Law Center Action Fund. June 30, 2015. Accessed February 27, 2021. https://nwlc.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/nwlc_audited_financial_statement_2015.pdf
- “Ford Foundation Pledges $10 Million to National Women’s Law Center.” Philanthropy News Digest. November 1, 2006. Accessed February 27, 2021. https://philanthropynewsdigest.org/news/ford-foundation-pledges-10-million-to-national-women-s-law-center
- Consolidated Financial Statements and Independent Auditors’ Report. National Women’s Law Center and National Women’s Law Center Action Fund. June 30, 2015. Accessed February 27, 2021. https://nwlc.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/nwlc_audited_financial_statement_2015.pdf