Gates Foundation Grants $2.1 Million to Women’s Philanthropy Institute

Thanks to a $2.1 million grant awarded at the end of 2015 by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the  Women’s Philanthropy Institute (WPI) at Indiana University has begun work on an expansive three-year project that will produce a variety of accessible, easy-to-use resources for the benefit and use of the public, nonprofits and Melinda Gates herself. “This kind of gesture, and Melinda being so passionate about our research, is almost like the work and the research we do has gotten a stamp of approval,” says Debra Mesch, Director of WPI and Principal Investigator for the upcoming project. Mesch also believes that the funding is evidence of the field’s importance and opens many doors for WPI moving forward.

The project has two main focuses: identify and examine the factors that influence people to give more intentionally and more effectively, and to look into charitable giving to aid women and girls. The latter will include insights into who gives, where they give, what factors influence their giving, how to increase giving and how to engage men and younger women in supporting these causes. The project builds on information found during an earlier project that looked to understand “ways that women’s and men’s differing preferences, priorities and financial resources influence couples’ charitable giving.” This research resulted in the finding that half of all donors contribute to causes that help women and girls; an area that is very important to Gates. Researchers hope to expand on this particular topic by developing a better understanding of the impact that giving to causes supporting women and girls has on the greater community.

WPI Photo

Gates approached WPI directly and has been heavily involved from the start in their plans for the next three years of research, Mesch explains. Gates is very passionate and hopeful about the potential good that can come from the research and is eager to prove one can contribute to global change by giving to causes that support women and girls in the community. She plans to use this research to supplement speeches and talks she gives and in conjunction with her numerous other philanthropic projects.

Mesch is excited about being able to incorporate more research faculty and provide them with new methodologies and new partners, enabling them to produce a very solid body of research. She also hopes that over the next three years WPI will successfully “provide research that informs practice,” enabling everyday people and experienced philanthropists alike the opportunity to learn from their research and make informed decisions about giving back to benefit their communities and the world.


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