Founded 15 years ago, Third Wave is the only national foundation that supports young people creating new models of leadership that strengthen community efforts to resist oppression and ensure justice, that are led by and for young women, transgender, and gender non-conforming youth and queer youth of color. At our founding in the early 1990’s, less than six percent of all philanthropic dollars were directed to programs serving women and girls. Recognizing that even fewer dollars were making it to the innovative programs that are led by third wave feminists, Third Wave was created to address the need to have a fund for young feminist activists. Utilizing the strengths of our vision and design, Third Wave has given $3.1 million to over 180 young women and transgender youth-led organizations, often as the first national funder, and to hundreds of individuals through scholarships. Our founders believed, as we believe today, that financial support must be given to those young leaders, so that they can achieve their goals in creating change in their lives and the lives of others. By providing grants and other types of support, we make these visions a reality. Third Wave Foundation

• fills a resource and bridges the gap between philanthropy, youth organizing, feminism and racial justice;
• centers youth most impacted by inequity as the architects of community and systemic change, through strategic grantmaking, leadership development, and philanthropic advocacy;
• supports multi-issue and multi-strategy work led by young women and trans youth of color in low-income communities.