Women’s collective giving circles began because women had not historically had a seat at the philanthropy table and felt they could make an impact in their community by pooling their resources and learning together. Since our founding we have been learning about gender and its complexity and are making changes to welcome other individuals who may also not have historically had a seat at the philanthropic table.

To this end, we have made our membership more inclusive, as you will see by the language identified by italics in our statement of what we do. We genuinely welcome and encourage individuals who are interested in our work, would feel comfortable in an organization where the majority of members identify as women, and feel invited by the language shared below.

Ninety-nine girlfriends engages women* of Portland Metro/SW Washington (Clackamas, Clark, Multnomah and Washington counties) to invest in the community through collective action. We are a group of women who learn about the needs in our community and come together, pooling our funds and resources, to make large impact gifts which can help address local issues in a big way.

* Ninety-nine girlfriends is a women’s organization. We recognize the complexities of gender identity and gender expression, and welcome cisgender women, transgender women, and gender non-binary, gender non-conforming, or gender queer persons.

Questions or comments can be directed to us here.