Montgomery, Alabama is the birthplace of transformative civil rights movements that fundamentally changed who could participate in American democracy. From the Montgomery Bus Boycott to the Selma marches, this region offers important precedents for today’s efforts to expand political representation.  

Against this historic setting, the 2025 Funders' Committee for Civic Participation (FCCP) brought together leading philanthropists and democracy practitioners for a three-day convening to explore the pressing issues facing our democracy.

Representing The Ascend Fund, Panorama’s Rebecca Reeve-Bennett joined fellow funders in Montgomery, AL for three days of powerful conversations unpacking state-level and nationwide strategies for building a diverse and representative democracy. At a moment when democracy itself feels fragile, these discussions reinforced The Ascend Fund’s commitment to investing in creative and responsive approaches to building women's political power across the United States.

Five Strategic Insights from Montgomery: Building Women’s Political Power

1. Center Intersectional Perspectives

Building women's political power cannot be fully realized without integrating the complexity of women's whole identities and lived experiences. Race, class, sexual orientation, gender identity, rural/urban geography, immigration background, and more are deeply intertwined, and comprehensive efforts to support women's political power need to reflect women's intersecting identities.  

Recommendations for funders: Fund organizations led by women who reflect the communities they serve. Prioritize grantmaking that addresses multiple barriers simultaneously over single-issue approaches. Fund supplemental support for holistic leadership development to acknowledge the ways that different identities shape political experiences and approaches.

2. Prioritize Safety and Security for Women in Public Office

Women leaders, especially women leaders of color, face disproportionate threats to their safety. Beyond the individual harm individuals face from safety threats, acts of political violence and intimidation have far-reaching effects - including narrowing the leadership pipeline. Women leaders need to have access to a holistic set of resources and tools to stay safe throughout their tenure in public service – and to boldly challenge narratives and rhetoric in our public discourse that normalize threats and acts of political violence.  

Recommendations for funders: Provide supplementary funding for organizations to build internal capacity to address safety and security concerns. Fund digital security training, physical safety resources, legal protection, mental health services, and family support systems that extend beyond election cycles. This includes both preventive measures and responsive support when threats or intimidation arise. Partner with local organizations that specialize in providing responsive and holistic support for women leaders in their communities.  

3. Regional Strategies Drive State and Local Impact

Local and regional organizing is often the most direct path to political leadership for women. While each state has its own distinct context, funding strategies to support women’s political leadership should not be developed in isolation. Many communities are connected by regional cultures, shared histories, and cross-state networks that shape political identity and power. To be effective, strategies must recognize and invest in these broader regional dynamics, which often play a critical role in how women organize, lead, and influence politics beyond state lines.

Recommendations for funders: Develop regional funding strategies that understand cross-state dynamics while still staying rooted in local contexts. Support state-based organizations that are responsive to local political cultures, and fund regional networks and infrastructure that share resources and strategies across state boundaries.

4. Collaboration Amplifies Organizing Efforts

Lack of funder coordination can fragment work that's just getting off the ground, while collaborative and coordinated funding models can reduce competition and increase collective impact. Organizations working on women's political leadership often struggle with limited resources and benefit significantly from aligned support.

Recommendations for funders: Participate in formal and informal funder collaboratives building women's political leadership. Share grantmaking calendars, coordinate geographic focus areas, and pool resources for major initiatives. Create shared learning opportunities and avoid duplicating infrastructure investments.

5. The "Funder Freeze" Comes at a Price

Efforts to advance a representative democracy can’t wait for perfect conditions.  Hesitation and perfectionism in funding decisions can prevent catalytic support from reaching women candidates and leaders at pivotal moments.

Recommendations for funders: Act with urgency while building for the long term. Make strategic investments now rather than waiting for perfect information or conditions. Resource rapid response funding mechanisms to seize emerging opportunities and address threats to women's political participation.

Moving Forward with Urgency & Intentionality

The Montgomery setting was a reminder that democratic progress requires both urgency and sustained commitment. Just as the civil rights activists who walked these same streets understood, expanding political participation demands strategic action at moments of opportunity. For The Ascend Fund and other funders committed to this work, that means moving beyond cautious deliberation, breaking down silos, and urgently moving resources to organizations doing this critical work day by day.  

The three days in Montgomery reinforced that supporting women's political power isn't just about individual candidates, one-off elections, or even single organizations—it's about building sustainable infrastructure, addressing the systemic barriers holding women leaders back, and creating pathways for the next generation of women to step into their power. We need them now more than ever.  

How will you commit to expanding women’s political power?  

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