Advocacy

Building on three consecutive years of legislative victories for women, Women’s Foundation of Alabama’s championed its 2022 Agenda for Women focused on non-partisan, commonsense policy solutions that advance economic equity through workplace supports and access to maternal healthcare.

Thanks to our tenacious advocacy, we were successful in securing the following wins for women:

A his toric $17.8 million state investment in child care, a significant first step towards expanding access and quality of child care for Alabama families.

Cre ation of the Alabama Workforce and Wage Gap Task Force, chaired by Women’s Foundation of Alabama President and CEO, Melanie R. Bridgeforth, which met throughout 2022 and provided data-driven solutions to assist lawmakers in implementing laws to close the gender wage gap and bolster female workforce participation.

Expanding ma ternal health coverage to 30,000 women by expanding postpartum Medicaid coverage from 60 days to one year.

Helping t o propel more women through the workforce pipeline with expanded funding for our two generation Economic Mobility Model with the Alabama Community College System.

Women’s Policy Institute

We continued to fuel women-led solutions through our Women’s Policy Institute (WPI) graduating our third cohort of grassroots leaders – champions equipped with expert training to spearhead public-policy change in their own backyards. The power and efficacy of the WPI was showcased this year with two successful Fellow-led advocacy campaigns including legislation to begin eliminating the use of restraints on incarcerated women who are pregnant and a $200,000 budget appropriation to combat period poverty by funding hygiene products for students in Title I schools.

Unleashed & Gatherings

Unleashed

2022 Unleashed: A Philanthroparty was a major success. We honored ten Changemakers who influence and shape the state in all that they do. Our 2022 Changemakers included Alka Bhargav Charisse D. Stokes, Dorothy Pak, Eleanor Estes, Jamie Ison, Kellie Hope, Maeci Walker, Dr. Michele Kong, Wendi Ward Boyen, and Yasmin Anders.

Because of your generosity, we raised over $350,000 ~ targeted funds that empower the Women’s Foundation of Alabama to fuel catalytic change in communities across the state.

Gatherings

Like flowering vines, Women’s Foundation of Alabama also spent 2022 nurturing networks through new approaches. As part of our statewide expansion strategy, we took Unleashed on the road, hosting a series of intimate “Gatherings” in Huntsville, Montgomery, Mobile, and Birmingham. These local meetups served to honor our 2022 Unleashed Changemakers and explored how to mobilize women’s equity for unique pockets of our state.