Jack Dorsey’s $3M Funds Girls’ Ed in Sub-Saharan Africa
The grant will be split ($750,000 per organization) between AGE Africa, Asante Africa Foundation, WISER International, and Women’s Global Education Project, four award-winning organizations brought together by their involvement in the Obama Foundation’s Girls Opportunity Alliance, Former First Lady Michelle Obama’s girls’ education initiative. “We created the Girls Opportunity Alliance to bring together and support grassroots organizations that are removing barriers facing girls all over the world,” said Tiffany Drake, Executive Director, Girls Opportunity Alliance, a program of the Obama Foundation. “We are thrilled that Advancing Girls’ Education in Africa (AGE Africa), Asante Africa Foundation, WISER International, and Women’s Global Education Project (WGEP) are joining forces and doing remarkable work for adolescent girls across Africa that has been recognized by #StartSmall and Jack Dorsey.”
“Women’s History Month was definitely one for the books, especially with Jack Dorsey’s #StartSmall initiative dispersing $3 million in grants at the end of the month. This newest funding was allocated to four grassroots organizations focused on breaking down educational barriers for women in sub-Saharan Africa.
AGE Africa, Asante Africa Foundation, WISER International, and Women’s Global Education Project are the well-deserving organizations receiving $750,000 each to support their already ingrained and successful efforts. The Obama Foundation’s Girls Opportunity Alliance is responsible for this cohort of collaboration joining forces to eradicate female inequity in the most rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa.
Dorsey, co-founder of Twitter and Square, decided it was time to even the playing field a bit. Worth about $5 billion himself, Dorsey made history by setting up and dedicating $1 billion to his Start Small initiative focused on COVID-19 efforts, specifically UBI and women and girl’s educational philanthropy.
Now, not only is this history-making in the sense of the scope of funds and where they’re coming from, but it’s all public. There’s an easily accessed spreadsheet tracking where all the funds are going at all times. So far, $374 million has been disbursed, with over $4 billion remaining.” Philathropy Women