Theo Sowa and Joanna Kerr lead the next chapter of Equality Fund’s global journey
The Equality Fund is thrilled to announce the election of Theo Sowa, renowned feminist and former CEO of the African Women’s Development Fund, as Co-Chair of its inaugural Board of Directors. In this new role, she serves alongside Joanna Kerr, who has been the Equality Fund’s Board Chair and indefatigable champion since its evolution from The MATCH Fund in 2019.
United in a feminist model of shared leadership, Joanna and Theo steward a dynamic and diverse Board of influential leaders working across continents and sectors to build feminist futures, spanning such fields as grassroots organizing, finance, impact investing, Indigenous rights, technology, philanthropy, and business.
In 2020, the Equality Fund put out a global call for leaders to join its new inaugural Board of Directors, a reflection of its rapid growth from The MATCH Fund into an even farther-reaching fund working on the frontlines of feminism around the world. The response was immense, drawing the interest of hundreds of candidates from across the globe.
The new Board includes five members of the original MATCH Board along with twelve new members. The Board will continue to evolve and grow alongside our global work, with representatives from our grantee partner community expected to join soon.
Powered by an initial $300 million CAD contribution from the Government of Canada, the Equality Fund is building the largest self-sustaining fund for gender equality in the world. By transforming traditional approaches to development assistance, investing, and philanthropy simultaneously, the Equality Fund seeks to unlock capital to unleash the full power of women’s movements worldwide.
In our first year of operation, the Equality Fund recently celebrated a new community of 72 grantee partners creating feminist change across Africa, Asia, the Pacific, Latin America, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East.
