The New York Women’s Foundation Creates 'Power and Possibility' at the 2025 Annual Celebrating Women® Breakfast

Event raised over $1.2 million to support community-led grantmaking, fueling grassroots solutions advancing gender, racial, and economic justice

NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, May 21, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The New York Women’s Foundation (NYWF) gathered more than a thousand advocates, partners, and supporters at the New York Marriott Marquis for its 2025 Celebrating Women^® Breakfast. This year’s event centered on a powerful theme: “Together, we create power and possibility.”

The annual Breakfast raised over $1.2 million in vital funds to support the Foundation’s community-led grantmaking, which fuels grassroots solutions advancing gender, racial, and economic justice throughout New York City and beyond.

Ana L. Oliveira, President and CEO of The New York Women’s Foundation, reminded attendees of the collective strength at the heart of the Foundation’s mission: “The Foundation will continue in the discipline of hope, in the commitment of determination, focus, and possibility. We’re going to come together because it is important to show that our acts of generosity and solidarity matter,” said Ana L. Oliveira, NYWF President and CEO.

The Celebrating Women^® Awards honored individuals and organizations who exemplify how shared action can shift power and unlock possibility:
Fran Drescher, actor, author, and founder of Cancer Schmancer, was honored for her bold leadership in health advocacy, labor rights, and civil liberties. Now President of SAG-AFTRA, she has spearheaded efforts like The American Music Fairness Act and The CROWN Act.

“The more we practice empathy, the better the world will be. All the woes of the world connect to a lack of empathy and a heightened irrational attachment to greed. This has to be flipped if we want to survive,” she said.

Jacqueline Woodson, acclaimed author and founder of BALDWIN FOR THE ARTS, was recognized for her visionary work in literature and support for artists of the Global Majority.

“All we are trying to do is to make this world safer so that people can walk through it in their whole lives. We are gender-expansive people, we are women, we are activists, and we are doing this work to keep this world safe even as folks wake up every morning trying to figure out how to make this world unsafe for us,” Woodson said.

ERA Coalition and the Fund for Women’s Equality (ERA Coalition Forward) received honors for building a national movement of nearly 300 partner organizations working across racial, gender, labor, LGBTQ+, and reproductive justice—amplifying shared efforts to enshrine equality in the U.S. Constitution. Zakiya Thomas, President and CEO of the ERA Coalition, accepted the award alongside Carol Jenkins, Carolyn Maloney, and Jessica Neuwirth—demonstrating the power of multi-generational collaboration for long-term change.

New Yorkers for Equal Rights, a coalition of over 500 organizations, was recognized for its advocacy to pass the New York Equal Rights Amendment (Proposal 1), which expands and strengthens anti-discrimination protections in the state’s constitution. Sasha Ahuja accepted the award alongside coalition leaders Donna Lieberman, Robin Chappelle-Golston, and L. Joy Williams—showing the strength of a broad, united front for justice in New York.

The Vision Award was presented to JPMorganChase, recognized for its steadfast commitment to building inclusive pathways to opportunity and equity. When accepting the award, Michelle Henry, East Region Executive for Community Engagement in the Office of Corporate Responsibility at JPMorganChase, said:

“The strength of our business is linked to the vitality of our communities. Our investments in the people and places we serve show that our business is stronger when opportunity is accessible for all.”

The Foundation also honored its 2024–2025 community partners, with special acknowledgments of The Brooklyn Economic Justice Project and The Informed Consent Coalition for their intersectional leadership and community-based solutions.

Board Member and Steering Committee Co-Chair Lola C. West reflected on why she continues to champion The Foundation’s mission: “I have fallen in love with The Foundation because they are true visionaries and can see the problems and figure out the solutions before the city, country, or world see it.”

Fellow Board Member and Steering Committee Co-Chair Victoria Chu Pao added:

“Investing in our future is most powerful when we at The New York Women’s Foundation fund collective action work.”
The event also featured presentations from Foundation Board Members Mary Baglivo and Danielle Moss Cox.

Notable Attendees included: Ana L. Oliveira, Jacqueline Woodson, Fran Drescher, Adrienne Adams, Anne Delaney, Michelle Henry, Devika Gopal Agge, Carrie Malcolm, Zoran Mamdani, Sasha Ahuja, Donna Liberman, Zakiya Thomas, Carol Jenkins, Carolyn Maloney, Antonique Smith, Jean Shafiroff

About The New York Women’s Foundation:
The New York Women's Foundation The New York Women’s Foundation creates an equitable and just future for women, girls, gender-expansive individuals and their families by investing in bold, community-led solutions to ignite action for gender, economic, and racial justice. Since 1987, The Foundation has invested $133 million in 518+ organizations, creating a vibrant community of grantees, philanthropists, advocates, innovators, and change-makers.

To learn more about The New York Women's Foundation or see highlights from the event, visit nywf.org/cwb2025-reflections
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