girlsBEST: Building the Economic Power of Girls

In 2002, the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota launched girlsBEST (girls Building Economic Success Together), a grantmaking and public awareness program to build the economic power of girls, ages 12-18. In 2006, the Foundation became the first to permanently endow a fund for girls.

girlsBEST Today

Since launching girlsBEST, the Foundation has funded seven cohorts of grantee partners with multi-year funding across the state.

416 planning and implementation grants provided
$5.9 million granted to 159 girl-led and girl-driven programs statewide
60,406 young women and families engaged across Minnesota

Our girlsBEST grantees knock down roadblocks to girls’ future economic success, like low wages and job discrimination, sexist academic and career tracking by schools, poor body image and self-esteem, teen pregnancy, lack of leadership and athletic opportunities, and violence against girls. girlsBEST has shown time and again that when girls define their priorities and create change in their own lives, they expect more from themselves now, and later, as adults.

Grantmaking & Grantee-Partners

Grants go to girl-driven programs that have the support and involvement of women, mentors, community organizations, schools, and other organizations serving women and girls. Priority is given to underrepresented and underserved girls and communities across the state, including low-income girls, girls of color, and girls from greater Minnesota. girlsBEST grantees demonstrate a strong focus on girls’ economic development and girls are involved in all aspects of the program, including planning, implementation and evaluation.

girlsBEST girls represent hope for tomorrow. And at the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota, we know it will be the next generation of social changemakers — like the girlsBEST girls — that will ultimately make sexism, racism, and poverty in Minnesota history.

Meet our statewide grantee-partners:

Evaluation & Statistics

After 20 years of girlsBEST grantmaking, we know girlsBEST model programming is effective. Take these key findings from independent program evaluations:

Key Outcomes

High School Graduation: girlsBEST participants have a 98% high school graduation rate, compared to Minnesota’s 2019 average statewide graduation rate of 84%.
Post-Secondary Enrollment: girlsBEST participants have a 93% post-secondary education enrollment rate, compared to 31-73% in Minnesota overall, depending on the institution, in 2017.
Teen Pregnancy: 99% of girlsBEST participants avoided unintended pregnancy.

Strong Futures

girlsBEST girls represent hope for tomorrow. And at the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota, we know it will be the next generation of social changemakers — like the girlsBEST girls — that will ultimately make sexism, racism, and poverty in Minnesota history.

Read the evaluation reports of our girlsBEST Fund:

Explore our funds and areas of impact

See Our Impact