EMpower—The Emerging Markets Foundation

EMpower—The Emerging Markets Foundation

Philanthropic Fundraising Services

New York, NY 13,469 followers

Empowering young people, creating brighter futures.

About us

Founded in 2000, EMpower—The Emerging Markets Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation that partners with local organisations in emerging market countries, and other change-makers, to enable marginalised young people to transform their lives and communities. We support local organisations in emerging market countries that provide youth with the tools, skills, and resources they need to lead healthy, productive lives. What Makes EMpower Unique? -Concentration on emerging market countries, where communities are many times marginalised and left out of economic booms. -Focus on young people during a critical time of transition and the three key building blocks for their future: education, health, and livelihoods. -Open dialogue: EMpower engages donors in decisions about grants and forms trusting conversations with grantee partners about the issues they face and their solutions. -Streamlined, transparent, and highly cost-effective grantmaking model: 100% of funds raised from individuals goes directly to our grantee partners. -Multifaceted and long-term support: we don't just provide financial resources to our grantees, but partnership, networking, and learning opportunities.

Website
http://www.empowerweb.org
Industry
Philanthropic Fundraising Services
Company size
11-50 employees
Headquarters
New York, NY
Type
Nonprofit
Founded
2000
Specialties
Grantmaking, Adolescent Girls Empowerment, Youth Development, and Capacity Building

Locations

  • Primary

    125 Maiden Lane

    9th Floor

    New York, NY 10038, US

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  • 65 St. Paul’s Churchyard

    3rd Floor Paternoster House

    London, England EC4M 8AB, GB

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  • 50 Bonham Strand

    Room 318, 3/F, Strand 50

    Hong Kong, HK

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  • B-4, Greater Kailash Enclave Part – II

    Ground Floor Annexe Building

    New Delhi, Delhi 110048, IN

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Employees at EMpower—The Emerging Markets Foundation

Updates

  • In our latest blog, Lindsay Prybylski, Global People and Culture Associate at EMpower writes about the inception of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) Advisory Group, the challenges and learnings along the way, and what they are looking forward to as the journey evolves. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gxWepxf7.

    Creating Spaces for Inclusive Leadership: My Journey with EMpower’s SLT Advisory Group | News & Events - EMpower

    Creating Spaces for Inclusive Leadership: My Journey with EMpower’s SLT Advisory Group | News & Events - EMpower

    empowerweb.org

  • Meet Olivia, a youth participant from Yayasan Kusuma Buana (YKB), our long-term grantee partner in Indonesia. YKB empowers young people with sexual and reproductive health and rights education, counselling, and referrals to youth-friendly services.   In this Q&A, Olivia shares her inspiring journey with YKB. Discover how it has empowered her to dream big, learn essential skills, and build self-confidence. 👇

    Empowering Young Girls: Olivia's Journey with Yayasan Kusuma Buana (YKB)

    Empowering Young Girls: Olivia's Journey with Yayasan Kusuma Buana (YKB)

    EMpower—The Emerging Markets Foundation on LinkedIn

  • "Collaborative and partnership thinking has gained momentum, and funders and civil society are bringing multiple stakeholders together to achieve the SDGs. However, girls and women should not be treated as instruments for achieving these goals. They need to be engaged in a non-extractive way, and feel the benefits—like in gaining agency—which should in turn be recognised by funders." Nisha Dhawan, EMpower's  Vice President of Impact and Influence, has recently been featured in Girls Not Brides: The Global Partnership to End Child Marriage's latest brief. The brief explores the intricate links between child marriage, key national policies, and civil society initiatives in India. You can read it here: https://lnkd.in/gwzyj-ce

    With the 2030 deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) fast approaching, our latest brief explores the intricate links between child marriage, key national policies, and civil society initiatives in India. Girls Not Brides organised a consultation with 50 stakeholders working across different SDG areas from civil society, funders and researchers to promote the application of contextual evidence and initiatives to address child marriage and advance girls’ rights and agency across India. Developed in collaboration with Girls Not Brides member organisations and sector experts, this brief provides critical evidence and highlights opportunities for multisectoral collaboration to address the root causes of child marriage and support gender equality in India. 📖 Read the full brief: https://lnkd.in/ekKmGcrk ✨ Key Takeaways: 1️⃣ Context-Specific: We need more evidence on “what works” to create resilient, gender-transformative, intersectional, and participatory child marriage programmes. 2️⃣ Gender Norms: Changing norms requires programmes that support girls’ agency, access to education, and conversations between parents and children about education over early marriage. 3️⃣ Age-Appropriate, Gender-Synchronised: Child marriage work needs to go beyond understanding boys and men as allies, to encourage them to actively address harmful masculinity, gendered expectations and sexual abuse. Working with girls and boys alongside each other is key to effective child marriage programming. 4️⃣ Research Methods: Participatory methods, and qualitative data like narratives and stories are ways to include the voices of those who are often left out due to stigmatisation. 5️⃣ Programmes: Programmes enhancing capacities and access to public institutions show promise in addressing community-level norms change and gender inequality. 6️⃣ Funding: Providing flexible funding for grassroots organisations and bridging the worlds of funders and implementers requires constant engagement, and for funders to enhance their knowledge on issues at the grassroots level. 7️⃣ Allyship: Sharing priorities among donors, practitioners, and researchers ensures continued funding and effective resolution of core development issues.    Thank you Amrita Gupta for working on the Learning Brief with Girls Not Brides Asia team and thank you to all the stakeholders and member organisations, including: Archana Dwivedi, Jairus Ligoo, Jayeeta Chowdhury, Kumar Shailabh, Lora Prabhu, Mamta Borgoyary, Moumita Sarkar, Nisha Dhawan, Ph.D, Ravi Verma, Renu Khanna, Rukmini Sen, Dr. Santwana Adhikari, Sonal Kapoor, Sushmita Mukherjee and Taveeshi Gupta, #EndChildMarriage #GenderEquality #SDGs #IntersectionalApproach #SustainableDevelopment #GenderTransformative #Youth #Research #Evidence #Learning

  • At EMpower, we believe young people are valued experts with profound insights shaped by their lived experiences. Recently, EMpower hosted three online sessions that brought together youth fellows from across regions. These sessions provided a space for fellows to share their experiences, connect, and learn together. We aim to continue creating spaces where young people can meaningfully engage, assert their rights, and access the resources necessary to drive positive change.

    Since September last year, EMpower has embarked on an exciting pilot program focused on Meaningful Youth Engagement (MYE) in Mexico. We are collaborating with six inspiring young fellows—Jenifer, Héctor, Melanie, Sophia, Abril, and Eddy—to support two crucial processes: updating the country's strategy by gathering peer input and preparing a youth-for-youth event addressing issues that impact young people. In recent weeks, we have facilitated connections among EMpower fellows across regions, offering a space for them to share their lived experiences. The wisdom and honesty in their words have been truly inspiring. This MYE journey has been remarkable, and we are committed to finding new ways to continue these valuable gatherings and overcoming language barriers and time differences. One common issue that young fellows from Mexico and Indonesia have shared is mental health and the various challenges connected to it. Young people, no matter where they are located, grapple with very similar challenges. Thank you to everyone involved for making this gathering between the Mexican and Indonesian fellows possible. --------------------------- Desde septiembre del año pasado, EMpower ha emprendido un emocionante programa piloto enfocado en la Participación Significativa de Jóvenes (MYE) en México. Estamos colaborando con seis personas jóvenes inspiradoras: Jenifer, Héctor, Melanie, Sophia, Abril y Eddy, para apoyar en dos procesos cruciales: actualizar la estrategia del país recopilando aportes de sus pares y preparar un evento de jóvenes para jóvenes que aborde los problemas que afectan a las personas jóvenes. En las últimas semanas, hemos facilitado conexiones entre las y los becarios de EMpower en diferentes regiones, ofreciendo un espacio para que compartan sus experiencias de vida. La sabiduría y la honestidad en sus palabras han sido verdaderamente inspiradoras. Este viaje de MYE ha sido invaluable, y estamos comprometidas a encontrar nuevas formas de continuar estos valiosos encuentros, superando las barreras del idioma y las diferencias horarias. Un tema común que los becarios de México e Indonesia han compartido son los problemas de salud mental y los diversos desafíos relacionados con ellos. Los jóvenes, sin importar dónde se encuentren, enfrentan desafíos muy similares. Gracias a todos los involucrados por hacer posible este encuentro entre los becarios mexicanos e indonesios. EMpower—The Emerging Markets Foundation Kundhavi Balachandran April Yip Deborah Schmulewitz Daniel Parnetti #MYE

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  • "EMpower is truly unique! It punches above its weight delivering remarkable impact for every dollar spent. It carefully allocates funds with a blend of financial expertise and philanthropic insight. Their thorough vetting of local NGOs aligns perfectly with the finance industry's standards, ensuring your donation makes a meaningful difference." - Mike Lekan, EMpower Underwriter.   Last week, EMpower co-hosted a closed door event in London where Zaryna Lee and Shaala Bawa, from our Development team in the UK, shared insights into EMpower's work.   We extend our warmest thanks to Mike Lekan, who is a key member of EMpower's Leadership Council and Alexander Hack for his gracious support and commitment to our cause. Thank you to all those who joined us. Your partnership is invaluable as we strive to create meaningful change in the lives of young people.   The evening was a wonderful opportunity to deepen our relationship with Bank of America and explore new avenues for collaboration. Together, we hope to continue transforming the lives of young people, empowering them to reach their full potential.

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  • Last week, EMpower hosted and facilitated a day-long training in Delhi on youth-led &-centred programming anchored in the practice of and building on the insights from our Learning Community (LC) programme and the LC Guide we launched last year. The event brought together 20 participants representing diverse organisations and areas of work, and multiple geographies across the development sector. The sessions focused on Meaningful Youth Engagement (MYE), drawing from a range of tools in the LC Guide and highlighting its scope as a resource to be adapted as per the specific context of each organisation and where they are in their MYE journey. The training provide a platform for participants to connect, exchange insights, and discuss the challenges they face in developing and running youth-focused programmes. Aliya, Preeti, and Simran, who are part of EMpower’s Girls Advisory Council, facilitated an activity using the Life Line tool, helping participants map their journey of meaningful youth engagement, capturing both successes and challenges. We express our heartfelt gratitude to all participants for their active involvement and sharing, which greatly enriched the training experience. Jabala Action Research Organisation, Project Potential, Protsahan India Foundation @Gramin Punarnirman Sansthan @Faith Foundation, Asian Bridge India, The Gender Lab, The Kutumb Foundation, Synergy Sansthan, Labhya, Manzil Welfare Society, Magic Bus India Foundation.

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  • On the occasion of #YouthSkillsDay, we spoke to Faiza Duut Majeed, an aspiring cinematographer who recently completed photography and videography training with NiV Hub, our grantee partner in Tamale. NiV aims to develop innovative social enterprise models and vibrant youth business hubs, and advocates for progressive social enterprise policies and laws that support social impact. Faiza is dedicated to breaking gender stereotypes in digital and technical communication among adolescent girls and women in Northern Ghana. She has been awarded a grant to validate her vision and is currently mentoring young girls in Nyankpala, Tamale, equipping them with photography and videography skills for entrepreneurial ventures. Discover Faiza's inspiring journey and learn more about her impactful initiative below. 👇

    A Cinematographer with a Dream

    A Cinematographer with a Dream

    EMpower—The Emerging Markets Foundation on LinkedIn

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