LONDON – 11 March 2019 – 100 Women in Finance (“100WF”), a global, practitioner-driven, non-profit organization that serves more than 15,000 professionals in the finance and alternative investment industries, today announces that it will support Founders4Schools’ ‘Maths4Girls’ program as the beneficiary of its 2019 UK philanthropic initiatives.
In alignment with its 2019 global philanthropic theme, Investing in the Next Generation, 100WF will provide a grant to Founders4Schools, a UK non-profit education organization, to finance a new three-year program, Maths4Girls. This program will provide girls aged 11-14 with opportunity and encouragement to pursue math at higher levels, while pairing them with finance industry mentors and role models drawn from 100WF membership in the UK.
100WF’s theme reflects the organization’s efforts to address the under-representation of women in the finance and alternative investment industry, particularly in investment roles, which traditionally lead to executive positions. Learning mathematics in school is a prerequisite for many career options in this industry. In the UK, only four of every ten students who sit for the Advanced-Level math examination are female, which contributes to the deficit of female candidates for math-dependent professional roles[1].
Another factor is low visibility of female role models from the finance industry, which limits female students’ attitudes and aspirations toward such roles.
On 100WF’s intention to fund Maths4Girls, 100WF Global Association Board Chair Lauren Malafronte explained, “Our global philanthropic theme, Investing in the Next Generation, prioritizes grant-making to partner organizations around the world which possess the ability to work directly with the next generation in impactful ways. Over time, we expect this will help to resolve the chronic under-representation of women in investment and executive roles within the finance industry.”
Amanda Pullinger, CEO,100WF further stated, “I’m excited by the clear potential of Maths4Girls. It allows us to what we do best – provide finance industry mentors and role models from 100WF’s membership – while benefiting from the local programming expertise that Founders4Schools so consistently delivers.”
Commenting on the selection, Sherry Coutu, Founder and Chair, Founders4Schools, said: “I’m sure we all feel a deep responsibility for ensuring that the new generation of girls get the skills they need for the future of work in our thriving industries. That’s why I am so excited by the Maths4Girls program which we co-created with 100 Women in Finance. This program provides unprecedented practitioner presence in the classroom for girls so that their eyes are opened to the rich fabric of opportunities available to them that have a foundation in mathematics.
Ms. Coutu continued, “Founders4Schools are experts at connecting girls with engaging and successful women in classrooms throughout the UK. I am delighted that 100 Women in Finance ambassadors will help them find their chosen career.”
100WF has a strong track record of supporting non-profit organizations and has raised nearly US$50 million (gross) for philanthropic causes in according to rotating global themes of Women’s and Family Health, Education and Mentoring, and Investing in the Next Generation. In 100WF’s most recent philanthropic cycle in the UK, its members raised more than £500,000 (gross) for the Royal Foundation’s Mental Health Initiatives for Children and Young People at 100WF’s London Gala on February 13, 2019.
In 2019, 100WF will host a number of philanthropic events around the world to support the “Investing in the Next Generation” theme, including in New York, London, Hong Kong, Toronto, the Cayman Islands and Bermuda. The organization additionally encourages and enables its members to directly apply this theme in their daily lives through mentoring, public speaking, engagement with pre-career students and other outreach opportunities.
100WF members who wish to become a Maths4Girls mentor are encouraged to notify 100WF.
Donations to 100WF’s Investing in the Next Generation Initiative are welcome here.
100WF’s 2020 theme will be Women’s and Family Health.
About 100 Women in Finance
100 Women in Finance is a global network of professionals in the finance and alternative investment industries working together to empower women at every stage of their careers. Through peer engagement, philanthropic, and educational initiatives, our more than 15,000 members are making connections and creating opportunities that help to advance careers and strengthen our field.
About Founders4Schools
Founders4Schools is an award-winning charity dedicated to improving employment prospects for students aged 6-24 years, by connecting them with business leaders and in doing so closing the skills gap that holds back economic growth. We continue to collaborate with educators, partners, parents, business leaders and students to enhance our proprietary online platform.
Over 20 different types of services including career talks, workplace visits and work experience placements are available to educators and students across over 300 local authorities in England and Scotland. Business leaders who connect with young people through F4S are those most in need of modern skills to grow their businesses. Aligned to Gatsby benchmarks and the Enabling Enterprise Skills Builder, thousands of head teachers and parents can rely on F4S to make is easy for every child to meet with at least one ‘employer’ in their classroom while they are between the age of 6 and 16, and to secure 100 hours of work experience between the ages of 16 and 18 years, which has been proven to significantly improve their prospects.