Philanthropy can help close the tech gender gap with better design, data, and infrastructure

In 2025, gender disparities in the technology sector remain firmly entrenched. According to AnitaB.org, women account for just 29% of the tech workforce and only 15% of engineering roles. Representation drops further at the intersections of gender and racial/ethnic identity. According to Forbes, Black, Latina, and Indigenous women collectively comprise less than 5% of the sector’s workforce.  

The tech gender gap in pay and promotion also persists. WomenTech Network reports that women in tech earn just 82 cents for every dollar earned by men, and promotion rates lag by 15–20%, particularly at the mid-career level. Meanwhile, corporate commitment to workplace diversity is declining, and leadership pipelines remain narrow. Only 11% of tech executives are women. 

As vice president of philanthropy and impact partnerships at Rewriting the Code, an organization working to empower university students and early-career women in tech, I’ve seen the challenges women in tech face and how philanthropic investments in nonprofit programs can strategically respond to the tech gender gap. Here I’ll discuss how giving that supports equal opportunities for all women in tech can help reshape the ecosystem—spanning education, hiring, workplace culture, mentorship, and investment—not only to increase participation but also to sustain and promote women’s advancement in tech. 

Structural barriers widen the tech gender gap

Yet within this ecosystem, structural barriers continue to hinder women’s full participation and advancement in tech. These barriers show up at every stage, from classroom to boardroom, and they go far beyond the commonly cited “pipeline problem.”   

Workplace culture and belonging  

More than half of women in tech (54%) report experiencing microaggressions or gender-based bias, according to McKinsey & Company. The common practice of hiring for “culture fit” often perpetuates exclusionary norms and language, reinforcing systemic barriers to inclusion and advancement.  

Education pipeline leakages  

ComputerScience.org indicated that while women earn approximately half of all college degrees, only 18% graduate with degrees in computer science. This disparity is fueled by persistent gender gaps in access to inclusive tech curricula, mentorship from faculty, adequate financial support, factors critical to retention, and success in STEM education, according to Northwestern University’s School of Education and Social Policy.  

Inequitable professional development  

Harvard Business Review notes that men are significantly more likely to receive sponsorship for leadership-track roles, whereas women are frequently over-mentored but under-sponsored. Compounding this imbalance, training budgets tend to favor high-visibility technical teams, spaces where women are still markedly underrepresented.  

Supporting longitudinal design, data, and ecosystem infrastructure  

Philanthropic organizations are increasingly investing in solutions that address barriers and expand opportunities, grounded in evidence and community wisdom. Moving beyond traditional grantmaking, many funders now support approaches rooted in lived experience, long-term engagement, and adaptive learning. According to AnitaB.org, these investments are demonstrating tangible progress in boosting women’s participation, retention, and leadership in tech, particularly among those historically excluded from the sector.  

Community-first design elevates power with communities, not over them  

Programs co-developed with the communities they aim to serve consistently yield stronger engagement and retention outcomes. According to FundsforNGOs, participatory design processes ensure that both content and delivery reflect cultural, social, and logistical realities, making programs not only more effective but also more durable. This is a design principle rooted in shared power. 

In practice, this approach relies on data collected directly from participants and stakeholders to shape offerings and priorities. For example, tech training cohorts designed with input from underrepresented women frequently include often-overlooked wraparound supports like child care, transportation stipends, and peer mentorship. These are core infrastructure investments that reflect the needs of the community and foster long-term ownership. The result is programming that builds trust, responsiveness, and sustainability. 

Longitudinal support models advance with time  

Research from the Penn State Social Science Research Institute demonstrates that nonprofits offering multiyear, integrated pathways—including academic and career readiness, mentorship, work-based learning, financial assistance, and professional development—report stronger job placement and leadership advancement outcomes. These programs reflect a data-informed understanding of career realities: that progression is non-linear, especially for first-generation college students and women balancing caregiving responsibilities. 

This longitudinal support model also requires infrastructure that enables sustained engagement: coaching platforms, alumni systems, and data collection from participants over time. In short, long-term investment yields long-term impact. 

Data-informed adaptation closes the feedback loop  

Responsive program design thrives on real-time data. As noted by the Penn State Social Science Research Institute, nonprofits that embed adaptive learning cycles, continually revising curriculum, delivery formats, and support mechanisms, are more responsive and effective. Such programs evolve with the communities they serve, making real-time pivots that strengthen engagement and equity. 

This is about building data infrastructure capable of collecting, analyzing, and applying participant feedback, which requires philanthropic investments in learning personnel, outcome tracking systems, and feedback mechanisms.  

Building ecosystem infrastructure through identity and networks  

Programs specifically designed for women of color outperform generic STEM initiatives in both retention and leadership outcomes. As reported in Sage Journals, identity-affirming programming that combines technical skill building with culturally relevant content leads to higher levels of confidence, persistence, and advancement. 

These outcomes are no accident; they reflect deliberate design that center identity and build infrastructure around networks and community capital, such as alumni coalitions, mentorship structures, and peer accountability groups. According to the Council on Foundations, these networks generate a virtuous cycle of empowerment, where alumni return as mentors, sponsors, and ambassadors. 

From program to ecosystem, the data is clear  

Closing the tech gender gap requires more than improving access. It requires reimagining professional pathways, redistributing opportunity, and resourcing the organizations closest to the problem. Philanthropy’s role in closing the tech gender gap extends far beyond supporting isolated interventions. As corporate commitments to gender diversity plateau, as Benevity notes, thoughtful philanthropic investments that emphasize intersectional data, long-term program design, and infrastructure for women-serving ecosystems can drive lasting change.  

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