Women’s History Month 2026: What we know about U.S. nonprofits led by women

We are nearing the end of Women’s History Month 2026, a month that celebrates and honors the contributions and achievements of women. In the U.S. social sector, our research has found women make up the majority of employees and lead more than half of all nonprofits, working to address societal needs and improve the well-being of communities.

As of March 4, 2026, among 501(c)(3) public charities that shared organizational demographic data with Candid, 69% of all staff and 53% of board members identified as women. And 56% of those nonprofits were led by women. Let’s take a closer look at the data on women-led nonprofits, defined here as 501(c)(3) public charities sharing their leaders’ gender information with Candid that have CEOs, executive directors, or co-leaders identifying as women.

Over half of women-led nonprofits have majority women boards

The demographic data shared with Candid shows women hold 53% of 501(c)(3) public charities’ board positions, and women-led nonprofits have more women on their boards. In fact, 51% of them have majority women boards, and 15% have all-women boards. However, it is also important to note that another 23% have boards with fewer than half of members identifying as women. We see the same pattern for men: Nonprofits led by men tend to have more men on their boards. This may suggest that a nonprofit leader’s gender identity often correlates to the gender majority on the board.

Women-led nonprofits have more women in senior positions

Among women-led 501(c)(3) public charities that shared their senior staff gender information, 63%, or nearly two-thirds, report all senior staff positions are filled by women. Another 24% of women-led nonprofits report that more than half of their senior staff identify as women, suggesting that women in women-led nonprofits are more likely to be in senior positions.

Women’s board representation impacts foundation support

Looking at grants received, 87% of the women led nonprofits we analyzed received at least one grant from private or public grantmaking foundations between 2019 and 2023. However, this pattern differed somewhat depending on the gender makeup of their boards.

Specifically, women-led nonprofits with majority male boards (more than 50% but fewer than 100% male board members) received, on average, more grants overall as well as more general operating support (GOS) grants than other women-led nonprofits. In fact, 94% of them received at least one grant between 2019 and 2023, with an average of 72 grants, including 27 GOS grants.

By contrast, 88% of women-led nonprofits with majority female board members received at least one grant (an average of 46 grants, including 18 GOS grants). Only 73% of those with all-women boards received at least one grant (an average of 16 grants, including seven GOS grants), and 71% of those with all-men boards received at least one grant (an average of 33 grants, including 14 GOS grants).

This pattern seems to suggest the importance of board diversity: women-led nonprofits with no board gender diversity—either all women or no women—are less likely to receive grants than those with some gender diversity on their boards. However, it also suggests that nonprofits with majority male boards tend to fare the best when it comes to securing grants.

As we celebrate Women’s History Month 2026, this data highlights women’s contributions to the U.S. social sector as well as the gaps that remain. Women dedicate their time as staff, senior staff, board members, and leaders of many nonprofits, ranging from smaller grassroots organizations to larger ones. Yet, representation is not enough. This analysis suggests that while women take on nonprofit leadership roles, there is still an association between having male board members and the likelihood of receiving foundation grants. Future research should further explore these preliminary findings, so that we can better understand how to invest fairly in the women who work in the nonprofit sector.