Women’s representation in state legislatures increased only slightly in 2022, from 31.1% to 32.7%. However, starting in 2021 Ascend has been making investments in three pilot states, two of which—Michigan and Washington—held elections in 2022 and saw a record number of women elected to office.

The 2022 election cycle reminds us that progress towards gender parity in politics is neither linear nor guaranteed, but we need to keep working to remove systemic barriers in order to move forward.

To accelerate the pace of change towards gender parity in U.S. politics, The Ascend Fund has invested more than $6.5 million, including $1.6 million in 2021, in nonpartisan, nonprofit organizations working to break down barriers ensuring more diverse women can run for office and win.

Our commitment to build a pathway for more women to run for office and to remove the barriers that stand in the way of their winning was tested by the pandemic, but our model proved strong in positioning our partners for success.

The Ascend Fund accelerates the pace of change toward gender equality in U.S. politics. Ascend pools philanthropic capital and supports nonpartisan, nonprofit organizations that prepare women to run for office and work to break down the barriers preventing women from running and getting elected.