OUR WORK
Our approach is simple – establish a pathway, bridge the gap, and transform the system.
01
establish PATHWAYs
Establish pathways for more women to see themselves as candidates and normalize women's leadership.
BRIDGE THE GAP
Bridge the gap by providing women with the tools, training, and resources to successfully run for office.
02
03
transform the system
Transform the system by dismantling roadblocks so elected officials reflect the diversity of the population.
Our Strategy: Start with the states
Critical policy decisions are made in state legislatures, yet in 40 states, women hold less than 40% of the seats. Only one state, Nevada, has achieved gender parity. Our goal: 50% representation for women in all 50 states by 2050.
The Ascend Fund works with organizations to improve the gender composition of state legislatures. Our national partners work in all 50 states and we recently launched a three-state pilot in Michigan, Mississippi, and Washington. By investing in state legislatures, we’re investing in a critical pipeline to propel women to parity in all levels of government.
Percentage of Women in State Legislatures
Source: Center for American Women and Politics
Vast Potential
There are more than 8,000 elected officials serving at the state level, compared to 535 members of Congress.
critical ground
Powerful policy decisions happen at the state level and they have cascading influence upward and across our communities.
compounding effect
State legislative campaigns operate on lower budgets — so dollars stretch farther and impact more seats.
the momentum
By looking at three states at various points of progress, we begin to see the path forward. And, we are able to identify where there is still a lot of work to be done.
Parity takes persistence
Mississippi (Ranked 49)
Women account for just 15.5% of state legislators in Mississippi – half the national average. Unfortunately, this isn’t a new trend.
The number of women serving in the Mississippi State Legislature has never surpassed 20%—and the number of women elected actually declined over the past decade. Additionally, the state has never elected a woman governor and only one woman has represented the state in Congress.
Parity has progressed
Michigan (Ranked 15)
Propelled by the largest voter turnout in 50 years, women’s representation in the Michigan State Legislature skyrocketed from 25% to 39.2%, from 2018 to 2023.
But progress has slowed since the 2020 election and progress toward parity is further complicated by legislative term limits.
Parity is possible
Washington (Ranked 4)
For more than a decade, from 1993 to 2004, Washington’s State Legislature ranked 1st in the nation for women’s representation.
But progress faltered from a high of more than 40% in 2000 to just 32% in 2011. Women now make up 45.6% of the state legislature and we plan to reach parity within the next two election cycles.
Our Timeline
The Ascend Fund formally launched in January 2020 with initial seed funding from Pivotal Ventures, an investment and incubation company founded by Melinda French Gates. We’re scaling rapidly over the next five years to hit our ambitious goal of parity in all 50 states by 2050.
PHASE 1:
2018-2019
LEARN &
EXPLORE
Developed a comprehensive understanding of the barriers preventing women from achieving political parity.
PHASE 2:
2020
INVEST &
DESIGN
Built a portfolio of organizations working to elect women and develop strategy for achieving parity.
PHASE 3:
2021-2022
IMPLEMENT &
EXPERIMENT
Invest in three states, with varying levels of representation, to test training and recruitment strategies.
PHASE 4:
2023-2024
REFINE &
EXPAND
Increase number of targeted states and apply lessons learned from the previous elections to enhance our tactics.
PHASE 5:
2025 - Beyond
IMPACT &
EXPAND
Implement a 50-state strategy for achieving 50% representation by 2050.