In this guest blog, Zsuzsanna Lippai, CEO of The Fuller Project, discusses the importance of funding journalism centering marginalized voices.
Having spent almost a decade in private philanthropy, I’ve always known that funding women and LGBTQI rights was an “unpopular” target. I’ve witnessed donors wind down their support in these areas with little explanation beyond shifting priorities; I was told in one board meeting that women “weren’t a marginalized community” and therefore did not need to be a standalone funding priority. What I didn’t realize until joining The Fuller Project was that funding for journalism centering marginalized voices is even more scarce, limited almost exclusively to media funders. Philanthropies focused on international development or social justice rarely understand how journalism is critical to holding power to account and contributing to change as part of a larger ecosystem of organizations.
Beyond the Numbers
Despite representing half the population, women remain dramatically underrepresented in the media. According to the Reuters Institute, the percentage of women among top editors has increased from just 23% in 2020 to 28% in 2025, with the United States actually seeing a decrease from 41% to 38%. Only 24% of people heard, read about, or seen in news are women, and at current rates, it will take at least three-quarters of a century to reach gender parity in media representation.
These aren’t just statistics—they reveal a fundamental failure to accurately report on our society. At The Fuller Project, our reporting consistently uncovers how this gap leads to incomplete coverage across all sectors. When we report on economic policies, the impact of adverse weather events, or the failure of medical testing to account for gender, we expose blind spots in mainstream reporting that overlooks how these issues disproportionately impact women.
There’s a persistent misconception that outlets like us cover “women’s issues” (or insert any other identity). Let me be clear: there’s no such thing as solely “women’s issues”—only societal issues where women often suffer disproportionate consequences. When women lack adequate healthcare, economic opportunity, or political representation, entire communities suffer. By centering women’s experiences, we’re not narrowing our focus—we’re widening the lens through which we understand our shared challenges.
Under Threat
The current political climate has made this work increasingly precarious. Since January 2025, the administration has implemented significant policy shifts regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, directing federal agencies to reevaluate DEI initiatives and pausing funding to institutions with such programs. Simultaneously, one major U.S. foundation dismantled its race and gender initiative, another scrapped its planned “gender, race, and power” strategy (alongside its long-standing funding for media), and a third divested completely from funding journalism outlets centering gender.
These private and foreign aid funding cuts have disproportionately impacted independent media globally in regions where diverse voices were already marginalized. Since these cuts, I’ve heard many philanthropy representatives claim there isn’t enough money to make up for the aid cuts. At the International Journalism Festival, one funder suggested nonprofits consider “building—and rebuilding—institutions for good in ways we could not have previously imagined.” Indeed—and this cannot be done without resources.
The Fuller Impact
The Fuller Project stands as proof that journalism centering women’s experiences produces reporting that benefits everyone. Our investigations have exposed supply chain abuses, revealed gaps in maternal healthcare, and documented how economic policies impact vulnerable communities. This reporting doesn’t serve a niche audience—it serves democracy itself.
Ironically, I’m often asked about the “differentiator” between The Fuller Project and The 19th*, as if there’s room for only one newsroom centering women and gender-diverse experiences. Nobody asks The New York Times and The Washington Post to justify their simultaneous existence. This question itself reveals the persistent belief that journalism centering women belongs in a single, contained space rather than being integral to our media ecosystem.
A Call to Action
As the political and financial challenges mount for independent media, what’s needed is not retreat but recommitment. The path forward requires concrete action from everyone involved in shaping our information ecosystem:
For Philanthropies and Decision-Makers:
For Readers and Citizens:
That work begins with each of us refusing to accept the erasure of marginalized perspectives as inevitable, especially when those with power attempt to silence the diverse voices that should be shaping our conversations, whether in the United States or any other part of the globe.
The author has spent nearly a decade in private philanthropy before joining The Fuller Project, a nonprofit newsroom dedicated to groundbreaking reporting that catalyzes positive change for women.
Footnote: Throughout this piece, when we refer to “women,” we use this term expansively to include transgender women, non-binary, gender non-conforming individuals, and all who experience marginalization based on gender. We recognize the diversity of experiences within these communities while acknowledging the shared challenges they face in media representation.
