A Wake-Up Call for the Sector
Exponent Philanthropy’s 2025 Foundation Operations and Management Report (FOMR) sheds a critical light on ongoing and troubling pay disparities in the philanthropic sector. Women in leadership roles, such as CEOs, earn 27% less than their male counterparts.
What?! How?! In a field where many of us are committed to reducing disparities in wealth and opportunity, we’re still perpetuating inequity in our own workplaces.
At first glance, a single pay gap might seem insignificant. But these gaps have long tentacles. They affect everything from mental and physical health to our economy and GDP. It’s time we advocate for ourselves, our colleagues, and our communities.
Why It Matters
I’m driven to confront the continued and dangerous reality of gender pay gaps. Why dangerous? Because these gaps shore up economic insecurity and reinforce systems of discrimination with real consequences for society as a whole.
And for women, these gaps are not just economic; they’re health-related, too. Read The Body Keeps the Score by Dr. Bessel van der Kolk if you’re skeptical. It explains how chronic stress impacts the brain and body, contributing to illness. Women are disproportionately affected by autoimmune diseases: 78% of those affected are women. That includes conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis.
Pay equity isn’t just about fairness. It’s about survival.
The Role of Data
FOMR data has become one of my go-to tools. I’ve used it in conversations with foundation CEOs to benchmark what fair wages for women in philanthropy should look like. Now I’m calling on everyone—staff, CEOs, board members, founders—to use this data to advocate for gender pay equity across the sector.
What Taking Action Looks Like
1. Raise Awareness
Just being familiar with the FOMR data helps. It gives me confidence to speak up in casual conversations.
For example, I met a CEO friend for coffee recently. She mentioned receiving a $700 monthly healthcare stipend. I shared that for small foundations, the FOMR shows it should be closer to $2,000 per month.
At first, this might not seem gender-related, but it is. Women are overrepresented in leadership roles at smaller foundations, where benefits and compensation tend to lag behind.
2. Advocate Boldly
According to the 2025 FOMR, 71% of foundation CEOs are women. And yet, it’s still often outside the norm for women to speak up about pay.
There’s tension, too. We often feel guilty advocating for fair pay when our communities face deep needs. But we are part of the communities we serve. Advocacy for ourselves strengthens the sector.
I recently heard a male-identifying CEO say he deserved his current salary because of years spent earning very little. That may be true, but many women in philanthropy have made similar sacrifices, and are still underpaid. Even when we switch organizations, we’re usually still paid less than our male peers.
The FOMR data is clear: the gender pay gap persists and is widening. And while we take on most unpaid labor at home, we’re also navigating professional environments that undervalue us.
So let’s be direct:
- Board members, DAF holders, founders—start asking questions about pay.
- Are your “diverse” boards helping close this gap, or unintentionally reinforcing it?
3. Use Form 990s as a Lens
The FOMR data has changed how I engage with peers. Before meeting with a new foundation (especially those led by men), I check their IRS Form 990. Their compensation structures tell a story.
It’s not always something I bring up directly, but it helps me understand how closely their values align with their actions.
4. Budget for Fairness
Recently, my Co-Executive Director and I advocated for a bonus because of the FOMR data. There are only two of us on staff, and we earn equal salaries. But the report showed we were still on the lower end of sector pay.
We presented the data to our board. The response? Unanimous approval for bonuses this year.
Aligning Mission With Practice
How can our foundations claim to serve community while sustaining pay disparities within our own walls? It’s time for immediate philanthropic accountability. Ideally, your 990 story matches your mission and values.
I’m writing this during a time when it feels like a privilege just to be employed. So many have been laid off. Whole organizations have shut down. Communities are losing essential support, and our planet is in crisis.
Equal pay might feel like a small issue right now, but this is part of a much larger fight for equity. We can’t afford to wait. We can and must push for change on multiple fronts, all at once.
Learn More
For a deeper dive, explore this great resource: Alliance: For Philanthropy and Social Investment Worldwide – Feminist Philanthropy (December 2019, Vol. 24, Number 4)
Access the 2025 Foundation Operations & Management Report »
Non Members Can Download the Executive Summary for Free »
About the Author
Alece H.M. Montez is co-executive director of the AJL Foundation in Denver, Colorado and Exponent Philanthropy’s 2024 Outsized Impact Award recipient.