NoVo Foundation is dedicated to catalyzing a transformation in global society, moving from a culture of domination to one of equality and partnership. We support the development of capacities in people—individually and collectively—to help create a caring and balanced world. We envision a world that operates on the principles of mutual respect, collaboration, and civic participation, thereby reversing the old paradigm predicated on hierarchy, violence, and the subordination of girls and women.
How we work
We avoid top-down models for the improvement of societies, but devote ourselves instead to an earnest search for fresh ideas that show unusual promise for significant impact.
We are willing to venture where others are reluctant to go; we remain patient in developing sustainable solutions; and we wish to convene diverse stakeholders to address common challenges. We seek out these ideas from both traditional and non-traditional sources, including academic research and conversations with grassroots organizers.
NoVo Foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals or requests for funding. Instead, we invest in a set of well-defined strategic initiatives, with non-profit and funder-partners, in ways that work to accomplish goals towards a larger vision.
What we do
Empowering Adolescent Girls
Everywhere in the world, girls face discrimination and exploitation simply because they are young and female. Many girls do not enjoy basic human rights: to be free from violence, to education, to inherit land, to decide when and whether to marry. We invest in girls because they deserve better. When girls are empowered they transform structures of poverty and inequity, and positively impact both their own lives and entire communities.
NoVo believes that when girls reach their full potential, the balance of power within society is shifted, creating conditions whereby equality and partnership can flourish. We call this The Girl Effect. We listen to girls so we can understand their most critical needs and aspirations, and we make direct investments in girls. We build girls’ capacity to reach their full potential, and work to shift cultural and social norms so that communities and nations positively value girls.
Ending Violence Against Girls and Women
NoVo Foundation seeks to end violence against girls and women everywhere. At NoVo Foundation we seek a bold response to ending violence against girls and women. The Initiative to End Violence Against Girls and Women supports change agents who take on often deep-seated attitudes that lead to violence against girls and women. Together with our partners, we work to empower girls and women in order to balance inequitable relationships between women and men, and challenge powerful institutions and behaviors that perpetuate violence and discrimination. We see boys and men as playing a critical role in ending violence against girls and women, and work to build meaningful partnerships that can help shift social norms.
Advancing Social and Emotional Learning
NoVo believes that Social and Emotional Learning (SEL), brought to scale, can and will play a significant role in shifting our culture of systemic inequality and violence toward a new ethos that values and prioritizes collaboration and partnership.
