About Spark

Spark was started in 2005 by seven women in their 20s who wanted to establish accessible opportunities for young professionals like themselves to give back and make a difference. At that time, there were not many ways for young people to get involved, especially for those who had a particular interest in serving women and girls. The opportunities that existed were often prohibitively expensive, did not offer leadership opportunities, or required inflexible time commitments that were infeasible for those just starting careers and families. Spark’s founders envisioned an organization that provided a platform for the philanthropic and civic engagement of young people. In response, they launched Spark.

What started with 7 women grew to a network of 17,000 in both San Francisco and New York, and around the world.

Between 2005 and 2019, before Spark joined forces with Global Fund for Women, Spark members helped steward more than $1.7 million in funds to 90 organizations in 35 countries, serving over 40,000 women and girls globally. During that time, thousands of young people in San Francisco and New York participated in Spark programming designed to help us all become better philanthropists and leaders. The Spark philosophy is that by providing young professionals with more accessible forms of philanthropy, we can create positive social change together. Many Spark members have gone on to become powerful advocates for gender equality in corporate boardrooms, government offices, and other non-profit organizations.

Spark has always focused on the next generation of philanthropists. While in operation, Spark did so primarily through its participatory grantmaking. For those interested in starting their own giving circle, the Spark team put together a how-to guide, which you can download below.