COMMON MAPS
Map version new-york activity top-down
Main site Contact
Menu
↑ parent activity group ·
research dossier

SHE'S THE FIRST INC
NEW YORK, NY · EIN 651321437 · Form 990 · FY2025 · NTEE P60 · Human Services · Medium ($1M-$10M) · shesthefirst.org
revenue
$1.9M
expenses
$1.0M
net assets
$1.6M
employees
5
volunteers
45
program ratio
78%
mission · from form 990

SHE'S THE FIRST TEAMS UP WITH GRASSROOTS LEADERS TO MAKE SURE GIRLS EVERYWHERE ARE EDUCATED, RESPECTED, AND HEARD. TO FULFILL OUR MISSION, WE TEACH A GIRL HOW TO SPEAK UP FOR HERSELF IN HER HOME, SCHOOL, AND COMMUNITY, WHILE WE TEACH THE MENTORS IN HER LIFE PRACTICAL WAYS TO SUPPORT HER AGENCY. WE IMPROVE LIFE OUTCOMES FOR GIRLS BY DIRECTLY INVESTING IN THEIR EDUCATION AND MENTORSHIP PROGRAMS, WHILE ALSO INFLUENCING THEIR SUPPORT SYSTEMS. OVER THE PAST 15 YEARS, WE'VE CREATED TRANSFORMATIONAL OUTCOMES FOR NEARLY ONE MILLION GIRLS BY WORKING ALONGSIDE 700+ COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS IN 42 COUNTRIES.

profile · synthesized from sources

She's the First partners with grassroots organizations to advance girls' education, agency, and leadership globally. The organization invests in community-based programs that empower girls through mentorship, sexual and reproductive health and rights education, and advocacy training. It also strengthens local leaders through the Girls First Institute, a professional development and certification program for women serving girls in the Global South.

irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2025

What they reported doing

  1. #1 primary $184K
    THE GIRLS FIRST INSTITUTE: THE GIRLS FIRST INSTITUTE IS A LEADERSHIP PROGRAM FOR WOMEN SERVING GIRLS IN EAST AND WEST AFRICA, LATIN AMERICA, AND SOUTH ASIA. IT OFFERS FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMS, IN-PERSON AND VIRTUAL TRAINING EVENTS, AND DOWNLOADABLE RESOURCES WITH IMPLEMENTATION SUPPORT AND EVALUATION. THERE IS AN EMPHASIS ON 1) DESIGNING SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH AND RIGHTS (SRHR) PROGRAMS FOR GIRLS; 2) CREATING SAFE, EMPOWERING SPACES FOR GIRLS; AND 3) USING FACILITATION TECHNIQUES TO ENCOURAGE OPEN DIALOGUE AND INSPIRE HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS. WE ALSO SUPPORT ORGANIZATIONS TO DEVELOP SOLID GOVERNANCE, FINANCIAL, AND FUNDRAISING PRACTICES, FOR LONG-TERM SUSTAINABILITY.
  2. #2 $130K
    GIRLS' LEADERSHIP PROGRAMS: WE ENGAGE GIRLS ON EVERY CONTINENT IN LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT, VIA OUR 122 CHAPTERS AND GIRL ACTIVIST FELLOWSHIP. WE CULTIVATE AN ANTI-OPPRESSIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT FOR GIRLS WITH DIVERSE LIVED EXPERIENCES. WE CONNECT THEIR SHARED TRAUMAS, OBSTACLES, HOPES, AND VISION--AND GUIDE THEM TO TAKE ACTION.
named programs · 5 · from sources

What they call their work

Girl Activist Fellowship
Leadership program that equips girls with resources and platforms to advocate for their rights in homes, schools, and communities, including training and seed grants for activism projects.
Girls First Institute
Professional development and certification program for women leading girls' organizations in the Global South, offering training in girl-centered program design, feminist mentorship, and sexual and reproductive health and rights programming.
Global Girls' Bill of Rights
Co-created advocacy initiative that empowers girls to define and promote their rights, with resources and campaigns including the annual #GirlsGetLoud campaign.
STF Campus Chapters
Network of 122 student-led chapters at high schools and universities across 9 countries that mobilize girls around advocacy, fundraising, and awareness campaigns for girls' rights.
What Would You Do? Game
Interactive card game designed to help girls explore healthy relationships, personal boundaries, and decision-making through facilitated dialogue with peers and mentors.
activities · 9 groups

What they do

  • Girls' Mentorship and Leadership Development 2 activities
    • Delivers direct educational and self-advocacy resources to girls
      Creates and distributes tools such as the Discover Your Power Journal, My Period Diary, Beyond Bleeding zine, and a card game on healthy relationships to help girls ages 13–17 build self-advocacy, understand their bodies, and explore personal boundaries.
    • Runs global girl-led activism and fellowship programs
      Provides training, mentorship, and platforms for girls to lead activism campaigns through the Girl Activist Fellowship and supports 122 campus chapters globally, reaching tens of thousands of girls annually with tools for local and global action.
  • Human Rights Advocacy & Accountability 1 activity
    • Co-creates policy and rights frameworks with girls
      Facilitated the development of the Global Girls’ Bill of Rights with input from over 1,000 girls across 36 countries and presented it to the United Nations in 2019.
  • Gender Equity Research and Advocacy 1 activity
    • Conducts research to support equity in girls’ organizations
      Conducted and shared a salary survey for grassroots girls’ organizations in the Global South to promote fair compensation and inform funding advocacy.
  • Flexible Grants to Grassroots Organizations 1 activity
    • Funds and supports partner organizations to advance girls’ access to education and mentorship
      Provides flexible grants to community-based organizations to support girls’ access to school and after-school mentorship programs, often combined with training and coaching through multi-year initiatives.
  • Organizational Governance & Leadership Development 1 activity
    • Integrates girls’ voices into organizational governance and program design
      Operates the Girls Advisory Council, which advises leadership and includes two members on the Board of Directors; also uses participatory methods like focus groups and Girl Hour modules to center girls’ perspectives in training and program development.
  • Literary and Cultural Publishing 1 activity
    • Operates publishing and storytelling platforms by and for girls
      Runs Girl Talk, a global publishing platform featuring content created by girls, and involves girls in co-creating communications and narratives to amplify their voices and experiences.
  • Community Capacity Building & Leadership Networks 1 activity
    • Provides measurement and program design tools to partner organizations
      Develops and shares toolkits, including guidance for conducting focus groups with girls and reporting on outcomes related to girls’ agency, to help community organizations design and evaluate locally relevant programs.
  • Women's Empowerment and Leadership Development 1 activity
    • Strengthens organizational capacity through the Girls First Institute
      Offers free professional development certification, training, and resources in girl-centered design, feminist mentorship, and sexual and reproductive health and rights programming to women leaders in girl-focused organizations globally.
  • Uncategorized 1 activity
    • Advances girls’ rights through advocacy campaigns and legal engagement
      Co-leads advocacy initiatives such as the #ShesAGirlFirst campaign and contributed to a landmark ECOWAS Court ruling that ended Sierra Leone’s ban on pregnant girls attending school; also launched the #GirlsGetLoud Challenge to mobilize global participation.
financials · form 990 · fy2025
revenue
Total revenue$1.93M
Contributions & grants$1.91M99%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$230%
Other revenue$26K
expenses
Total expenses$1.04M
Program expenses78%
Admin / overhead14%
Fundraising8%
Salaries & benefits$458K
Grants paid out$379K
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$1.65M
Cash$1.36M
Investments$0
Liabilities$97K
Net assets$1.55M
Liquid reserves15.6 mo
6 years on record · 2020–2025 · YoY revenue +40.9%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2025

Who runs it

paid leadership · 1
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
TAMMY TIBBETTS PRESIDENT, CO-FOUNDER & CO-CEO 50 $132K
board members · 10
  • ALLISON CHOONG — STUDENT BOARD DIRECTOR
  • ARIANNA DELORENZI — SECRETARY
  • CHRISTEN BRANDT — CO-FOUNDER
  • EZINNE OKORO — CO-VICE CHAIR
  • HARISH NATARAJ — CO-VICE CHAIR
  • KIMBERLY VITOLO — DIRECTOR
  • MARY MURIGI — TREASURER, KENYA
  • NATALYA MURAVCHIK — TREASURER, U.S.
  • SUKEJI MODI — STUDENT BOARD DIRECTOR
  • TARA ABRAHAMS — CHAIR
relationships · 39

Who they work with

  • Adventures for the Mind Funder — Financial partner of the Girls First Institute
  • Adventures for the Mind Funder — Funding partner of the Girls First Institute.
  • Board of Directors Partner — Two Girls Advisory Council members are appointed as representatives to the Board of Directors, serving as liaisons between the council and the board.
  • Bobbi Brown Funder — Financial partner of the Girls First Institute
  • Bobbi Brown Funder — Funding partner of the Girls First Institute.
  • Christen Brandt Partner — Co-founder of She's the First, who partnered with Tammy Tibbetts to launch the organization via social media.
  • Dioraphte Funder — Financial partner of the Girls First Institute
  • Dioraphte Funder — Funding partner of the Girls First Institute.
  • Estee Lauder Funder — Financial partner of the Girls First Institute
  • Estee Lauder Funder — Funding partner of the Girls First Institute.
  • Girl Activist Fellows Partner — Leadership cohort of girls who participate in organizational initiatives and represent the communities served.
  • Girl Rising Partner — Collaborative partnership to support girls' education and advocacy, with joint programming and shared public presence.
  • Girl Rising Partner — Merger partner; organizations are uniting under the Girl Rising name to expand reach and impact for girls.
  • Girls Advisory Council Partner — Advisory body composed of girls who consult on major organizational decisions and co-create strategy.
  • Global Girls' Bill of Rights Partner — Co-organizer of the Global Girls' Bill of Rights initiative
  • Global Girls' Bill of Rights Partner — Co-organizer of the Global Girls' Bill of Rights initiative.
  • InMaat Funder — Financial partner of the Girls First Institute
  • InMaat Funder — Funding partner of the Girls First Institute.
  • Kathryn McQuade Funder — Financial partner of the Girls First Institute
  • Kathryn McQuade Funder — Funding partner of the Girls First Institute.
  • Kotex Funder — Financial partner of the Girls First Institute
  • Kotex Funder — Funding partner of the Girls First Institute.
  • LVH Funder — Financial partner of the Girls First Institute
  • LVH Funder — Funding partner of the Girls First Institute.
  • Project PIKIN Partner — Co-created the #ShesAGirlFirst campaign in 2019 to support the rights of pregnant girls to attend school in Sierra Leone.
  • Purposeful Partner — Co-created the #ShesAGirlFirst campaign in 2019 to support the rights of pregnant girls to attend school in Sierra Leone.
  • Shequal Foundation Partner — Collaborates with She's the First in Nepal, where girls from the partner organization are featured in website imagery.
  • Stone Family Funder — Financial partner of the Girls First Institute
  • Stone Family Funder — Funding partner of the Girls First Institute.
  • Summit Funder — Financial partner of the Girls First Institute
+ 9 more
strategies · 5

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Coalition-Building and Systems-Level Advocacy
    methodology: coalition_building
    By forming coalitions with grassroots organizations and equipping girls to advocate for their rights, we drive systemic change because collective action amplifies impact and shifts policies, norms, and access at multiple societal levels.
  • Dual-Generation Empowerment through Feminist Mentorship
    methodology: dual_generation_support
    By simultaneously building the capacity of girls and their women mentors through feminist mentorship and leadership training, we produce stronger program outcomes because empowered mentors create supportive environments that amplify girls' agency and self-advocacy.
  • Girl-Centered and Participatory Design
    methodology: girl_centered_design
    By involving girls directly in program design, decision-making, and leadership roles, we produce more effective and authentic outcomes because programs are shaped by the lived experiences and priorities of the girls themselves, ensuring relevance and sustainability.
  • Locally Led, Women-Driven Leadership Development
    methodology: locally_led_development
    By investing in and strengthening local women leaders who run programs for girls in the Global South, we transform girls' environments because locally rooted leadership ensures culturally relevant, sustainable, and trusted programming.
  • Trust-Based and Power-Shifting Partnerships
    methodology: trust_based_philanthropy
    By providing long-term, flexible funding and co-creating agendas with community-based organizations, we reduce power imbalances and increase effectiveness because trust and shared decision-making enable authentic, locally driven transformation.