Impact Shares and YWCA Launch Women's Empowerment ETF on NYS

We are excited to announce that today, Impact Shares and YWCA USA are launching a first-of-its-kind ETF on the New York Stock Exchange for investors to take action in the women’s empowerment movement!

The WOMN ETF allows investors to deploy capital in companies whose business practices align with gender-equality standards, and it puts the power the power to empower women in everyone's hands.

Impact Shares and YWCA Launch Women’s Empowerment ETF on NYSE

WOMN ETF uses capital markets to further YWCA’s mission of eliminating racism and empowering women

WASHINGTON D.C. / CHICAGO – Impact Shares and YWCA USA launch a first-of-its-kind ETF on the NYSE for investors to take action in the women’s empowerment movement. The WOMN ETF allows investors to deploy capital in companies whose business practices align with gender-equality standards.

As societal demand for women’s empowerment increases, so does the demand from consumers for socially conscious investment products. What the next generation of investors is asking for, the WOMN ETF seeks to answer.

“The WOMN ETF puts the power to empower women in everyone’s hands. It allows us to leverage the capital markets to further our 160-year mission to eliminate racism and empower women. The entire YWCA network, made up of more than 200 local associations, is excited about this innovative product that provides investors the opportunity to generate both financial and social returns, and helps fuel the future of our work,” said Alejandra Y. Castillo, CEO of YWCA USA.

Created by conflict-free, non-profit ETF sponsor Impact Shares, with backing from The Rockefeller Foundation’s Zero Gap Portfolio, WOMN is designed to track the Morningstar Women’s Empowerment Index, built with the gender equality data and scoring methodology of Equileap. The Index represents 200 companies, culled from 1,200 of the largest U.S.-listed publicly traded companies, based on each company’s Gender Equality Score which is determined from a set of 19 gender equality criteria.

The opportunity to partner with Impact Shares was identified by YWCA Metropolitan Chicago who is working with YWCA USA to engage with companies inside and outside the Index. “We believe that the criteria used to evaluate the companies in the Index provides a roadmap for corporate America for the empowerment of the women in their workforces and will ultimately result in increased value creation for shareholders,” said Dorri McWhorter, CEO of YWCA Metropolitan Chicago.

Impact Shares, itself a 501(c)(3) organization, will donate the net advisory fees from the management of the WOMN ETF to the YWCA who will use the revenue to increase impact nationally through direct service and advocacy.

“We believe this is an important step in the evolution of women’s advocacy. YWCA has established themselves as a leading women’s organization and the ETF provides them with the tools needed to expand their impact into the private sector and help companies demonstrate leadership on issues impacting women. We are excited to partner with the YWCA in providing investors access to a basket of companies that have strong policies and practices in support of women’s empowerment and gender equality,” said Ethan Powell, CEO of Impact Shares.

Potential investors can learn more at www.impactetfs.org, and can invest in WOMN through their online brokerage account or by contacting their financial advisor.

Shares of WOMN (the “Fund”) are not sponsored, endorsed or promoted by YWCA. YWCA makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of the shares of WOMN or any member of the public regarding the ability of WOMN to track the total return performance of the Underlying Index or the ability of the Underlying Index to track stock market performance. YWCA has no obligation or liability in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of shares of WOMN. YWCA is not an investment adviser.

Please see the fact sheet for further details on the fund.

YWCA is on a mission to eliminate racism, empower women, stand up for social justice, help families, and strengthen communities. As one of the oldest and largest women’s organizations in the nation, YWCA USA represents over 200 YWCAs in 46 states and the District of Columbia, serving over 2 million women, girls, and their families each year.

YWCA has been at the forefront of the most pressing social movements for 160 years — from voting rights to civil rights, from affordable housing to pay equity, from violence prevention to health care reform. Today, we combine programming and advocacy to generate institutional change in three key areas: racial justice and civil rights, empowerment and economic advancement of women and girls, and health and safety of women and girls.