Clinton Global Initiative spotlights Catapult, an online funding platform for girls & women

NEW YORK, Sept. 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- A commitment by Women Deliver was featured at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Annual Meeting today. The commitment will launch Catapult (www.catapult.org), the first crowdfunding platform solely dedicated to advancing the lives of girls and women around the world.

"We know that when we invest in girls and women, everyone wins," said Jill W. Sheffield, President of Women Deliver. "Catapult is a new opportunity to deliver millions of dollars over the next decade to organizations that are making real progress for girls and women."

Catapult connects trusted organizations with a new global audience to increase funds and engagement. Organizations can post projects online, and donors can browse and fund the issues that speak to them most. Every dollar donated goes to the organization and donors receive reports about the project's progress.

Catapult will launch on the International Day of the Girl Child on October 11, 2012, with the support of notable partners, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Global Fund for Women and the United Nations Population Fund.

Women Deliver also announced a commitment - Deliver for Youth - to help build a new generation of maternal and reproductive leaders in developing countries. Policymakers, advocates, academics and journalists, between the ages of 18 and 35, participate in advocacy and professional skills programs, including e-courses, online community building, and workshops at the Women Deliver global conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in May 2013.

About the Clinton Global Initiative:
Established in 2005 by President Bill Clinton, the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) convenes global leaders to create and implement innovative solutions to the world's most pressing challenges. CGI Annual Meetings have brought together more than 150 heads of state, 20 Nobel Prize laureates, and hundreds of leading CEOs, heads of foundations and NGOs, major philanthropists, and members of the media. To date CGI members have made more than 2,100 commitments, which are already improving the lives of nearly 400 million people in more than 180 countries. When fully funded and implemented, these commitments will be valued at $69.2 billion.

CGI also convenes CGI America, a meeting focused on collaborative solutions to economic recovery in the United States, and CGI University (CGI U), which brings together undergraduate and graduate students to address pressing challenges in their community or around the world. For more information, visit clintonglobalinitiative.org and follow us on Twitter @ClintonGlobal and Facebook at facebook.com/clintonglobalinitiative.

About Women Deliver:
Women Deliver is a global advocacy organization bringing together voices from around the world to call for action to improve the health and well-being of girls and women. Women Deliver works globally to generate political and financial commitments to reduce maternal mortality and achieve universal access to reproductive health.

Visit womendeliver.org and follow us @WomenDeliver and facebook.com/womendeliver.

Lindsey Taylor Wood, Catapult
+323-572-5515
[email protected]

Janna Oberdorf, Women Deliver
+646-695-9124
[email protected]  

SOURCE Women Deliver