The problem isn't a shortage of opportunity
It's the distance between a girl and what's already there.
01
She doesn't know the opportunity exists.
02
She doesn't know how to access it.
03
She doesn't know how to access it.
04
She may lack the networks or connections that make access easier.
Our approach
Four pillars, working as one system.
The four elements of OPEN
Not four programs. One interconnected system.
Opportunities, Pathways, Education and Networks aren't separate tracks — they work together, and a girl often needs more than one at once to move forward.
O
We connect girls to opportunities that can change their trajectory — scholarships, fellowships, internships, jobs, grants.
P
Finding an opportunity is one thing. Knowing how to utilize it is another — we help girls navigate education and career pathways.
E
OPEN expands access to learning — workshops, digital learning, career-readiness, academic support.
N
Because opportunities often come through people — mentorship, professional networks, peer communities.
Our story
How it all began
OPEN for Girls first began as an idea after our founder, Shrey, traveled to South Sudan as part of an executive field trip for an international nonprofit organization in the United States.
During her work advocating for girls, she met young girls and refugees who had received scholarships to universities across East Africa. Yet even with those scholarships, gaps remained. Their education suffered, and many were unable to fully access or benefit from the opportunities they had been given.
A lesson became clear: a degree does not necessarily mean a girl is educated, and a scholarship alone does not guarantee that she can truly turn her life around. Certain factors can disrupt a girl's education or her ability to make meaningful use of an opportunity.
That gap became the foundation for why OPEN for Girls began.
An opportunity is only an opportunity if a girl can access it.
There are endless opportunities. But an opportunity is only an opportunity if a girl:
01
Knows it exists.
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Knows what to do with it.
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Is guided to make good use of it.
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Has the pathways, resources and networks needed to maximize it.
This is what OPEN believes creates a full-circle outcome for philanthropy that impacts girls' lives.
Our team
Our Team
The people building OPEN for Girls — profiles coming soon.
Name
Board Chair
Announcing soon
Name
Robert Rose
Announcing soon
Name
Robert Rose
Announcing soon
Name
Robert Rose
Announcing soon
Board of Directors
Our founding board is being assembled — details coming soon.
Name
Board Chair
Announcing soon
Name
Robert Rose
Announcing soon
Name
Robert Rose
Announcing soon
Name
Robert Rose
Announcing soon
Governance
Who we are
Why OPEN exists, and how we think about closing the gap.
OPEN for Girls works to close the gap between girls and opportunity — not by creating more opportunities, but by making the ones that already exist visible, accessible and actionable.
Girls & young women
Aspirations matter here. Reach out to learn where OPEN can meet you.
Opportunity Providers
Make what you offer visible, accessible and actionable.
Supporters
Help sustain the work of closing the gap between girls and opportunity.
Mentors
Opportunities often come through people. Be one of them.
Organizations working alongside OPEN to close the gap.