About
The Women's Refugee Commission (WRC) is a New York-based 501(c)(3) research and advocacy organization that works to improve the lives and protect the rights of women, children, and youth displaced by conflict and crisis. Created in 1989, WRC describes itself as a leading research and advocacy organization advancing gender equality and resilience across humanitarian response — its founders were among the first to sit down with refugee women and ask what they needed and what solutions they proposed.
Mission
WRC's mission is to improve the lives and protect the rights of women, children, youth, and other people who are often overlooked, undervalued, and underserved in humanitarian responses to displacement and crises. Its vision is a world in which displaced people are welcomed with dignity; are safe, healthy, and self-reliant; and have their human rights and agency respected.
What they do
WRC works in partnership with displaced communities to research their needs, identify solutions, and advocate for gender-transformative and sustained improvement in humanitarian, development, and displacement policy and practice. Its work centers on five focus areas:
- Rights and justice
- Sexual and gender-based violence
- Sexual and reproductive health and rights
- Economic empowerment and self-reliance
- Gender and social inclusion
History
The Women's Refugee Commission was created in 1989 by Liv Ullmann, Catherine O'Neill, Susan Forbes Martin, and Susan Alberti to ensure that the rights and needs of women, children, and youth displaced by conflict and crisis are taken into account in humanitarian programs.
Impact
Achievements the organization highlights from its history of research and advocacy include:
- Greater access for refugee women and children to sexual and reproductive health care from the very onset of an emergency
- Displaced people being more likely to find safe, dignified work
- Increased participation in programs by marginalized populations, including people with disabilities
- Putting prevention of sexual and gender-based violence on the international agenda
- Serving as a fearless advocate for families and children seeking asylum in the United States
Financials
Per its Form 990 on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer for the fiscal year ending September 2025, WRC reported revenue of 3,559,429 dollars (94.8 percent from contributions), expenses of 6,259,075 dollars, and net assets of 3,476,051 dollars. The IRS issued the tax exemption for the current corporate entity in April 2014 (EIN 46-3668128).
Governance
Per its most recent Form 990, WRC is led by Executive Director Sarah Costa and governed by a board of directors co-chaired by Alexandra Arriaga and Ivonne Dersch.
