Shopping that empowers.
OUR STORY
GIRLFRIENDS WHO INSPIRE CHANGE
Girlfriends Who Inspire Change (GWIC), LLC is a cause-driven social enterprise and online retail marketplace committed to empowering women and girls around the world. Based in the United States, our innovative business model, built from scratch, blends the heart of a nonprofit with the sustainability of a for-profit company. A portion of every purchase directly supports initiatives that combat economic inequality and advance social change. At GWIC, we envision a world where all women and girls can rise, regardless of ethnicity or economic background. While our early work centered on supporting Black women, our mission has grown to create inclusive, forward-thinking pathways that uplift all women, especially those facing financial disadvantages. Partnerships play a critical role in our impact, and we proudly work alongside mission-aligned brands, organizations, and communities around the world.
We are more than a marketplace; GWIC is a resource hub and a movement. Through our Empowerment Hub, webinars, and networking events, we help women strengthen their knowledge in economic policy, entrepreneurship, leadership, global trade, wellness, philanthropy, wealth building, community development, and more. We also support global brands by building strategic affiliate program alliances designed to expand opportunities for women.
Founded in 2014 and incorporated in 2017, GWIC has built a foundation rooted in international collaboration and sisterhood networks. In the same year we incorporated, we became a Civil Society Organization (CSO) partner of the World Bank Group, a global institution comprising 189 member countries working to reduce poverty through sustainable development.
In 2023, GWIC was selected by the World Bank Group as a recipient of the U.S. Commercial Service’s Minority Business Outreach Initiative, a U.S. Department of Commerce program that connects minority-owned businesses to commercial opportunities in more than 50 countries. Today, we continue to grow as a global empowerment network, championing women, strengthening communities, and inspiring change one connection at a time.
A Message from the Founder
SHEILA COLLINS
As the Founder of Girlfriends Who Inspire Change (GWIC), I don’t speak about empowerment from theory, I speak from lived experience. There was a time in my life when I was a recipient of government housing. As a Black woman navigating that season after a difficult divorce, I experienced firsthand the unspoken bias that often follows women who are economically challenged. When you depend on systems or others to help you survive; to help you eat, to secure shelter, to maintain your livelihood, the weight is not just financial. It is mental. It is emotional. It can quietly chip away at your confidence, identity, and hope.
That chapter of my life did not define me, but it did refine me. It revealed a deeper purpose: to build something that creates ownership instead of dependency, opportunity instead of limitation, and dignity instead of stigma. That vision became Girlfriends Who Inspire Change.
GWIC is not a charity. We are a cause-driven social enterprise. Every product sold, every brand partnership formed, and every membership joined fuels a movement. Our profits are reinvested into initiatives that empower women to rise from poverty, strengthen their economic position, and build sustainable futures for themselves and their families.
We are not asking for donations. We are asking you to participate in an ecosystem.
When you shop through GWIC, you are investing in yourself and in a global sisterhood committed to economic empowerment. You are choosing high-quality products and services that do more than serve a personal need, they help fund training, resources, advocacy, and opportunities that move women from survival mode to ownership mindset.
Supporting GWIC matters because economic independence changes everything. It protects mental health. It restores dignity. It shifts generational trajectories. Whether you are a woman seeking community, a supporter who believes in economic equity, or a brand ready to align with meaningful impact, this is your invitation.
When you support Girlfriends Who Inspire Change, you are not just buying, you are building. You are helping create a future where women are no longer defined by temporary circumstances, where poverty does not determine potential, and where collective economic power transforms communities across borders.
This movement was built from the ground up. And together, we will continue to build something bigger than any one of us; an ecosystem where women thrive, lead, and inspire lasting change.
GIRLFRIENDS WHO INSPIRE CHANGE
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