More Than a Grant: Building the MMEG Community
By Michelle Cloud
For 45 years, Margaret McNamara Education Grants (MMEG) has invested in exceptional women from around the world, providing more than $5.6 million in educational support to 639 grantees from 81 countries.
Today, those grantees represent a powerful network of women advancing education, health, economic development, environmental sustainability, and social change. MMEG grantees have gone on to receive prestigious honors and fellowships, publish influential research, and assume leadership positions in government, academia, civil society, and the private sector. Among them are globally recognized leaders such as Frannie Léautier, a leading voice in international development and finance; V. Eudine Barriteau, an internationally respected scholar and advocate for gender equality; and Miranda Mpeta, recipient of the 2025 L'Oréal–UNESCO For Women in Science Young Talent Award for Sub-Saharan Africa.
MMEG grantees share experiences, challenges, and a commitment to expanding opportunities for women and children. Many are working on similar issues and facing similar professional challenges. We believe MMEG can continue to bring value beyond the grant year by creating more opportunities for its grantees to learn from and support one another. Whether through mentorship, professional networking, sharing job and research opportunities, or connecting grantees working in similar fields and communities, a stronger grantee network can help amplify the impact of every MMEG grant.
That is why MMEG is exploring new ways to strengthen connections among grantees. Over the coming months, we will be using the Margaret McNamara Education Grants (MMEG) Grantees private LinkedIn group as a hub for conversations about the future of the grantee network. We will be sharing polls, gathering feedback, highlighting professional opportunities, and exploring new ways for grantees to connect and support one another.
If you are a grantee and have not yet joined MMEG’s private LinkedIn group, we encourage you to do so now. For many grantees, the most valuable resource may be each other. We hope you'll join the conversation and help shape the future of the MMEG community.
