Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Meghan wants to ’empower young adults’ through one million dollar charity scheme

The project invites young people in the US to give a 1,000 dollar (£896) grant to a woman of their choice.

Ted Hennessey
Friday 07 October 2022 15:02 BST
Meghan wants to ’empower young adults’ with a one million dollar scheme to support women in need (Dominic Lipinski/PA)
Meghan wants to ’empower young adults’ with a one million dollar scheme to support women in need (Dominic Lipinski/PA) (PA Archive)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The Duchess of Sussex is looking to “empower young adults” with a one million US dollar (£896,000) scheme to support women in need.

Through their foundation Archewell, Meghan and her husband Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, will be involved in a charitable project inviting 14-to-18-year-olds in the US to give a 1,000 dollar (£896) grant to a woman of their choice.

The scheme, in partnership with The Ving Project which looks to spark the next generation of philanthropists, is said to be inspired by Meghan’s Spotify podcast series Archetypes.

Meghan said: “Two things that bring me great joy are supporting women and the spirit of giving.

“With the return of Archetypes, Archewell Foundation and VING have come together to create the perfect combination of these loves.

“By donating one million US dollars in grants to women in need, our hope is not to only provide support where it may be felt deepest but also empower young adults to embrace the gift of giving at an early age.

“I’m very proud of this partnership and the good we hope to see come from it.”

Nominees must be US residents, non-extended or immediate family members and in need of financial assistance to be eligible.

A note on the Archewell website says: “We’re not the philanthropists — you are.”

Liz Lefkofsky, founder of Ving, said: “We share the joy of philanthropy with Archewell Foundation and are proud to help young people make a difference by giving a financial boost to others who are financially vulnerable.”

Archetypes launched in the summer and is hosted by Meghan who speaks to historians, experts and women who have experienced being typecast.

The podcast looks to “dissect, explore and subvert the labels that try to hold women back”, the duchess said in its preview.

It resumed on Tuesday after a four-week break following the death of the Queen.

In it, Meghan criticised films such as Austin Powers and Kill Bill for presenting caricatures of women of Asian descent as over-sexualised or aggressive.

So far her guests have included tennis star Serena Williams, singer Mariah Carey, journalist Lisa Ling and comedian Margaret Cho.

Meghan has long been a campaigner on female empowerment.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in