The National Women's Alliance was created in response to the lack of attention paid at the local and national levels by mainstream women's and race organizations to the needs and concerns of women and girls of color.

Currently, there exists in the United States over 500 women's organizations with varying levels of capacity and focus. In the last several years, in response to the unmet needs of women of color by these organizations, some women of color have initiated efforts and started grassroots organizations that address the needs and concerns of their communities and speak to their experiences. They have taken issues like reproductive health, racial and economic justice, the prison industrial complex, welfare rights, and HIV/AIDS and sought to understand them using an intersectional approach and framework. For example, many mainstream discussions on reproductive health and rights often focus on access to clinic entrances and the right to choose. Using an intersectional framework that includes not only gender, but a race and class analysis as well, the definition of access is broader and includes access to information and resources.

Starting a community-based or grassroots organization is difficult. In addition to figuring out how to address social justice issues, many new organizations have to grapple with fundraising and skills building; lack of resources and networks; and building a strong infrastructure. For women of color who initiate such efforts these issues are compounded because the models for organizing around agendas are not gender or race specific.

At the community level, small women of color organizations or initiatives that are seeking new ways to solve old problems have very few resources and support. As a result, many under-perform, spend years building infrastructure, over-extend or commit themselves, or in the worse case scenario close their doors.

Further, there exists little information, training, and resources that address the capacity building for grassroots organizations and efforts led by women of color; the intersecting nature of domination and oppression; and how to leverage resources and build coalitions across difference.

The National Women's Alliance is working hard to transform how social justice work is done by examining single-issue social justice agendas and advocating for agendas that are multi-issue and intersectional in nature; bringing women of color from the margins to the center in discussions for social change; and building coalitions and networks across difference and movements.