Grantmaking

Funding Women of Color & Gender Expansive Communities Across California.

IT STARTS IN
CALIFORNIA

Women’s Foundation California’s grantmaking is dedicated to fostering a multiracial, feminist democracy where grassroots communities have the resources, networks, and support needed to thrive. By investing in racial, gender, economic, and environmental justice, we help build a healthier, safer, and more prosperous California for all.

Women’s Foundation California is open to inquiries and ask that grant partners review our priorities and guidelines below to ensure our values and strategies are aligned prior reaching out to start a dialogue.

If you would like to share about your work, Women’s Foundation California encourages organizations to review the information below and complete our brief questionnaire.

Women’s Foundation California grant partner, Khmer Girls in Action, in Long Beach, CA (© Photo by Nader Khouri)

We prioritize supporting 501c3 & 501c4 organizations:

  • Led by women of color and gender expansive folks
  • Serve women of color and gender expansive communities across California
  • With an intersectional approach that centers gender justice working in 
    • Economic Security 
    • Criminal Justice Reform
    • Environmental Justice
    • Domestic Violence/Gender Based Violence
    • Reproductive Health, Rights, and Justice
    • Health & Healing Justice
    • Democracy
  • Employ movement building, advocacy, organizing and/or narrative change strategies 
  • Based in California
    special consideration for rural areas and regions with inequitable access to resources

We do not support:

  • Schools (e.g. after school or extracurricular programs)
  • Universities
  • Hospitals and churches
  • Museums 
  • Hate groups
  • Scholarships and financial aid
  • Legal aid
  • Medical research
  • Candidates
  • Individuals 
  • Sponsorships 
  • Start-ups and small businesses
  • Go Fund Me and other crowdfunding projects

Complete our Questionnaire

ONLY
1.9%...

Nationally only 1.9% of all philanthropic dollars go specifically to fund issues affecting women and girls – and according to Funders for LTBGQ Issues less than 1% of all philanthropic dollars goes towards issues affecting LGBTQ and gender non conforming folks.

A Trust Based
Approach

We take a trust-based approach to our grantmaking work. We are committed to a streamlined process that tilts towards participatory grantmaking and incorporates the wisdom and perspective of movement leaders and our board members.

Multi-Year
Grantmaking

Through our Community Power Fund which includes our Anchor Partners, the Culture Change Fund, Relief and Resilience Fund, Alums4Alums, SPI HOME cohort, and we will consider designing a restorative grant program for movement leaders.

Flexible
Funding

We provide flexible funding through general operating support grants. In the rare instances when we offer project-specific funding, we make sure to include in the budget adequate support for general management costs.

Donate
Today

This work is powered by you.

The feminist future we are building together in California is going to be built by all of us sharing our time, our money, and our skills.  Please consider contributing today.

Together We Are Unstoppable.

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