We believe in the power of women to drive social change
The Women’s Catalytic Fund is a giving circle that puts resources into the hands of people with bold visions working to end gender-based inequity and fundamentally change the systems that perpetuate it.
The Women’s Catalytic Fund administers one or two rounds of grants per year. Typically, these are one-time $15,000 grants to CA-based nonprofits with budgets under $1million.
Learn more about the work of the Women’s Catalytic Fund.
If you have any questions or would like to be added to our mailing list, please email WCFgrantinformation@gmail.com.
Interested in participating?
Donate
If you share our vision, we invite you to donate to the fund. The WCF employs a thoughtful and rigorous process to select innovative and impactful frontline initiatives. Since 2019, the WCF has granted nearly $1 million to nonprofit organizations across the Bay Area and California. See a list of recent grantees below.
Become a member
Sound exciting? Join Us! We welcome new members. Learn more below.
The Women’s Catalytic Fund is a highly engaged giving circle that is currently welcoming new members! We limit our membership to 15 individuals to enable a consensus-based decision making process and allow for meaningful group discussions.
Our members commit to giving a minimum annual donation of $5,000. All members evaluate proposals, participate in selecting grantees and serve on committees. Meetings are scheduled in accordance with the grant cycle(s). We also meet for occasional educational and social events.
Email WCFgrantinformation@gmail.com to learn more about or express your interest in becoming a member.
Women’s Catalytic Fund Grantees:
Spring 2019 – Spring 2026
Spring 2026
- Black Female Project is an organization established in 2014 dedicated to researching Black women’s workplace experiences to support professional development and workplace transformation. Their “Concrete Ceiling Initiative” is an unprecedented, 10-year study that will generate tools for HR managers to determine and address structural barriers to Black women’s workplace success. The project will start in the Bay Area — mostly among education and health care organizations — and expand to enroll 500 people at 50 organizations. They plan to host small group story circles, build infrastructure and partnerships, launch a website, and create fact sheets.
- Afro Urban Society is an organization in Oakland established in 2014 that incubates, produces, and presents Pan-African arts and programming with the goal of connecting artists of African descent with their communities. Their “Lit from the Black!” project provides free, hands-on training, fieldwork, networking, mentoring, referrals, apprenticeships, and internships in stage design and technical production for womxn and non-binary people. Their technical theater training program supports employment opportunities and increases access for people who have historically been excluded from theater production.
- SWOP LA is a peer support organization run by and for sex workers in LA working for racial, social, and gender justice. They provide outreach, mutual aid, and advocacy, “fight for rights not for rescue,” and direct funding directly into the hands of the people they serve. With their upcoming zine project, Sex Workers Guide to the Apocalypse, SWOP LA will highlight resources with digital short-form videos, provide a database for skill sharing and promoting safety, and host a safety fair and community workshop. The goal of this project is to equip sex workers with the knowledge and confidence to advocate for themselves and others, both in their interpersonal interactions and within the broader social and political context.
- Storyland Collective is a new organization uplifting intergenerational storytelling, art, and literacy as cultural inheritance and shared practice. The organization creates spaces where Black, brown, indigenous, immigrant, disabled, LGBTQIA+, mixed-status, system-impacted, and housing-insecure families can reclaim literacy as liberation and strengthen cultural and community pride. Historically, children’s literature has not been representative of diverse families and cultures. Storyland Collective helps families create and share more inclusive, authentic stories. With support from seed funding, the collective will launch administratively with insurance, materials, and honoraria for participants.
Spring 2025
- Unapologetically HERS (UAHERS)
- Just BE
- Californians for the Advancement of Midwifery
- Trans Advocacy & Care Team
Spring 2024
Fall 2023
Spring 2023
Fall 2022
Spring 2022
Fall 2021
- Recognize Violence, Change Culture (RVCC)
- Orange County Justice Fund
- CHAN-BOF for Peace Collaborative
Spring 2021
- Native Sister’s Circle
- Kitchen Table Advisors
- Legal Link
- Asian Pacific Self-Development and Residential Association (APSARA)
Fall 2020
Due to the challenging issues of 2020, including the COVID-19 pandemic and mounting pressure for racial, social and environmental justice, the Women’s Catalytic Fund used the Fall 2020 grant cycle to provide one-time supplemental grants of $10,000 to ten of our prior grantees.
Spring 2020
Fall 2019
- California Coalition for Women Prisoners: #MeToo Behind Bars Documentation Project
- The Radical Monarchs: Radical Alumni Program
- Safe Return Project: Re-investing in Formerly Incarcerated Women & Girls
- ACT for Women and Girls: Truth to Power ACTion Team
Spring 2019
- Contra Costa Family Justice Alliance
- California Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative
- Esq. Apprentice
- Mamacitas Cafe
Gallery: WCF Grantees
