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.The giving circle has been active since 1999 and granted more than $3.7 million to nonprofit organizations in 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. We meet monthly, alternating between daytime and evening sessions, and offer two grant giving cycles per year.
Email WCFgrantinformation@gmail.com to learn more about or express your interest in becoming a member.
Women’s Catalytic Fund Grantees:
Spring 2019 – Spring 2025
Spring 2025
- Unapologetically HERS (UAHERS): Unapologetically HERS (UAHERS) is a purpose-driven organization committed to nurturing the leadership of system-impacted women, trans, and gender non-conforming (GNC) individuals. Rooted in Black feminist values, UAHERS offers leadership development, trains individuals in participatory action research, and provides professional development to equip people with the tools to advocate for themselves, challenge systemic injustices, and build pathways toward economic self-sufficiency.
- Just BE: Just BE is a wellness and shared prosperity community created by and for Black, Indigenous, Women of Color (BIWOC) entrepreneurs, who have been historically pushed out of traditional workspaces and abandoned by the economy. Just BE is committed to the intergenerational sustainability of women of color and their communities, working for themselves as organizers, artists, healers, freelancers, and small business owners. Its mission is to cultivate a thriving ecosystem of low-income BIWOC microentrepreneurs who co-create inclusive local economies rooted in community care, mental/physical well-being, cooperative ownership, and collective power. Just BE envisions a world where every woman of color has the economic sovereignty, resources, and power to thrive, support her family, and shape her future on her own terms.
- Californians for the Advancement of Midwifery: Californians for the Advancement of Midwifery (CAM) is dedicated to restoring and strengthening midwifery care in California, recognizing it as the gold standard of maternity care worldwide. For over three decades, CAM has been a tireless champion for community midwifery, leading legislative advocacy, providing continuing education, offering scholarships, and spearheading quality improvement initiatives. The organization tackles significant barriers including historical inequities in practice authority, discriminatory insurance standards, limited diversity in the profession, and the absence of accredited education programs in California. As the only organization specifically focused on community midwifery outside hospital settings, CAM is now developing California’s first-ever Licensed Midwifery education program within the Community College system to make training more accessible, affordable, and equitable.
- Trans Advocacy & Care Team: Trans Advocacy & Care Team (TACT) is an East Bay-based, trans-led nonprofit building a national virtual network of peer support for transgender and nonbinary adults. It is the only trans organization in the U.S. offering free, ongoing, virtual, non-crisis peer support services that are accessible from anywhere and led entirely by trans people. TACT believes that trans joy and wellbeing are possible when trans people have access to empowered, supportive communities that help reduce isolation and overcome systemic barriers.
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
