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 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.
Applications
Applications for our Fall 2023 Request for Proposals (RFP) are now closed. Grant recipients will be notified no later than the week of December 11, 2023.
Check back in Spring 2024 for our new round of applications. In the meantime, you can review our latest application guidelines and eligibility requirements. 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 2023
Spring 2023
- Xa Kako Dile: Xa Kako Dile: (XKD:; pronounced “Ha-ka-ko-dee-lay:” Water Through Meadow in Northern Pomo) is an Indigenous, women-led organization co-created in connection with ancestral Pomo lands to center traditional ecological knowledge, heal the land, and build community resilience through culture, food, medicine and education. The WCF’s grant will support XKD’s Indigenous Women’s Healing Circles program for local Indigenous women in Mendocino County.
- Feed Black Futures: Inspired by the mutual aid model of oppressed people supporting each other when the government fails, Feed Black Futures (FBF) addresses Black economic and health inequity by building Black food sovereignty. The WCF grant will support FBF’s core program work to buy Black regenerative farms’ produce, eggs, and chicken and give it to Black mamas/caregivers and their families facing food insecurity amidst Covid-19 and the criminal system targeting them or loved ones.
- Birthland Midwifery: Birthland is a midwifery center that provides a unique and holistic approach to maternal care. It is a model that was founded by a black midwife with a commitment to having an impact on black maternal health experiences. The Birthland model prioritizes financially accessible birth options, culturally relevant and congruent care, and provider sustainability. The practice has evolved into a perinatal wellness collective of dynamic birthworkers. Through one shared physical space midwives, a lactation consultant, doulas, midwifery students, and a variety of educators collaborate to ignite the vision for a perinatal wellness hub for the East Bay.
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
