Fund for Women and Girls

Why This Matters

Across the nation, funds like these are proving to be effective strategies for tackling economic disparities, opening doors to educational opportunities, and improving the quality of life for all.

Even with decades of good work, there's still a long way to go, particularly here at home.

• 15% of women in Santa Cruz County live in poverty.
• Over 4,500 families in Santa Cruz County live below the poverty level.
• 23.4% of Santa Cruz County children are projected to experience food insecurity in the wake of the pandemic.
• Poverty is one of the most significant factors in health care outcomes for Latinx women in Santa Cruz County.

Selected Data Sources: Status of Women and Girls in Santa Cruz County Health Care Update 2020, California Women's Well-Being Index, Santa Cruz County Community Assessment Project

About the Fund

Created in 2016, this $3 million endowed fund is helping boost the economic growth of the county by supporting the educational and career success of local women and girls. The fund was started with a $1.5 million gift and an additional $500,000 challenge grant. We met the challenge with many large and small additional gifts and through the power of endowment, the fund continues to grow allowing us to make grants for women and girls—forever. The Fund is invested in our Women’s Inclusion Long-Term Pool which focuses investment options on companies or funds seeking to drive greater gender equality through channels such as workplace equality, access to capital, and products and services that benefit women and girls.

During the COVID pandemic, the flexibility of the fund enabled us to help fill immediate needs of local women from helping secure housing, food, and financial assistance for their families and helping moms stay in college through scholarships to Cabrillo students.

More recently, grants to Walnut Avenue Family and Women's Center, Monarch Services, Families in Transition, and Siena House are helping prevent eviction and homelessness for women and their children. Services include wrap-around care, support for survivors of domestic abuse, connecting women to food banks, parenting classes, counseling, and financial literacy support. Grants to Girls, Inc. of the Central Coast and Salud y Cariño focus on building girls’ confidence and setting the foundation for healthy lives through leadership development, peer mentoring, and communications and assertiveness training.