March 2023

Progress Newsletter

By Savannah Lira, PVF Program Officer

In honor of Women's History Month, PVF would like to recognize several of our own fiscally sponsored projects supporting women! The following projects champion women's health, careers and education by making funding accessible where it's needed.

• Birth Queen – A charitable initiative founded by Mirror instructor and doula Rachel Nicks, which educates, supports and empowers Black women, parents and birthing people, enriching the Black birth experience and saving lives. Birth Queen is an inclusive Black-owned and operated organization that funds trainings for doulas, midwives, and lactation consultants.

• Bright Minds Africa – A charitable initiative led by a team of Nigerian and Cameroonian women transforming the life trajectories of out-of-school girls in our communities from young brides to educated, empowered young women.

• Cocokind Impact Fund – An awards program supporting female entrepreneurs in the health, wellness, and sustainability industries who are focused on creating social impact.

• Coralus – Founded in Canada by Vicki Saunders, Coralus (formerly SheEO) started its model to support female-identifying entrepreneurs in Canada, the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand by providing interest-free loans to local, women-led ventures with a social good mission.

• Jackie Speier Foundation for Women and Children – With a goal to address the feminization of poverty, lack of housing and childcare, and domestic violence in San Mateo County, the Jackie Speier Foundation is initiating a series of summits and community feedback sessions in order to shape grantmaking for maximum impact.

• Judy Macias Young Leaders Scholarship – This fund was created in honor of Judy Macias, the founder of Sonrisas, a low-income dental clinic serving the Coastside of San Mateo County, with a mission to invest in Coastside community leadership by supporting graduating Half Moon Bay High School first gen, female students with grant funding for college, and mentoring and networking opportunities.

• Women of Courage Award – Inspired by the lifetime work of Congresswoman Jackie Speier who in her roles as a mother, attorney, congressional staffer and elected official has shown resilience in overcoming tragedy and life threatening situations and fortitude in taking on powerful political forces, this annual award supported young women who show outstanding courage in their efforts to make the world a better place.

• Yuri Kochiyama Solidarity Fund – The fund’s mission is to carry on civil rights activist Yuri Kochiyama’s legacy through strengthening BIPOC solidarity; building community through art and activism; and providing learning resources for young people to promote anti-racism and to teach about the history and shared experiences of oppression and resistance by people of color as well as examples of successful multicultural community building efforts in the United States.

PVF is proud to work with these and many other female-founded projects! Check out our website to review our 45+ current Designated Funds.