Thank You California Leaders

The Women’s Recovery Response grant was made possible thanks to the incredible efforts of the Office of the Governor, the Office of the First Partner, the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, the California Legislative Women’s Caucus. our Commissioners, and the many advocates and staff who dedicated their time and energy to ensuring that women and girls would not be left behind during a historically challenging time for us all. Thank you for your steadfast support of California’s women and girls and for investing in our shared futures.

We offer thanks to all of the Commissioners serving throughout the pandemic for their courage and leadership during uncertain and frightening times. Together, we will continue building the world that we want to see.

Finally, we want to thank the staff of the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls for their willingness to roll up their sleeves when called and to make a way where one had not previously existed, to infuse critical support into California’s diverse communities.

The success of the Women’s Recovery Response is rooted in community, connection, and deep collaboration, and we want to especially thank the many community leaders, local commissions on women, and community-based organizations who became our partners in this effort, and whose collaboration helped provide direct services to more than 90,000 women and girls, and indirect services to millions more.

We also want to publicly acknowledge the Commission’s many champions, working in city and county governments along with their staff, for helping to accomplish the unimaginable during the darkest days of the COVID-19 pandemic – delivering hope for a reimagined future once the crisis passed. We could not have done any of this without your support.

On behalf of the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls, and the many lives uplifted by the Women’s Recovery Response, thank you.

#WomenAreEssential

The Women’s Recovery Response grant program represents the first time the state of California has dedicated resources, under the oversight of the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls, to the specific needs of women impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. As we continue to grapple with the long-term consequences and persistent challenges of this crisis it is imperative that women across the state, in all industries and localities, receive the support they need. The California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls is committed to leading and continuing the work to understand the impacts of the pandemic on women and families and ensuring that their specific needs are addressed.

The goal of this opportunity was to build a more direct system of support for women in communities across the state by strengthening the existing network of local commissions, growing diverse representation of all women’s voices through the establishment of new local commissions, and providing immediate relief to women in need by increasing resources for direct service providers to support the economic recovery of women and the economic circumstances of girls.

As the state entity tasked with assessing gender equity in multiple issue areas including health, safety, employment, education, and others, the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls continues to be uniquely positioned to support local commissions and the direct service providers they work with to ensure that women’s needs are centered in immediate and ongoing statewide recovery efforts and in establishing a more secure foundation to better weather future storms. This investment inserted structural support and resources into a network of local commissions and community-based organizations and the California Commission continues to act as a statewide convener, facilitator, and oversight administrator.

During the first two years of the pandemic, women in the United States lost more than 5.4 million net jobs. Women of color were the first to lose jobs and the last to regain them and women without college degrees were significantly impacted. Our research shows that the economic crisis exacerbated the cumulative and collective crises women in California were already experiencing.

The Commission, in partnership with the California Research Bureau, conducted an initial literature review on the state of women in California which provided the background for the launch of the Women’s Recovery Response effort in 2021. Studies consistently report that women, especially women of color, experienced greater loss in jobs, income, and childcare services. At the same time, concerns regarding their mental health grew at an alarming rate. In partnership with the California Policy Lab, we conducted our own research that shed light on points of pain, and bright spots of hope, for a more equitable economic recovery for women.

The Commission constructed the California Blueprint for Women’s Pandemic Economic Recovery as a statewide strategy for a recovery response that centers women and supports deliberate gendered policy interventions, but it was only the first step.

The Budget Act of 2021 established the Women’s Recovery Response to provide $5 million in one-time funds.

The Commission is dedicated to addressing the long-term effects of COVID-19 on women and their families. The Women’s Recovery Response funding was a crucial step towards equitable recovery statewide and has been a key element in rebuilding during the pandemic, aimed at enhancing support in communities by strengthening local commissions, promoting diverse representation, providing seed money for service growth, and increasing resources for immediate relief.

The California Blueprint for Women’s Pandemic Economic Recovery and the Women’s Recovery Response also made it clear that gender is a substantive element of the health of the state’s overall workforce and capacity for economic growth, and must be considered as an essential element in state resource stewardship. While California has recorded record lows for unemployment and accounted for a record number of new jobs created nationwide, these numbers do not tell us anything about the type of work, compensation, and flexibility offered.

These numbers also do not address the lasting repercussions of the pandemic on women and families who could not afford to spend two years not working or working less. The overall hit to wealth building has resulted in less savings, home ownership, and investments or retirement savings, and remains an issue for the state and the economy as a whole. This grant program represents a critical moment in time when we put women first, and the numbers speak for themselves.

Recovery Investment

The California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls was honored to receive a total of $13.9 million from the legislature over two fiscal years to support women’s recovery from the pandemic. This funding was crucial for supporting local governments, including local commissions, nonprofit organizations, and direct service providers in addressing the economic challenges faced by women and girls.

Of the $13.9 million, the legislature allocated $11 million to the statewide grant program and $2.9 million to the Commission’s General Operations fund to support the administration of the program. Recognizing the immense need and opportunity to further assist women and girls, the Commission prioritized fiscal responsibility and innovative financial management, allowing us to reinvest an additional $1,627,845.85 from our operating budget back into the community.

Women and girls make up 50.3% of California’s population, and the Commission is steadfast in its commitment to supporting them all. Through strategic financial management and operational efficiency, we were able to exceed our initial funding goals, demonstrating our dedication to advancing both the state’s objectives and our own commitment to investing in this essential population.

By leveraging partnerships, dedicated staff, efficiency, and strategic planning, we directly impacted more than 90,000 women and girls across California.

Key Achievements

With just two years of funding, and a limited staff, the Women’s Recovery Response touched on every aspect of women’s and girl’s lives in nearly every county in the state. We reached women and girls where they are, holistically across intersectional needs, that included childcare and diapers; menstruation; job training; housing; counseling; trafficking prevention and outreach; foster care and foster care transition; breastfeeding; Black women’s wellness; therapy for underserved communities; and much, much more. We also stood up domestic violence centers during lockdown and provided for medical upscaling in facilities across the state.

In addition to the direct services that we supported and the re-granting opportunities that helped to lift up additional services and providers, we were able to help establish or support ongoing capacity building efforts for 18 county and city commissions on the status of women and girls, whose work continues to serve those communities.

During both years of the Women’s Recovery Response Grant program, 10.3 million unduplicated women were indirectly represented by their local commissions!

Women’s Recovery Response Grantees

Many organizations received funding in both the 2022/23 and 2023/24 fiscal years. The list below contains unduplicated grantees over both grant cycles.

1. 3Strands Global Foundation
2. 4th Second
3. A Sense of Home
4. Access Youth Academy
5. ACT for Women and Girls
6. Agape Counseling Center and Network
7. Alameda County Commission on the Status of Women
8. American Cancer Society
9. Armenian Bar Association
10. Beauty Behind the Bricks
11. Because Black is Still Beautiful (BBISB)
12. Bithiah’s Family Services
13. Black Women for Wellness
14. Boys & Girls Clubs of the North Valley
15. Breastfeeding Taskforce of Greater Los Angeles
16. Bright Futures for Youth
17. CA Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative
18. CA Women Lead
19. California Black Women’s Health Project
20. California Budget and Policy Center
21. California Health Medical Reserve Corps
22. California Latinas for Reproductive Justice (CLRJ)
23. California Service Dog Academy
24. CASA of Los Angeles
25. Catalyst Family Inc.
26. Center For A Non Violent Community
27. Channel Islands YMCA – Lompoc
28. Child Advocates of Placer County
29. Child Guidance Center, Inc.
30. Chinese Progressive Association
31. City of Fresno
32. City of Glendale Commission on the Status of Women
33. City of Long Beach
34. City of Milpitas
35. City of Norwalk – Social Services Department
36. City of Sanger
37. City of South El Monte
38. Coalition for Engaged Education
39. Community Action Commission of Santa Barbara County (DBA: CommUnify)
40. Community Beyond Violence
41. Community forward SF
42. Community Health Partnership, Inc.
43. Community Legal Aid SoCal
44. Community Partners FBO Maternal Mental Health NOW (MHNOW)
45. Community Violence Solutions
46. Contra Costa Commission for Women and Girls
47. County of Sacramento – Department of Child Family & Adult Services / Sacramento County Commission on the Status of Women and Girls
48. County of San Diego Commission on the Status of Women and Girls
49. Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Santa Barbara County
50. Crisis House
51. CVS Em Power (Community Violence Solutions)
52. Del Paso Height’s Sierra Service Project
53. Depositing Empowerment Through Outreach & Urban Redevelopment (DETOUR)
54. Dignity Health Foundation- Inland
55. DIY (Do-It-Yourself) Girls
56. Do Good Daniels Family Foundation
57. Downtown Women’s Center
58. Epidaurus DBA Amity Foundation
59. Family Justice Center Sonoma County
60. Field Institute
61. Foothill House of Hospitality (dba Hospitality House)
62. Foundation for Women Warriors
63. Fresno County Commission in the Status of Women
64. Friends of Solano Commission for Women and Girls
65. Girls Club of Los Angeles
66. Girls Inc. of Carpinteria
67. Golden State Opportunity Fund
68. Good Neighbors USA
69. Habitat for Humanity
70. Healthy Black Families, Inc.
71. Help a Mother Out
72. Helping Kids to Recover, Inc.
73. Home Again LA
74. Hope of the Valley Rescue Mission
75. Hospitality Industry Training and Education Fund (HITEF) dba Hospitality Training Academy (HTA)
76. House of Ruth, Inc.
77. Housing 4 the Homeless
78. Housing and Economic Rights Advocates (HERA)
79. Hui International
80. Impact Foundry
81. Inland Southern California 211+
82. Integrated Recovery Network
83. International Rescue Committee, INC (includes NorCal and San Diego)
84. Interval House
85. Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank
86. Jefferson Economic Development Institute
87. Jenesse Center, Inc.
88. JVS SoCal
89. Kee Cha-E-Nar Nonprofit Corporation (KCEN)
90. Kitchens for Good
91. Los Angeles County Commission for Women
92. Los Angeles Section National Council of Jewish Women
93. Lumina Alliance
94. Marin County Commission on the Status of Women
95. Meals on Wheels of the Monterey Peninsula
96. Media Done Responsibly
97. Men Taking Over Reforming Society (MENTORS)
98. MISSSEY (Motivating Inspiring Serving and Supporting Sexually Exploited Youth)
99. MPower Alliance
100. My New Red Shoes
101. My Sister’s Keeper Success Institute, Inc.
102. Narika
103. National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc., San Francisco Chapter (Sisternomic)
104. Nehemiah Community Foundation
105. New Economics for Women
106. Nile Sisters Development Initiative
107. Niswa Association Inc
108. One in Long Beach, Inc.
109. Opening Doors, Inc.
110. Pacific Coast Regional Small Business Development Corporation (dba PCR Business Finance)
111. Palomar Health Foundation
112. Pathways to Independence
113. Peace Over Violence
114. Peregrinos De Emaus
115. Physicians Medical Forum
116. Planned Parenthood of Orange & San Bernardino Counties
117. Project: PeaceMakers, Inc.
118. Prospera Community Development
119. Prosperity Lab
120. Public Counsel
121. Raices Cultura
122. Rainbow Servcices, Ltd.
123. Reach Out West End
124. REACH the Valley
125. Regents of the University of California at Irvine
126. Root & Rebound
127. Rosie the Riveter Trust
128. Sacramento County Commission on the Status of Women and Girls/ Department of Child, Family, Adult Services
129. Sacramento Kindness Campaign
130. Sacramento Metro Chamber Foundation
131. Sacramento Native American Health Center
132. Saint John’s Program for Real Change
133. SAJE
134. San Diego & Imperial Women’s Business Center (Southwestern College Foundation)
135. San Diego County Commission on the Status of Women and Girls
136. San Diego Workforce Partnership
137. San Francisco Commission and Department on the Status of Women
138. San Luis Obispo County Commission on the Status of Women and Girls
139. San Mateo County Commission on the Status of Women
140. Santa Barbara County Commission for Women
141. SD&I Womens Business Center (Southwestern College Foundation)
142. Shanti Orange County
143. Sister to Sister 2, Inc.
144. Sisters of Nia, Incorporated
145. Social Good Fund (Fiscal Sponsor of Transformative In-Prison Workgroup)
146. Sonoma County Commission on the Status of Women
147. Soroptimist International of Whittier
148. Special Needs Network
149. Spirit Awakening Foundation
150. STEP Into a Job!
151. Sterling Solutions
152. Switch Community Outreach Association DBA Strive Community Health Institute
153. The Alliance for Community Wellness Dba La Familia
154. The California Coalition for Reproductive Freedom, A Project of the Tides Center
155. The California Indian Museum and Cultural Center
156. The Chrysalis Center
157. The Desert Sanctuary Inc.
158. The Gathering for Justice Inc
159. The Latina Center
160. The Latino Cancer Institute
161. The Minority Psychology Network
162. The Regents of the University of California – UC Irvine Womxn’s Center
163. The San Diego State University Research Foundation
164. The Sidewalk Project
165. The Teen Project Inc.
166. The TransLatin@ Coalition
167. The Unity Care Group
168. The University Corporation (CSUN)
169. United Cerebral Palsy of the North Bay, Inc.
170. United States Veterans Initiative (includes U.S.VETS – Patriotic Hall and Inglewood)
171. Ventures
172. VETFUND
173. Victor Valley Domestic Violence, Inc
174. Vision y Compromiso
175. Vista Community Clinic
176. WEAVE Inc.
177. Westside Infant Family Network
178. Whittier Area First Day Coalition
179. WISEPlace
180. Women’s Economic Ventures
181. Women’s Wisdom Art
182. Yolo County Children’s Alliance
183. Yolo Crisis Nursery Inc
184. YWCA Glendale and Pasadena
185. YWCA Golden Gate Silicon Valley
186. YWCA San Diego County