The Women's Foundation for the State of Arizona

What The Women's Foundation for the State of Arizona does

The Women's Foundation for the State of Arizona is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation founded in 1991 and headquartered in Tucson, Arizona, that advances gender and racial equity through research, grantmaking, advocacy, and pilot programs. The foundation serves women, girls, and gender-expansive people across Arizona, with concentrated focus on Black, Indigenous, and Women of Color (BIWOC) and grassroots organizations led by and serving these communities. Since 1991, the foundation has invested over $30 million in more than 600 organizations.

Revenue is generated through charitable donations from individuals, corporations, and institutional donors, with multiple giving vehicles including one-time gifts, recurring donations, donor-advised funds, employer matching, corporate sponsorships, planned giving, and pooled giving circles (Latina Giving Circle, Giving Collective). The go-to-market approach is community-led: trust-based grantmaking involves community leaders in designing criteria and reviewing applications, while advocacy is mobilized through a Gender Equity Network of 1,000+ advocates statewide. Core grant products include FORGE grants ($50K-$100K unrestricted) and ember grants ($5K-$25K flexible funding), alongside microgrants of $2,500, fiscal sponsorship services, signature programs (Unidas Youth Leadership, Pathways for Single Moms/EducateHER), and the Women's Legal and Self-Empowerment Certificate program co-designed with Innovation for Justice.

The organization operates with a small team of approximately 8-10 staff members and does not use proprietary technology, relying instead on standard nonprofit tools (Canva, Mailchimp, Trello, Google Analytics 4). The foundation has demonstrated durable policy influence, including $4 million secured for the Healthy Families Arizona Program in 2025, a $44.8 million state investment for the Child Care Assistance Program in the 2026 budget, and successful gubernatorial vetoes of three anti-trans bills. Katia Jones has served as CEO since March 2024; the board of trustees comprises 7 members spanning tribal governance, academia, banking, and equity consulting.

Name

The Women's Foundation for the State of Arizona

Legal name

Women's Foundation for the State of Arizona

Website

https://womengiving.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Women's Foundation for the State of Arizona is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation advancing gender and racial equity through trust-based grantmaking, policy advocacy, and research, serving women, girls, and gender-expansive people across Arizona with $30M+ invested since 1991.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Gender Equity Foundation / Nonprofit Grantmaking

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC), Scholarships, Grants & Education Benefits Administration (Financing-adjacent) (FSAKAEAM)

Keywords

• Gender equity foundation
• Trust-based grantmaking
• Women's philanthropy
• Community foundation grants
• Nonprofit advocacy research

Headquarters

HQ city

Azusa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Others, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Donor Contributions and Charitable Giving: The foundation operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that generates revenue primarily through donations from individuals, corporations, and institutional donors. Multiple giving vehicles include one-time gifts, monthly recurring donations, donor-advised funds, employer matching programs, corporate sponsorships, event sponsorships, endowment gifts, and planned giving/bequests.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

WFSA is a statewide gender-equity foundation that raises charitable donations and redistributes them through unrestricted grants (FORGE and ember programs), fiscal sponsorships for emerging grassroots projects, pooled giving circles, and direct service programs (Unidas youth leadership, EducateHER workforce credentialing, Women's Legal and Self-Empowerment Certificate). It pairs grantmaking with nonpartisan research and legislative advocacy to drive systems-level change for women, girls, and gender-expansive people across Arizona.

Product overview

The Women's Foundation for the State of Arizona operates as a philanthropic organization offering multiple grant programs and community initiatives rather than a unified software product. Its core offerings include two grant programs—FORGE (unrestricted $50K-$100K grants for BIWOC-led organizations) and ember ($5K-$25K for grassroots organizations)—alongside youth leadership development through the Unidas program, workforce development via Pathways for Single Moms/EducateHER, and the Women's Legal and Self-Empowerment Certificate. The organization also facilitates collective giving through the Latina Giving Circle and Giving Collective, and provides fiscal sponsorship services for emerging community projects.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• FORGE Grant FORGE grants invest $50,000–$100,000 in unrestricted funding for Arizona organizations led by and serving Black, Indigenous, Women of Color (BIWOC) and gender-expansive communities. Incorporates flexible funding, a community-led selection process, and capacity-building support.
• ember grants ember grants provide $5,000–$25,000 in flexible funding for Arizona grassroots organizations doing critical community-rooted work, designed to meet emerging leaders and smaller organizations where they are.
• Unidas Youth Leadership Program Award-winning youth leadership program building skills among girls, young women, and gender-expansive teens, delivered in partnership with RE:Frame Youth Center to increase awareness of advocacy efforts and support development of confident youth leaders.
• Pathways for Single Moms / EducateHER Workforce development program helping single mothers earn certificates in growing, living-wage career fields through educational and economic supports. Now operated statewide by Dress for Success Phoenix under the name EducateHER.
• Women's Legal and Self-Empowerment Certificate A 20-week virtual program combining leadership development with legal training, providing Arizona-recognized certification as Community Legal Advocates for women serving their communities. Designed in collaboration with Innovation for Justice (i4J).
• Latina Giving Circle Fiscally sponsored giving circle under WFSA that pools members' time, talent, and treasure to support Latina-led organizations and advance gender and racial equity.
• Giving Collective Pooled resources initiative bringing together changemakers to directly fund grassroots organizations statewide through shared decision-making.
• Fiscal Sponsorships Partnership providing financial infrastructure and oversight that enables emerging projects and grassroots initiatives to receive tax-deductible donations and apply for grants under WFSA's legal and tax-exempt status.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $30 million invested in women- and girl-centered initiatives since 1991
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Dress for Success PhoenixcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025WFSA incubated the Pathways for Single Moms program and trained/transitioned it to Dress for Success Phoenix, which now operates the program statewide under the name EducateHER. This partnership enables statewide delivery of certificate programs helping single mothers obtain credentials in growing fields paying sustainable wages.
• RE:Frame Youth Arts CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Unidas Youth Leadership Program reintroduced as a partnership with RE:Frame Youth Center. The award-winning program builds skills among girls, young women, and gender-expansive teens, increasing awareness of advocacy efforts while supporting development of confident youth leaders.
• University of WashingtoncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Partnership to create the 2025 Self-Sufficiency Standard tool that reflects the true cost of living across Arizona regions. WFSA works with lawmakers to encourage use of this data-driven measure as opposed to outdated federal poverty levels when shaping policy.
• UA Community Research, Evaluation, & Development TeamcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Collaboration to create the Promising Careers for Self-Sufficiency report identifying 28 in-demand occupations paying at least $50,000 annually, requiring less than a four-year degree, and projected to grow across Arizona.
• Innovation for Justice (i4J)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024WFSA designed and piloted the Women's Legal and Self-Empowerment Certificate in collaboration with i4J - a 20-week virtual program combining leadership development with legal training. Program provides Arizona-recognized certification as Community Legal Advocates, empowering participants with lived experience to help others navigate housing and domestic violence challenges.
• University of Arizona Gender Equity Research LabminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024UA's Gender Equity Research Lab studies how gender, race, and class shape education and workforce outcomes, especially in STEM. Lab uses data to evaluate programs and recommend policies.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Arizona Community Foundation: Arizona's largest statewide community foundation. Comparable as a co-regional philanthropic institution that also administers donor-advised and giving-circle vehicles, sometimes overlapping with WFSA's donor base.
• YWCA Metropolitan Phoenix: Local Arizona women's-services organization with overlapping leadership (WFSA Board Chair Sharifa Rowe serves as YWCA Interim Executive Director). Comparable mission and policy-advocacy scope within Arizona.

Direct peers

• Women's Foundation of Colorado: Statewide gender-equity foundation running research, advocacy, and grantmaking programs in Colorado. Directly comparable model to WFSA in scope, mission, and trust-based philanthropy approach.
• Texas Women's Foundation: Statewide foundation focused on women's economic security and leadership in Texas. Comparable as a multi-program gender-equity grantmaker with research and policy advocacy arms.
• Ms. Foundation for Women: National foundation that funds grassroots women-led organizations, including via trust-based philanthropy. Directly comparable in grantmaking philosophy and community-led selection process.
• Women's Foundation of Southern California: Regional gender-equity foundation funding women and girls across Southern California. Highly comparable as a sub-state-to-statewide grantmaker with research, advocacy, and grantmaking components.
• Women's Fund of Greater Birmingham: Regional women's foundation funding organizations serving women and girls. Comparable as a smaller-scope gender-equity grantmaker with a focus on economic security and community-led solutions.
• California Women's Foundation: California-based foundation funding organizations serving women and girls, with explicit emphasis on race, gender, and economic justice. Closely mirrors WFSA's BIWOC- and gender-expansive-focused grantmaking.

Broad incumbents

• NoVo Foundation: Large private foundation with major commitments to gender equity, including movement-building grants to women's funds. Comparable as a high-capacity grantmaking incumbent in the same philanthropic category.
• Global Fund for Women: International gender-equity foundation operating at broader scale across geographies. Comparable as a women's-grantmaking incumbent, though its geographic and programmatic remit extends well beyond a single state.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/womensfoundationforthestateofarizona
• Instagraminstagram.com/womengivingaz
• Xx.com/women_giving

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Women's Foundation for the State of Arizona