The Women’s Foundation for the State of Arizona (WFSA) is honored to announce its 2025-2026 FORGE and ember grantee partners.
WFSA awards $650,000 in unrestricted funding to 21 grassroots and community-led organizations advancing racial, gender, and economic equity across Arizona.
Click here learn more about our 2025-2026 Grantee Partners
How these grants were made:
FORGE is more than a transaction—it is the next iteration of WFSA’s grantmaking that is grounded in sharing power through decision-making. These 21 grants are the culmination of a process intentionally co-created by leaders of organizations that create systemic and lasting change. The FORGE Design Committee, composed of past and current grantee partners with deep experience serving women and girls of color and gender-expansive individuals, co-developed this groundbreaking initiative.
They created a new grant program that centers transparency, prioritizes accessibility for organizations that are often kept out of philanthropy, and champions collective power by funding systems change.
Thank you to our dedicated FORGE Design Committee!
- Dr. Enjolie Lafaurie Co-Madre of Development Cihuapactli Collective
- Deva Mumphrey Chief Executive Officer Beyond the Hurt
- Rekha Nair Executive Director Phoenix Legal Action Network
- Hanan Robinson Co-Executive Director Build Love Advocacy Center
- Dr. Yesaq Tekola Co-Founder Build Love Advocacy Center
The FORGE Selection Committee—a diverse group of women and gender-expansive leaders representing organizations from Central and Southern Arizona—made the final grant award decisions. The Selection Committee recognizes that, due to the rising political attacks on the social sector, community organizations in Arizona and throughout the US are experiencing a rapid decline in stability and increase in urgent needs.
In response to this community urgency, the decision was made to award not just the eight (8) FORGE grants at $65,000, but to make $10,000 grants to an additional thirteen (13) organizations doing critical community building and/or sustaining work. Both the Design and Selection Committee members brought their professional experience, cultural wisdom, and on-the-ground insight together and determined how best to invest in the most impactful, yet often underfunded, organizations in the state.
Thank you to our dedicated FORGE Selection Committee!
- Adriana Gómez Andrade Community Coalition and Policy Coordinator ALWAYS
- Laura Medina Chief Executive Officer Matriarch Ways
- Dr. Kierra Otis Director Arizona Democracy Resource Center
- Rekha Nair Executive Director Phoenix Legal Action Network
- Hanan Robinson Co-Executive Director Build Love Advocacy Center
- Carolina Silva Executive Director ScholarshipsA-Z
Congratulations to WFSA’s FORGE 2025-2026 Grantee Partners Learn more about each incredible organization below.
BIPOC Loan Fund @bipoc_loanfund
Creating a more inclusive financial ecosystem by challenging traditional loan underwriting systems that disadvantage BIPOC entrepreneurs and individuals without wealth. shifting decision-making power into the hands of people of color.
Building Out Safer Spaces (BOSS) @buildingout
Creating a trades skill building community that is safer, more accessible, and intentionally designed for women, queer, trans, and femme individuals. Offering a dedicated makerspace and workshops where folks can learn hands-on skills in carpentry, metalwork, and other building trades.
Council on American-Islamic Relations Arizona (CAIR-AZ) @cair.arizona
Supporting local communities through legal advocacy, education and public engagement with free legal assistance to those facing discrimination. Hosting workshops, youth leadership programs, and training on civic engagement to protect religious freedoms and civil rights.
The Dunbar Pavilion @thedunbarpavilion
Advancing Black collective wealth. providing affordable workspaces and tailored resources to support Black-led businesses, creating a thriving ecosystem for entrepreneurship. Hosting youth initiatives, elder support, the Dunbar Tech Lab, cultural events, markets, and community gatherings to celebrate and amplify Black heritage.
Matriarch Ways @matriarchways
Actualizing inherent power using decolonization and resurgence methods that are molded in honor of ancestral indigenous roots. Supporting land and water defense, cultural resurgence, sovereignty, economic self-sufficiency, behavioral health and access to resources.
Phoenix Legal Action Network (PLAN) @planphoenixaz
Working in solidarity with local immigrant communities to reimagine justice in Arizona through legal support, storytelling to shift anti-immigrant perspectives, and community building. Meeting immediate needs of community through free legal services and resources to stop deportations.
Poder Casas Móviles bit.ly/PoderCasasMoviles
Building collective power among Latinx residents of Tucson’s mobile home parks. advancing housing justice, economic stability, and civic engagement. empowering through grassroots organizing, leadership development, and community-driven advocacy.
ScholarshipsA-Z @scholarshipsaz
Transforming barriers into access for undocumented youth in Arizona by building power through community. education for, by and with undocumented youth. bringing those most impacted to the leadership table to create solutions and resources for their communities.
Congratulations to WFSA’s ember 2025-2026 Grantee Partners Learn more about each incredible organization below.
Ancestral Compass
Ancestral Compass provides free healing and healthcare services specifically for QTBIPOC (Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) elders, organizers, and caregivers. Their work honors those who have dedicated their lives to community care by offering wellness resources that nourish the “headwaters” of community strength—those individuals whose care work sustains countless families and movements. By focusing on those often overlooked, Ancestral Compass helps ensure the cycle of collective care continues to flow through generations.
after school anarchy @afterschoolanarchy
after school anarchy is a youth-led collective dedicated to building class solidarity through community skillshares, harm reduction practices, and mutual aid. They foster spaces centered on connection, joy, and empowerment, encouraging young people to dream beyond oppressive systems. Through collaborative learning and direct support, they are nurturing a new generation of organizers committed to collective liberation and transformative justice.
Anytown Leadership @anytownleadershipcamp
The Anytown Leadership Program develops young leaders who are equipped to foster inclusion and drive social change in their communities. Through immersive residential camps and school- and workplace-based programs, participants engage in dialogue, leadership training, and activities that deepen their commitment to equity and justice. By nurturing empathy, critical thinking, and action, Anytown inspires youth to return to their communities ready to lead with integrity and compassion.
Beyond Resilient https://bit.ly/BeyondResilientember
Beyond Resilient provides a safe and culturally rooted environment for Native American youth in foster or kinship care, specifically serving children connected to the Yavapai Nation. Through mentorship, traditional teachings, and community support, they guide youth in embracing cultural pride, resilience, and healthy ways of living. Beyond Resilient ensures that every child they reach can grow into adulthood connected to their heritage and supported by community.
The Black Girl Brown Girl Collective Inc. @bgbgcollective
The Black Girl Brown Girl Collective uplifts and celebrates women artists of color by creating intentional spaces for healing, creative expression, and social change. They work to dismantle systemic barriers in the arts by expanding opportunities for participation and leadership for those historically excluded. Through workshops, exhibitions, and community collaborations, BGBG Collective nurtures creativity as a powerful tool for resilience, healing, and collective liberation.
The Black Girl Brown Girl Collective uplifts and celebrates women artists of color by creating intentional spaces for healing, creative expression, and social change. They work to dismantle systemic barriers in the arts by expanding opportunities for participation and leadership for those historically excluded. Through workshops, exhibitions, and community collaborations, BGBG Collective nurtures creativity as a powerful tool for resilience, healing, and collective liberation.
Borderlands Theater @borderlandstheater
Borderlands Theater partners with communities throughout the Sonoran Desert to create innovative, place-based theater and cultural programs. Their work is deeply rooted in the region’s diverse heritage, lived experiences, and local narratives. Through storytelling, performance, and collaboration, Borderlands Theater fosters cross-cultural understanding, honors community wisdom, and amplifies voices that have historically been marginalized.
Borderlands Theater partners with communities throughout the Sonoran Desert to create innovative, place-based theater and cultural programs. Their work is deeply rooted in the region’s diverse heritage, lived experiences, and local narratives. Through storytelling, performance, and collaboration, Borderlands Theater fosters cross-cultural understanding, honors community wisdom, and amplifies voices that have historically been marginalized.
Community on Wheels @communityonwheels
Community on Wheels provides safety, care, and mutual support through consistent, hands-on work in Tucson neighborhoods. They distribute essential resources weekly, advocate for community needs, offer direct care training, and connect people to services and each other. Their work builds bridges between neighbors, strengthens local self-sufficiency, and ensures that vulnerable community members are not left behind.
Community on Wheels provides safety, care, and mutual support through consistent, hands-on work in Tucson neighborhoods. They distribute essential resources weekly, advocate for community needs, offer direct care training, and connect people to services and each other. Their work builds bridges between neighbors, strengthens local self-sufficiency, and ensures that vulnerable community members are not left behind.
Red de DefensAZ @reddedefensaz
Red de DefensAZ empowers families impacted by incarceration and deportation to become powerful advocates for justice through their participatory defense network. They offer training, emotional support, and community spaces where families can skillshare, strategize, and care for each other while fighting systemic harm. By centering the leadership of those most directly affected, Red de DefensAZ works to dismantle carceral systems and build strong, liberated communities.
Red de DefensAZ empowers families impacted by incarceration and deportation to become powerful advocates for justice through their participatory defense network. They offer training, emotional support, and community spaces where families can skillshare, strategize, and care for each other while fighting systemic harm. By centering the leadership of those most directly affected, Red de DefensAZ works to dismantle carceral systems and build strong, liberated communities.
Sagrado Wellness @sagrado.wellness
Sagrado Wellness addresses critical gaps in mental health and healing care for economically and racially marginalized communities. Through direct therapy services, educational workshops, and collaborations with aligned organizations, they create culturally relevant spaces for healing and self-empowerment. Sagrado’s holistic approach prioritizes accessibility, community wellness, and the belief that healing is a collective and liberatory process.
Sagrado Wellness addresses critical gaps in mental health and healing care for economically and racially marginalized communities. Through direct therapy services, educational workshops, and collaborations with aligned organizations, they create culturally relevant spaces for healing and self-empowerment. Sagrado’s holistic approach prioritizes accessibility, community wellness, and the belief that healing is a collective and liberatory process.
Seed Exchange of Central Arizona @seedexchangeofcentralarizona
The Seed Exchange of Central Arizona empowers South Phoenix residents to reclaim food sovereignty and improve mental well-being through gardening. By providing free access to seeds, tools, and educational resources, they equip communities with the means to grow their own food, practice sustainable living, and strengthen neighborhood bonds. Their work nurtures resilience, reduces dependence on external food systems, and fosters a deeper connection to land and community.
The Seed Exchange of Central Arizona empowers South Phoenix residents to reclaim food sovereignty and improve mental well-being through gardening. By providing free access to seeds, tools, and educational resources, they equip communities with the means to grow their own food, practice sustainable living, and strengthen neighborhood bonds. Their work nurtures resilience, reduces dependence on external food systems, and fosters a deeper connection to land and community.
South Tucson Community Outreach @southtucsonco
South Tucson Community Outreach addresses food insecurity by delivering free, personalized food assistance to residents of South Tucson and the surrounding south side. Beyond meeting immediate nutritional needs, they create opportunities for social connection through responsive events and activities that celebrate community spirit. Their work dismantles barriers to food access and strengthens the social fabric of the neighborhoods they serve.
South Tucson Community Outreach addresses food insecurity by delivering free, personalized food assistance to residents of South Tucson and the surrounding south side. Beyond meeting immediate nutritional needs, they create opportunities for social connection through responsive events and activities that celebrate community spirit. Their work dismantles barriers to food access and strengthens the social fabric of the neighborhoods they serve.
Splinter Collective @splintercollective520
Splinter Collective provides an inclusive creative space where historically marginalized community members can express their visions for justice, equity, and joy through the arts. Through performances, exhibitions, and community gatherings, they center the voices of those often left out of traditional art spaces. Splinter believes that artistic expression is a vital part of activism, and they work to make art-making a source of empowerment, rest, and resistance for the communities they serve.
Thriving Community Partners thethriving.org
Thriving Community Partners works to reduce and prevent mental and behavioral health challenges in Pima County’s most underserved areas. By offering community-centered programs, partnerships, education, and direct resources, they meet the unique needs of individuals who face systemic barriers to care. Rooted in cultural humility and local collaboration, Thriving Community Partners fosters environments where communities can access the comprehensive, responsive support they deserve.
Thriving Community Partners works to reduce and prevent mental and behavioral health challenges in Pima County’s most underserved areas. By offering community-centered programs, partnerships, education, and direct resources, they meet the unique needs of individuals who face systemic barriers to care. Rooted in cultural humility and local collaboration, Thriving Community Partners fosters environments where communities can access the comprehensive, responsive support they deserve.
About Us
At the Women’s Foundation for the State of Arizona (WFSA), we are building a future where women and girls of all identities thrive. That means all women and girls in Arizona – BIPOC women, trans women, and gender-expansive individuals are centered in our unapologetic fight for gender equity.
WFSA is committed to disrupting traditional philanthropy and challenging outdated funding models that leave women and marginalized communities behind. We prioritize equity over charity, ensuring power and resources go directly to the communities that need them most.
✨ We fund nonprofits historically excluded from philanthropy
We write and fight for policies that impact women, children and families
We lead research that prioritizes lived experiences over outdated data models
We challenge broken systems—because true equity requires transformation
We are here to create intentional, community-led impact. Join us in shaping a better future for Arizona’s women and girls. Learn more here.
