The Women’s Foundation for the State of Arizona (WFSA) is proud to announce our 2026 FORGE grantees: 10 organizations led by and serving BIWOC and gender-expansive communities across Arizona, awarded a combined $650,000 in unrestricted funding this September.
These organizations run schools and wellness hubs, teach teens to break cycles of violence, help Latina entrepreneurs launch businesses, keep Native youth in foster care connected to their culture, and make room for Black women to rest. Together they work in seven Arizona counties and with four tribal nations and communities.
They know what their communities need. Our job is to resource it and trust them to lead.
Why FORGE
WFSA is committed to developing programs that drive meaningful social, political, and economic change that achieves equity for women and girls of all identities. This approach requires unwavering dedication to inclusion, transparency, accountability, and trust.
FORGE, the Fund for Racial and Gender Equity, is a community-driven funding initiative that epitomizes this commitment. Launched in 2025, FORGE offers unrestricted funding to organizations led by and serving BIWOC and gender-expansive communities.
The FORGE pilot demonstrated community need, receiving more qualified applicants than the number of grants available. So we went back to that original 2025 applicant pool. The FORGE 2026 grant cycle distributes an additional 10 grants to organizations that applied the first time, meaning more community-led work gets resourced.
A year of partnership
“I am so excited to welcome these 10 organizations into our grantee network. Every one of them is led by people who live the work, and Arizona is better because of it. Over the next year we will learn from each other and show up for one another in ways that go well beyond a grant check. The funding is where this relationship starts. I can’t wait to see what we build together.”
Desiree Hammond, Vice President of Community Impact, WFSA
Meet the 2026 FORGE grantees
Beyond Resilient
Maricopa County and Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation · Children and youth services
Beyond Resilient provides a safe and nurturing environment for Native American children in foster and kinship care, built around cultural connection, traditional values, and mentorship. Their belief is simple: being placed in care should never mean losing your culture, your community, or your sense of belonging. The youth give back, too. This past year they baked and donated 50 cakes for a community Fright Night and 300 cookies for the annual Christmas celebration. FORGE funding will strengthen and expand mentorship, cultural activities, traditional teachings, and educational and wellness opportunities.
Connect: beyond-resilient.com
Black and Brown Girl Wellness, Inc.
Pima County · Education and youth services
Black and Brown Girl Wellness is an education and wellness hub helping children, youth, and families thrive academically, socially, emotionally, and creatively. Through Ubuntu Academies & Preschool, Queens Rising Leadership Development, and ONYX AI, they have served more than 300 middle and high school girls through wellness programming and taught more than 100 students coding and technology skills. One eighth grader in ONYX AI recently built an AI agent to help Black girls find hair and skin care information, and came away seeing herself as a creator of technology, not just a consumer of it. FORGE funding provides flexible support for staffing, programs, and infrastructure as the hub grows.
Connect: blackandbrowngirlwellness.org
Coming up: A fall celebration of growth in November.
The Black HR Society
Maricopa County · Advocacy and inclusion
The Black HR Society empowers and connects Black HR professionals while championing equity, representation, belonging, and fair workplaces. Many members are the only person who looks like them in the room. BHRS gives them community and mentorship, and they carry equity-centered practices back into the workplaces they shape. Members also put their expertise to work for the broader community, helping job seekers access equitable employment. The organization has grown entirely through volunteer effort, and FORGE funding will build paid capacity and infrastructure to match that growth.
Connect: theblackhrsociety.org
Dansense-Nrtyabodha
Maricopa County · Arts, culture, and advocacy
Dansense-Nrtyabodha uses dance, embodied learning, and artistic collaboration to support self-expression, healing, and advocacy. They teach Bharata-Nrityam, a dance form from India, and serve South Asian girls and women, BIPOC and gender-expansive dance artists, and survivors of sexual and domestic violence. They also offer fiscal sponsorship so community-based artists can access funding. Their Navarang 2024 program centered gender-fluid characters in traditional Indian stories and invited local gender-expansive dance artists to open the show. FORGE funding supports continued and new programming, strategic partnerships, general operations, and capacity building.
Connect: dansense.org · Listen Hold Believe
D.O.V.E.S. Network
Maricopa and Pinal Counties · Youth services and advocacy
D.O.V.E.S. (Daily Overcoming Violence Embracing Safety) Network serves youth ages 11 to 18 impacted by childhood domestic violence and sexual abuse. Their trauma-informed, school-based curriculum, Game Plan for Life, gives teens the language and tools to name what they feel and break cycles of violence. This spring it reached 28 students at A+ Charter School. Eighty-six percent completed the curriculum, and school staff reported zero office referrals among participants for the full program. FORGE funding supports early-stage expansion into Maricopa County and strengthens the people and infrastructure behind their prevention and empowerment work.
Connect: dovesnetwork.org
Coming up: Strike Against Domestic Violence, their fourth annual bowling tournament, on Saturday, October 24, 2026, at Bowlero Kyrene in Chandler. Proceeds support the Not Forgotten Christmas program for teens and families impacted by domestic violence.
Girlfriend Culture
Maricopa and Pima Counties · Health and community services
Girlfriend Culture is a Black woman-led organization creating intentional spaces for Black women and femmes to rest, heal, connect, and experience joy in community. Their starting point: rest and belonging are not luxuries. Founded by licensed clinical social workers, they have hosted more than 13 events, engaged 232 Black women, and built more than 10 partnerships with businesses and community organizations. Their newest offering, Girlfriend Culture Circles, grew directly from what women in their community asked for. FORGE funding will strengthen programming and the infrastructure needed to keep these experiences accessible and culturally affirming.
Connect: girlfriendculture.com
Coming up: Circles meet in Tempe at the beginning of each month.
J-M-I Coalition
Apache, Coconino, Navajo, and Yavapai Counties; San Carlos Apache Tribe; Navajo Nation (Chinle area) · Basic needs and community services
J-M-I Coalition, Julia’s Mission to Inspire Hope and Help Individuals & Families (formerly Ke’ Helping Ke), assists displaced children and youth, people with disabilities, elders, veterans, and children in foster or kinship care. Many of the families they serve face financial hardship and the added barriers of remote living. Through community-informed donation drives, they distribute clothing, properly fitting shoes, school supplies, food, and hygiene products, and connect families to further resources. FORGE funding helps them respond quickly to urgent needs while building trusted, longer-term support.
Connect: Website coming soon
Coming up: A winter drive for young girls and a women’s self-defense class this fall. Dates to be announced.
Mujeres Latinas Unidas Foundation
Maricopa County · Financial education and workforce development
Mujeres Latinas Unidas Foundation empowers Latina women and underserved families through bilingual programs in entrepreneurship, workforce development, financial education, technology, leadership, wellness, and English-language learning. In their flagship program, Building Your Dream, some women arrive with only an idea and leave with a finished business plan. This year, 20 women graduated from their home day care entrepreneurship and certification program with Candelen, turning caregiving experience into businesses and expanding child care for working families. FORGE funding provides the stability and capacity to expand bilingual programming.
Connect: mujereslatinasunidas.org
Coming up: A community event in November. Date to be announced.
Row of Hearts Foundation
Maricopa County · Youth and family services
Row of Hearts Foundation empowers and uplifts youth and families across Maricopa County through mentorship, creative arts, music, sports, educational support, and access to essential resources. With FORGE funding they plan to launch new youth development initiatives, including field trips and youth groups, and financial literacy programs for teens and young adults. They will also introduce a Debutante Program for ages 15 to 17 with leadership training, etiquette classes, and community service projects.
Connect: rowofhearts.org
Coming up: Row of Hearts hosts a community fair twice a year, in October and April.
The Way Forward Foundation
Maricopa, Pima, Pinal, and Yavapai Counties; Gila River Indian Community · Housing, human services, and workforce development
The Way Forward Foundation provides comprehensive, human-centered support for individuals and families facing interconnected barriers, including incarceration, homelessness, trauma, healthcare access, and economic insecurity. People rarely face just one barrier, so they coordinate housing, healthcare, employment, and supportive services through a single system of support. In recent outreach they connected 25 individuals and families to more than 60 services and referrals. FORGE funding will strengthen the organizational infrastructure behind that work.
Connect: forwardway.org
And we are not done
Our next round of FORGE grant applications opens in January for a new round of grassroots organizations to access flexible, trust-based funding built around their own priorities, not ours.
Until then, get to know these 10 organizations. Follow them, show up to their events, and tell a friend about their work. If you lead a grassroots organization serving BIWOC and gender-expansive communities in Arizona, keep an eye on womengiving.org and our Instagram and LinkedIn for application details.
