Twenty years ago, The Art of Yoga Project was a young nonprofit with a big idea: what if yoga, mindfulness and creative expression could give vulnerable young people the tools to regulate their emotions, build trust and begin to heal from trauma?

100 Women Charitable Foundation believed in that idea early.

In 2007, 100 WomenCF provided a $10,500 grant to help launch the organization. At the time, The Art of Yoga Project had a single location and an operating budget of about $60,000.

Today, it has grown into a $900,000+ organization serving approximately 30 sites across the Bay Area — from middle and high schools to wellness centers and juvenile justice settings.

For 100 WomenCF, it is a powerful example of what collective giving can do when it gets behind an idea with potential.

01Seeing a Different Path for Young People

The Art of Yoga Project was founded by Mary Lynn Fitton, a UCSF-trained Family Nurse Practitioner and yoga instructor who saw a gap in the way young people involved in the juvenile justice system were being supported.

The organization initially focused on girls in the juvenile system, many of whom had experienced significant trauma, abuse and exploitation. Mary Lynn and her team recognized that asking a young person to learn, communicate or change their behavior is difficult when their nervous system is in a constant state of stress.

Their approach was different. Rather than starting with behavior or cognition, they started with the body. The guiding principle became:

Regulate before you relate, before you reason.

— Mary Lynn Fitton, Founder

02The Science Behind the Practice

The Art of Yoga Project uses the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics, an evidence-informed framework that provides a neurobiological understanding of how trauma affects the developing brain and guidance on how to sequence and implement effective interventions for long-term healing.

The idea is simple: before young people can effectively learn, connect with others or process difficult experiences, they may first need help becoming regulated and feeling safe.

The organization's approximately 50 yoga teachers and creative arts educators receive specialized training in this trauma-informed approach in addition to their professional certifications. Classes incorporate movement, mindfulness and creative expression to help young people develop tools for managing stress and emotions.

And something else happens along the way: relationships form. Teachers often become trusted adults in young people's lives, with organic one-on-one mentoring developing naturally through the work. While mentoring isn't the primary funded service, those connections can become one of the most meaningful aspects of the program.

03From One Location to 30 Sites

The organization has evolved considerably since its early days. Its programming now reaches young people of all genders, with an expanded focus on violence prevention, trauma and supporting trans youth. Programs operate across approximately 30 sites in San Mateo, Santa Clara and San Francisco counties.

The organization has also become part of the broader conversation around juvenile justice reform. In its early work with girls, the team identified what Mary Lynn described as a “sexual abuse to prison pipeline” — the devastating connection between childhood sexual exploitation and later involvement in the criminal justice system.

Through its work and participation in countywide task forces, The Art of Yoga Project became involved in efforts that contributed to changes in how sexually trafficked girls were treated within the juvenile justice system. The work has since expanded beyond intervention to prevention, bringing trauma-informed practices into schools and communities before young people enter the justice system.

04From Seed Funding to Sustainability

The growth hasn't been only about size. The organization has also worked to build a sustainable financial model, developing government contracts and fee-for-service partnerships with counties and boards of education.

That evolution has allowed The Art of Yoga Project to move from relying primarily on philanthropic support toward a model that combines grants with earned and contracted revenue. And that is part of the story 100 WomenCF is particularly proud to have played a role in.

As Mary Lynn reflected:

Your organization was absolutely instrumental in our inception, our sustainability, and our long-term success. When 100 Women believe in you, other people start believing in you.

— Mary Lynn Fitton, Founder, The Art of Yoga Project

An early grant doesn't guarantee what comes next. But it can provide something an emerging organization desperately needs: someone willing to believe before everyone else does.

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05Twenty Years Later

Today, The Art of Yoga Project continues to look ahead, with plans to expand its prevention work into additional school districts throughout Santa Clara County and beyond.

For 100 WomenCF, the partnership is a reminder that collective giving isn't simply about the amount on a check. It's about asking: What could this become?

In the case of The Art of Yoga Project, $10,500 helped launch a young organization with an innovative way of thinking about trauma and healing. Twenty years later, that idea has grown into a regional organization reaching thousands of young people.

And the story isn't finished.

As we celebrate 20 years of 100 WomenCF, we're celebrating the partnerships, people and bold ideas that have made two decades of collective giving possible — and looking forward to what we can accomplish together in the next 20.