Grant Recipients 2024

The Grateful Garment Project

The Grateful Garment Project (TGGP) restores dignity to sexual violence survivors in California, which has the nation’s highest rates of sexual violence. The San Francisco Bay Area is also the top U.S. region for human trafficking and child exploitation.

Through six targeted programs, TGGP provides new clothing and essential resources to victims who must surrender their clothing during forensic exams or escape trafficking. Their Resource Closets ensure survivors leave hospitals in new clothing, while Beyond-the-Closet offers additional resources for trafficking survivors.

Last year, TGGP served 10,000+ victims in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties, 40% under age 24. As California’s only organization of its kind, TGGP partners with 10 agencies, relies on 50+ volunteers, and operates entirely on donor funding.

Grant Impact

A grant from the 100 Women Foundation will help TGGP prepare for an expected surge in human trafficking during the 2026 Super Bowl and World Cup in Santa Clara County. Funds will support 200+ emergency backpacks with clothing, hygiene items, food, and therapeutic resources, plus emergency clothing for 100+ additional survivors.

During Super Bowl 2016, TGGP distributed 174 backpacks in 10 days, exhausting supplies. This grant will ensure TGGP can meet increased demand while continuing year-round critical support for survivors.

First Place for Youth

First Place for Youth empowers foster youth (ages 18-25) with the skills and support needed to transition successfully into self-sufficiency and adulthood. Many participants have faced significant instability—having lived in six or more foster placements, attended multiple high schools, and spent over eight years in the foster care system. Additionally, 39% have experienced homelessness or unstable housing, 51% are not in school, 55% are unemployed, 13% are pregnant or parenting, and 42% have been involved in the juvenile justice system. All participants come from low-income backgrounds, with an average monthly income of just $999—well below the national poverty threshold.

First Place for Youth takes an innovative approach, offering housing, case management, education, and employment support to help foster youth secure jobs that pay a living wage and build stable, independent futures.

Grant Impact

A grant from 100 Women Foundation will expand First Place’s Steps to Success & Education Employment Program, equipping foster youth with the skills and experience needed for long-term financial independence. This career-focused initiative includes individualized counseling and an evidence-based Apprenticeship model to break barriers to living-wage jobs.

Through industry partnerships, First Place for Youth provides internships and job training in high-growth sectors, ensuring participants gain the qualifications for stable, well-paying careers and a path to self-sufficiency.

HomeFirst

With 40 years of experience addressing homelessness in the Bay Area, HomeFirst serves over 5,500 adults, veterans, families, and youth annually. Their continuum of care approach focuses on prevention, outreach, mental and behavioral health, onsite support, and essential services. They operate full-time shelters, interim and permanent supportive housing, rapid rehousing programs, and own affordable housing, including a transitional home for foster youth.

HomeFirst believes safe housing is the first step to stability, using harm reduction, low-barrier, and trauma-informed care. Case managers, clinicians, and social workers meet clients where they are—without preconditions. Interim housing residents can even bring their pets!

Launched in 2023, Project HOPE has become a vital resource for shelter and transitional housing participants seeking permanent homes. It provides financial assistance for holding fees, deposits, first month’s rent, and moving costs. HOPE also supports those at risk of homelessness. By covering these critical expenses, HomeFirst helps individuals secure and maintain stable housing.

Grant Impact

A grant from 100 Women will allow HomeFirst to expand Project HOPE, helping more clients in Santa Clara County secure permanent housing. This support will enable individuals to move off the streets, out of shelters or transitional housing, and into stable homes where they can continue working toward their life goals with ongoing assistance.

Unlike government-funded programs, these funds come with fewer restrictions, allowing HomeFirst to tailor support to each participant’s unique needs—maximizing impact with a modest investment.

Community Cycles of California

Founded in 2017, Community Cycles of California is a full-service bike shop in downtown San Jose dedicated to building economic equity and self-sufficiency. The shop sells high-quality refurbished bikes, with proceeds funding free bike repair services, giveaways, safety and repair classes, and mobile bike repair clinics at shelters, schools, and libraries. They also partner with nonprofits focused on health, employment, housing, and food security.

In September 2023, Community Cycles launched its Bike Mechanic and Retail Training Center, a six-month, full-time paid program for individuals facing employment barriers, including veterans, at-risk individuals, and former foster youth. Participants gain technical skills, work habits, and certifications while receiving guidance on career pathways. Graduates will be prepared for living-wage jobs as bike mechanics and retail workers—or even to start their own businesses.

Grant Impact

A grant from 100 Women will enable Community Cycles to purchase and equip a large van as a mobile bicycle repair station for repair clinics and bike safety and maintenance classes. These services support low-income community members, many of whom rely on bikes as their primary transportation.

Currently, Community Cycles uses a truck and borrowed trailer, requiring daily pickup, loading, and unloading. A dedicated, fully equipped van parked safely next to the shop will save valuable time, improve efficiency, and allow them to serve more people in need.

Bay Area Tutoring Association

For over a decade, Bay Area Tutoring has provided high-dosage tutoring to underserved students, partnering with families, schools, and community organizations. Beyond academics, they offer social, emotional, and cultural support, along with essential resource referrals, fostering a growth mindset and lifelong learning.

San Jose has the nation’s highest population of unhoused youth, who face extreme barriers to education and stability. Without intervention, they risk academic failure, trauma, and long-term poverty. Bay Area Tutoring is committed to closing this gap by providing consistent, high-quality tutoring and holistic support.

Grant Impact

A grant from the 100 Women Foundation will fund Bridge to Success: Academic Support for Homeless Youth, a pilot program serving 50 students in Santa Clara County. It includes one-on-one tutoring, college readiness activities, and a stable learning environment for youth (ages 13-18) and adults pursuing a GED or diploma under the McKinney-Vento Act.

Funds will cover tutoring, basic needs (snacks, supplies), and transportation assistance, empowering homeless students with education, stability, and a pathway to success.

Recovery Café of San José

Recovery Café San José (“the Café”) provides a welcoming and supportive space for individuals recovering from addiction, homelessness, mental health challenges, and trauma. Located at Urban Sanctuary Fellowship Hall since 2012, the Café has seen rapid growth, now serving 218 members—double the previous year—with demand continuing to rise.

The Café offers daily meals, a safe gathering space, a ten-week School for Recovery, one-on-one mentoring, 22 weekly Recovery Circles, and a Job Training Program. Additional resources include interest groups, a clothing closet, resource fairs, and connections to over 100 partner agencies. The impact is profound: 97% of members report increased sobriety, 91% improved wellness, 53% greater housing stability, 71% reduced law enforcement interactions, and 93% less social isolation.

Grant Impact

A grant from the 100 Women Foundation will support the Peer Connectors program, which provides one-on-one coaching from former members who guide new participants through the program. This paid role helps Peer Connectors gain experience and work toward state certification in behavioral health. The goal is to establish an in-house certification program and provide Recovery Coach Training ($800 per individual). This initiative not only strengthens member support but also empowers Peer Connectors with valuable career opportunities.