Dear Colleagues
As I prepare to become CEO of Women’s Foundation California in September, I pause to reflect on how much we have grown to meet the opportunities and challenges of the last 40 years. Over the last decade, Surina Khan positioned WFC as the go-to voice on gender justice issues in California. While the political and socioeconomic landscapes evolve, so will WFC as we partner with movement leaders to co-create a racial, gender, economic, and climate just future for all Californians.
Looking ahead, I am focused on leading through my own lived experience as a queer, Latine, immigrant, alongside leaders of color, to organize philanthropy to move more dollars directly into the communities most impacted by injustice and oppression. I see WFC’s role as leader, co-conspirator, and ally to movements and leaders of color, as we fundamentally shift power and resources toward our collective feminist future.
That is why I am also calling on philanthropy to join us in funding women, women of color, and gender expansive-led organizations who are on the ground, doing the work, day-in and day-out. As the brutal attacks on gender and threats to our reproductive freedoms continue to escalate, we need every philanthropic leader to work together to amplify the power of women and gender expansive people. Let’s advance solutions to establish an inclusive society where we can all thrive with health, safety, and prosperity together.
Bia Vieira
CEO of Women’s Foundation California