Girl Power
by James Higa, Executive Director

This has been the year of women's activism. PVF has seen the rise of many an organization joining the #MeToo movement and are honored to be partners with Modern Alliance, BetterBrave, Callisto, and our most recent designated fund partner, The Purple Foundation, whose mission is to end the systemic problem with workplace sexual harassment that exists across every industry in America.
 
There's also been another type of activism rising up: women helping women.

I'm reporting to you today from The Girlboss Rally in Los Angeles. Sophia Amoruso has put together an incredible line up of speakers: Gwyneth Paltrow, actor & CEO & Founder of goop; Bozoma St. John, Chief Brand Officer at Uber; and Sara Blakely, Founder & CEO of Spanx.

But I have a special place in my heart for the latest #GIRLBOSS  Foundation awardee, Queen Moves . This empowerment award for female and female-identifying entrepreneurs is part of PVF's fast growing 'Foundation within a Foundation' program.
Guerdley Cajus, a Haitian American born Dancer and Choreographer based in NYC, and BRAT, a professional choreographer/dancer with Grenadian Nevisian roots, share the same birthday and met while working at the same gig. They came together to combine their passion for dance, girl power, and hustle to empower everyday women to tell their unique story through body language and movement. 

Queen Moves joins a growing network of awardees from activist companies and organizations PVF has been proud to support. (Read about our partnerships with the #IAMCREATIVE Foundation here, the Maven Foundation here, and SheEO in our blog post below!)
Cocokind Impact Foundation
And we are very excited to welcome the newest company into our 'Foundation within a Foundation' movement, Cocokind . Priscilla Tsai founded Cocokind to provide clean, conscious and accessible skincare that empowers women. It's a certified organic and socially conscious skincare line that is based around superfoods. In a mere three and a half years, Cocokind's popularity has exploded, and their products can be found in over 3,000 locations in the U.S. (including Whole Foods and Bed, Bath & Beyond) and Australia. It's skincare made by strong women, for strong women. Now working with PVF, Cocokind Impact Foundation  will enable strong female entrepreneurs in the health, wellness, and sustainability industries to create social impact through business.

PVF is empowering girl power through empowering a network of activist companies. We couldn't be more excited by the growth of our 'Foundation within a Foundation' movement, and it's no surprise that this is being led my women founders and CEOs.

You go, girl.
SheEO's Top 5 U.S. Ventures
photo from SheEO
PVF has been supporting SheEO by being their designated fund partner in the U.S. since the organization launched its program in the U.S. in 2016.

Under SheEO's model to support female entrepreneurs, up to 1,000 women (called "activators") each contribute $1,100, which is pooled into a fund and loaned out, interest-free, to local, women-led ventures with a social good mission. Funds are paid back over five years and then reinvested over and over again.

This year, SheEO conducted its second round in the U.S. and recently announced its top five ventures:
  • 10Power (CEO, Founder: Sandra Kwak), financing renewable energy, providing clean water and power, and offering technical training to developing communities around the world
  • ayzh, Inc. (Founder, Chief Executive: Zubaida Bai), bringing simplicity, dignity, and access to women's health with low-cost, high-quality products for babies, girls, and women worldwide
  • Greensulate (CEO: Amy Norquist), one of the first U.S. green roof and green walls companies, bringing green space back to cities through of integrated design, engineering, installation and maintenance of green infrastructure (e.g. ecoroofs, urban agriculture, etc.)
  • In This Together Media (Founder, Creative Director: Saira Rao), creating young adult and children's books with more diversity (e.g. race, gender, gender identification, and sexual orientation), allowing readers to see themselves in what they read
  • LOLIWARE (Co-Founders: Chelsea Briganti and Leigh Ann Tucker), the world's first Edible Bioplastic Company dedicated to replacing plastic with edible, hypercompostable materials-100% gluten-free, gelatin-free, BPA-free, non-GMO, all natural, non-toxic, safe, and FDA approved
As we've seen previous SheEO ventures come to great success, we're excited to follow the progress and growth of these companies in the coming years.
About the Editors
James Higa
James Higa, Executive Director, brings 28 years of executive experience from Silicon Valley, working with Steve Jobs to change the face of technology. He was at the birth of the personal computer revolution as a member of the original Macintosh team and was deeply involved in the creation of many products and services at Apple over 3 decades. He has a long history of public service as a board member of Stanford's Haas Center and in grassroots relief efforts.
Bill Somerville, Founder, has been in non-profit and philanthropic work for over 50 years. He was the director of a community foundation for 17 years, and in 1991, he founded Philanthropic Ventures Foundation. Bill has consulted at over 400 community foundations, on creative grantmaking and foundation operations. Bill is the author of  Grassroots Philanthropy: Field Notes of a Maverick Grantmaker. 
About PVF
PVF is a demonstration foundation practicing unique forms of grantmaking and innovative philanthropy. Our primary interest is in the creative and significant use of the philanthropic dollar.
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