Women's Fund SouthCoast

06/01/2026

Join us for the Young Women’s Initiative (YWI) Celebration & Policy Forum on Thursday, June 25 from 5:30–7:30 PM at Woodland Commons, UMass Dartmouth!

Celebrate the accomplishments of the second cohort of the Young Women’s Advisory Council (YWAC) and hear directly from youth leaders through a panel discussion and community town hall focused on the issues impacting our community.

The evening will also feature the announcement of four organizations selected to receive a total of $20,000 in grant funding through YWAC’s youth-led participatory grantmaking process.

Come celebrate youth leadership, advocacy, and community-driven change.

🔗RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ywi-celebration-policy-forum-tickets-1989915742553

We hope to see you there!

06/01/2026

This Pride Month, the Women’s Fund SouthCoast celebrates and stands with LGBTQ+ communities across the SouthCoast and beyond.

Our work for gender, racial, and economic justice must always be intersectional. We believe that supporting women means supporting all women and gender-expansive individuals. True equity cannot exist unless everyone is seen, valued, safe, and empowered to thrive.

We are proud to celebrate our Programs & Operations Coordinator, Jaliyah Gonsalves, on being officially sworn into the Massachusetts Commission on LGBTQ Youth last week. The Massachusetts Commission on LGBTQ youth advises others in state government on effective policies, programs, and resources for LGBTQ youth. 🏳️‍🌈🧡

05/20/2026

Last week, the Women’s Fund SouthCoast was honored alongside members of the National Philanthropic Collaborative of Young Women’s Initiatives at The New York Women’s Foundation’s 2026 Celebrating Women Breakfast in New York City.

Standing on stage among more than 1,500 leaders, advocates, and changemakers, we were proud to represent the incredible young women and gender-expansive youth from New Bedford and the SouthCoast who are leading change through philanthropy, advocacy, and systems change.

Last year, Young Women’s Advisory Council members invested $20,000 back into their community through participatory grantmaking — and next month they will award another $20,000 to organizations and solutions they believe in.

Young people in our program are organizing around issues including immigrant rights and educational equity while helping shape a program grounded in their lived experiences, leadership, and vision for the future.

We are incredibly grateful to our staff, partners, supporters, and community for making this work possible.

Special thanks to Bristol County Savings Bank, Island Foundation, SouthCoast Community Foundation, Hawthorn Medical Associates, and Senator Montigny’s Children’s Fund for investing in young people across our region.

05/14/2026

05/12/2026

What we built together this Mother’s Day weekend was really special.

More than 1,100 runners, walkers, children, volunteers, sponsors, donors, and community members joined us for the 16th Annual Mother’s Day 5K Walk & Run — making this our largest race yet. Together, our community raised more than $92,761 to support the mission of the Women’s Fund SouthCoast and advance gender, racial, and economic justice across the SouthCoast.

For a few hours on Sunday morning, the waterfront reflected what is possible when a community chooses to show up for one another.

Thank you to everyone who ran, walked, fundraised, volunteered, sponsored, cheered people on, brought your children to the Kids Fun Run, or helped make this event feel joyful, welcoming, and community-centered.

We especially want to celebrate:
✨ IBT Performance, our largest and top fundraising team
✨ Next Run Collective, our Most Spirited Team
✨ iStroll, our returning moms’ team who continues to show up year after year

Funds raised through this event support the Young Women’s Initiative (YWI), SEED community research and advocacy efforts, and grantmaking to organizations advancing equity and wellbeing across our region.

This community continues to inspire us. Thank you for building something powerful with us. IBT Performance Cisco Brewers New Bedford

05/11/2026

Thanks for covering our Mother's Day 5k!

Dozens of mothers alongside their families and friends came out to Cisco Brewers in New Bedford for the 16th annual Mother's Day 5K Run and Walk.

05/08/2026

Race Weekend is here 🏃‍♀️With over 900 registrants, we are honored and excited to share this day with all of you. This post contains final updates for Race Weekend, so please read it in its entirety and do not hesitate to reach out to us if you have questions!

05/08/2026

Nothing we do is possible without extraordinary donors. This year, we are so grateful to…

Alera Group
Hawthorn Medical Associates
Lifestream, Inc.
People Incorporated
St. Anne’s Credit Union
Umass Boston Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy
 
for being our Local Business Supporter sponsors! Their $500 contributions will help us invest in the future of women, girls, and gender expansive individuals across the SouthCoast 🧡

05/07/2026

Nothing we do is possible without extraordinary donors. This year, we are so grateful to…
 
Allan Smith & Company, CPAs PC
BayCoast Bank
Feingold, Bonnet-Hebert, P.C.
Pine Haven Investment Counsel, Inc.
Sansiveri, Kimball & Co. 
Souza Family Orthodontics
 
for being our Community Friend sponsors! Their $1,000 contributions will help us invest in the future of women, girls, and gender expansive individuals across the SouthCoast 🧡

05/07/2026

This Mother’s Day, our Executive Director, Christine Monska, reflects on the “motherhood tax” and the structural barriers shaping who is able to stay in the workforce, step into leadership, and participate fully in our democracy.

At the Women’s Fund SouthCoast, we believe caregiving, economic security, and women’s leadership are deeply connected. Supporting mothers is not only a family issue — it is an economic, workforce, and democratic imperative.

Thank you to New Bedford Light - A community-news organization for publishing this important Community Voices piece.

We call motherhood essential, but we structure almost nothing around it. This is not just a cultural gap. It is a policy design.