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New Board Member: Nancy Kramer

Nancy retired on the last day of 2021 after selling her business, Nancy’s Vacation Rentals, Inc. which she managed for 20 years, growing it from 2 to 55 rentals in the San Diego beach area. Prior to that, she was an International Flight Attendant/Purser for more than 34 years with Pan Am and United. She was also editor of the Paris flight attendant newsletter while based in Paris for almost 5 years, which ended abruptly after 9/11.

She is also president of two HOAs, each for more than 25 years. She served on the board of the Volcan Mountain Foundation and initiated and ran a Wild & Scenic Film Festival in Julian for several years.

As one of the founding members of the WE Julian Circle in 2012, she is now in the leadership role with about 45 members and chairs the yearly Julian Fundraising Luncheon.

Nancy loves to travel, trek and dive and has well-covered all seven continents. She has recently traveled on site visits to WE Partners, Adelante Foundation in Honduras, OEF de El Salvador, Via International in Mexico, and Multicolores in Guatemala. In fact, she has visited all of WE’s partners except for Nyaka in Uganda, although she has visited the country on one of her many adventures. She is currently on the Board’s new Grants and Donor Stewardship committees. The world has been Nancy’s classroom for over 50 years, showing her the importance organizations like WE.

New Board Member: Tanvi Jaluka

Tanvi Jaluka is an international development and gender researcher. For ten years, Tanvi has designed and evaluated programs that empower women economically, focusing on entrepreneurship and financial inclusion in emerging markets. She has deep expertise in impact evaluations, quasi-experimental methods, and monitoring and evaluation tools for development programming. She has worked across diverse regions, including Asia, Africa, and Latin America, and is fluent in Hindi.

Currently, she is the Research Lead for CARE USA’s Financial Inclusion and Women’s Entrepreneurship team. Previously, she led projects at Innovations for Poverty Action and the Center for Global Development. Tanvi received a Master’s in Public Policy from UC San Diego, and a Bachelor’s in International Studies from Vassar College.

Tanvi also brings her expertise to WE’s new Grants Committee. 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tjaluka/

A Letter From José Angel Nuncio, Co-President

Nearly 20 years ago, I joined WE because I was intrigued by its approach to helping reduce poverty: Trust women, who were facing significant poverty, with a loan to support their aspiration to start and grow a business and raise themselves and their family out of poverty through their own initiative, imagination, creativity and work. At that time, WE was a young organization, and I was lucky to have been asked to be the liaison with our Honduran partner, Adelante.  Through this experience, I saw firsthand how WE’s collaborative model of support for women and communities actually works to elevate the status of women and families. I also learned more about the challenges and opportunities, and the successes and setbacks faced by our partners and the women themselves.

Fast-forward to today and WE has evolved and expanded in its reach and successful partnerships regionally and around the world. Just last year, WE celebrated its 20th anniversary of grant giving! I am so grateful to former WE President, Susan Hennenfent, for her leadership and stewardship during this banner year.

But….the work is not done yet! WE provides something unique: we identify and vet high-impact, nonprofit partners that implement economic empowerment programs for women experiencing poverty, locally and around the world. As the new Board Co-President, I’m excited to work with all to leverage this asset to increase our reach and effectiveness. 

I am super fortunate and grateful to have Erin Schultz as my Co-President! I look forward to working with and learning from Erin, our dedicated Board members, our Executive Director Sarah Adams, and from our volunteers, donors and supporters. Most importantly, I would like to hear from you about how we can strengthen WE as a long-term, growing, sustainable organization. The work WE accomplishes is too important. Together with you, we will find ways to expand WE’s impact to elevate more women and communities. I welcome your thoughts and suggestions as I embark on this journey. Thank you for your trust.

A Letter From Erin Schultz, Co-President

From attending the first gathering of the 35 women who created WE to now serving as Co-President, it is an absolute honor to witness the tremendous growth of this organization and how WE continues to make a profound impact more than 20 years later.

Professionally, I work on campaigns and elections. I am grateful for this opportunity which gives me the ability to balance the national challenges I see in government and politics with the enthusiasm, dedication, and real problem solving WE and our partners are contributing to around the world.

I am grateful that I take on this role with longtime WE Board Member, volunteer and leader, José Angel Nuncio, as Co-President. The insights and expertise he brings to this work are invaluable, and I look forward to learning from him, as well as working with our ED Sarah, the Board, and our partners to achieve WE’s continued success.

I’m especially excited to connect with WE supporters who have been sustaining this vital work for over two decades. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me anytime with your ideas or suggestions on how WE can do more to empower women around the world and here at home.

Thank you to Susan Hennenfent: for your steady leadership as President this past year – you have given us big shoes to fill!

Open LOI for Grant Cycles: 2025 & 2026

We are pleased to announce this new grant opportunity. Could your organization be a good fit? Do you know of an organization that could align with our funding criteria and might be interested in applying?

A little about us at WE:
Women’s Empowerment International (WE) is a nonprofit organization (based in San Diego, CA, United States) with a mission to empower women with tools to work their way out of poverty, care for their families, and strengthen their communities. We do this through grantmaking for economic empowerment programs for women experiencing poverty—locally (in San Diego County and our border region) and internationally. We envision a world without poverty in which women are empowered, uplifted, and equal partners in society. Since 2004, we have raised money for and distributed over $2.8M in grant funding for 15 partner organizations in nine countries. Current grant partners operate programs including microloans, women’s entrepreneurship and small business development support, training, education, and other income-generating and barrier-breaking initiatives.

We have implemented some exciting additions to our grantmaking, and we currently have an open Letter of Inquiry (LOI) for three types of grant funding: https://form.jotform.com/251608843588065. Submitting an LOI is the first part of the application process. If our Grants Committee sees a good fit, an organization will be invited to complete our full grant application.

Please read through our general Funding & Selection Criteria to assess overall eligibility and alignment: https://womenempowerment.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/WE-Funding-Selection-Criteria.pdf. An applying organization should be a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit (or fiscally sponsored by one) if registered in the U.S., or under a related certification if registered in another country. Funded programs and services should align with WE mission, vision, and guiding principles, as well as criteria on the document linked above. WE funds must be used to support the economic empowerment of women and girls only (inclusive of all those identifying as such), specifically those who are living at or below the local poverty line. Grants are not awarded for fundraising events or campaigns, endowments, or for any religious or political activities.

Prospective new grant partners are eligible to apply for three of WE’s four grant types:
I. Seed/Innovation Grants
II. Scale-up Grants
III. One-time/Micro Grants

Please read through details on each of these grant types, including funding request ranges, examples for funding, and key evaluation criteria for each: https://womenempowerment.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/WE-Grant-Types_-New-Partners.pdf

Deadlines/Timeline:

  • The LOI is open until July 24; however, submissions will be evaluated on a rolling basis. The sooner you are able to submit your LOI, the sooner we can provide feedback and a potential invitation to the complete grant application. We encourage you to complete the LOI as soon as possible.
  • Grant applications will build on the LOI and will be due by August 8.
  • August 25 – September 5 – we expect to hold video meetings with 3-5 selected applicants for follow-up conversations to better understand your proposed grant program, organization, and operations.
  • Grant awards will be announced by September 28.
  • Funding will be distributed at the end of 2025 or early 2026 depending on grant size.

Please feel free to reach out with any questions or referrals for our open LOI to Sarah Adams, WE Executive Director, at SarahAdams@womenempowerment.org.

Rosa | Honduras

Meet Rosa from Honduras
A Story of Determination and Growth

In the heart of Tela, Atlántida, Honduras, Rosa has built a thriving business making handmade corn and flour tortillas. Recently, several Women’s Empowerment board members and their families joined Adelante staff on an impact tour and had the opportunity to meet Rosa, a new Adelante client who had just received her first microloan, with the support of a WE grant. With warmth and enthusiasm, she welcomed the group into her home—which also serves as her place of business—to show the improvements she has already made.

Rosa’s day begins early in the morning to ensure her customers have fresh tortillas for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Her dedication keeps her working until 8:00 PM, with only a few short breaks throughout the long day. Her commitment to quality has earned her a loyal customer base, with most of her tortillas now sold through standing orders, leaving only a few available for passersby.

As a single mother, Rosa proudly supports not only herself but also her two daughters and her elderly parents through her tortilla business. Before receiving her loan, she struggled with excessive heat and direct sunlight while working in front of her home, which affected both her comfort and productivity. With her first loan of $200 from Adelante, she made a strategic improvement by extending her roof to create better protection from the elements. She also purchased additional ingredients to increase her production capacity and meet growing demand.

In Honduras, qualifying for a traditional loan without excessive interest rates is challenging for women—especially a single mother with limited means—regardless of her business skills or work ethic. Rosa expressed sincere gratitude for providing her the opportunity to grow her business, improve her workspace, maintain her home, increase her income, and enhance her family’s quality of life. With a determined smile, she shared, “This won’t be my last loan. Thank you!” 

Adelante has been a WE partner since 2007, with our grant funds supporting this vital microfinance program for women in Honduras, aiming to alleviate poverty especially in rural communities.

Through Rosa’s story, we see how targeted microfinance can transform not just individual businesses but entire family trajectories, creating sustainable paths out of poverty through entrepreneurship and hard work.

 

Evelyn and Michelle | San Diego

Meet Evelyn and Michelle

Recently, with the support of a WE grant, Urban Corps of San Diego County had the privilege of assisting two dedicated Corpsmembers, Evelyn and Michelle, in purchasing their own vehicles, a transformative step for each of them as they overcame significant barriers to success. Despite coming from different backgrounds, these Corpsmembers share common challenges—particularly in accessing reliable transportation—which previously hindered their ability to fully engage in their education and work at Urban Corps.

Evelyn and Michelle had both been facing the daily struggle of waking up at 4:00 a.m. to catch the earliest trolley to arrive at Urban Corps on time. With the down payment assistance provided by the WE grant, they were each able to purchase their own car. Their new vehicles now allow them to commute comfortably, safely, and promptly, ensuring they can contribute fully to their work and education. They have even begun carpooling with other female Corpsmembers, understanding the challenges of early-morning commutes and helping others get to work on time. This act of solidarity not only strengthens the community within Urban Corps but also reflects their commitment to giving back and supporting their peers.

Having safe and reliable transportation has been a critical factor in their continued participation and success at Urban Corps. As Evelyn and Michelle near graduation, they have already expressed plans to further their education and pursue their professional development. With the independence afforded by their vehicles, they are now able to focus on their academic and career aspirations without the burden of unreliable public transportation. They are no longer limited by this barrier to success in San Diego County.

This vehicle assistance program has played a pivotal role in helping women overcome significant obstacles, enabling them to achieve their goals both at Urban Corps and beyond. We are proud to support them in their journey toward independence and success, and we look forward to hearing about their future endeavors and accomplishments!

Mariat | Uganda

From Struggle to Success Through Microfinance

Meet Ahimbisibwe Mariat, a 60-year-old grandmother from the Rukungiri District in Uganda. Mariat’s journey from financial struggle to successful, small business owner demonstrates the profound impact that financial inclusion and training can have on families experiencing poverty.

“Before joining the Kigiro granny group, I struggled to meet the basic needs of my family such as paying for my two grandchildren’s primary school fees, aged 5 and 10. I had no stable sources of income and lacked business skills and knowledge.”

The turning point came when she joined Nyaka’s grandmother support program, which receives funding from a WE grant. Through this initiative, Mariat received comprehensive training in financial literacy and business management. She also received a UGX 500,000 loan (approximately $139 USD) from WE funds. Applying the financial knowledge and skills gained from the Nyaka grandmother team training, Mariat established a small retail shop in Ikuniro Trading Centre in Rukungiri district.

The results have been remarkable. Through diligent application of her savings and bookkeeping knowledge, Mariat’s business has flourished. She now earns a monthly profit of UGX 100,000 (approximately $28 USD) and has increased her savings to UGX 2,000,000 in capital (approximately $545 USD). 

“Thanks to Women’s Empowerment funds, my dreams have become a reality, and I can now pay school fees for my two grandchildren and provide for basic needs, while repaying my business loan. I am deeply grateful to Nyaka and Women’s Empowerment for this opportunity.”

About Nyaka:
Nyaka, WE partner since 2014, works with communities to nurture and protect children so they can learn, grow, and thrive. WE supports Nyaka’s Grandmother program, which recognizes the critical role grandmothers play in caregiving, while addressing issues including gender-based violence and poverty through microloans and comprehensive training.

With WE’s support, the number of grandmothers accessing microfinancing, training, and ongoing support increases each year. These remarkable women have significantly improved household incomes and their grandchildren’s wellbeing, maintained children’s school attendance, and developed valuable financial literacy skills.

The program demonstrates exceptional impact: for every $40 invested in a grandmother-led household through this program, there is a 285% return within just 36 months—proof that supporting grandmothers like Mariat creates sustainable, multi-generational change.

Firoza | San Diego

Meet Firoza from San Diego

A WE grant partner since 2022, Urban Corps of San Diego County is a nonprofit and certified local conservation corps, providing opportunities for underserved, low-income young adults ages 18-26. The unique work-learn program allows youth to finish high school while earning a paycheck, learning real-world job skills, and giving back to the community through professional services. Barriers to Corpsmembers’ success are addressed with emergency food, clothing and shelter, job training, certifications, drivers’ licenses, and one-on-one case management and trauma counseling. Corpsmembers also receive support toward their goals when they graduate through career and college readiness activities.

Not having a personal vehicle is often cited as a barrier to successful and sustained employment for Corpsmembers in San Diego County. WE grant funding helped launch a successful pilot program to provide vehicle down payment assistance for female Corpsmembers to support their success in and out of the program, setting them up for financial success and self-sufficiency after graduation.

Firoza, who has successfully completed the Urban Corps program, is preparing to welcome a baby and continue her studies in medical school after graduation. The acquisition of her own vehicle has been life-changing. It not only provides her with the means to attend medical appointments but also allows her to pursue her education uninterrupted. Prior to receiving this vehicle, Firoza faced the possibility of having to pause her studies due to transportation limitations. Now, she enjoys greater independence and is confident that she can achieve her  educational and career goals. This has had a ripple effect on her family, where she is seen as a role model for her siblings, demonstrating that perseverance and determination lead to success.

Hanna | San Diego

Meet Hanna B.


When Hanna Borysiuk arrived in San Diego from Ukraine, she felt the weight of uncertainty pressing down on her. The war with Russia forced her to leave her homeland, and she arrived in the United States unprepared for the challenges of starting over in a foreign country. Life was confusing as she tried to figure out how to support her family in this new environment.

Hanna’s eldest daughter, understanding the depth of her mother’s skill and passion for sewing, managed to bring Hanna’s beloved Singer sewing machine from Ukraine.

Sewing had always been a constant in Hanna’s life; she couldn’t live without it. She had always altered and repaired clothes for her husband, two daughters, and two granddaughters. This act of love sparked a glimmer of hope. 

Hanna learned about the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in San Diego and enrolled in several programs, including the TVESL driving lessons cohort and the employment capabilities program. Through these programs, she was referred to those funded by WE grants within the IRC’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC), which became essential for her to start, develop, and grow her business. With the support of the IRC SBDC, Hanna completed the Business Women in Action (BWIA) training course. This cohort was designed for newly-arrived Ukrainian women aspiring to start businesses.

Hanna was considering turning her sewing skills into a viable business to support her livelihood in her new country. She describes her business advisor as a compassionate and encouraging counselor who helped her pivot her loving hobby of sewing into an entrepreneurial one. Her advisor has been with her business every step of the way to formalize her business with the City of San Diego, fulfilling her goal to alter and sew clothing for others besides her immediate family members.

Hanna advertised her services to her community and started getting orders for clothing alterations. However, she quickly realized that her single sewing machine wasn’t enough to meet the growing demand. Although Hanna could sell her services, she was not making enough to afford a new sewing machine to meet her customers’ needs. So, she returned to IRC to discuss her problem and strategize with her business advisor, who informed her that she could qualify for a women entrepreneur microgrant to purchase another machine. Hanna was overjoyed with this news. She asked her business advisor about the requirements and wasted no time, diligently working to submit all the required documents. Hanna received a $1,000 microgrant from IRC SBDC, which allowed her to purchase another sewing machine and the necessary supplies.

Hanna says, “When I received my new sewing machine, I was very happy! I could do almost everything that was brought to me for repair and make people happy because I was giving a new life to their favorite things. I am grateful to [IRC and my business advisor] for supporting me in achieving my dreams and giving me the opportunity to make a living in my new country.”

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