Dear friends,
One of the things I value most about the Women’s Fund SouthCoast is the opportunity to work alongside extraordinary women who bring their lived experiences, perspectives, and leadership to our mission every day.
As Pride Month and Juneteenth come to a close, we invited Programs & Operations Coordinator Jaliyah Gonsalves to share a personal reflection on identity, advocacy, and intersectionality. Jaliyah is a passionate advocate, community leader, and someone who challenges us to think more deeply about what it means to create a region where every woman and girl can thrive.
At the Women’s Fund, we know that lasting change happens when women and girls have the opportunity to share their stories, raise their voices, and help shape the future of their communities. I am grateful to Jaliyah for sharing hers.
Christine Monska
Executive Director
Why Intersectionality Matters
A Reflection from Jaliyah Gonsalves, Programs & Operations Coordinator
June is a month that holds profound meaning for me. It is both Pride Month and the month we celebrate Juneteenth, two observances that honor liberation, resilience, and the ongoing pursuit of justice. Their coexistence is not a coincidence. It is a reminder that our identities and our movements for justice are deeply interconnected.
As a queer woman of color, I don’t experience my race, gender, and sexual orientation separately. They shape one another and influence how I move through the world. That is the essence of intersectionality: recognizing that people hold multiple identities, and that our experiences of discrimination, opportunity, and belonging are often interconnected.
Last year, I attended Boston Pride for the People for the first time after finally coming out to my family. For years, I had dreamed of attending Pride, but because I wasn’t fully out, I never felt like I could fully celebrate that part of myself. Walking through the streets surrounded by thousands of people embracing who they are was an experience I’ll never forget. It reminded me that everyone deserves the opportunity to be seen, celebrated, and supported, regardless of where they are in their journey with their sexual orientation or gender identity.
This year, Pride held even deeper meaning. I had the privilege of returning to Boston Pride for the People as a Commissioner with the Massachusetts Commission on LGBTQ Youth. Since joining the Commission in January, I’ve had the opportunity to work alongside passionate advocates, educators, community leaders, and young people committed to creating a Commonwealth where LGBTQ+ youth can thrive. That experience has reinforced for me that advocacy is never about a single identity or issue. It is about ensuring every person has the opportunity to live authentically, safely, and with dignity.
Juneteenth reminds us that freedom is not simply the absence of oppression. It is the presence of opportunity, dignity, and equity. Pride reminds us that LGBTQ+ people deserve that same freedom: the freedom to live authentically, to love openly, and to belong without fear. Together, these observances challenge us to think beyond single-issue movements and recognize that justice is strongest when it is inclusive.
Audre Lorde once wrote, “I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own.” Those words continue to resonate with me because they remind us that our liberation is shared. We cannot meaningfully advocate for women without advocating for Black women, queer women, trans women, immigrant women, women with disabilities, and all those whose experiences have too often been overlooked.
As I reflect on my own journey, I am reminded why programs like the Young Women’s Initiative are so important. Every young woman deserves opportunities to be seen, heard, and valued for who she is. Through the Women’s Fund SouthCoast, I have seen firsthand what is possible when women and girls are given the tools, support, and space to lead. Programs like YWI remind us that building a more equitable future starts by investing in people, creating opportunities for leadership, and ensuring every voice has a place at the table.
Celebrating Young Women Leaders & Looking Ahead to Year Three
On June 25, the Women’s Fund SouthCoast will celebrate another successful year of the Young Women’s Advisory Council (YWAC), a leadership and civic engagement program that empowers young women to create change in their communities.
Applications for the 2026-2027 Young Women’s Advisory Council are now open. As we enter our third year in New Bedford and prepare to expand the Young Women’s Initiative to Fall River, we look forward to welcoming the next generation of young women leaders.
Over the past two years, YWAC participants have awarded community grants, met with policymakers, explored college campuses, and discovered the power of their own voices.
From Participant to Leader: My YWI Journey
By Lana Jones, Summer Youth Leadership & Community Research Assistant
My journey to advocacy started long before the Women’s Fund, back in elementary school, when I would volunteer to be line leader. However, the Women’s Fund is where my journey really began to pick up momentum.
As a member of the first cohort of the Young Women’s Advisory Council and a mentor to the second cohort, I am in a unique position to witness the impact of the Young Women’s Initiative. This program has given young women of color the opportunity to share their voices in a way that leaves a lasting impact on themselves and our community. From struggling to find my voice to helping others find theirs, YWI has shown me how to be not just a better leader, but a better woman.
As a Summer Youth Leadership & Community Research Assistant, I will expand the reach of the YWI to neighboring communities so that more young people have the opportunity to be heard.
As I prepare to enter college, I am grateful to the people and organizations that helped shape who I am today, including New Bedford High School, the New Bedford Mayor’s Youth Council, and the Women’s Fund.
I am excited to shadow amazing mentors who show what it means to be not only a great philanthropist, but also a great person. I look forward to learning from the Women’s Fund team and supporting the next generation of young women leaders this summer.
Announcing Our FY27 Grantees
Through our FY27 Community Grants Program, the Women’s Fund SouthCoast is investing $95,000 in six organizations advancing economic opportunity, reproductive health, civic engagement, legal advocacy, and community belonging for women and girls across the SouthCoast.
These investments reflect our commitment to supporting local organizations that are creating meaningful change in our communities.
Advancing Community-Informed Research Through SEED
The Women’s Fund SouthCoast is excited to launch the SouthCoast Empowered by Equity Data (SEED) Initiative’s first community listening project, SouthCoast Voices: Basic Needs, made possible through a $30,000 Strategic Investment from the SouthCoast Community Foundation.
This summer, residents across the region will participate in conversations about the challenges and opportunities impacting their daily lives. The insights gathered will help inform community leaders, nonprofits, funders, and policymakers while ensuring that data is grounded in the lived experiences of SouthCoast residents.
Through SEED, we are working to ensure that community voices help shape the decisions that affect our region’s future.
Introducing the Strengthening Voices Luncheon Group
On June 16, the Women’s Fund SouthCoast launched its Strengthening Voices Luncheon Group, bringing together 14 women 65+ within the SouthCoast region to amplify the wisdom and experience of older women by providing them with the tools to become more engaged in their community. During the first session, held in partnership with the Fairhaven Council on Aging, Jean Fox, a Women’s Fund SouthCoast board member and a highly respected advocate in the SouthCoast region, facilitated a conversation exploring the many ways advocacy can take shape in everyday life.This cohort of women identified aging in place, a lack of respect from medical professionals, and living with a fixed income while costs rise as just some of the issues impacting their lives. These women will participate in three more sessions, exploring how they can advocate for themselves and their community.Â
Building a Legacy for Future Generations
On June 17, supporters gathered for the Bettina Borders Leadership Circle Luncheon to reflect on the Women’s Fund SouthCoast’s impact and the future we are building together.
One of the most powerful moments came when Board Chair Cynthia Cummings shared that philanthropy is not reserved for the wealthy. Whether someone gives $5 a month, volunteers their time, makes a planned gift, or advocates for change, everyone has the power to make a difference.
As guests listened to members of the Young Women’s Advisory Council share their stories, they were reminded why that message matters. Through programs like YWI, we are helping young women see themselves as leaders, changemakers, and philanthropists.
Named in honor of Founder, Bettina Borders, the Leadership Circle brings together founders, former leaders, and dedicated supporters who are helping ensure that future generations of women and girls have even greater opportunities to lead than those who came before them.
Help Us Build What Comes Next
Ten years from now, one of the young women in our Young Women’s Advisory Council may be serving on a city council, leading a nonprofit, launching a business, teaching in our schools, or shaping public policy.
The future leaders of our region are already here.
The question is whether we are willing to invest in them today.
At the Women’s Fund SouthCoast, we invest in women and girls before the world tells them they are leaders.
As we approach the close of our fiscal year on June 30, we invite you to invest in what comes next. A monthly gift of $25 helps create opportunities for the next generation of leaders, changemakers, and philanthropists.
Thank you for believing in this work and in the power of women and girls to create change.
