Annual Report Fiscal Year 2021-2022

From Striving to Thriving

“Every woman involved with WANDA is inspirational”

— Noelia Corzo

Redwood City Mayor Giselle Hale and Noelia Corzo, WANDA Alumna and Board Member

Elevating Economic Mobility for Single Mother Families

Founded by women for women, the Women’s Achievement Network and Development Alliance (WANDA) is driven by a vision to secure economic justice for single mothers and their families. 

The need for our services remains high – with low-income communities in San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties drastically lagging behind neighboring communities in economic and quality-of-life metrics, including income potential, educational attainment, and asset ownership. Asset ownership and wealth are fundamental measures of economic well-being. Wealth, more likely to be affected by previous generations, allows families to weather financial hardships like economic downturns, job and housing insecurity. 

This year, WANDA increased the number of mothers served by 40% through our MidPen Housing pilot program — we are still collecting and analyzing the data, but the trend is showing consistent results improving annual salaries and credit scores. In addition, we received our largest grant investment to date, diversified our foundation portfolio, have grown our Board of Directors, and reached over 25 new donors. Thanks to the generous support of our donor community, we were able to achieve our matching grant goal within 18 months. We are humbled by the success and generosity of WANDA’s community of clients, alumnae, volunteers, donors and partners. 

We have big goals for the next fiscal year— incorporating as an independent 501(c)(3), launching our new curriculum, continuing our partnership with MidPen Housing, and welcoming our largest cohort to date. 

Attending Graduates – WANDA/MidPen Housing Pilot Program
WANDA Cohort 12 Graduates

“After graduating from WANDA, I now have a full-time job, 761 credit score and no credit card debt as I pay it off monthly.”

–  WANDA Alumna

“WANDA took all my negative thoughts and shot arrows right through them. I saw other moms who had pulled themselves up from where I was, or worse—moms without college degrees, without family support, without savings, without homes. They rose up, they told me how. They gave me hope.” 

–  WANDA Client (Cohort 13)

“WANDA has empowered me to be in control of my life, to have power over my finances, and to never doubt that I can reach my goals. This year, I negotiated my salary for the first time and I don’t think I would have done it without learning how and hearing other women share their successes in a WANDA class. Every woman involved with WANDA is inspirational. We all have our own story of overcoming obstacles and becoming successful. I am running for higher office because I believe that every single mom deserves the support WANDA offers.”

–  WANDA Alumna and Board Member

“WANDA has taught me how to save money, opened my eyes to various opportunities, gave me hope and a community.

–  WANDA Alumna and Board Member


Donor and Sponsor Circles

LEGACY

Diane Giancarlo

Paula Hurd

Elizabeth Ronn

Sobrato Family Foundation

COMMUNITIES

Karen Fisher

PARTNERS

Corinne Augustine

Glowe Chang

Elaine Cardinale

Christina Kamra

Christina Kenrick

Wanda Kownacki

Lata Krishnan

Sue and Dick Levy

Palo Alto Community Fund

Diane Russell

Barbara Tyler

FAMILIES

Marian Kremer

Jessica Lazar

Libby Tyree Taylor

MOTHERS

Anonymous

Michael Augustine

Donna Bohling and Doug Kalish

Peter and Dodie Crawford

Lyn D’Amelio 

Martha Deevy 

Jeremiha Douglas

Brita Fisher 

Fred Fisher

Henry Fisher

Michael Fitzgerald 

Google

Junior League of San Jose

Barbara Kaplan

Natalie Korn

Victoria Kroll 

MJ Miller

Richard and Susann Mirabella

Natalie Montesano

Wen-Chih O’Connell 

Don Peppers and Pamela Devenney

Valerie Pierce 

Alan Polish and Merle Orelove 

Maribeth Portz

Heike Schmitz

Cheryl Sendaydiego

Roxanne Vane

Janelle Watson

Jim Wunderlich

Download our PDF Annual Report here.