The Women’s and Girls’ Fund (WGF) is primarily a volunteer effort supported by Kern Community Foundation (KCF). The WGF is guided by the leadership of the Vision Committee and Community Advisors. The assets of the Fund are professionally managed and invested by KCF, providing oversight of Fund grant decisions.
WE will transform the lives of women and girls in Kern County by mobilizing the power and passion of women working together.
- Women Educate to create awareness of women’s and girls’ needs unmet by current strategies.
- Women Endow a permanent fund whose annual yield supports programs benefitting women and girls throughout Kern County.
- Women Empower one another and our girls to become philanthropists and advocates of positive social change.
Judi McCarthy Woman and Young Woman in Philanthropy Award (JMPA)
These awards are given to a woman and young woman who have made exceptional contributions of their time, talent, and treasure to improve the quality of life in Kern County.
2025 Judi McCarthy Women’s Philanthropy Awardee
Neetu Jhaj
2025 Judi McCarthy Young Women’s Philanthropy Awardee
Alana S. Jackson
2020 Report on the Status of Women and Girls in Kern County
This report is a true labor of love, compiled as a gift to our community by The WGF at KCF.
Only published once every five years.
Grantmaking 2025
- Bakersfield Police Activities League (BPAL) – $10,000: “A Road to Success” is an after-school program designed to empower girls under 18 from disadvantaged backgrounds. Through tutoring, career exploration, leadership workshops, mentorship, and field trips, the program helps participants build confidence, engage with their community, and achieve long-term success.
- Taft College Foundation – $20,000: In partnership with Dignity Health, Adventist Health, and West Side Health Care District Hospitals, this six-week internship program provides real-world experience for women in Taft College’s Allied Health Studies program. Since its inception in 2023, the program has helped 57 students solidify their career paths in nursing, medicine, lab work, pharmacy, and veterinary science.
- Girl Scouts of Central California South – $10,000: The Sensory Success Project creates inclusive spaces for neurodivergent Girl Scouts in Kern County by providing sensory tools such as noise-canceling headphones, fidget tools, and calming lighting. A patch program workshop teaches neurodiversity awareness and inclusive practices, fostering confidence and leadership in participants.:
- Diamond in the Rough Events and Sports Inc. – $20,000: The EmpowerHer program, hosted at the Chevron S.T.E.A.M. Room, equips girls from underserved communities with entrepreneurial skills. Through financial literacy, STEAM projects, and mentorship from female entrepreneurs and college students, participants gain leadership experience and showcase their ideas at a Youth Business Fair.
- Casa Esperanza Transition Home for Women and Children – $20,000: Journey to Success provides homeless women with children a combination of shelter and wraparound care. Using evidence-based cognitive-behavioral therapy, life skills training, and financial literacy education, the program promotes self-sufficiency and long-term stability.
- emPOWERment Dess Perkins Foundation – $20,000: The EmpowerHer Summer Camp is a two-week program for 30 underserved girls ages 12-18. It focuses on academic preparation, financial literacy, career planning, and mentorship from women in STEM and vocational fields. Field trips and expert-led sessions provide participants with the confidence and skills to pursue academic and professional success.
Grow Our Giving: A Call to Action!
The principles of The WGF are that: Women Educate, Women Endow, and Women Empower….with the foundational belief that we transform the lives of women and girls in Kern County by mobilizing the power and passion of women working together. When our endowment grows, our giving grows and creates larger, more impactful grants that provide opportunities to directly affect some of the root causes impacting women and girls, thereby creating lasting and sustainable change within our community for generations to come.
Get involved
Donations may be made by personal or business check or credit card (transaction fee applied). Please make a check payable to Kern Community Foundation, WGF, in the memo.
For more information, or if you have any questions, please write to us at WGF@kernfoundation.org.
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