Santa Barbara’s WEV Celebrated in Sacramento

Women’s Economic Ventures (WEV) was founded in 1991 with the mission to promote the economic empowerment of aspiring female entrepreneurs. Launched at a time when economic opportunities did not match women’s increased involvement in the workforce, WEV aimed to offer up-and-coming businesswomen the funding and other resources needed to pursue their own ventures. 

More than 30 years later, WEV has continued to champion the economic autonomy of women. Since 1991, WEV has ballooned in size and scope, now offering a broad network of support for prospective business owners on California’s Central Coast, including workshops, consultations, and financial literacy programs. While focused on women, WEV is a tool for people of all gender identities. Moreover, WEV provides its services in both English and Spanish, as WEV is intended to be accessible in assisting anybody who has a dream of starting or growing a small business. 

WEV’s impressive impact has not gone unnoticed. This past month, WEV was recognized by California State Senator Monique Limón as a 2024 California Nonprofit of the Year. 

The California Nonprofits of the Year program is sponsored by CalNonprofits, an NGO that works intimately with lawmakers, advocates, and nonprofit leaders to sustain and further develop California’s nonprofit sector. CalNonprofits recognizes the importance of nonprofits for both communities and the economy. According to statistics from CalNonprofits’s webpage, California nonprofits generate thousands of full-time jobs and hundreds of billions of dollars in revenue. CalNonprofits embraces the idea that the value of a nonprofit is manifold, reverberating beyond the specific stated mission and positively influencing those nearby in a ton of different ways.

Now in its ninth year, the California Nonprofits of the Year initiative hopes to strengthen the relationships between legislators and nonprofits. By forging these links, policymakers are more aware of community needs and better able to enact effective change. Nearly all California state legislators participate in choosing and honoring various nonprofits. Each year, legislators and their selected nonprofits convene for a celebratory lunch. The event, dubbed California Nonprofit Day, took place this year on June 5 at the Capitol.

WEV is a testament to the power of California NGOs. According to a statement from Senator Limón’s office, the organization has provided business training and other advisory services to more than 20,000 people in the Santa Barbara and Ventura area. Overall WEV has helped nearly 6,000 businesses start or expand, creating or sustaining an estimated 12,000 jobs. 

For more information, see wevonline.org.