Lantern League: a Women’s Giving Circle

A variety of organizations received funding in 2025. In total, $65,000 was awarded: 
$32,500 in grant funding; $32,500 granted to Presentation High School.

Girls Garage - Free Year Long Design + Construction Programs for Girls and Gender-Expansive Youth - $7,500

Girls Garage is a nonprofit design and construction school for girls and gender-expansive youth ages 9-18. Founded in 2013, Girls Garage is the first-ever design and building workshop for female, non-binary, trans, and gender-expansive youth. Through after school and summer pathways, Girls Garage provides free and low-cost programs in carpentry, welding, architecture, engineering, and activist art to a diverse community of 200 students per year. Under the supervision of our highly skilled female and non-binary staff, our students acquire the tools to build the world they want to see through integrating technical skills, college and career guidance, and community leadership. Participants have built 190 projects ranging from a geodesic dome for the Eames Institute and furniture for a transitional housing shelter to a greenhouse for a community garden and a 500-square foot chicken pavilion for an urban farm.

Shine Together - Shine's San Jose Program $7,500

Our mission is to create opportunities for economic mobility for two generations by helping young mothers advance their education, build life and career skills, and nurture their child’s positive development. Shine helps young moms (ages 13-25) identify barriers to continuing their education and connects them to counseling, healthcare, childcare, and housing support services to help them create thriving and healthy futures for themselves and their children. Shine’s San Jose Program will provide at least 60 young mothers with the support needed to complete high school and pursue post-secondary education, develop the skills to nurture their child’s positive development, enhance their financial literacy, and improve health and wellness for themselves and their child.

Next Door Solutions - Comprehensive Services for Survivors of Domestic Violence $5,000 

About 1 in 3 California women will be harmed by a partner at least once in their lives. In Santa Clara County in 2023, over 13,000 calls for help were made to Next Door Solutions to Domestic Violence’s 24/7 emergency hotline, and 2,290 survivors were supported after a call for further crisis intervention services. For 53 years, Next Door Solutions to Domestic Violence (NDS) has been the only stand-alone domestic violence agency in Santa Clara County, providing urgent crisis intervention services through shelter, housing, legal advocacy, individual and group counseling, case management, therapy, and self-sufficiency services. Next Door Solutions provides multilingual, culturally-responsive, and trauma-informed services that are available free of charge to all women, men, LGBTQIA+ and individuals across the gender spectrum and of varying abilities.

San Francisco Safe House - The Hope Center - $5,000 

San Francisco SafeHouse is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing supportive services and housing for women experiencing homelessness and exploitation, particularly survivors of trafficking, sexual exploitation, and domestic violence. The organization creates safe, gender-specific spaces where women can heal and rebuild their lives with dignity. The Hope Center has expanded its educational resources by offering healthy relationship classes, ESL support, and school supplies for case management clients returning to school. These services help women build essential life skills, improve communication, and support their educational journeys toward more excellent stability and independence.

Coastal Kids Home Care - Family/Caregiver Support Groups - $3,750 

Coastal Kids Home Care delivers a comprehensive range of services, including pediatric palliative care, home health services, pain and symptom management, and expressive therapies such as Child Life, Music Therapy, and Massage Therapy. The organization also offers peer support groups, family engagement events, and normalization activities, helping both children and their families navigate the emotional challenges of illness. Additionally, Coastal Kids Home Care engages in community outreach and advocacy to raise awareness about the needs of children with life-limiting conditions, all while working to provide them with quality care and support.

Parents Helping Parents - Neighborhood Centers: Supporting mothers of children with disabilities in East San Jose and Gilroy - $3,750 

PHP has been helping families of children with disabilities since 1976. Our mission is to help children and adults with disabilities receive the support and services they need to reach their full potential by providing FREE information, training, and resources to build strong families and improve systems of care. PHP requests support for our Neighborhood Centers: SupportingMothers of Children with Disabilities in East San Jose and Gilroy, an initiative to increase accessibility for low-income immigrant women in these underserved communities. PHP opened its first neighborhood office in Gilroy in 2019 and two neighborhood offices in East San Jose in 2022.

Presentation High School - Received $32,500 in grant funding

Funding will be used for scholarships and activity fees for girls who would otherwise be unable to afford tuition. Presentation delivers a well-rounded, faith-based experience, including academic excellence, award-winning teams and clubs, and individualized support where all are welcome.