Women's Educational Success Endowment

In 1997, the West Valley-Mission District Foundation established the Women's Educational Success endowment to provide special programs and services to help women reach their personal and career goals. The endowment is a special financial aid program funded by private donations to the West Valley-Mission Foundation to award emergency cash grants to women with a strong commitment to succeed in college.

The West Valley College Financial Aid office and the Educational Transition Re-Entry program recommends WES grant recipients to the District Foundation. The WES grants are for immediate needs of women returning to school after a long time away. We anticipate that many of the recipients will be single mothers with very limited resources. The WES grants are not for the expected expenses of starting school. The priority is for unexpected expenses such as the replacement of a schoolbook, materials needed for class, or a bus pass. WES grants are awarded within 48 hours of the request and can make the difference between staying in school and dropping out.