A new women’s collective giving group, built under the moniker “ninety-nine girlfriends,” has awarded $100,000 to a Portland-based collaborative that helps students least likely to finish high school and enter college.
The PDX Bridge Project helps homeless, foster and convicted youth not only start college, but finish their first year strong.It offers personalized support from coaches, high school counselors, teachers, and case managers. That same network of caring adults then continues to support the students during a first year of college or apprenticeship, helping them overcome challenges inside and outside the classroom.
The gift is the first for the new philanthropy collective, which is actually made up of 117 Portland-area women. A few of them are rich or famous, but most of them are decidedly neither. They harness their collective generosity and brain power to give both generously and wisely, and to have a significant impact.