Tri-Valley Project Seeks To Uplift Woman-Owned Businesses

TRI-VALLEY, CA — San Ramon nonprofit Rewire Community has launched an initiative to support Tri-Valley woman-owned businesses through an online directory and by fostering a local community of entrepreneurs.

The Tri-Valley Womxn Empowered Businesses initiative was in the works for a while, but the pandemic forced Rewire Community, which advocates for gender equity and justice in Tri-Valley, to revamp its plan, said Shailaja Dixit, co-founder and executive director of the nonprofit.

Nonprofit staff had to be as nimble as the struggling small business owners it sought to serve, she said.

"We couldn't believe we were able to launch this when probably it's most needed," Dixit said.

Rewire Community, which also serves domestic violence victims, had long been toying with the idea of creating a directory of women-owned businesses. The nonprofit sought to find ways to economically empower women, too.

"So many women turn to their talent and skills to become entrepreneurs" and escape difficult circumstances, Dixit said.

But women don't always have access to the same resources, relationships, savings or investors, she said. Rewire Community saw a need to increase networking and leadership opportunities for local women — especially women of color and minorities.

Rewire Community saw this vision become a reality when it was awarded a large grant from the eBay Foundation and the Silicon Valley Community Foundation to create Tri-Valley WEB programming.

"We could not believe it," Dixit said. "We were like, 'Wow, we actually have the resources to do the work.'"

The initiative launched last month. Rewire Community was intentional in choosing the name "Womxn Empowered Businesses" to make clear that all intersectionalities of women are welcome, be it people who identify as women, people who are gender-fluid and all women of different backgrounds, she said.

The pandemic has posed challenges and put additional time constraints on entrepreneurs' time, but Dixit said she's been pleased to see that the pandemic has awoken an "amazing spirit of sharing" in the community. People have never been so invested in helping one another, she said.

Rewire Community has big dreams for Tri-Valley WEB; staff are searching for additional grant funding to continue programming and welcome community feedback.

Learn more about Tri-Valley WEB here and view the business directory here.