Women’s Cottage Industries
Examples of cottage industries include furniture manufacturing or restoration; catering; crafting fiber arts, pottery, metal art, jewelry, or other crafts; or service businesses.Our support takes many forms. As a grantmaking organization, we give grassroots-type awards, generally ranging from $2,000–5,000, to nonprofit organizations and programs that strengthen and support groups of three or more women coming together to develop cottage industries within their local communities.
Our 2010 /2011 Grantee Organizations:
- Art For The Heart/UpCycled Fashion, Penasco
- Santa Fe Women’s Cooperativa, Santa Fe
- Espanola Valley Fiber Arts Center, Espanola
- NaNeelzhiin Women’s Craft Circle, Torreon/Starlake Chapter, Navajo Nation
- La Cooperativa de la Frontera, Columbus
- Ramah Navajo Women’s Cooperative, Oso Vista Ranch Project, Pine Hill
- Sew Right Inc., Albuquerque
- Southwest Women’s Fiber Arts Collective, Silver City
- Tejedoras de Las Trampas, Las Trampas
- Spirit of Hidalgo, Lordsburg
- Tewa Women United, Espanola
- Three Rivers Women’s Collective, Farmington
- Tres Manos Weaving Studio, San Miguel/Las Cruces
Alongside our grantmaking, we provide education and mentoring in areas such as business planning, organizational development, English Language skills, and fundraising through the WE Learn™ Program. We help women develop and market their products, open shops, and learn the art of display and merchandising. Our third strategy is to create innovative product venues, including our Rag Rug Festivals & Gift Shows, and cultivate partnerships with community museums throughout the state in support of women artisans and their crafting.
