In September 2023, Women’s Foundation California, a statewide community foundation advancing racial, economic and gender justice for over four decades, welcomed Bia Vieira as its new president and CEO. Vieira is the first Latina CEO to lead the foundation. Prior to her appointment, she served the foundation for five years as chief strategist.
Born in Brazil and trilingual in English, Spanish and Portuguese, Vieira is a longtime activist in women’s, LGBTQI, Latine, immigrant, and arts and culture issues. She has over 20 years of experience in the nonprofit and philanthropy sector and has served in senior-level positions at the Philadelphia Community Foundation and Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees. Vieira studied at Temple University where she earned a bachelor of arts degree in Spanish and anthropology as well as a master’s degree in literature and linguistics.
IP recently spoke with Vieira to discuss her journey, new leadership role and vision for the philanthropic sector. Here are some excerpts from the conversation, which has been edited for length and clarity.
You’re a longtime activist in women’s, LGBTQI, Latine, immigrant, and arts and culture issues. What kind of art are you drawn to?
Music and film. Growing up in Brazil, music and art was everywhere, including at protests against the military. There was this whole tradition in Latin America of both new music and a cinema that really looked at art as a way to move folks’ hearts to change society. So I grew up in those moments where art was so important as a part of movement, change and social justice. For me, they’re so intertwined.
Can you talk more about your personal history and how it impacts who you are today?
My father died when I was five years old, leaving behind my mom and her three kids. We had a lot of transition in our lives, moving from family member to family member. From an early age, I learned how to adapt quickly to a lot of change.
Growing up in Brazil during the military dictatorship was a time of incredible repression but also incredible community force. There were opportunities for connection and learning that you’d have to do secretly, but there were moments of resistance big and small.
Then, I immigrated to the United States as a teenager. When you are in a different space with a different language and culture, it creates a lot of vulnerability. You don’t know how to protect yourself in certain ways as you do when you are within your own culture, language and surroundings. In some ways, those moments of vulnerability early in my life and then later as an immigrant really made me connect to what it’s like to be free, fight to be free, and want to be free while navigating a lot of constraints.
Tell us more about your journey working in philanthropy.
I started working in philanthropy by accident, like most people. I had worked in Philadelphia for a number of years on issues of homelessness, gender-based violence, sexual assault, and immigration, and was burnt out. A position at the Philadelphia Foundation as the vice president of programs opened and I applied for it not thinking I would get it because I didn’t have any formal experience in philanthropy, but I did understand community and nonprofits really well. I was there for six years.
After the 2008 economic collapse, the donor engagement, partnerships and development work collapsed into the department with grantmaking. I became vice president of philanthropy, helping donors understand their journey and philanthropic efforts, while ensuring grantmaking was happening in the community. That was a really wonderful opportunity to be in a public foundation. Although the Philadelphia Foundation had quite a large endowment, we were still fundraising. It’s one of the oldest community foundations and it was an in-between space where you’re both fundraising and grantmaking, working with donors and community.
My wife and I moved to California in 2014. I did a lot of consulting with international organizations, philanthropists, nonprofit organizations and organizations doing a lot of trans work. I started working at the Women’s Foundation California in 2018 as the chief strategist for programs. My career journey really comes from community and culture organizing, and then I started working in philanthropy without knowing the sector’s challenges, then learned them quickly.
What excites you most about your new role as president and CEO of Women’s Foundation California?
I am so excited to be at the Women’s Foundation California at this time. We’re in a moment of ultra-right, coordinated attacks on democracy, bodily autonomy, reproductive justice, the LGBT community and immigrants. I think we are really well positioned in California to continue to both support grassroots progressive movements in the state and create leadership in the United States for specific policies and changes that we need to see. California is a border state with Mexico and there have also been attacks on bodily autonomy in Latin America. Our communities are not tied to borders that were established by colonial powers — they move back and forth, both influencing communities in Latin America and influencing us. This is a moment for us as a women’s foundation interested in supporting gender, economic and racial justice in California to support moving resources into grassroots communities and understand what the needs are on the ground. At the same time, we can help reframe and rethink what it is that we want, not just in California, but in the country and in the Americas, regarding what our democracy is and who is represented in democracy. Who gets to choose what solutions are brought to the table?
Paint a picture of the vision at Women’s Foundation California.
Our vision is for a state where women and gender-expansive folks have what they need to thrive and live our lives as we want to live. That means everything from safety and equity in economic opportunities to climate and environmental justice, impacting communities of color and those more marginalized.
Our vision to get there is to create networks, supporting advocates and grassroots organizers who are closest to the deepest problems and solutions. Folks need to be at the table in places of power to come to solutions that make most sense and don’t bring unintended consequences.
We really invest in movement building, policy, advocacy, systems change, culture change and narrative change because we want an ecosystem where all of these strategies are working at the same time. Our focus and our North Star are BIPOC communities who are low income and experiencing the most egregious impacts of extraction and oppression. We have this opportunity to re-imagine what it looks like for everyone to thrive and have joy.
How can others be part of the vision at Women’s Foundation California?
There are so many ways that you can be part of our work. One way is through our institutes. If you are interested in learning how to get policies passed in the state of California, our policy institute facilitates experiential training for grassroots leaders and has [contributed to the passage of] 52 laws in the state of California over 20 years. If you’re a funder, we have a funder policy institute you can join to understand how philanthropy can be part of policymaking and systems change. We also have a youth leadership institute for 14- to 18-year-olds, training in advocacy and narrative storytelling.
We also have our grantmaking program, so if you are a grassroots organization in California, BIPOC-led, working on gender, economic and racial justice in the state, please reach out to us. Additionally, we have individual donors supporting this vision and folks who participate in all of our programming. There are different doors for you to come in, some with bigger time commitments than others, but if you are looking for information about what is happening, not just in California, but in the United States, regarding reproductive, gender, economic and racial justice, we have this information coming from all of our partners on the ground.
You’ve been in nonprofit and philanthropic work for over two decades. How has your understanding of the sector changed in that time?
The nonprofit and philanthropic sectors have both changed a lot and stayed the same. I was very moved and excited to see how quickly things in philanthropy changed during the pandemic, when folks were able to access money and philanthropic resources without a lot of bureaucracy. Folks really came together and responded urgently to the pandemic, George Floyd’s killing and the attacks on democracy. I sense that this urgent moment is passing and folks are starting to think we need to go back to what we had before. I hope that this is not the case and that we can envision something different together, not just in the moment of crisis. How can we support communities and really move money to folks quicker with a lot of trust and accountability?
Because of the upcoming elections, the market not doing well, a pending government shutdown and a divided Congress, I’m seeing a lot of contraction in terms of funder and individual giving. My call to action is that this is a moment that requires a lot more community resourcing. This is a moment of great vulnerability in the United States, but we are not alone, because attacks on democracy are strong in other countries, as well, due to an international movement of the right attacking with ultra-nationalist, racist and homophobic discourse. Now is the time for us to fight by creating and educating a new vision of what our democracy should be like and who represents the country. This is a moment for deep investment, not retrenchment.
What are some promising philanthropic sector practices that give you hope?
I’m excited about the California Black Freedom Fund, the Decolonizing Wealth Project and all of the Native organizing and philanthropy that’s happening. Movements that are looking at who is at the table and making decisions about resources excite me.
I am also interested in how philanthropy is going to look at money differently, pushing folks to [give] half their DAFs and move money that is sitting in banks. I’m excited about a just economy and regenerative investments. Those things give me hope.
Is there anything else you would like to share?
In a time of contraction, we still have abundance. Yes, there’s a contraction of resources and political will, but we also live in a space with resources. Let’s resource folks who really need it and do so abundantly, as much as we want to see the future we envision.
Michelle Dominguez (they/them/elle) is a Queer and Nonbinary professional born to Colombian immigrants on Tongva Land, known post-colonization as Los Angeles. After a decade-long career in higher education student affairs, they switched to the nonprofit and philanthropy sector in 2021. What brings Michelle joy? Quality time with loved ones, mindfulness, chocolate desserts, and Disney magic.
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