Project Matriarchs

Our names are Pilar and Lola, and we're taking time off from college at Brown and Stanford respectively to dedicate our energy to a fiscally sponsored organization we recently co-founded called Project Matriarchs. At Project Matriarchs, we aim to alleviate the disproportionate burden of childcare and homeschooling responsibilities that many mothers in heterosexual relationships are shouldering during the pandemic.

As an immediate goal, Project Matriarchs aims to keep moms in the workforce. In doing so, we seek to contribute to the modernization of gender roles—both in the workplace and at home—and prevent the reversion to antiquated, sexist norms about “a mother’s place.” Although Project Matriarchs adopts a gendered framing of this issue, we offer a solution inclusive of all caregivers. 

At Project Matriarchs, we match college students, many of whom currently have highly flexible schedules due to remote learning, with families to provide virtual academic support and/or mentorship to their child(ren). We pay our college students $15 an hour, while also maintaining our commitment to meeting every family they work with exactly where they are financially. Project Matriarchs offers this resource for free to anyone who needs it, and asks that anyone who feels comfortable contributing anything do so in the form of a regular donation that reflects an hourly rate that feels sustainable to them. This sliding scale payment model, in addition to external fundraising, enables Project Matriarchs to subsidize this resource for families that cannot afford an hourly rate of $15, which has helped us reach families that have been excluded from the existing alternatives, most of which are prohibitively expensive for many families at the moment. 

We are currently focusing the majority of our time and energy on fundraising as we take on more families that are unable to pay the $15 an hour we have committed to paying our tutors. Currently over 60% of our families are paying between $0-$10 an hour, 44% of them paying nothing at all. We are desperately wanting to keep our service running so that those who need the most support are able to access it. To show Project Matriarchs’ impact we wanted to share a few things parents have said to us. One response we received from a mom was particularly encouraging: “Our Project Matriarchs tutors are lifesavers who have brought back the joy of learning to my kids. I can tell how excited my daughter is anticipating her tutoring session because nobody really pays attention to her in public school.” Another mom wrote to us, “My son is so much happier with this service.” Lastly, another mom reported “For the past 2-3 years, I have been struggling to find my place in the working world. I can only juggle so many balls, given my personal situation, and this lifestyle is daunting. For me, having Project Matriarchs step in & help with my kids' education opens up the possibilities in life. I can continue my job search, target companies a little farther afield (there aren't any employers in my neighborhood), go on interviews without worrying that my kids are alone in the world. I'm deeply appreciative to you for helping me!”

To continue our service through the school year, we are looking to raise $65,000 to support the 150 families we are currently supporting and also provide backup for the growth in the next few months. To note, neither of us are taking salaries so any donations will go directly to lower-income families who aren’t able to pay the $15 an hour. Any donation would be so gladly appreciated and immensely helpful. 

Warmly,

Pilar and Lola

Due to our fiscal sponsor, the San Francisco Public Health Foundation, all donations are tax deductible.

501(c)3 Tax ID: 94-3117093

Address: 1 Hallidie Plaza, Suite 808, San Francisco, CA 94102

Contact: Penny Eardley (Executive Director) Tel: (415) 504-6738 x 101