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Coalition for Women's Economic Development
Collection
URB.CWED
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Contributing Institution:
Special Collections & Archives
Title: Coalition for Women's Economic Development Collection
Creator:
Coalition for Women's Economic Development
Identifier/Call Number: URB.CWED
Extent:
17.96 linear feet
Extent:
8.53 Gigabytes
Date (inclusive): 1980-1999
Date (bulk): 1986-1999
Abstract: The Coalition for Women's Economic
Development was the first microenterprise development organization in Los Angeles and an
early leader in the field of microenterprise development within the United States. The
group's training and lending services initially focused on helping impoverished women become
self-sufficient business owners and expanded over time to include men and
low-to-moderate-income entrepreneurs. The
Coalition for Women's
Economic Development Collection
dates from 1980-1999 and documents the group's
activities and partnerships. The collection consists primarily of manuscript materials and
includes some photographs, news clippings, and video recordings.
Language of Material: English,
Spanish; Castilian,
Russian
The Coalition for Women's Economic Development (CWED) was conceived in early 1987 by a
steering committee of women activists who were investigating ways to provide business
development support for women. Beginning as a project of the Southern California Center for
Nonprofit Management in January 1988, CWED was incorporated as a 501(c)3 non-profit
organization in October of that same year with the mission "to help low-income women achieve
self-sufficiency through self-employment." With a focus on small-business owners, CWED was
the first microenterprise development organization in Los Angeles and one of the first in
the United States.
Utilizing funding from grants and donations, CWED offered Micro-Business Training Programs
beginning in 1989 and started issuing small loans through its Solidarity Circle Lending
Program in 1990. Using workbooks and class materials developed by staff, CWED's training
curriculum expanded over the years and covered topics such as bookkeeping, business start-up
and management, market research, and loan management. Beyond educating and providing access
to capital, the group aimed to empower and improve the self-confidence of their
participants.
The coalition also contributed to policy development surrounding street vending and
home-based business ordinances, assisted communities in forming their own microloan
programs, and set up relief funds for women-owned businesses that were affected by L.A.'s
civil unrest in 1992. Together with other organizations, CWED helped to establish the
Association for Enterprise Opportunity (AEO) in 1991, the California Association for
Microenterprise Opportunity (CAMEO) in 1992, and the Self-Employment Learning Project (SELP)
in 1992 which developed evaluation methods for monitoring the progress of microenterprise
programs across the United States.
In December 1995, CWED's Board of Directors voted to close its programming operations. The
management of their microloan portfolio continued through 1996 and in 1998, after 10 years
of incorporation, the Coalition for Women's Economic Development dissolved. The group
reported that while in operation more than 7,000 women and men in the Los Angeles area had
attended CWED's Business Orientation Workshop and more than 2,000 individuals had
successfully completed one of the training or lending series. Between 1990 and 1995 the
Coalition for Women's Economic Development disbursed more than $600,000 in loans to
microentrepreneurs across Los Angeles.
The
Coalition for Women's Economic Development Collection
documents the activities, programs, services, and policies of the first microenterprise
development organization in Los Angeles, California. The collection also reveals early
collaborative efforts within the field of microenterprise development during its inception
in the United States. The collection dates from 1980-1999, with the bulk of materials dating
from 1986-1999. It consists of three series:
Administrative Files
(1986-1999),
Programming Materials (1980-1996), and
Press and Promotional Materials (1989-1998).
Series I,
Administrative Files, is further divided into four
subseries. Subseries A,
Office of the Executive Director
(1989-1997), contains correspondence, memos, and announcements for board and staff meetings.
It covers the tenure of some, but not all who held the role of Executive Director during
CWED's operating years. Subseries B,
Meetings and Events
(1989-1996), contains agendas and minutes from board and staff meetings, retreats, and
various luncheons as well as some planning notes, photographs, and event programs.
Duplicative items may exist within the Board of Directors files. Subseries C,
General Administrative Files (1988-1999), consists of housekeeping
records such as employee forms, sample proposals, policies and procedures, as well as some
financial documents, licenses, and contracts. Fundraising resources, proposals,
correspondence, and reports are also included. Subseries D,
Affiliated
Organizations
(1986-1996), contains materials related to many of the organizations
with whom CWED cooperated. The nature of affiliation varies and may include programming
collaboration, contracted services, and/or funding solicitation. The files consist of
contracts, correspondence, financials, some meeting agendas and minutes, notes, proposals,
and reports depending on the organization and the nature of affiliation. Publications such
as brochures, newsletters, and annual reports are also included. All subseries within Series
I are arranged alphabetically by subject and chronologically within.
Series II,
Programming Materials, is further divided into four
subseries which follow the planning, delivery, and outcome of CWED's training and lending
services. Subseries A,
Program Development (1980-1996), consists
of publications such as articles, brochures, pamphlets, reports, workbooks, and videos which
likely served as resources for CWED curriculum planning and policy collaborations. Related
committee agendas, notes, and proposals are also included. Subseries B,
Workshop Materials (1989-1996), consists primarily of workbooks, forms, and
handouts used in CWED's training and lending programs. A small number of staff forms and
policies are also included, as well as outside resources for students and graduates.
Subseries C,
Student Materials (1989-1996), contains completed
workshop assignments, a portfolio of Solidarity Circle participants, photographs of students
at workshops and events, and a notebook which documents the status of students' loan
applications. Subseries D,
Statistics, Reports, and Evaluations
(1989-1996), is made up of various reports and surveys documenting the demographics
of CWED's students and borrowers; some of this information is seen in larger reports and
proposals to affiliated organizations. Also included are focus group notes and evaluations
intended to gauge and improve CWED's services. All subseries within Series II are arranged
alphabetically by subject and chronologically within.
Series III,
Press and Promotional Materials, primarily consists
of newspaper clippings and videos featuring CWED, its students, or related microenterprise
efforts. The series also includes awards and recognition presented to CWED along with the
coalition's official publications, such as its newsletter, press kit, promotional brochures.
Series III is arranged alphabetically by subject and chronologically within.
Series I: Administrative Files, 1986-1999
Subseries A: Office of the Executive Director, 1989-1997
Subseries B: Meetings and Events, 1989-1996
Subseries C: General Administrative Files, 1988-1999
Subseries D: Affiliated Organizations, 1986-1996
Series II: Programming Materials, 1980-1996
Subseries A: Program Development, 1980-1996
Subseries B: Workshop Materials, 1989-1996
Subseries C: Student Materials, 1989-1996
Subseries D: Statistics, Reports, and Evaluations, 1989-1996
Series III: Press and Promotional Materials, 1989-1998
The collection is open for research use.
Copyright for unpublished materials authored or otherwise produced by the creator(s) of
this collection has been transferred to California State University, Northridge. Copyright
status for other materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected
by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the
written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be
commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any
use rests exclusively with the user.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Mari Riddle. 09/16/1996.
For information about citing items in this collection consult the appropriate style manual,
or see the
Citing Archival Materials
guide.
Christine Hertzel and Inderdeep Kaur, 2015
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Maps
Documents
Photographs
Audiovisual materials