Our SWEET Project
Trans colors heart with bubbled words “SWEET” and “Calico Culture Strategies” in white
What does SWEET stand for?
Small business
Workshops to
Employ &
Empower
Trans women
Why do we need SWEET?
Trans women, especially women of color and queer femmes of color have a hard time getting jobs that treat them well and pay them fairly. Lack of economic security can hinder queer women and femmes’ access to basic needs. We look to address economic insecurity and lack of access to queer-friendly employment by equipping employers with the understanding, knowledge, and commitment to action they need to become more inclusive.
By increasing the number of employers able and willing to hire, retain, and foster the careers of queer women and femmes, this pilot workshop will create and provide access to increased economic and social security and stability for the target population.
Although some programs exist addressing employers’ readiness to hire and support trans women, there is a lack of accessible programs for businesses focused on queer women of color. With over 34,000 employer establishments in San Francisco alone (US Census, 2020), there is a clear opportunity to equip employers with the right skills.
#fundSWEET
Contribute now to Get SWEET with us.
We aim to raise funds through:
“Fund SWEET” fundraising campaign Nov 30 - Jan 30: $2,000
Grants & Professional Associations: $20,000
Workshop participant contributions: $3,000
To sponsor, Book a call by emailing “fundSWEET” to calico@calicoculture.org and we’ll help you explore options and how you can double your impact with donation matching through your workplace.
How much is this SWEET deal?
We’re not just repackaging our tried and true programs (link to workshops), we’re building this program with our best practices from our 18+ years of experience plus research from the ground up. This means our pilot will cost real money to develop, and it will also mean that future workshops we hold will cost a few hundred dollars per participant.
Workshop participants will have:
Tools for practical bias reduction
Easy policies to support queer inclusion
Time to practice difficult conversations in a welcoming environment
One-on-one coaching to get specific questions and issues answered
Bay Area small business resources to help sustain the work
All this goodness packed up into a two hour jam-packed session takes more than a few dollars, well more like ~ $25,000.
Here’s our math:
Workshop Development & Assessments (47 hrs): $10,810.00
New workshop cartoons (10 cartoons): $ 706.52
Workshop Facilitation (2 facilitators, 2.5 hrs): $ 1,150.00
Workshop Program Management: $ 1,840.00
Virtual Workshop Materials/Tools: $ 628.60
Participant consultations (40 hrs): $ 9,200.00
GRAND TOTAL: $ 24,335.12