Manzanita Works: Growing Something Steady

Blog Post by Cayman Bentley, PVF Social Media Manager, adapted from the Manzanita Works 2025 Annual Report

Some organizations launch loudly. Others grow steadily, rooted in community and shaped by lived experience.

In their first Annual Report, Manzanita Works reflects on a year of meaningful growth — not just in programs, but in relationships, trust, and tangible support for essential workers across the Bay Area. Since 2022, Philanthropic Ventures Foundation has been proud to serve as Manzanita Works’ fiscal sponsor, providing the administrative infrastructure and financial stewardship that allowed their team to focus on building responsive, community-driven solutions.

As Mila Cavala, President and CEO of Manzanita Works, states in the annual report: “Ours is a broad and bold vision that was crafted over the years—through conversations, collaborations, pilots and projects. We have designed a model for collaboration that is unique and tailored to lived experience and local knowledge. Like the manzanita plant after which we are named, we have the capacity to support abundant life with adaptation to regional conditions. A myriad of challenges may interrupt many of us in our ability to show up for work, but when invited, Manzanita can work with you to navigate those challenges, close gaps, and build bridges in the form of community benefits.”

Their work is distributed across six portfolio areas, five of which attempt to address structural gaps that interrupt people in their effort to show up fully to work. Pain points in these arenas are felt acutely by the essential workforce: transportation, housing, family care, health and food security. Where one lives, how one commutes, what we define as wellness, how we care for family members, and where we access quality, affordable food can be difficult considerations that if ameliorated, go a long way to supporting our workforce. The sixth program area is crafting the “future-of-work”. Instead of being constrained by broken systems of today, this portfolio imagines collaborative ways to address the big unknown questions of the near future.

Reliable transportation isn’t just about getting from point A to point B. It’s about stability, dignity, and being able to show up fully to work and family life. Over the past year, Manzanita Works launched and deepened all five of its Transportation Portfolio program designs in some of the following ways:

• 167 Caltrain Pass Forward passes were utilized by essential workers, including educators across at least seven school districts.

• Through Essential Wheels®, 13 e-bikes were actively in use across seven jurisdictions, preventing over 20 tons of CO₂ emissions and saving participants an average of $139 per month — more than half of their previous commuting costs.

• Essential Express® secured approval and maximum funding from the San Mateo County Transportation Authority to deploy long-haul vanpools serving workers commuting more than 75 minutes to Redwood City.

• Essential Kicks™ launched to provide free non-slip workplace footwear for income-qualified service workers.

Participants consistently described the impact in practical and personal terms. One shared, “To have the support of Manzanita [Works] has made such a difference. The people are amazing, and it gives me such a life to have someone in my corner!”. Others spoke about improved mental health, meaningful cost savings, and a renewed sense of belonging. Those shifts — financial, emotional, and relational — are what real community investment looks like.

At the same time, Manzanita Works began looking ahead. As climate risks and wildfire threats continue to shape life in California, the organization deepened its work around community resilience and home hardening. Their Essential Tools™ program grew to 59 members across 17 communities, with more than 220 shared tools in circulation by year’s end, and strategic collaborations with regional agencies and public partners laid the groundwork for expanded wildfire preparedness and resilience efforts in the year ahead.

In August 2025, Manzanita Works received their federal 501(c)(3) nonprofit status and began preparing for independent operations. Throughout this transition, PVF has remained a committed partner — stewarding funds, supporting compliance, and helping manage programmatic expenditures across both sponsored and independent activity.

Fiscal sponsorship is most powerful when it gives emerging organizations the space to test bold ideas while maintaining strong governance and financial accountability. Manzanita Works’ first Annual Report reflects what’s possible when mission-driven leadership is paired with thoughtful infrastructure.

We are honored to have supported their journey and look forward to continuing our partnership as their impact expands.