Our Mission

The Santa Monica Bay Woman's Club was organized in 1905 by Elmira T. Stephens with an initial membership of 88 women. It incorporated 1911. Three years later, the new club house was completed. The club members led very efficient fund raising and recruiting campaigns and by 1922 the original mortgage was fully paid off. By the 1950s, the membership had grown to 700, and the ladies were involved in numerous activities such as the Needlework Guild and the Well-Baby Clinic. Members also organized Red Cross activities, hosted USO parties for servicemen during WWII and supported the local community in many other ways. Today, over 100 years after the founding of the club, our membership has decreased significantly - most importantly on account of women joining the workforce. But we still try to play an important role in our community as supporters of charitable organizations and cultural events and by providing a place for social gatherings for women of all ages.

What We Do

According to our bylaws, the purpose of our club is "the advancement in all lines of culture, education, welfare, service and civic affairs". We organize cultural programs for our monthly meetings, support local charities and sponsor grants and scholarships. Our benefit parties are a lot of fun! Some of the many organizations and schools we helped in the past were Santa Monica High School, Santa Monica College, the Rape Treatment Center, the Salvation Army, Sunlight Mission, Operation Smile, Heal The Bay, K9 Foundation, Santa Monica Firefighters and WISE. However, our most important role is to give our members a home away from home, a place where they can meet other women and form friendships to share life's wonderful and also its sorrow moments.

Club Activities

Our scholarship fundraisers include luncheons, bridge and canasta games. We hold parking lot sales, cookie sales and fundraisers to support other charitable and non-profit organizations. We invite speakers on all kinds of subjects and also are open for social gatherings and activities both during the day and in the evenings.