What is Cinnamongirl?

Cinnamongirl is a nonprofit leadership development organization founded in 2003 in Oakland, CA. We serve high-achieving girls of color ages 8–18 through a year-long program that combines social-emotional learning, mentorship, writing, and travel. Our theory of change is simple: when a girl belongs to herself first, she can lead anywhere. Everything we do is built around that.

Who is Cinnamongirl for?

Cinnamongirl is for Black and Brown girls ages 8–18 who are full of potential, but often the only one in the room. The only girl of color in their classroom, their friend group, their team, their neighborhood. They are doing the unfair work of growing up in spaces that weren’t designed with them in mind. Cinnamongirl is where she gets to leave that behind and just be herself. Where she finds her voice, builds her confidence, and develops the skills to lead.

Our families are deeply committed to their daughters’ growth. They work hard to provide access and opportunity, but they know that success alone isn’t enough. They are looking for a village of like-minded families who share their values and want their daughter surrounded by girls who look like them.

Is Cinnamongirl specifically for Black girls, or all girls of color?

Our curriculum, our facilitators, our content, and our community are all centered on the experiences of Black girls—particularly those navigating predominantly white academic spaces—and we welcome all girls of color who feel supported and empowered by that mission and environment.

Does my daughter have to attend a certain type of school to participate?

No. Cinnamongirls attend public schools, private schools, charter schools, and homeschool environments across the Bay Area.

What does a typical program year look like?

We host welcome events for families in September. The program runs October through May, with a break in mid-December through the new year. Girls meet bi-weekly on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of the month for two-hour sessions in the East Bay. The year is structured in three phases: building community and belonging (fall), deep identity and self-trust work (winter), and voice and leadership development (spring). Sessions are held in age-based cohorts—elementary, middle, and high school.

What is the Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) component? 

Our social-emotional learning curriculum is facilitated by licensed therapists and PhD candidates from The Wright Institute. Sessions are built around the real experiences of high-achieving girls of color—topics like navigating identity in white spaces, managing the pressure of excellence, understanding their body and how it's changing, building and protecting healthy friendships, and developing practices for emotional regulation and self-trust. 

Do you have a writing program?

Yes, Write Your Story is our writing program where girls develop their voice through creative writing. Girls work with accomplished women writers in group sessions and with a 1:1 writing coach throughout the spring semester. Each year, a selection of work is published in our annual anthology—making our girls real, published authors.

What is Big Sister/Little Sister?

Big Sister/Little Sister is Cinnamongirl’s mentorship program. Every girl who participates is matched with a younger Cinnamongirl to mentor and an older Cinnamongirl or alumna to mentor her—so your daughter is both a Big and a Little Sister at the same time. (The exception is our elementary school Cinnamongirls, who will have a Big Sister only.)

From there, we ask families to coordinate a monthly get-together or call between their daughter and her Big or Little Sister. Participation is optional, and we want the families who join to be genuinely ready to commit to it.

What is Travelgirl and how does it work?

Travelgirl is our optional travel program where we take girls traveling around the world. Every cohort has its own experience: elementary school girls go on a 3-night regional camping trip in February, middle school girls take a 5-night domestic trip in March/April, and high school girls travel internationally for two weeks in June. Last program year, we took our elementary schoolers to Loma Mar, CA, our middle schoolers to New Orleans, and our high schoolers to Paris and Morocco!

Travel is an earned experience with an additional cost beyond the annual cohort fee—families fundraise toward the trip through our Network for Good platform, and we provide a structured payment schedule to make it manageable. Girls who opt in to Travelgirl participate in pre-departure meetings starting months before the trip. If you're interested, email travelgirl@cinnamongirl.org and we'll keep you informed as details are confirmed.

What is the attendance expectation

We take attendance seriously because the sisterhood only works when girls show up for each other. We ask that families commit to attending at least 8 sessions and communicate in advance when their daughter cannot attend. Consistent absence affects a girl's ability to build the relationships that make this program meaningful.

How much does it cost to participate?

The annual cohort fee is $550 for the 2026–2027 program year. This covers all bi-weekly programming from August through May. It does not include the optional travel programs. 

Is financial assistance available?

Yes. We are committed to ensuring that no girl is turned away due to financial constraints. If the cohort fee presents a barrier for your family, please email inspired@cinnamongirl.org to discuss your options. Requests are handled confidentially.

How can I get my daughter involved?

To get your daughter involved, simply fill out our interest form. Each June and July, we host recruitment events where you can learn more about Cinnamongirl and how your daughter can join the next program year, which begins in September and runs through May.

After attending a recruitment event/information session, new Cinnamongirls participate in group interviews with a member of our team at the end of July and beginning of August. These low stakes interviews give us a chance to get to know you and your daughter better, and share more about Cinnamongirl to ensure it’s the best fit for you and your family.

What is the application process?

Step 1: Complete our New Cinnamongirl Interest Form so we can get to know your future Cinnamongirl and keep you updated about recruitment (ongoing)

Step 2: Attend a virtual information session in June and July so you can get to know Cinnamongirl (June and July)

Step 3: Your daughter will participate in a small group interview with other new Cinnamongirls her age so you can decide if Cinnamongirl is the right fit for her (end of July/beginning of August)

Step 4: Pay cohort fees and submit onboarding paperwork to officially enroll your daughter in Cinnamongirl (mid August - September 1)

Is there an application deadline?

We will conduct interviews at the end of July/beginning of August. To be guaranteed an interview and invitation to join Cinnamongirl, you must attend an information session. Applications from families who do not attend an information session will be considered on a rolling basis and are not guaranteed an interview. However, we understand that summer is a busy time for everyone and we appreciate clear communication, so if you have a conflict with our recruitment timeline, reach out and we’ll see if we can work around it.

How many girls do you accept per cohort?

Each cohort is limited to approximately 30 girls to preserve the intimacy of the experience. 

Is there a waitlist?

Yes. Applications from families who are unable to attend an information session will be considered on a rolling basis, space permitting. If your family is on the wait list when our cohorts fill up, we will let you know. If a spot opens up after September 1st, you’ll be notified and invited to enroll. If we’re not able to accept your daughter this year, we will keep you informed throughout the year about our events, and you’ll be the first to know when recruitment starts again in the summer.

When will we hear back about enrollment?

After attending an information session, we will invite your daughter to participate in a group interview and acceptance emails will be sent mid-August.

What's the best next step for our family? Complete our New Cinnamongirl Interest Form, then attend a virtual information session in June and July! It's your chance to meet the Cinnamongirl team, hear about the program year, ask every question that didn't make this list, and get a feel for whether this is the right community for your daughter. There is no commitment required to attend.