About the Fund
Established in 2022, the Willa and Sienna Aylaian Higher Education Fund is an effort to ensure that underrepresented girls in Monterey County have the opportunity to enroll in higher education.
Willa and Sienna Aylaian
Willa Aylaian is a beloved artist who has lived in and painted scenes of Monterey County for over fifty years. In 1972, Willa began selling her paintings at shows throughout central California to fund her daughter’s college education during an era when girls were often advised to find a husband instead of going to college. When her son founded the home goods store Whittakers in downtown Carmel in 1989, Willa found a permanent home to showcase the paintings still displayed in this store today.
Now as the third generation of Aylaians continues the tradition of family artists, Willa –who is now in her nineties– and her teenage granddaughter, Sienna, have teamed up to establish the Willa and Sienna Aylaian Higher Education Fund at the Community Foundation for Monterey County. Together, this grandmother- granddaughter duo collaborate on art projects with proceeds of the sales going toward the fund to support scholarships for girls in Monterey County.
The Goal of the Fund
The goal of the Fund is to help ensure that future generations of Monterey County girls will have the opportunity to attend college, as Willa’s children and grandchildren have through Willa’s artwork.
Thank you for considering a donation to the Willa and Sienna Aylaian Higher Education Fund to support this vision.
Make a Gift
There are many ways to support the Willa and Sienna Aylaian Higher Education Fund.
- Donate directly and securely online:
- Send checks made payable to “Community Foundation for Monterey County” or “CFMC” with “Willa and Sienna Aylaian Higher Education Fund” in the memo line. Mail to: 2354 Garden Road, Monterey, CA 93940
- To make a gift of stock, IRA Qualified Charitable Distribution or other assets, please call the CFMC Office at 831.375.9712.
Donations to the Willa and Sienna Aylaian Higher Education Fund of the Community Foundation for Monterey County (CFMC) are tax deductible. The CFMC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Tax ID #94-1615897.