About the Foundation & the Women Behind It
Strong With Mom is a nonprofit providing scholarships, education funding, and community support that help single mothers build stable, financially independent futures.
Our Why: A Personal Mission
Every Friday, Rebecca, Orange County native and single mother of two, would buy three lottery tickets: one for herself and one for each of her daughters. Together, they’d dream up what they would do if they won. Maybe they’d build an indoor roller rink in their dream house… or start an alpaca farm high in the mountains.
Rebecca's dream never changed. She wanted to create scholarships for single mothers, women working hard to build a better future through education.
After years of juggling multiple full-time jobs while raising her children, Rebecca eventually built her own bookkeeping business from the ground up. But the road there was not easy.
“There were nights I’d come home, press the garage door opener… and nothing would happen. That sinking feeling meant I’d been too late on the electric bill again. I’d take the kids to Grandma and Grandpa’s for a sleepover, or pretend we were camping in the dark house. I tried to make it fun, even when I was scared.
My family became my village. Because of them, we had a home. My kids could play sports. They had clothes for school. I was able to keep jobs that supported my education and take classes that helped me climb toward financial independence.
Even with that help, it was the hardest season of my life: emotionally, physically, mentally, and financially. I know there are so many women out there who don’t have the support system I did.
That’s why I started this foundation: to help single, working mothers achieve independence and financial freedom. This is my chance to be part of someone else’s village.”
“When a mother succeeds, her children inherit that strength.”
Our Founders and Team
Mom
Rebecca Montgomery is a Southern California native who earned her degree in Literature with a minor in Philosophy from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. After college, she returned home and spent years working in college bookstores while building her family. She raised her two daughters as a single mother from the time they were very young. Determined to create stability and opportunity, she later joined her family’s general contracting business as a controller and went on to serve in additional controller roles before launching her own successful bookkeeping firm.
Through years of building businesses from the ground up, Rebecca developed extensive experience in startups, financial systems, and sustainable growth. She now brings that same entrepreneurial spirit and operational expertise to this foundation. Inspired by her own journey, she founded the scholarship program alongside her daughters, who proudly serve as co-founders. Together, they are committed to helping single mothers pursue education, strengthen their financial independence, and build lasting security for their families — because they have lived firsthand how powerful that opportunity can be.
Cassandra
Cassandra is Founder Rebecca's eldest daughter and cofounder of Strong With Mom, based in Rochester, NY. As eldest daughter to a single, working mom, Cassandra had to grow up fast. When Rebecca wasn't home, it was up to her to step up and keep the house running best she could. Cassandra and Rebecca had a strong relationship, though it was strained by the tensions of work life and the difficulties navigating being a single mother of two. It wasn't until Cassandra was eighteen that the two of them found the right flow with each other as teammates in their home and in their relationship to each other, and being isolated together over the COVID pandemic only deepened their bond. In her youth, Cassandra grew a love for storytelling via roleplaying games and dove head first into fantasy worlds. Through this love she grew a passion for writing. When she isn't building Strong With Mom, Cassandra and her partner are writing all hours of the day in hopes to publish in the near future.
Morgan
Morgan is the youngest of Founder Rebecca's two daughters and is cofounder of Strong with Mom. Growing up with a single mom so completely spent by making ends meet was tough, as she spent a lot of time alone at home with no way to emotionally regulate. For a long while, Rebecca and Morgan struggled to get along, butting heads as they sought to connect until Morgan was in her adult years and they began to find their way. After struggling with addiction, Rebecca and Morgan grew closer, finally coming together to heal and empower each other as they forge forward. Now, the two of them work side-by-side nearly everyday, and live just around the corner from each other. Morgan has always carried a love for not only teaching and helping others, but for learning. Her goal for the foundation is to create a better home life between kids and mothers, in order to reduce early-developmental stress and strengthen family bonds not only during childhood, but through all of life.
Katie
Katie has been friends with Rebecca and her daughters for several years and when she found out about their desire to start Strong with Mom, she knew she wanted to be a part of it. Although Katie did not grow up in a single parent home, her passion for supporting mothers runs deep. She believes that supporting and empowering a mother means supporting her children and a better future for them all. And she agrees that one of the best ways to do that is by helping mothers get an education. Katie, a graphic and website designer, has used her expertise to create the Strong with Mom logo and website. She hopes to be a part of Strong with Mom for many years to come.