Washington Area Women's Foundation

Call for Presenters for Stepping Stones Research Briefing

Do you have compelling new research findings about what helps low-income women raising children achieve economic security and financial independence? Would you like to share them with the community of Washington Area Women’s Foundation?

If you answered yes to these questions, please consider presenting your research at the annual Washington Area Women’s Foundation Stepping Stones Research Briefing, scheduled for the morning of Friday, May 20, 2011, at The Urban Institute in downtown Washington, D.C.

Stepping Stones is The Women’s Foundation’s multi-year initiative focused on increasing the economic security and financial independence of low-income, women-headed families in the Washington metropolitan area. The Stepping Stones Research Briefing provides an opportunity for The Women’s Foundation and its partners to learn about the latest research that can inform their work supporting this population.

This is the sixth year that The Women’s Foundation and The Urban Institute will co-sponsor the research briefing. The first five briefings each drew an audience of more than 100, including representatives from community-based organizations, funders, government agencies and research institutions.

If you are interested in presenting this year, please submit an abstract of your research and findings (no more than 1,000 words) to Peter Tatian at The Urban Institute by 5:00 pm on Friday, March 18, 2011.  Abstracts should make clear how the research is relevant to issues facing low-income, women-headed families and those who are working to assist them.

This year, we are particularly interested in abstracts related to how best to re-imagine/re-engineer this work in light of the new economic reality, including submissions on:

  • Improving housing security for low-income women with children through approaches that help sustain homeownership (including foreclosure prevention) or support renter stability.
  • How best to help prepare women for in-demand jobs in the expected economic recovery.
  • Effective policies and practices that have increased access to affordable, high-quality early care and education.
  • Successful approaches to building income and assets in the current economy, including through public benefits and work supports, including child care and transportation.

Presenters will be selected by March 31, 2010.

Copies of all presentations, as well as audio recordings of the entire event, will be posted on The Urban Institute’s web site after the event.  Presentations from last year’s research briefing can be found here.

Questions: Address them to Peter Tatian at The Urban Institute or Gwen Rubinstein at The Women’s Foundation.

Even if you don’t have research to present please do save the date so you remember to join us!