This month, we invited our Grantee Partners to share some of their New Year’s resolutions with us.  Their passion and commitment to transforming the lives of women and girls and improving our community are evident in the aspirational goals they’ve set for themselves this year.

In today’s rundown: How DC’s sexual assault and domestic violence services will be affected by a budget shortfall. | Why Congress should pass the Paycheck Fairness Act. | Women’s role in Passover.

Equality and justice.  Of all the obligations that any elected official has, dedication to these guiding principles is most important.  As we all know, the push for equality among the genders is a struggle that has stretched for decades and centuries.  During the 20^th Century, we saw the failure of the Equal Rights Amendment in the 1980s, even as protections for civil rights and voting rights were enshrined in the law nearly twenty years earlier.  Equality and justice had been secured for all of us when classified by race or ethnicity, but those laws were silent on gender.  As citizens, we all have an obligation to continue to strive for girls and women to have the same opportunities that boys and men have long enjoyed.

In today’s rundown: The impact education has on local employment. | A new bill in the City Council could bring fresh fruits and vegetables to some of D.C.’s poorest neighborhoods. | And a look at how to address the under-representation of women in U.S. politics.

Days after the District made the shocking announcement that $20 million had been cut from the homeless services budget for the 2010 fiscal year, advocates and organizations that provide shelter for the homeless are still reeling. One of The Women’s Foundation grantee partners is reaching out for help – as winter approaches and the organizations that assist the homeless face a crisis.

We’ve partnered with The Urban Institute to provide continuing information and resources related to the goals of Stepping Stones. Below you’ll find a summary of the latest research on issues of economic security and financial independence for women and their families. This research is summarized and compiled for The Women’s Foundation by Liza Getsinger of The Urban Institute, NeighborhoodInfo DC.

A report released by CFED (Corporation for Enterprise Development) today provides more evidence that the economic security and mobility of a growing number of District residents is suffering in the absence of policies that help them to build and protect assets.

Today is Car Free Day, an international event celebrated every September 22nd that encourages people to leave their car at home.  Our region signed on last year and is participating again this year.

The DC Women’s Agenda has completed an analysis of the funding levels of particular programs in the FY 2010 DC budget and their impact on women in D.C.

Nearly 19 years ago, I was a fragile teenager faced with some very tough and grown-up decisions.  I was pregnant and confused and had very little support.  To many, this was no shocking news, and the negativity associated with teenage pregnancy and me were the expectations of many.