Washington Area Women’s Foundation’s mission is to foster a powerful wave of philanthropy to improve the lives of women and girls through: 

• Expanding and leveraging women’s philanthropy;
• Increasing social change philanthropy in our community;
• Providing grants, operational resources and technical assistance to local organizations; and,
• Serving as a regional voice for women and girls.

Accomplishments

Impact, innovation, and inspiring others have fueled our key accomplishments.  In the past 10 years, we have…

• touched the lives of more than 300,000 women and girls;
• created Stepping Stones, the first comprehensive regional initiative to improve the economic status of low-income, women-headed families.  Since 2005, Stepping Stones has helped women in our region collectively increase their assets by $17 million, helped more than 500 women gain new or better jobs, and moved more than 100 women into homeownership;
• catalyzed our region’s first giving circles, which have invested more than $200,000 in the health and leadership development of young women and girls;
• partnered with 116 Grantee Partners throughout the Washington metropolitan area and invested more than $600,000 in building their capacity through training and operational support;
• become one of three women’s funds out of 90 nationwide to grant more than $1 million in 2006, and have been granting more than $1 million per year ever since; 
• trained thousands of women and leaders throughout our community, through the Leadership Awards Program, giving circles and philanthropic education, to learn about local needs and opportunities to give back;
• led the two-year collaboration of more than 200 community leaders, which resulted in the 2003 groundbreaking report A Portrait of Women & Girls in the Washington Metropolitan Area; and,
• engaged more than 3,000 corporate, foundation and individual donors.