Stand Together Fund

The Stand Together Fund was launched in 2020 to benefit women, girls, and gender-expansive individuals who have struggled severely throughout the pandemic and the ongoing fight for racial and gender justice.

WHAT WE DO

Women, girls, and gender-expansive youth of color are at a higher risk for safety concerns across the nation and, more specifically, in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia areas. Girls 16-19 years of age are 4 times more likely than the general population to be victim-survivors of rape, attempted rape, or sexual assault. In the District alone, 50% of women in DC have experienced physiological aggression perpetrated by an intimate partner; 39% have experienced sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner. During the pandemic, many agencies have seen an increase in need and a lack of resources to meet all of those needs. The intersectionality of identities such as gender and race calls for an approach that addresses these concerns, centers the needs of survivors and ultimately, eradicates these harmful experiences. 

We understand that there is an urgent need to invest in the safety of women, girls, and gender-expansive youth of color in our community, now more than ever. As part of our unwavering dedication to this cause, we have taken decisive action to support numerous organizations throughout the Washington metropolitan region through our Stand Together Fund. This initiative serves as a catalyst for fostering a safer environment for this vulnerable population.

Since 2020...

  1. We have granted flexible funding to 18 organizations dedicated to offering culture-specific survivor support and advocacy.

  2. We have provided direct financial assistance to more than 350 women of color and immigrant care workers, empowering them during challenging times.

  3. We successfully launched our #AskHerSeries, an interview series that spotlights influential leaders among local and national women and gender-expansive individuals of color, showcasing their remarkable power and impact.

Today, the Fund continues to support community safety and promote more flexible investments in violence prevention, supportive services, and advocacy.

"Had we not received funding from The Women’s Foundation, our organization would have faced a great loss to the essential support for the work that we do. There are limited resources for our demographic of beneficiaries of Muslim Women, and The Women’s Foundation is serving a dire need in our community that is essential for us to make an investment in positive change for generations to come.”
Somayyah Ghariani
Director, Ikram Foundation

OUR GRANT AWARDS

Round 1: Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence

During our inaugural grant cycle, we proudly invested a total of $100,000 in organizations dedicated to offering culturally specific support to survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence. We were thrilled to partner with the following organizations:

Asian-Pacific Islander Domestic Violence Resource Project

Building Bridges Foundation

Community Advocates for Family and Youth

DC Rape Crisis Center

Deaf Dawn

Tahirih Justice Center

The Safe Sisters Circle

Round 2: Care Workers

In our second round of funding, we proudly invested $136,750 to support 336 female care workers, including family childcare providers, early childhood educators, in-home health aides, and medical aides, all across the region. To ensure the efficient distribution of these funds, we partnered with the following organizations:

Bright Beginnings

Home Care Partners

Identity, Inc.

Infant Toddler Family Day Care

LIFT-DC

Prince George's Child Resource Center

Round 3: Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence

Our third round of funding includes investments in organizations focused on advocacy, safety, and the prevention of violence. Investments totaled $130,000 and was awarded to the following organizations:

ASHA for Women

Ayuda

District Alliance for Safe Housing

House of Ruth

Ikram Foundation

Rights4Girls

The Safe Sisters Circle

Silence Kills

Virginia Anti-Violence Project

Round 4: Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence

In our fourth round of grants, we continued our commitment to empowering survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence by awarding a substantial total of $105,000 to organizations that provide culturally specific support. These organizations include:

Asian-Pacific Islander Domestic Violence Resource Project

Building Bridges Foundation

Community Advocates for Family and Youth

DC Rape Crisis Center

Deaf Dawn

Tahirih Justice Center

The Safe Sisters Circle

Contact us

Are you interested in learning more about our Stand Together Fund?

Contact our Program Officer, Chika Onwuvuche!