Washington Area Women’s Foundation understands the significant stress we are collectively experiencing as a result of COVID-19, and we are deeply grateful for the way in which our community has stepped up to respond to this unprecedented public health crisis.
There’s no debating that women and girls are bearing the brunt of this crisis, from shouldering the majority of caregiving to being among the hardest hit by job loss. And for cis and trans women and gender expansive individuals of color, this impact is exacerbated by structural inequities that were in place long before this pandemic.
We are witnessing this play out in real time, every day, whether it is how Black, Latinx, and other people of color have been impacted by coronavirus or the ways in which smaller nonprofits—often led by people of color—have been left out of the recovery process, further marginalizing those who face the most vulnerability—cis and trans women and gender expansive individuals of color.
For over 20 years, Washington Area Women’s Foundation has invested in women’s economic security. We know firsthand the unique challenges facing women and girls and are equipped to invest in solutions. Thus, we created the Stand Together Fund in April, and identified two issue areas where there has been a dearth of funding, yet the need only grows each day—the safety of women experiencing violence, and the stability of frontline care workers.
Since its inception, the Stand Together Fund has supported:
• Critical services for women who have experienced violence and abuse, such as expanded hotline capacity and telehealth visits.
• Financial assistance for the caregiving workforce and organizations supporting them.
• Advocacy to ensure that women and girls of color are front and center in recovery discussions.
By making an investment in the Stand Together Fund, you are joining forces with the collective generosity of your neighbors, colleagues, friends, and family to ensure that women and girls are not forgotten.
Stand Together, So She Can Stand on Her Own.
Join Us.
To make a donation, click here, or contact
Emmy Torruellas, Vice President of Development, at etorruellas@wawf.org.
The first round of grants, which funded organizations that provide culturally specific support to survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence, totaled $100,000 and was awarded to the following organizations:
Since 1996, the Asian/Pacific Islander Domestic Violence Resource Project (DVRP) has provided services to survivors of domestic violence in Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia. It is an organization that was founded by survivors and continues to be survivor-led and driven. Our mission is to address, prevent and end domestic violence and sexual assault in Asian/Pacific Islander communities while empowering survivors to rebuild their lives after abuse.
dvrp.org
Our vision is that the day will come when all victims of domestic or inter-partner violence know that there is help the first time they are victimized and that there are no barriers to that help.
www.buildingbridges4u.org
Since 2003, CAFY has been in the forefront of servicing all survivors. Families affected by untimely deaths, domestic and sexual assaults, robbery, etc. can begin to reclaim their lives with the support of our case management team and our services. Our case managers are here to provide victims with recovery information and emotive support, as well as to help with finding and applying to other resources.
www.cafyonline.org
The DC Rape Crisis Center (DCRCC) is the designated sexual assault coalition for the District of Columbia. DCRCC is the oldest and the first rape crisis center in the country, and the only rape crisis center in the District of Columbia that has spent the past 46 years listening to the stories of survivors of sexual assault. In our 46th year, we are working to empower a culture of consent.
www.dcrcc.org
DAWN is a Trauma-informed, culturally responsive and transformative justice-based agency to provide multi-faced services to the survivors and the community: to understand and address power-based violence by providing direct services and education.
deafdawn.org
The Tahirih Justice Center is a national non-profit that has served over 25,000 courageous individuals fleeing violence since 1997. Our efficient, effective, and innovative model of service is now delivered from five locations, and we’re committed to serving as many immigrant women and girls as possible.
www.tahirih.org
The Safe Sisters Circle is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides free culturally specific, holistic, and trauma-based services to Black women survivors of domestic violence and/or sexual assault primarily living in Washington, DC's Wards 7 and 8.
safesisterscircle.org
Our second round of funding, with investments totaling $136,750, directly funded 336 female care workers – inclusive of family child care providers, early childhood educators, in-home health aides, and medical aides – throughout the region. We partnered with the following organizations to distribute these funds:
Bright Beginnings, Inc. is a nonprofit organization that operates early childhood and family learning centers for children and families experiencing homelessness in Washington, D.C. Our centers offer full-day, year-round, developmentally appropriate early childhood education services for children birth to five at no cost to their families.
bbidc.org
Home Care Partners is a private non-profit agency serving the Washington, DC metropolitan area. Our mission is to enable vulnerable people to remain in their own homes in comfort, safety, and dignity. We do this by:
- Providing comprehensive home care services.
- Training those interested in meaningful careers in the home care field.
- Supporting family caregivers.
We are committed to excellence; we embrace diversity; and we serve those in need with priority given to those unable to pay the full cost of care.
www.homecarepartners.org
Identity’s mission is to create opportunities for Latino youth to believe in themselves and realize their highest potential.
identity-youth.org
Infant Toddler Family Day Care (ITFDC) has been a trusted early child care and education resource for families in the Washington Metropolitan area since 1983. Since our inception we have worked to connect families with professional early child care educators who operate high quality family child care homes. Our program provides nurturing care and early childhood education to children in a family setting beginning at 6 weeks of age. We have expanded our services to include Child Care Aware of Northern Virginia, Workforce Development, and sponsorship of the USDA Child Care Food Program.
www.infanttoddler.com
LIFT is a national nonprofit organization that empowers families to break the cycle of poverty.
www.liftcommunities.org/…
Prince George's Child Resource Center (PGCRC) helps create healthy and nurturing environments for children by supporting their families and educating their caregivers. Each year, PGCRC provides family support services to over 1,500 families and training to over 2,000 child care providers, parents and human services workers potentially touching the lives of nearly half a million children since 1990. The organization conducts home visits, provides child development education, links families to community services, and provides adult education.
www.childresource.org
