Statement from Prosperity Together Regarding President Obama’s FY17 Budget

Posted on February 10, 2016February 10, 2016 by WAWF

Statement from Prosperity Together Regarding President Obama’s FY17 Budget

Nonpartisan, National Coalition of Women’s Foundations Strongly Supports President Obama’s Budget Provisions Expanding Opportunities for Women and Working Families

Prosperity Together, a nonpartisan coalition of public women’s foundations from across the country announced today its support of the investments outlined in President Obama’s Budget to expand opportunity, promote equality and build economic stability for women and working families in America. These efforts include: expanding paid leave, promoting equal pay for equal work, enforcing worker protection laws, increasing the minimum wage, supporting women-owned businesses, creating pathways to high-growth jobs and ensuring access to quality, affordable healthcare, housing and early care and education.

Prosperity Together applauds the President’s continued commitment to community-based solutions that partner government with philanthropy and corporations to create pathways to economic security for low-income women in America.

“In our region, Washington Area Women’s Foundation serves as the only donor-supported, public foundation solely focused on improving the economic security of women and girls,” said Jennifer Lockwood-Shabat, president and CEO of Washington Area Women’s Foundation. “We commend the President’s leadership in taking a number of steps to expand opportunities for women and families, which will have positive ripple effect across entire communities. We believe that when women are strong, communities are strong.”

This year, Washington Area Women’s Foundation awarded $820,000 in grants to 22 local nonprofits dedicated to improving the economic security of low-income women and girls in the Washington metropolitan region. This grant docket follows the collective funding commitment of Prosperity Together and will reach more than 4,000 women and girls in the region, potentially increasing their collective assets and incomes by nearly $4.5 million over the next year alone.

About Prosperity Together

Prosperity Together is a nonpartisan coalition of public women’s foundations from across the country dedicated to improving the economic security of low-income women and their families. On November 13 at The White House, Prosperity Together announced a five-year, $100 million funding commitment to invest in programs and strategies that will create pathways to economic security for low-income women in America. Prosperity Together demonstrates the critical role and power of women’s foundations to drive this work in communities, state by state, across the country. For more information, click here.

About Washington Area Women’s Foundation

Washington Area Women’s Foundation is a DC-based public foundation dedicated to mobilizing our community to ensure that economically vulnerable women and girls in the Washington region have the resources they need to thrive. Learn more about The Women’s Foundation’s mission to transform the lives of women and girls, the Washington region, and the world by visiting us online, on Facebook or on Twitter.

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Resource – Issue Brief on the Power and Potential of Women’s Philanthropy in the Washington Region.

Posted on December 19, 2015December 20, 2015 by WAWF

On December 17, Washington Area Women’s Foundation released our latest issue brief: The Unprecedented Power and Potential of Women’s Philanthropy in the Washington Region.

Our research has lead us to some remarkable conclusions and suggests that turning the corner on poverty for women and girls in the Washington region is within our grasp.

The key is understanding the challenges disproportionately faced by low-income women in building economic security and tapping into the unprecedented giving potential of female philanthropists in the Washington region.

About one in five women and girls in the Washington region lives below or near poverty. At the same time, however, women in the region have gained and will continue to gain more wealth than ever before. The report estimates that the collective net worth of women in the Washington region is more than $253 billion! If women in this region with a net worth of $5 million or more contributed just one-tenth of one percent of their wealth to philanthropy they could collectively invest at least $45 million—more than enough to reach the nearly half million women and girls living below or near poverty in the region.

During this season of giving, and throughout the year, we encourage you to learn how you can engage in philanthropy (both big and small) to help us close this gap and ensure that all women in our region have the opportunity to thrive.

Read the entire issue brief, here.

Pay It Forward

Posted on November 10, 2014February 4, 2015 by WAWF

One of my favorite books is “Pay It Forward” by Catherine Ryan Hyde which was then made into a movie starring Haley Joel Osment, Helen Hunt and Kevin Spacey. Unfortunately, as is so often the case, the movie did not do the book justice. But, what can you do…Hollywood!

The storyline is that the thirteen year old protagonist, Trevor McKinney, is given an assignment by his social studies teacher to devise and put into action a plan that will change the world for the better. His plan — called “Pay It Forward” — is based on the networking of good deeds. He does a significant favor for three people, and then asks each recipient of a favor to do an equally significant favor for three others rather than paying the favor back to the person that did it for them. This notion of “paying it forward” has become a well-known meme but it begs a question about the notions of “paying back” and “paying forward” that have really interesting implications for philanthropy.

Looking at patterns of giving, we see that some of the highest philanthropic giving goes to churches, alma maters, etc. People feel very connected to places that have helped shape their lives in some way and are thus compelled to support them when they have the means. This kind of giving, while important and meaningful, really is about “giving back.”

Now, think about how the concept of “paying it forward” plays out in philanthropy.

There is a point in the story where Trevor believes that his experiment is a failure because it doesn’t catch on the way he had hoped. But in the book, as in life, we see that while paying back can offer more immediate results (we have that more direct connect between the benefactor and the beneficiary), paying it forward takes much more time and much more faith that our act of kindness — or in the case of philanthropy and generosity — yields what we hope it will: someone whose life has changed in a way that compels and allows them to do the same for others.

This pay it forward model of philanthropy is really what the work of The Women’s Foundation is about. But it takes a leap of faith, which is hard to do. We already know that our churches and schools have helped us – we experience first-hand the impact on our own lives that these institutions have had. But how comfortable are we in making an investment in something that is often very much outside of our own experience, and/or will take time to yield dividends? Like the stock market, social change and pay it forward philanthropy is about the long-game. But also like the stock market, for those who are patient and willing to take some measure of “risk” by believing in the potential of something they have not yet seen come to pass or experienced, there is the opportunity to see incredible returns. It is clear that when you invest in the power and potential of people, the impact can be profound.

If you have any doubt about the power of “paying it forward,” just read Catherine Hyde Ryan’s book. And next time you think about your philanthropy, ask yourself – are you paying back, or can you be bold enough to also pay it forward?

We March On: Diversity, Unity & the March on Washington

Posted on August 27, 2013 by WAWF

On Saturday morning, I joined a group of colleagues, our family members and friends to create a Washington Area Women’s Foundation contingent for the 50^th anniversary celebration of the March on Washington. Despite the early hour (I am not a morning person), I was excited and enthusiastic about being able to participate in such an historic event. As we approached the National Mall, it was clear that the excitement and enthusiasm were shared by the many, many other activists who were also there. And as we convened around the reflecting pool to listen to the speakers lined up for the morning’s rally, and had the chance to look around at those with whom we were sharing space and purpose, I was struck by the diversity that surrounded me. Yet, the audience, issues and messages from the speakers created a bizarre contradiction. On many levels we were marching on this day for many of the same rights and issues that our foreparents marched for 50 years before us – equality, access to jobs, etc. Yet, it was apparent that this was not the same movement as it was then. The increased visibility and vocalization of issues affecting women, LGBTQ, Asian American, and Latina/o communities, etc. was a clear indicator that while we have not come as far as we would like, the past 50 years have been significant in creating the space and voice for people from so many different communities to come together to be recognized and heard.

But despite the camaraderie and energy that was with us all, there were two noticeable voids for me. The first was the absence of the power, passion and clear purpose that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. brought to the original march with his “I Have A Dream Speech.” I don’t think that in the 50 years since the original march, there has been any speech quite so profound as his, nor any speaker as moving. I own that perhaps it isn’t a fair expectation, because people like Dr. King don’t come along every day. But even to replay that speech and remind us all of that power, passion and purpose, would have elevated the day that much more to me.

The other thing that I struggled with was that even in the diversity of the communities represented on Saturday, I still felt a siloing of communities and identities. I felt we were missing something – that sense of underlying unity. That thing that transcended race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, class…that thing that made us all brothers and sisters in a movement for humanity overall. That thing that reminded us that we could not divide the essence of our being into artificial buckets of race, sexual orientation, gender, etc. And that our communities and identities were not distinct and separate, but inextricably linked. I was missing that call to action that said without a collective vision, a collective movement, and a recognition that if any one of us gets left behind, it means all of us fall behind, we would be here 50 years from now fighting many of the same battles. Despite the absence 50 years ago of some of the diverse voices that were present on Saturday, I think that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was able to capture that vision for the future that saw us all sitting around a community table with a shared sense of our value for who we were and what we brought. And a recognition that the problems that we are solving require solutions that reflect the intersections of our communities and identities.

I walked away from the march with mixed emotions for the reality of our country today – appreciation, sadness, frustration, drive, disappointment, and hope. What I wish I had gotten from the podium is that feeling that we were here together because, in the words of Dr. King: “Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. This is the interrelated structure of reality.” And so, we march on.

National Coming Out Day: The Beginning of a Journey

Posted on October 11, 2011 by WAWF

We talk about “coming out” like it is a single act or event. But coming out, and being out, is not a destination; it is a journey. It is a series of moments, of choices, of tests and challenges about being true to oneself. Coming out, and being out, is about owning your value, and owning the validity of your relationships and your family despite the people and systems that tell you that there is something wrong with you, that you are less than; or, that you are tolerated, but still don’t deserve the rights and privileges of everyone else. It is about deciding how vulnerable you make yourself in routine discussions with a neighbor, the insurance company, or the hair dresser. These are the little moments of revelation that most people take for granted, but they can have significant implications.

Like everything, changing attitudes take time. We are seeing change come at an amazing rate: same-sex marriage in Washington, DC, the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. There are definitely achievements to be celebrated. The journey is much less fraught than it once was for some; but for others, it is still perilous. And all too often, it comes down to a matter of resources. If one can afford the legal process, one’s relationship and family can be protected. With the benefit of choice in employment, one can choose to work for an employer that does not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation. Economically self-sufficient women (and men) have more security in coming out of heterosexual relationships because they are not bound to, or dependent on, the financial security and benefits those relationships provide in the current environment. Finally, coming out for young people in un-accepting families can mean homelessness and exposure to dangerous situations because they don’t have a safe space to go once they have come out.

As we celebrate National Coming Out Day, I also want to remember that coming out is just the beginning of the journey. There is a lot that we need to do to ensure that the journey is a safe and fulfilling one for travelers brave enough to embark upon it.

Nicole Cozier is the philanthropic education officer at Washington Area Women’s Foundation.

A History of Women's Philanthropy

Posted on March 23, 2011 by WAWF

In the spirit of the theme of this year’s Women’s History Month, “Our History is Our Strength,” I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the history of women’s philanthropy specifically, since it is a particularly important part of our organization’s history.

The relationship between women and philanthropy has evolved significantly over the past 250 years. Starting in the 1800s, women began aligning their philanthropy with their volunteering – a model that persists today. Early on, many women chose to donate their time to aiding soldiers and their families during times of war and disasters. Providing assistance to widows and children – especially the poor – began to grow in popularity in the 19^th Century and wealthy women were devoted volunteers and donors to these efforts. Typically, however, women’s giving was usually tied to their husbands’ or family’s wealth and was more about “charity” and meeting the needs of the “less fortunate” than addressing the sources of those inequities.

The 1960s brought a significant amount of change and activism around civil rights and anti-war ideologies, changing the face of engagement, volunteering and activism in profound ways. In the 1970s, a number of organizations developed for and by women emerged; organizations that also started to challenge the status quo. At the same time, women were moving into the workforce and sought higher education as a means to better their economic and intellectual standing. Their power to gather together and promote women’s issues and interests increased and their desire to fund their own movements was a powerful motivator. As the late, great Audre Lorde said: “The master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house.” Being in control of their own resources was a critical piece of this model for change.

Women’s Philanthropy Today

Today, women own one-third of America’s private businesses and control more than 51 percent of the wealth in the United States. Among the nation’s top wealth holders, 43 percent are women, according to the Treasury Department.

No longer having to rely on spousal or familial resources, women with increased access to personal resources stepped into philanthropy with gusto. A recent study of women’s philanthropy found that women give 3.5 percent of their wealth compared to 1.8 percent for men and that single women are more likely to give to charity than single men. Women also tend to be the decision-makers in their family philanthropy (both individually and for family foundations). Given this, it is probably not surprising that both married men and married women are more likely to donate than single men.

The Six Cs

But not only are women giving more… they bring a new giving paradigm to their philanthropy. Sondra Shaw-Hardy and Martha Taylor – gurus of women’s giving – developed the six “C”s as a way to summarize women’s motivations for giving. These characteristics of women’s giving have been fundamental to the way that women give as individual donors, and in the development and operation of women’s funds.

#1: Create: Women want to create new solutions to problems. They like to be entrepreneurial with their philanthropy.

#2: Change: Women want to use their money to change the community. They want their giving to make a difference. They’re less interested in providing unrestricted support to preserve the status quo of an organization or institution.

#3: Connect: Women prefer to see the human face their gift affects. They want to build a partnership with people connected with the project they fund.

#4: Commit: Women commit to organizations and institutions whose vision they share. They often give to an organization for which they have volunteered.

#5: Collaborate: Women prefer to collaborate with others as part of a larger effort. They seek to avoid duplication, competition and waste.

#6: Celebrate: Women want to celebrate their accomplishments, have fun together, and enjoy the deeper meaning and satisfaction of their philanthropy.

Sondra Shaw-Hardy says that this paradigm of women’s giving has had significant results that she sums up in three additional C’s:

Control: Women are taking control of their lives, their finances and their philanthropy.

Confidence: They have gained the confidence to become philanthropic leaders.

Courage: Women have the courage to challenge the old way of doing things and take risks with their giving to bring about change.

Ours is a rich history of giving, and one that has overcome many obstacles along the way, yet, what makes history useful, and not just an exercise in nostalgia, is how we use what we have learned to shape our future.

Today, we are in greater need of philanthropy than ever and most of us feel competing priorities about what needs our attention. The truth is, we need many more of our resources – our time, talent and especially our treasure – to meet the needs abroad, and right here in our own backyard. And like so many arenas, in philanthropy we are not fully leveraging the power and solutions that women bring to the table. History has taught us not to underestimate the talent and resources that women can bring to the table.

Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals

It is estimated that $41* trillion in wealth will be transferred to Baby Boomers over the next forty-five years. Women will stand to inherit 70 percent of this wealth. That translates to $28.7 TRILLION. Think about what we could do if we could harness even a fraction of that wealth and put it in the hands of critical change-agents in our communities!

My colleague Donna wrote a blog post where she shared the recent return on investment from out Stepping Stones Initiative (our $270,000 investment yielded returns of $5.9 million!) and challenged us to see what we could do with the Macy’s million dollar makeover. Taking that challenge one step further, I think about our foremothers who dared to have B.H.A.Gs – big, hairy, audacious goals – and I want us to set our sights even higher! $41 trillion…people! Just imagine!

Our history is indeed our strength. It has taught us so much and prepared us for this moment. How we step into it is up to all of us. Let’s do our foremothers proud!

*In the interest of transparency, this was the number quoted before the recession, I am not sure what the impact of the economic downturn has been on this estimate.

Nicole Cozier is the Philanthropic Education Officer at Washington Area Women’s Foundation.

A Conversation About Bullies, the Bullied & LGBTQ Teens

Posted on October 7, 2010 by WAWF

30suicide_337-span-articleLarge Last week, I wrote a blog post on the recent story about Tyler Clementi and other cases of bullying and cyber-bullying that have resulted in victims committing suicide. This blog was retweeted and posted on Facebook pages by friends and colleagues, generating some very provocative discussion over the weekend. My mind was reeling with all of the thoughts and questions evoked by these conversations, so I thought I would share them in this follow up blog.

Crime & Punishment

People’s responses to the case and the issue of what should happen to the perpetrators of bullying varied considerably including the following responses:

Someone thought that the perpetrators in the Tyler Clementi case should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law;
Someone else thought that the students who allegedly posted the secret footage of Tyler should not be stigmatized for the rest of their lives by what was seemingly a thoughtless, albeit mean, prank with unforeseeable and unintentional outcomes, that they deserved a chance for redemption; and
Someone even went a step further to posit that we had to accept bullying because it was a part of the natural order of human socialization, and in fact, in its verbal form was more desirable than the alternative – physical violence.

I struggle around the thought of what is the appropriate punishment in these situations. I hope that people who make mistakes in their youth have the opportunity to find redemption. After all, isn’t that part of the process of growing up? I talked last week about the importance of humanity. Perhaps the hardest part about humanity is that it is not a one-way virtue. I don’t believe for a second that the young man and woman who allegedly posted that video expected that their prank would lead to Tyler’s death. But the problem is that too often people don’t think about the consequences of their actions – intended or otherwise. To me, redemption is the goal, but it is impossible without responsibility and remorse. So I ask myself: What does justice look like within this frame of humanity? I don’t have a clue. Next question.

The Gender Question

If the case of Tyler Clementi was an isolated incident, we could conceivably chalk it up to a bad confluence of circumstances leading to a tragic outcome. But this is not the case. It has now been reported that Tyler Clementi is one of as many as NINE young men (ages 13-19) who committed suicide in the month of September as a result of anti-gay bullying! That isn’t even addressing other potential cases of (non-gay related) “bullycides.” There is DEFINITELY, something going on that needs our attention!

But it doesn’t escape me that all of these cases have been of young men. So, my other nagging question is: Is there a gender component to this that we are missing? All of the anti-gay bullying victims reported have been male. But we know that young LGBTQ women have been victimized by anti-gay bullying as well. We also have an equally long list of young women who have taken their own lives as a result of bullying – but often without explanation of the nature of the bullying. So I have to ask: How are our young women coping with anti-gay bullying? And for those young women that resort to suicide, that are the factors and issues of their bullying that lead THEM to this most extreme action?

It Gets Better

What Now?

So many questions still remain, not the least of which is: So what now? How do we move forward in finding some justice in these tragedies? And how do we learn from them to combat these incidences in the future, for our LGBTQ kids (both the boys and the girls), who are at increased risk for bullying and suicide, and indeed for ALL of our more vulnerable children?

We want to hear from you!

What do you think are the appropriate consequences for youth who are perpetrators of bullying, especially when it leads to the suicide of the victim?

Should anti-gay bullying be treated differently than regular bullying? Should they be treated as hate crimes?

What role is gender playing in this phenomenon of bullying? Anti-gay bullying?

And what is the responsibility of parents, teachers/school administrators and law enforcement to intervene in the cases where bullying is reported?

Let me know what YOU think on one or all of these questions!

Nicole Cozier is a philanthropic education officer at The Women’s Foundation.

Photo Credit: The New York Times

Image Credit: The It Gets Better Project, a YouTube channel where LGBTQ adults upload videos for gay teens to let them know their futures can still be bright.

Growing Up in an Age of Enlightenment & Ignorance

Posted on October 1, 2010 by WAWF

tyler-clementi My heart broke as I read about the story of Tyler Clementi this week, a freshman at Rutgers University who committed suicide after his roommate reportedly taped him in a sexual act with another man and broadcast the video live on the internet.

I can only imagine the isolation and helplessness he must have felt being “outted” in such a public and callous way, when clearly he was still struggling with his sexuality himself. But Tyler is not an isolated case. There are SO many victims of bullying whose stories never make it to the news. So, for every young person that has felt so powerless and without options that they believed the only way out was taking their own life, my heart breaks again and again.

And I can’t help but wonder what the heck is going on.

As I step back for a moment, I am amazed at the technological advancement even in my life time. I remember sitting with my dad as a kid, using a ruler to stay on track as I read off different combinations of 0s and 1s that he programmed into our clunky DOS home computer. Now, I can barely harness the power and capability of my laptop. And who would believe that the cell phone, which has become a virtual umbilical cord to so many of us (definitely for me), only emerged in the last 25 years! It is unbelievable how much the world has changed with this technology – how accessible and open it can seem with the right equipment. The shadow side of this is that humanity has not come nearly as far, and these invaluable tools can easily become weapons.

Bullying is by no means a new phenomenon. But, for too many, this technological boom has just enhanced the ability to humiliate, demean, and degrade each other. We can now do it better, faster and make the impact more far-reaching. With a simple mouse click – before there is time to even contemplate the consequences of one’s actions – information is irrevocably sent into the cyber universe or cellular network, changing lives in ways we could not even have fathomed. Ahh, the wonders of technology.

I honestly don’t know what to make of this paradox that we live in. Or of the persistent news of bullying, harassment and the loss of these young lives before they even really began – a phenomenon that is creating new language like cyber-bullying and bullycide. I am outraged at the intolerance that still abounds – homophobia, and just general fear and rejection of anyone “different.” All of this access to information, yet we still live in such ignorance so much of the time.

And I am humbled by the fragility of life and the sense of self that fuels it.

I know that there is a light…because I am not the only one that is outraged and heart-sick, and for that I am hopeful. But for Tyler’s family, and all of those families that have lost children, this is of little consolation. So for today, I think it is important to be heart-sick and outraged.

To Tyler, Asher Brown, Seth Walsh, Carl Walker-Hoover (all victims of anti-gay bullying), Kimberly Linczeski, Phoebe Prince, Maria Herrera, and all of the other young people who believed that the only reprieve from the bullying they endured came from leaving this life…

And to all of those kids who still endure their bullies in silence or isolation…

I am sorry we failed you. We owed you more. We owe each other more.

Really, all we have is our humanity. Let’s not lose sight of that in the blinding glare of our gadgetry and “advancement.”

Nicole Cozier is the philanthropic education officer at Washington Area Women’s Foundation.

Remembering Liesel Flashenberg

Posted on August 6, 2010 by WAWF

This week, we lost a beloved member of our community – Liesel Flashenberg. Liesel was a light and an innovator in the community, and with her husband, Daniel, blended community engagement, career development, and social entrepreneurialism together in the creation of Through the Kitchen Door.

Liesel Small Photo

Dedicated to empowering recent immigrant and low income adults and at-risk youth, Through The Kitchen Door designs training programs to enhance and support increased self-esteem, self-confidence, knowledge and skills. The hands-on cooperative training techniques create an aspirational environment encouraging and enabling healthy life choices, improved family stability, success in school, professional advancement and active community involvement. (To learn more about the programs of Through the Kitchen Door, please visit http://www.kitchendoor.org.)

Liesel was at the heart and helm of the organization since its founding in 1999 until news of a cancer diagnosis earlier this year shifted her priorities.

Through the Kitchen Door has been a long-time Grantee Partner of The Women’s Foundation’s, and Liesel a long-time hero. TTKD joined The Women’s Foundation Grantee Partner community in 2006 after receiving a grant from the Rainmakers Giving Circle to work with teen girls as change agents in their homes in creating healthy meals. In 2008, the organization was recognized with a Leadership Awards for its work and innovation in health and safety.

No one who has met Liesel can deny that she was a formidable force. She brought to her battle with cancer, the same fighting spirit that she brought to her work with women and girls in our community. Her passing is certainly a loss, but it is important not to let the passing of a community beacon dampen our spirits. Instead, let it ignite our actions. In Liesel’s honor, I invite you all to do the following:

Celebrate your achievements – even the little ones. In our efforts to make change, it is so easy to lose sight of the progress we’ve made. Life is too short and time too precious to lose sight of the wonderful work that people do each day in their own way. We must take the time to celebrate these.
Dare to dream! Like many labors of love, Through the Kitchen Door began out of Liesel and Daniel’s great adventure. The passion and daring to be bold and pursue our dreams is the life-blood of our community.
Finally, a request from Liesel herself – especially for those of you with young children or grandchildren: “HAVE MORE FAMILY MEALS. There is simply nothing more important.“

The tremendous impact of the work of Through the Kitchen Door means that though Liesel may be gone, she will never be forgotten.

Liesel, thank you for who you were and all you have done. We will miss you, but we all carry a little bit of your torch onward.

Grants for Organizations That Help Those Who are "Between the Cracks & at the Intersections"

Posted on October 23, 2009 by WAWF

Racism, classism, homophobia, oppression…diversity, cultural competency, inclusion, awareness…these are heady topics that have challenged (and frustrated) us as individuals, organizations, and a society for a very long time. While many in our country could never have imagined they would live to see the day when an African-American man would be President, systems of oppression and marginalization abound. We have come a long way in so many regards. But we don’t need to look very far to see that we still have a long way to go.

The Problem of Invisibility
“A Structural Analysis of Oppression,” a 2006 article by Sandra Hinson and Alexa Bradley, determined that as members of certain social groups, people usually experience oppression as one or more of the following conditions:

Exploitation
Marginalization
Powerlessness
Cultural Dominance
Violence

The piece, though a few years old, is an interesting, clear and concise way of framing these issues. You can read it here, and I recommend it for anyone interested in understanding these terms and concepts better.

Unfortunately, the stories of the women (and men) most adversely affected by issues of exploitation discrimination, oppression, and marginalization are buried between the pages of the newspaper, if they are reported at all – invisibility is the insult to this injury. Yet, there are organizations in our community working to do all they can to catch those that would otherwise fall through the cracks of “the system.”

Shine a Light On the Solution
This year, the Leadership Awards program wants to identify those organizations working tirelessly to continue moving the needle on these issues, shine a light on the critical work they do, and make these organizations and their work “front page news!” 10 organizations will win $10,000 each!

The 2010 Leadership Awards program invites you to help us shine a light on these champions within our community. Help us identify innovative or under-recognized non-profit organizations in Washington, D.C., City of Alexandria, Arlington and Fairfax Counties, VA; or Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties, MD working to positively impact the lives of women and girls from under-resourced, oppressed or marginalized communities (communities of women that all too often fall “through the cracks”), or through innovative work at the intersection of gender, race, class, sexual orientation, ability, etc. in their communities. If you want to learn more about how to nominate, click here for a copy of the nomination guidelines. Nomination forms are also available by clicking here. The deadline for nominations is November 3^rd, so act now!

Between the Cracks & At the Intersections… a seemingly simple expression for very complex and important work.