New Grantmaking for Girls: A Two Generation Strategy

Posted on September 27, 2013July 15, 2015 by Nicky Goren

I’m excited to announce a new initiative that will expand The Women’s Foundation’s grants and impact in our community. As we move toward taking on a lifespan approach to our work, we are adding funding for programs working with middle school aged girls to our current grantmaking portfolio. We’ve just released our first Request for Proposals (RFP) for this work.

As you’ll see from the RFP, our goal is to fund innovative programs that work with both young women and their mothers or female caregivers, to establish economic security across generations — this is going to be a ground-breaking initiative!

Adolescence is an important time to build foundational skills, encourage positive choices and reinforce girls’ health and well-being. In our region, however, there are numerous barriers to success for adolescent girls:

Fifty-one percent of children in the District and 29% of children in Prince George’s County live below 200 percent of the federal poverty level.
The District’s drop out rate is nearly 40%, and 16% of Prince George’s students do not graduate high school in four years.
And DC and Prince George’s County have the highest number of births to teen mothers in the region (11.7% and 9.3%, respectively).

These statistics are also why our work will initially focus on Washington, DC and Prince George’s County — our research has shown that these are the areas of greatest need among women and girls in our region.

We’re using this new strategy as another stepping stone to achieving and maintaining economic security for women throughout their entire lives. We begin accepting proposals immediately, so please share the RFP with your network today. And I’ll be reporting back in the future about the outcomes of our work and the lessons we’re learning.

Nicky Goren is president of Washington Area Women’s Foundation.

What's A Million Dollars Worth?

Posted on March 22, 2011 by Donna Wiedeman

million dollars In case you haven’t heard, Macy’s is giving away a $1-million makeover to one lucky recipient. As fashion maven Clinton Kelly tells us breathlessly on the ads, the winner will get a chance to completely transform her life.

One million dollars. One person.

In the last year, through our signature Stepping Stones initiative, Washington Area Women’s Foundation invested $270,000 in job-training and asset-building programs run by local nonprofits that transform women’s lives. In that time, the 484 low-income mothers enrolled in these programs increased their income and net assets by $6.2 million. They’ve trained for and gotten jobs that pay living wages and health insurance benefits. They’ve started savings accounts. They’ve gone to college. They’ve bought homes. They’ve filed taxes and received tax credits when appropriate. Many have achieved economic security—all are striving for it.

The immediate economic return on our investment was 2196%. The human return is far harder to calculate. Nearly 500 women’s lives were transformed, as were the lives of their children, and in some incalculable way, their communities. What is that worth?

I suppose Macy’s one-million dollar investment will give them the return on investment they’re looking for—increased or continuing awareness of the Macy’s brand. One person’s life transformed.

Just think what the return would be if they gave that $1 million to Washington Area Women’s Foundation!

Donna Wiedeman is the Executive Assistant to the President at Washington Area Women’s Foundation.

Call for Presenters for Stepping Stones Research Briefing

Posted on February 1, 2011 by Gwen Rubinstein

Do you have compelling new research findings about what helps low-income women raising children achieve economic security and financial independence? Would you like to share them with the community of Washington Area Women’s Foundation?

If you answered yes to these questions, please consider presenting your research at the annual Washington Area Women’s Foundation Stepping Stones Research Briefing, scheduled for the morning of Friday, May 20, 2011, at The Urban Institute in downtown Washington, D.C.

Stepping Stones is The Women’s Foundation’s multi-year initiative focused on increasing the economic security and financial independence of low-income, women-headed families in the Washington metropolitan area. The Stepping Stones Research Briefing provides an opportunity for The Women’s Foundation and its partners to learn about the latest research that can inform their work supporting this population.

This is the sixth year that The Women’s Foundation and The Urban Institute will co-sponsor the research briefing. The first five briefings each drew an audience of more than 100, including representatives from community-based organizations, funders, government agencies and research institutions.

If you are interested in presenting this year, please submit an abstract of your research and findings (no more than 1,000 words) to Peter Tatian at The Urban Institute by 5:00 pm on Friday, March 18, 2011. Abstracts should make clear how the research is relevant to issues facing low-income, women-headed families and those who are working to assist them.

This year, we are particularly interested in abstracts related to how best to re-imagine/re-engineer this work in light of the new economic reality, including submissions on:

Improving housing security for low-income women with children through approaches that help sustain homeownership (including foreclosure prevention) or support renter stability.
How best to help prepare women for in-demand jobs in the expected economic recovery.
Effective policies and practices that have increased access to affordable, high-quality early care and education.
Successful approaches to building income and assets in the current economy, including through public benefits and work supports, including child care and transportation.

Presenters will be selected by March 31, 2010.

Copies of all presentations, as well as audio recordings of the entire event, will be posted on The Urban Institute’s web site after the event. Presentations from last year’s research briefing can be found here.

Questions: Address them to Peter Tatian at The Urban Institute or Gwen Rubinstein at The Women’s Foundation.

Even if you don’t have research to present please do save the date so you remember to join us!

Event: Measuring Success & Improving the Economic Security of Women-Headed Families

Posted on April 8, 2010 by Mariah Craven

An upcoming research briefing sponsored by The Women’s Foundation and the Urban Institute will take a look at how to help women-headed families survive the recession.

The economy is either still in recession or starting to coming out of recession, depending on whom you believe and what data you look at.

Unemployment is at historical highs in some places, including the District of Columbia.

Women-headed families have among the highest unemployment rates of all.

What does all of this mean for women-headed families in our region?

You can find out at the 5^th Annual Stepping Stones Research Briefing, co-sponsored by Washington Area Women’s Foundation and the Urban Institute. Stepping Stones is The Women’s Foundation’s multi-year initiative focused on increasing economic security and financial independence for low-income, women-headed families in the Washington metropolitan area.

This year’s briefing will feature two panels highlighting new ways to measure economic success and the role of public benefits and work supports in improving the lives of low-income, women-headed families. We have speakers from the Center for Economic and Policy Research, Wider Opportunities for Women, George Washington University, DC Fiscal Policy Institute, Save Our Safety Net, National Employment Law Project and HoltSolutions.

Please join our discussion on Friday, May 7, 2010, 8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., at the Katharine Graham Conference Center of the Urban Institute at 2100 M Street, NW, 5th Floor.

To RSVP, follow this link: http://www.urban.org/events/stepping-stone-brief.cfm
Hope to see you there,

Gwen Rubinstein Liza Getsinger Peter Tatian
Washington Area The Urban Institute The Urban Institute
Women’s Foundation

How Women Can Achieve Economic Security — Call for Submissions

Posted on February 18, 2010 by Gwen Rubinstein

Do you have compelling new research findings about what helps low-income women with children achieve economic security and financial independence – even in these difficult economic times? Would you like to share them with the community of Washington Area Women’s Foundation?

If you answered yes to these questions, please consider presenting your research at the annual Washington Area Women’s Foundation Stepping Stones Research Briefing, scheduled for the morning of Friday, May 7, 2010, at The Urban Institute in downtown Washington, D.C.

This is the fifth year that The Women’s Foundation and The Urban Institute will co-sponsor the research briefing. The first four briefings each drew an audience of more than 100, including representatives from community-based organizations, funders, government agencies and research institutions.

If you are interested in presenting at this year’s briefing, please submit an abstract of your research and findings (no more than 1,000 words) to Peter Tatian at The Urban Institute by 5:00 pm on Friday, March 12, 2010. Abstracts should make clear how the research is relevant to issues facing low-income, women-headed families and those who are working to assist them.

This year, we are particularly interested in abstracts related to how best to re-imagine/re-engineer this work in light of the new economic reality, including submissions on:

Demographic and economic conditions for women
Successful approaches to building income and assets in the current economy
The role of public benefits as income and work supports, including child care, transportation and worker training
Workforce development and emerging employment sectors
Early care and education
Health and safety, particularly as affected by social determinants (such as place, race, gender, age/aging)

Final selection of presenters will be made by March 31, 2010.

Questions: Address them to Peter Tatian at The Urban Institute or Gwen Rubinstein at The Women’s Foundation.

Even if you don’t have research to present please do mark your calendar to save the date and plan to attend!

Gwen Rubinstein is a Program Officer at Washington Area Women’s Foundation.

D.C. Government Slashes Funding for Some of the City's Most Vulnerable Women

Posted on October 5, 2009 by Kris Thompson

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.

Calvary Women’s Services was notified Monday, September 28, by The Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness (TCP) that contract funding for Calvary would be cut by nearly $75,000 beginning October 1st. These funds support safe housing and other services for 150 homeless women each year. TCP is an independent, non-profit corporation that coordinates DC’s Continuum of Care homeless services.

Calvary is one of many social service providers notified of cuts to their existing contracts. Emergency, transitional and supported permanent housing programs were all targeted as the city attempted to close an ever-widening budget gap. The impact of these cuts on the overall homeless services system is going to be severe, with some housing programs reducing their services and others likely closing programs.

Although these cuts may provide some immediate relief to the city’s budget problems, the real impact of the cuts will be felt by those in need of safe housing and support services. Women who have already lost their jobs in this economic crisis will have fewer services and housing options available to them. These cuts will make women who are already at-risk much more likely to end up living on the streets or in unsafe situations.

The women who come to programs like Calvary are survivors of violence, women struggling with mental illness, and women working to overcome addictions. At Calvary we make sure they have access to all of the services they need to address these challenges – in addition to providing a safe place to live.

We know that programs like ours work. Every five days a woman moves out of Calvary and into her own home.

We have always relied on the support of both public funding and private donations to make our programs possible. In the past, supporters have helped us close gaps like this one, and I am hopeful that the community will step up once again. But I am also concerned that this gap may be too wide for our generous donors to close.

The coming months will be challenging ones for organizations like Calvary, as we try to find ways to continue to provide women in this community with critical, life changing services. More so, they will be challenging months for women who need services like ours, as they face closed doors and reduced services at programs across the city.

You can make a difference. Support Calvary – or another agency facing these cuts – today.

Volunteer, donate or learn more at www.calvaryservices.org.

Kris Thompson is the Executive Director of Calvary Women’s Services, recognized as a 2009 Leadership Awardee by The Women’s Foundation. Learn more about them on their Web site or on Facebook.

Stepping Stones Research Update – September 2009

Posted on October 5, 2009 by Mariah Craven

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.

The following are excerpts of the research update. For the full update, including summarized key findings, click here.

Financial Education and Wealth Creation News
The median household income in the District of Columbia rose from $56,400 in 2007 to $57,900 in 2008, according to the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey; however, DC residents with the lowest levels of education saw their incomes fall significantly from 2007 to 2008. (Full text)

Jobs and Business Ownership News
One fifth of all families with children are headed by working single mothers. The families of single mothers have a high poverty rate – 28.3 percent. The persistent gender wage gap continues: in 2007, women who worked full-time, year-round earned only 78 cents for every dollar earned by full-time, year-round male workers. These findings suggest that a number of changes in policy and practice are needed to improve women’s earnings. You can read the details about these findings by clicking here.

Child Care and Early Education News
A new Child Trends research brief explores the issues that judges consider when making decisions about termination of parental rights (TPR) and adoption of foster children. Several judges reported that the absence of TPR limits the adoption recruitment efforts of the child welfare agency. Some judges report a need for more discussions with older children to explore and address their concerns about adoption. (Full text)

Health and Safety News
Today, there are about 1.1 million people with HIV/AIDS living in the U.S., including nearly 280,000 women. Women of color, particularly black women, are disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS. The impact of HIV on younger women is particularly notable – more than 6 in 10 new HIV infections among women were among those ages 13-39 in 2006. 76% of women with HIV/AIDS who were receiving medical care had children under 18 in their homes, which may complicate their ability to manage their illness. (Full text)

Other News and Research
The Urban Institute surveyed District permanent supportive housing (PSH) agencies and specific PSH projects. The research includes a look at how the District might move forward toward fulfilling its commitment to create 2,500 new units of PSH and eliminate chronic homelessness. (Full text)

Rebecca Roberts: Join me and my mom for lunch on October 20th?

Posted on August 21, 2009 by Rebecca Roberts

As journalists, my mom and I are often considered powerful women.

But we know that true power comes from much more than a job or a public voice. It stems from collective action and dedication to postive change–in ourselves, our families, our community and the world.

And that’s why we’re a part of The Women’s Foundation’s powerful wave of philanthropists helping improve our community through investments in women and girls.

So, we’re thrilled to be serving as this year’s luncheon moderators, along with emcee NBC4 News Co-anchor, Doreen Gentzler, and to help share The Women’s Foundation’s story of how investments in women and girls pay off infinitely in change within our community.

We hope you’ll join us on Tuesday, October 20, 2009 at The Women’s Foundation’s 2009 Leadership Luncheon from noon-2 p.m.

You won’t want to miss our annual community-wide celebration of the powerful women’s philanthropic movement in the Washington metropolitan area!

As always, the Leadership Luncheon will be preceded by the annual Community Briefing, which will feature an update on Stepping Stones–The Women’s Foundation’s groundbreaking initiative that is helping low-income, women-headed families escape poverty and create lives of financial independence and success.

Please join us at the 2009 Leadership Luncheon, where we’ll stand together as a proud community of philanthropists and activists helping to transform our community through investments in women and girls.

Rebecca Roberts is an award winning journalist whose work can be heard on Talk of the Nation, Weekend All Things Considered, and the Kojo Nnamdi Show. She is also a member of The Women’s Foundation’s Washington 100 and is co-chair of the 1K Club. Her mother, Cokie, is an award winning journalist, currently serving as a senior news analyst for NPR News and a political commentator for ABC News. Cokie is also a member of Washington 100.

Stepping Stones Research Update – July 2009

Posted on August 5, 2009 by Liza Getsinger

As part of our ongoing commitment – in partnership with The Urban Institute – to providing information and resources related to the goals of Stepping Stones, please find below a summary of recent research on issues of economic security and financial independence for women and their families. This research is summarized and complied for The Women’s Foundation by Liza Getsinger of The Urban Institute, NeighborhoodInfo DC.

Below are excerpts of the research update. For the full research update, including summarized key findings, click here.

Financial Education and Wealth Creation News

The National Council of Negro Women conducts a study to identify potential lending disparities in gender and race among African-American, Hispanic, and Caucasian borrowers, particularly as the foreclosure crisis spreads. (Full text)

Jobs and Business Ownership News

The Brookings Institution publishes research on the extent to which the recession has affected urban and suburban communities across the country and looks looks within the nation’s 100 largest metro areas to examine recent unemployment trends in their cities and suburbs. (Abstract) (Full text)

Child Care and Early Education News

A new Child Trends study commissioned by the Council of Chief State School Officers finds disparities between poor, at-risk children and more advantaged children as early as 9 months of age–extending prior research that primarily focuses on disparities at kindergarten entry and beyond. (Abstract) (Full text)

Health and Safety News

The Urban Institute identifies ways to reduce obesity using many of the same strategies used in the war against tobacco. (Introduction) (Full text)

Other News and Research

The Economic Mobility Project investigates neighborhoods and the black-white mobility gap, including whether neighborhood poverty in childhood impacts the ability of both black and white adults to move up or down the income ladder relative to the position their parents held and whether changes in neighborhood poverty rates experienced by black children affected their adult incomes, earnings, and wealth. (Abstract) (Full text)

Stepping Stones