Virginia

Arlington fire department sets the bar for female-friendly environments.

Posted on by Lisa Kays

In a cool semi-related follow-on to yesterday’s story about how more low-income women aren’t gaining access to our region’s financial boom because they’re not job ready, we see an example of how a fire department in our area is taking pro-active strides to make its work environment female friendly.

The Arlington County Fire Department just opened the first firehouse in our region that is "gender neutral," creating individual sleeping and showering spaces.  Cool.

Just for a bit more context, the Arlington fire department was the first in the nation to hire a woman as a professional fire fighter.  Today, nearly 10 percent of its firefighters are women.

Makes you wonder if they’re in cahoots at all with Prince George’s County’s female fire department employees, with their "hour of power" and talk of vision to victory. 

For it seems that Arlington certainly isn’t lacking in any vision around developing female friendly environments in departments that aren’t traditionally considered career tracks for women.

FOGH: Advice for today's young women.

Posted on by Lisa Kays

For some inspiration for your Friday, I can’t help but sharing a blog post I recently found on Friend of Guest House’s blog about advice that women would give to the young girls of today if they had the chance.

The women writing are speaking from some serious life experience, and a fair amount of hard knocks, which makes their words of wisdom all the more compelling and touching.  Just a few excerpts:

First, I would talk to them about putting themselves first and that they should not worry about other people. I would like to talk to them about boyfriends and explain that they do not need a boyfriend or partner in their lives to fulfill their needs. Also, going through a through a rebellious/"party" time to have fun is not necessary and does not make you COOL. None of it is worth it…I’d like to explain how important it is to look out for themself, that if anyone asks or tells you to do something they need to think of the consequences before you do it. Life is not worth using the "stinkin thinkin" mode (stupid thinking)."  –age 21

I would express to them that it’s never to late to turn your life around – no matter how many bad decisions you’ve made. Overall, try your best not to make any bad decision that result in hurting yourself or your love ones. –age 32

I would want to tell them how important it is to get a good education, that sex and relationships can wait. –age 34

I would like to talk about other addictions that are not drug related, such as money addiction. People do not realize that spending money on clothes and other material items can be just as addictive as drugs. They need to understand that needing and wanting a material item is not always the best choice. Personally, I understand the feeling of wanting something at that moment, but until you work for that item, you never really appreciate it for its full value. I would say that Money Addictions are very real and that there are many people with the same problems and they are not alone. To get Therapy and to find out how to re-train you mind into not getting the money for a expensive item, until you have worked for it. –age 36

The women at Friends of Guest House are working every day, with the support of the guest house staff and each other, to change their lives.  For more on the advice they have for young women and their individual journeys, visit their blog.

Friends of Guest House is a Grantee Partner of The Women’s Foundation.  Get connected.

Grantee Partner reflects on the value of technical assistance.

Posted on by Karen Horowitz

I’ve been working with Washington Area Women’s Foundation for a number of years in my role as director of development and volunteer services at one of their Grantee Partner organizations, Alternative House. 

As I prepare to leave this position and take on a new one with Mothers Against Drunk Driving, I couldn’t help but reflect on what the partnership with The Women’s Foundation has meant for the development of Alternative House as an organization, and for my professional development as well, over the years. 

I have really enjoyed working with The Women’s Foundation.  I have benefited from some very valuable Grantee Partner workshops, got to attend the Leadership Luncheon last year (which was very powerful), and wrote and received an Open Door Capacity Fund grant. 

The Women’s Foundation is a wonderful resource for nonprofits like us.  I am grateful for all that they have done. 

One of the workshops I attended was on communications, specifically communicating with the media.  One of the presenters was a former reporter who now runs a communications consulting company.  She helped us see into the mind of the reporter and the tactics they use to get the information they need on deadline, and gave us tips for responding to reporters so we can ensure our facts are right and we maintain our credibility.

A few weeks ago, a staff member at The Women’s Foundation reviewed our corporate statement.  The suggestions were invaluable.  We have since redone the statement, presented it to our board last week and received good feedback from them. 

The help from The Women’s Foundation really made a tremendous difference for us!

Karen Horowitz was formerly the director of development and volunteer services at Alternative House, a Grantee Partner of The Women’s Foundation.  Currently, she is the development officer for the Virginia chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

Early childhood education finds advocates in unusual places.

Posted on by Vera Steiner Blore

Access to quality early childhood education is finding articulate advocates in unusual places, including voices from the Federal Reserve Bank. The economic argument for investing in quality early childhood education has been soundly made by Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis researcher Art Rolnick in the working paper, A Proposal for Achieving High Returns on Early Childhood Development.

In addition, on September 24, 2007, the Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank, Ben Bernanke, talked about the importance of investing in early childhood education in his remarks on education and economic competitiveness in a speech to business leaders at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. He noted that, “ the payoff from high-quality pre-school and home visitation programs is likely very high, especially for children born into poor or otherwise disadvantaged families.”

On March 5, 2008, Jeffrey M. Lacker, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, spoke to Fairfax Futures’ business and foundation partners about the importance of investing in early childhood education.  Lacker noted, “Human capital is critically important to economic growth at the state or metropolitan level. Therefore, the more skilled the workforce, the more rapidly the economy grows.” Lacker went on to say, “The close relationship between skills and growth, combined with compelling evidence that early childhood education leads to better educated, more highly-skilled adults, is what makes the case for early childhood education so strong for me.”

Washington Area Women’s Foundation President Phyllis Caldwell participated in the event.  The Women’s Foundation is a strong supporter of Fairfax Futures’ efforts to engage the business community as advocates on this issue.

Vera Steiner Blore is executive director of Fairfax Futures, a Grantee Partner of The Women’s Foundation.

FOGH: Think outside the box on formerly incarcerated women.

Posted on by Erika Freund

When you think about female-ex-offenders, what is the first thought that comes to your mind? When you think about prison, how do you feel?

I ask you to take an open-minded look at these women in a new blog, Friends of Guest House – Different Perspectives from Different Women.

Friends of Guest House is a residential program that helps women who are being released from jail or prison.  If women are not provided this chance, then what’s the alternative?  

Working with them every day, I see the challenges that they face and am constantly in awe of their strength.  I developed this blog to give each woman who comes through Friends of Guest House an opportunity to educate the public on who they are and share their stories.  I want them to have a voice.  Every woman who comes through the Guest House is extraordinary and unique. 

These women are survivors with real stories who are working every day to make changes and become productive members of society.  This blog allows them to be expressive and take part in something productive and thought-provoking as they undertake that journey. 

For most of these women, this is the first time in their life someone has given them the opportunity for expression and the possibility of helping someone else. 

So this blog will explore many questions that revolve around the stigmas associated with female ex-offenders, the fallacies of incarceration and the struggles that women face through re-entry within any community.

I want to challenge readers to be open-minded and not judgmental of where these women have been.  I want them to be curious to know how these women end up where they are, and socially aware and supportive of where they want to be.

Women have unique life experiences. They occupy different familial and social roles.  As a result, they enter prison in more dire emotional, physical and economic circumstances than men do.

Most often, women are reactive to their situations and are convicted of "poverty crimes," such as drug possession, intent to distribute and check fraud.  It is rare for a non-violent female offender to be a threat to any community.

The Guest House is a Grantee Partner of The Women’s Foundation, and assists women when they are released from jail or prison.  The Guest House provides temporary housing for women who are in the need of basic human services to facilitate their new start in life and adjustments to the community at large.

The program at Guest House is designed to empower the women by providing the tools necessary to achieve self-sufficiency, including housing, food, individual and group counseling, as well as assistance with employment, medical, legal and social services. Guest House offers its services to women who sincerely desire assistance when released from confinement and to women who seek an alternative to incarceration.

You can hear the voices of these women here.  And I’ll be back here periodically to provide summaries and updates on the progress of the women and the work of Friends of Guest House. 

Over the past few months, the Guest House has implemented a new Community Outreach Program. The focus is to reach more women and children in the community who need assistance. The Guest House wants to be a different type of organization, one that creates social awareness and change.  Due to limited funds, social service organizations have a selective criterion regarding the population they serve.  We do not want to have to turn a woman away who is in need of basic assistance, even if it is just for a day.

Friends of Guest House was featured in the 2007-08 Catalogue for Philanthropy as "One of the best small charities in the Greater Washington region."  Charities were selected for "excellence, innovation, and cost-effectiveness–and for what they can teach us about the extraordinary ways that philanthropy works."

Erika Freund works at Friends of Guest House, splitting her time between Community Outreach and Case Management.

The Women’s Foundation supports Friends of Guest House and other nonprofits that are changing the lives of women and girls.  Want to be a part of paving new pathways for women throughout our region?  There’s a place for everyone at The Women’s Foundation.  Find yours today.

Tell us how you'd invest $5,000 in our community.

Posted on by Lisa Kays

Bummed that the writer’s strike meant no Golden Globes this year?  Miss the glitz and glamor of the red carpet?

Well, we may not have glitz and glamor, but we do have an awards process for you!  And this time, you’re invited to be part of the academy…the academy of social change!

It’s our way of rolling out the red carpet to you!

Visit us from February 1-15th and vote for the 2007 Leadership Awardee that you think stands to make the greatest long-term impact on the lives of women and girls in our region. 

It’s the "People’s Choice of Philanthropy" and it’s all about social change–long-term, true change in social structures, institutions and processes that permanently address the root causes that foster inequity.

We’ve got eight outsanding organizations that are all doing effective, life-changing work for women and girls in the area of health and safety for you to learn about, choose from and then vote on. 

The 2007 Leadership Awards Committee has already done the leg work for you, researching and interviewing organizations, going on site visits and engaging in serious deliberations to get to this pool of eight outstanding awardees.

Now it’s your turn to weigh in on an even tougher decision–which among them stands the best chance of contributing positively to the women and girls in our community.

Get a head-start here, and then come back in February to cast your vote!  As we’ve learned before, saying no to get to the yes vote isn’t always as easy as one might think, so do your research, get ready, and vote!

The organization that receives the most votes will win an award of $5,000 in addition to their $10,000 Leadership Award–all a result of you using your voice for social change!

And if you would like an email reminder to come back and vote, or if you’d like more information about how to be a part of the 2008 Leadership Awards Committee, just drop me a line at lkays@wawf.org.

For more information, view the press release.

What's the state of (women's) philanthropy in our region?

Posted on by Lisa Kays

Washington Grantmakers just released its annual giving report, "Our Region, Our Giving 2007."

I haven’t had a chance to look over the whole report yet, but I did have a chance to steal some stats from their blog.

It seems that investing in the Washington metropolitan region is taking off, even if Newsweek is talking up giving globally this week.

According to the annual giving report, in our area:

  • National foundations have more than tripled their investments in our region, with $1.5 billion today compared to $407 million in 1992;
  • Local foundations are investing 63% of their philanthropic dollars in this region – a significant rise from only 46% fifteen years before; and,
  • The assets of the region’s community foundations have grown from $31.5 million to $412.5 million.

Nothing to shake a stick at.

And just to round it out, here are some figures on how the philanthropic landscape looks in our region when seen through a gender lens–from our 2003 Portrait Project.

  • Women-led foundations oversaw more than $141.2 million in giving in 2001.  However, analysis of 12,000 grants made in 2003 by the top 100 foundations showed that of the $441 million in grants paid, only $30.7 million–or 7%–went to women’s and girls’ programs (a trend still reflected nationally as of 2006).  Of those, only about half went to organizations in the region.
  • Only 2.86%of grants made by foundations formed between 1996 and 2003 in the Washington metropolitan area currently with assets of at least $1 million went to women’s and girls’ programs.
  • Women lead 28 percent of the largest foundations established in the region since 1996.
  • Women play a significant role in the management of the top 100 foundations, directly leading 34 of them and serving on the boards of 85 in 2003.

Now, I know you’re wondering…where does Washington Area Women’s Foundation fit into all of this after being around for nearly a decade?

Washington Area Women’s Foundation:

  • is the only donor-supported public foundation in the region that works to improve the lives of low-income women and girls and to increase philanthropy by all women (i.e. 100% of our grantmaking is devoted to improving the lives of women and girls).
  • The Women’s Foundation currently provides more than $1 million annually in grantmaking devoted to women and girls in our region.
  • Since 1998, The Women’s Foundation has provided more than $4.1 million in grants to more than 100 outstanding Grantee Partners throughout our region, all working to change the lives of women and girls.
  • The Women’s Foundation is one of the fastest growing women’s funds in the country.

And that’s after just 10 short years.  Just imagine what we’ll do in the next 10. 

We’re more motivated than ever, particularly given the ever-increasing importance of focusing grantmaking, strategy, discussion and advocacy on the needs of our region’s women and girls. 

Because women and girls are worth way more than just 8%.  So, to make up the difference, we’re giving them 110% and growing, and changing the lives of everyone involved along the way.

What are women business owners contributing to our economy?

Posted on by Lisa Kays

Inspired by Roxana’s post on women entrepreneurs and the study Trinity University conducted for The Women’s Foundation about how to support them, I couldn’t help but click when I came across an article in the Jacksonville Times-Union called "Women mean business: $18 billion worth."

The article cited a study that showed how women-owned businesses in northeast Florida had made an $18.8 billion impact on the local economy and created more than 200,000 jobs.

The study was done similarly to the way that Trinity had done theirs in our area, and revealed some of the same findings.  Including how women just feel that they can do better on their own, rather than working for someone else.

The article states, "For some reason, [women] think they can do better on their own than somewhere else," said Gwen Martin, managing director of research at the Center for Women’s Business Research. "From these numbers, I’d say they’re right."

It all got me thinking more about the local statistics about women-owned businesses, and the power of investing in women entrepreneurs–and in programs that build their skills and help them step out on their own.

Programs like those found in the directory of women’s small business development that Roxana created with her students.

It got me to thinking about the status of women-owned businesses in our area.  From the Center for Women’s Business Research I learned that as of 2006:

  • In D.C.: There are an estimated 21,706 privately-held, 50% or more women-owned firms, generating $5.4 billion in sales and employing 20,667 people.  Between 1997 and 2006, the number of these firms in the District of Columbia increased by 52.3 percent and sales increased by 48.7 percent.
  • In Virginia: There are an estimated 243,756 privately-held, 50% or more women-owned firms, generating more than $42 billion in sales and employing 320,198 people. These firms account for 40.2 percent of all privately-held firms in the state.
  • In Maryland:  There are an estimated 210,751 privately-held, 50% or more women-owned firms, generating more than $32 billion in sales and employing 223,760 people. These firms account for 41.2 percent of all privately-held firms in the state.

Not too shabby, particularly when you consider the challenges that women face in developing a small business, and particularly low-income women like those featured in the Trinity study.  The challenges cited include access to start-up funding, credit issues, lack of business knowledge and training, time constraints, family commitments, health insurance and a fear of failure.

Given that, it would make sense then that one of the study’s most important questions would be why a woman, and particularly a single, low-income woman without another breadwinner in the home, would even attempt it. 

The study found the following answer, "…As minority low-income single mothers, they are more likely to have experienced difficulties and disadvantages in the labor market. Inadequate income, lack of opportunities to build wealth and assets, insecure jobs, little opportunity for advancement, poor working conditions, and conflicts with supervisors appeared to encourage these women to consider self-employment as a more desirable option than their existing wage employment…"

Trends that sound similar to those expressed in a recent DC Women’s Agenda post on the challenges facing women wage earners in Washington, D.C.

Then there are the Portrait Project‘s findings that throughout our region, women earn less than their male counterparts with the same level of education, due largely to the fact that women are crowded into fields that offer lower wages and fewer benefits.  Nationally, for instance, 23 percent of women are in administrative support roles (compared to 5.4 percent of men) and 17 percent of women are in service jobs (compared to 11 percent of men).  When women do hold professional or managerial jobs, they earn from $12,000 to $16,000 less than their male counterparts.

So it may be that women are feeling that they can do better on their own because, by and large, they can–particularly for low-income women looking at jobs that don’t provide stability, security, insurance or paid leave.

The risk of starting a business may seem small in light of the potential reward of succeeding.

And given the statistics about women-owned businesses in our area, it certainly seems as though investing in their success has a similar risk/reward ratio and is highly likely to pay off. 
 
As the Times-Union article stated, "We can reduce that stress so they can get on with the rest of their lives, whatever their dreams might be."

Learn more about how our Stepping Stones initiative is helping women in our area fulfill their dreams–from owning their own business to advancing in a secure career.  And how you can get involved!

From Texas to Tchad to Takoma, investing in women works.

Posted on by Lisa Kays

Becky Sykes, Executive Director of the Dallas Women’s Foundation, wrote in the Dallas Morning News last week that when you help a woman, there’s a ripple effect.

Spoken like a true international development specialist, often quoted as saying, "To educate a woman is to educate a family," or other statements that tie the welfare of women to the welfare of families, and, by default, entire communities.

But Sykes accurately ties this accepted aspect of work developing communities abroad to the work of women’s foundations operating in communities throughout the U.S. 

Because the same principles that apply internationally to developing communities and the status of women also apply here at home, even if they are harder for us to see. 

Sykes writes, "International development studies and projects have shown time and again that an investment in women – more than any other – is the fastest and surest way to affect an entire community.  Here in North Texas, we often mistakenly assume that the needs of women and girls are not as critical as in other, less fortunate communities. What a dangerously incorrect assumption."

Sykes notes the realities that make this true for Dallas, and our region is no different.  Our Portrait Project has shown that in the Washington metropolitan area:

  • Women-headed households, especially those headed by single mothers, suffer disproportionately from the region’s growing poverty.  In the District of Columbia, 30% of women-headed families live in poverty – above the national average and the highest in the region.
  • Women still earn less than their male counterparts. In Fairfax County, where the discrepancy is largest, men’s annual median earnings outpace women’s by $18,700. 
  • In 2000, in the District of Columbia, women-headed families at the median income ($26,500) could afford to buy only 8% of homes in the city. Many families are faced with childcare expenses that consistently exceed earnings. For example, the estimated cost of childcare in Montgomery County for an infant and a preschooler is $15,329, more than one-third of the median income for women-headed families in that county.
  • Despite the improvement in the rates of teen pregnancy, communities in our region still lag behind in infant-mortality rates, a key indicator of healthy pregnancies. The District of Columbia and Prince George’s County have the highest infant mortality rates in the region.
  • The District of Columbia has a higher incidence (new cases) of AIDS among women than anywhere else in the country. The rate of new AIDS cases among adolescent and adult women in the District of Columbia is 10 times the national rate.

As Sykes explains, " When you see women in trouble like this, it is often an early warning signal of deeper, growing problems. Because, just as helping a woman has a ripple effect, so does letting her sink into poverty and disenfranchisement."

Luckily, there is another side to this story, one of communities coming together to invest in programs and work that supports women, lifts families out of poverty and creates stronger cities, neighborhoods and regions for all of us. 

And when they do, the level of impact and transformation they achieve can be astounding.

That’s the work of foundations and funds like The Women’s Foundation that are operating throughout the country and world. 

As Kofi Annan, former Secretary General of the United Nations has noted repeatedly, "Study after study has taught us that there is no tool for development more effective than the empowerment of women. No other policy is as likely to raise economic productivity, or to reduce infant and maternal mortality. No other policy is as sure to improve nutrition and promote health—including the prevention of HIV/AIDS. No other policy is as powerful in increasing the chances of education for the next generation."

Just as these problems are not unique to countries and communities abroad, neither are the solutions.  The power of Investing in women is a principle that is just in true in Mauritania as it is in Maryland. 

Ready to invest in the single most effective strategy for improving your community?  If you’re in the Washington metropolitan area, learn more about The Power of Giving Together.

Elsewhere, visit the Women’s Funding Network to find a women’s foundation or fund near you.

Fall doesn't have to mean a child care crunch for parents in Fairfax.

Posted on by Lois Kirkpatrick

In Fairfax County, more babies are born in August than at any other time of the year. Working parents who added children to their families this summer face tough choices this fall. 

Will they be able to find child care that will allow both parents to go back to work?

“More than one-fourth of mothers who don’t work say the reason is that they can’t find good or affordable child care,” says Judith Rosen, director of the Fairfax County Department of Family Services’ Office for Children.

The Office for Children runs the Child Care Assistance and Referral program, which helps families find and pay for child care. This free service gives parents information about 2,100 providers who have state licenses or county permits to care for children in their homes, and more than 300 licensed child care centers. The Office for Children ensures that child care providers with county permits have met the health and safety standards required by Virginia law.

In Fairfax County, 56 percent of households with children 12 years-old or younger have both parents working outside the home. The demand for child care continues to grow as a result of the county’s low unemployment rate and high cost of living. Among children from working families, 73 percent are regularly cared for by someone other than a parent.

“Parents without dependable child care can become worried and distracted employees who, despite their best efforts, end up repeatedly missing work or dropping out of the workforce altogether,” Rosen says.

The Office for Children helps reduce employee stress by helping parents find care for their children.

For more information about child care providers in Fairfax County, call the Office for Children at 703-449-8484, or search the online database.

Lois Kirkpatrick is the Marketing & Strategic Analysis Manager for the Fairfax County Dept. of Family Services Office for Children. 

Do you have something to say about child care, or other issues impacting women, and particularly low-income single moms, in Virginia?  Join Washington Area Women’s Foundation for a Voice and Vision Forum in Fairfax County, Virginia on November 16.  Come learn about the impact Stepping Stones is having on women’s lives in Northern Virginia and throughout our region, and offer your take on how we can best shape its second phase–with a focus on child care and the health and safety of women and girls.