Washington Area Women's Foundation Awards $400,000 To Help Low-Income Women and Girls Most Hurt by Recession

New Grants Bring Annual Grantmaking to $1.1 Million

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Doorways for Women and Families will teach homeless women in Arlington how to budget and cut their debt. Montgomery College Foundation will create a training program for family day care providers who care for low-income children. Manna Inc. will help some 4,000 District homeowners avoid foreclosure.

Those are three of the 15 new grants to local nonprofits approved by the Board of Directors of Washington Area Women's Foundation during its June meeting. The new grants bring The Women's Foundation's annual grantmaking to $1.1 million, much of which comes from donations from local middle-class and affluent women who want to help less fortunate women and girls.

"These new grants will help some of the most vulnerable women in our community who are truly struggling in this recession," said Phyllis Caldwell, president of Washington Area Women's Foundation. "This investment will help them improve their lives and support their families by gaining control of their finances, moving into better jobs and claiming valuable tax credits."

The $400,000 includes grants from The Women's Foundation's Stepping Stones initiative, including the Early Care and Education Funders Collaborative and its Open Door Capacity Fund. Stepping Stones is a multi-year project aimed at improving the lives of low-income women with children in the greater Washington, D.C., region through financial education, better jobs, access to child care and early education and improved health and safety. The Collaborative is a partnership between foundations and corporations to improve early care and education programs by investing in organizations focused on strategic advocacy and improving the child care profession. The Open Door Capacity Fund aims to build the capacity of local nonprofits.

The new grants include:

$125,000 to three local nonprofits to expand low-income single mothers' access to high-quality child care, enabling them to work. For example, Prince George's Child Resource Center will train child care providers so they can meet state standards for a credential.

$100,000 to three local nonprofits to help single mothers gain financial education skills and increase their assets and income. For example, Community Tax Aid will provide free tax assistance to low-income single mothers to claim the Earned Income Tax Credit.

$75,000 to three local nonprofits to help single mothers find, keep and advance in decent jobs. Year Up, for example, will train 25 women for information technology careers.

$75,000 to five local nonprofits to help them build their capacity in areas, such as communications, strategic planning, fundraising and program evaluation. For example, Sexual Minority Youth Assistance League (SMYAL), which is the region's only service organization for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth, will assess its current programs to make sure it is meeting the needs of its youth community.

$25,000 to Human Services Coalition of Prince George's County, which supports more than 90 nonprofits that serve the neediest people, to strengthen its advocacy work.

For a full listing of new grants, visit: www.thewomensfoundation.org