Washington Area Women's Foundation

Washington Area Women's Foundation mobilizes our community so that women and girls experiencing economic vulnerability in the region have the resources they need to thrive. We strive for a future where all women and girls in the Washington region are economically secure. We define economic security broadly, to include critical elements that most strongly affect people's lives, including: - Assets - Asset building helps women with low-incomes obtain a base level of financial knowledge and increase and preserve their collective resources and income. Assets can provide a secure economic foundation from which families can address day-to-day challenges and major economic shocks. - Educ... read more Washington Area Women's Foundation mobilizes our community so that women and girls experiencing economic vulnerability in the region have the resources they need to thrive. We strive for a future where all women and girls in the Washington region are economically secure. We define economic security broadly, to include critical elements that most strongly affect people's lives, including: - Assets - Asset building helps women with low-incomes obtain a base level of financial knowledge and increase and preserve their collective resources and income. Assets can provide a secure economic foundation from which families can address day-to-day challenges and major economic shocks. - Education - Our education system should consist of a comprehensive and connected system from 0 to 24 that provides equitable opportunities and outcomes that position women and girls to be successful in higher education and/or the workplace. - Health and Well-Being - Good health and well-being affect a woman or girl's ability to have a fully family life, perform well on the job, succeed in school or otherwise lead a productive life. - Safety - The reassurance of security across her neighborhood, school, workplace, and home is at the heart of a woman or girl's ability to participate in the economic and civil life of her community. - Workforce Development - Workforce development helps build better pathways for low-income women to obtain and retain jobs with family-sustaining wages and benefits and/or career ladders. Theory of Change: We know that when we invest in women and girls, they in turn invest in their families and their communities. Our theory of change is that by creating opportunities for and increasing resources to women and girls in the region, we will dismantle barriers to economic security. We will accomplish this work by collaborating with community partners to: • Disrupt sexist and racist systems; • Invest in opportunities and resources for women and girls; and, • Promote philanthropy that addresses needs at the intersection of race, gender, and class.