Washington Area Women's Foundation

About Washington Area Women's Foundation

Washington Area Women’s Foundation centers women and girls of color in the Washington, D.C. region, and its grantmaking shows that mission through repeated investments in leadership, advocacy, and systems change. In the recent grant list, Black Swan Academy received multiple six-figure awards for the DC Young Women’s Initiative and for convening and strengthening the DC Girls’ Coalition, signaling a sustained emphasis on young women and gender-expansive youth of color. The foundation also backs the infrastructure around those priorities: organizations working on coalition building, policy advocacy, and community-based support for families in the region. Its portfolio extends beyond youth leadership into maternal health and birth equity, early care and education, workforce development, and asset building. That mix reflects a funder that supports both direct services and the groups that organize, advocate, and coordinate across the region. Recent grants also show attention to organizations serving Washington, DC, Prince George’s County, Montgomery County, and nearby communities, with awards often used for general operating support or program expansion. The result is a pattern of recurring, place-based grantmaking aimed at long-term equity work rather than one-time projects.

What Washington Area Women's Foundation Funds

One clear thread is youth leadership for girls and young women of color. The foundation gave $40,000 to Community Youth Advance in 2024 to support Young Women’s Initiative expansion to Prince George’s County, and $30,000 in 2025 for a Young Women’s Initiative general operating grant. Early care and education is another major area. In 2025, DC Association for the Education of Young Children received $40,000 for an early care and education general operating grant from the ECEFC, while Montgomery County Children’s Opportunity Alliance received $30,000 for the same funders collaborative. The foundation also funds advocacy and professional development for the early childhood field. The Multicultural Spanish Speaking Providers Association received $40,000 in 2024 for early childhood education advocacy and professional development, and DC Fiscal Policy Institute received $30,000 in 2024 for the same purpose. Maternal health and birth equity remain part of the portfolio through a dedicated program area.

How Washington Area Women's Foundation Gives