WHF Foundation Awards Grants to Community-Based Non-Profit Partners; Scholarship to Trinity Washington University

Jun 20, 2018

Alexandria, VA — The Women in Housing & Finance Foundation (WHF Foundation) announced its 2018 grant awards of $30,000 to six D.C. metro-area non-profit organizations that help serve women and their families with financial literacy, housing assistance, and life skills programs. In total, the Foundation has awarded nearly $600,000 to non-profit organizations over the years through its Partnership Grants Program.

In addition, the WHF Foundation awarded a $3,000 grant to Trinity Washington University. Under the terms of the grant, Trinity will use these funds to award a scholarship to one student in the School of Professional Studies who is a non-traditional student and has shown academic promise. Over the past 13 years, the Foundation has provided Trinity with $24,000 in scholarship grants.

The grants and scholarship award will be presented to the partners during the June 28, 2018 WHF Annual Meeting to be held at Venable, LLP from 6pm to 8pm. Registration is now open on the WHF website.

The Partnership Grants Program is a valued benefit that the WHF Foundation offers, and year-over-year demonstrates the commitment of Women in Housing & Finance, Inc. (WHF) members who volunteer their time and talent to support the WHF Foundation mission to help low-income women and children with basic financial literacy skills, housing assistance, transition services, and economic empowerment.

The WHF Foundation awarded $5,000 grants to support the following organizations’ programs:

• Bridges to Independence: Bridges to Independence provides transitional housing and support services to homeless families and women in Arlington County and the City of Alexandria (based in Northern Virginia).

• Calvary Women’s Services: Calvary Women’s Services provides comprehensive support services and housing for homeless women in Washington, DC.

• Doorways for Women and Families: Among Doorways’ programs in Arlington, VA is its Financial Independence Track, which provides one-on-one financial literacy education to 70-90 people per year.

• Good Shepherd Housing and Family Services, Inc.: This organization’s programs include financial literacy for homeless and formerly homeless families in Alexandria, VA.

• Interfaith Works: Interfaith Works provides a broad array of social services and advocacy programs in Montgomery County, MD. One of the programs is the Job Readiness Course, which includes financial literacy, computer instruction, and GED workshops for homeless adults.

• Open Arms Housing: This D.C.-based organization helps homeless women with mental illness obtain secure, permanent housing tailored to their needs.

“As the WHF Foundation celebrates our 20th anniversary, we are pleased when we can demonstrate our commitment to non-profit partner organizations which work every day to support women and families, either financially or through volunteer efforts in financial empowerment training,” said Foundation President Mary Martha Fortney. “This year’s grantees are at the forefront of providing direct services to their community, and I am proud that WHF Foundation is able to continue making contributions to these worthwhile organizations,” she added.

The funds for the Partnership Grants are raised through direct contributions from WHF members and from sponsorships and donations from businesses, associations and individuals throughout the Washington, D.C. metro area.

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About the WHF Foundation: A 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to: (1) Develop personal finance counseling programs to enhance the financial empowerment of low-income women or other at-risk individuals; (2) Provide partnership grants to organizations that provide services to women and their families in the Washington, D.C. area; (3) Coordinate volunteer activities of Women in Housing and Finance members benefiting community groups, especially in the areas of housing and women’s concerns; and (4) Create an internship or scholarship program for women students interested in the fields of housing and finance. For more information, please visit the WHF Foundation’s Web-site at http://www.whfdc.org/foundation.