A total of $135,000 in grants and book donations awarded to local organizations across the Washington, DC, region during the last year

May 27, 2020 (WASHINGTON, DC) – The Junior League of Washington (JLW) announced that it has awarded a total of $90,000 in major grant funding to Washington, DC, area nonprofit organizations, along with a number of other smaller denomination and short-term grants, to close out the League’s 2019-2020 fiscal year.

“The Junior League of Washington is pleased to further our impact on the Washington, DC, community through grant programming, particularly in this time of great need,” said 2019-2020 JLW President Carly Mitchell. “We know these grants – whether they be large or small denomination – will be put to positive use to help women, children and families all across our region.”

The recipients join a long list of DC-area organizations that have received and benefited from JLW grant funding and volunteer support over the organization’s 107-year history. JLW grants are supported by JLW’s annual fundraisers, membership dues, and donations from corporate and individual donors.

Major Grant Recipients

To further JLW’s mission, while providing much needed services to some of the areas most underserved communities in the metro DC region, JLW announced two Targeted Grants of $30,000 each and two Community Partner Grants of $15,000 each.

Targeted Grants are awarded to organizations that address one of several literacy concerns or where JLW volunteers provide service. Community Partner Grants are designated specifically for the League’s Community Partners.

• A one-year Targeted Grant of $30,000 to Generation Hope to support its Career Readiness Program and Next Generation Academy.
• A one-year Targeted Grant of $30,000 to Together We Bake to support the funding of a new program, Empowering Women Through Digital Literacy.
• A Community Partner Grant of $15,000 to Higher Achievement Program to support costs of new STEM curricula and the launch of Curiosity Machine.
• A Community Partner Grant of $15,000 to Horton’s Kids to expand grow their Older Youth Program.

“Generation Hope is incredibly grateful for the generous support from the Junior League of Washington, and we look forward to partnering with JLW to advance our shared missions,” said Nicole Lynn Lewis, Founder and CEO of Generation Hope. “The support will have a lasting impact on two generations – ensuring that teen parents earn college degrees and enter the workforce, and helping their children thrive in kindergarten and beyond.”

“This grant will provide deserving women with the opportunity to develop the digital literacy skills that are necessary and vital to personal and professional success,” said Together We Bake Co-Founder and Executive Director Stephanie Wright. “The hard skills and confidence gained will result in higher wages, lowered anxiety, and newfound freedom through the harnessing of technology.”

“We are thrilled to receive the Junior League of Washington’s Community Partner grant,” said Thalia Washington, Higher Achievement Executive Director, DC Metro. “This grant helps us grow our STEM-based mentoring program focused on supporting critical math and science skill-building for our region’s most promising and underserved middle school students.”

“I am thrilled to receive this gift to support our literacy work with older youth,” said Horton’s Kids Executive Director Erica Ahdoot. “From tutoring, to holiday parties, to supply drives, the members of the Junior League of Washington play an essential role in Horton’s Kids’ success, and I’m honored to continue expanding our partnership in this way.”

Short-Term Grants

In addition to these Targeted and Community Partner Grants, over the last year JLW provided eight $1,000 Opportunity Grants, which are awarded to nonprofit organizations for short-term projects or smaller-denomination financial needs related to their respective missions or operations:

• Alternative Paths Training School,
• Community Educational Research Group, Inc.,
• DC Bilingual Public Charter School,
• Dumbarton Concerts/Inner City-Inner Child, Inc.,
• Healthy Babies Project, Inc.,
• Imagination Library,
• Local Motion Project, and
• New Futures.

JLW also provided $12,000 to 10 Community Partners to help them address short-term funding needs that arose during the last year. These Community Grants, or “Fridge Funds,” were granted to Bright Beginnings, Calvary Women’s Services, Community Family Life Services, Folger Shakespeare Library, Lee-Fendall House, Carlyle House, Iona Senior Services, National Museum of Women in the Arts, MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital, and Washington School for Girls.

Resolution Read

Over the last year, JLW also provided 14 local organizations with 5,668 new books – more than $25,000 worth of book grants – as part of its Resolution Read Initiative. JLW is making a lasting impact in the Washington, DC, community by fostering a passion for books and reading where it otherwise may not exist through Resolution Read, and has placed more than 130,000 books in the hands of DC children at home, in their schools, in libraries, and through other nonprofit organizations since 2012. Over the last 12 months, JLW has celebrated its 20^th year focused on combatting illiteracy in the Washington, DC, community.