Six Madison-area nonprofits that support the economic empowerment of women and girls will receive $105,000 in grants from A Fund for Women, the organization announced on Tuesday.
One of this year’s grants went to support The Road Home Women’s Employment and Training Fund, which works to address housing inequities and provide lasting solutions.
“This generous grant to The Road Home from A Fund for Women empowers women and their families to obtain work, maintain their current employment, and participate in job training programs that move them toward higher-paying jobs,” says Kristin Rucinski, The Road Home’s executive director, in a statement. “With this assistance, women participating in our programs can avoid a return to homelessness and reach their potential to earn, save and invest.”
“A lot of stuff started coming together when I found stable housing,” says RaShanna, a mother, student and most recently, a business owner of 3B Healing Valley, who benefitted from employment and training funds through The Road Home. “Prior to that, all my energy was focused on ‘How do I get an apartment? How do I feed the kids?’ So now, being stable, and having the support has been transformational.”
Here is a list of the 2021 grant recipients as provided by a Fund for Women:
Centro Hispano: A $20,000 grant to Centro’s CAMINOS Career Pathways program will help provide employment training for Latinas in finance and nursing, and to overcome barriers to advancing their careers through the Progreso program.
Latino Academy: A $15,000 grant to the Latina Workforce Advancement Project will help provide individualized mentoring, education, and career support for at least 95 Dane County Latinas in 2022. The program includes bilingual career training, Spanish GED classes, and a Women in the Workplace Mentorship Program.
Omega School: This $20,000 grant for the BIPOC Mothers Virtual/Blended Program will help provide educational support for young BIPOC mothers looking to pursue their GED or HSED, by providing support, technology, and connections to wrap-around services through their choice of either a virtual or in-person program.
The Road Home: A $10,000 grant to the Women’s Employment and Training Fund will help women and their teenage daughters in The Road Home’s housing programs cover expenses such as childcare, car repair, testing fees, professional clothing, and bus tickets that otherwise might stand in the way of their ability to work.
UW Odyssey Project: This $20,000 grant will help provide wrap-around support to Odyssey families who have been hard-hit by the pandemic – both economically and emotionally. To help ensure their academic success, the Odyssey Project Success Coach helps students and alumni take care of their other needs by connecting them with rent assistance, organizations helping alleviate food insecurity, and other resources they need.
YWCA Madison: This $20,000 grant will help support the YWCA Madison’s Empower Home program, which provides a safe transitional environment for people who are experiencing or are at risk of experiencing homelessness due to domestic violence or sexual assault. By providing “housing first” support and resources, the Empower Home program helps participants transition into permanent housing and economic stability.
