Funding Community-Led Change

For the third year in a row, A Wider Circle’s Ward 8 Hub invited people living and working in the Washington Highlands community to bring forward their best proposals to enrich the neighborhood. Then, a committee of neighborhood residents selected the winners, and we funded them! 

After careful review of more than 20 proposals, our selection committee of neighbors in Washington Highlands chose the following hyperlocal projects to receive microgrants $1,000 to $1,500 each – along with technical support from A Wider Circle:

• A network of previously incarcerated women will use funds to launch “Teen Summit,” a brand-new mentoring program for ten young women, ages 15-18, who are navigating the trauma of having an incarcerated parent or family member.
  
  
• A workshop series put on by Thriving Moms will provide a space for ten Black women with children to process and commune in safety; giving and receiving peer-support and strength for their bodies, minds, and spirits.
  
  
• The Highland Dwellings Resident Council will use its grant to purchase activities, arts and craft supplies, and prizes to draw tenants of the public housing development together for connection, healthy exercise, and joyful gatherings year-round.
  
  
• A father of four who volunteers at local Rec Centers will use funds to develop a boxing-based mentoring program for neighborhood children.
  
  
• A business leader will assemble workshops to boost the business acumen of aspiring and emerging business leaders in the area with topics related to entrepreneurship, business development and budget planning.
  
  
• Fresh Energy Wellness, started by an early childhood educator and mom, will offer a series of workshops in health, fitness, nutrition, and cooking to children and teens.
  
  
• Finally, we will provide stipends for an intensive youth advocacy training camp to grow the number of social justice leaders in the Highlands community, and mentor these youth as they tackle a project of significance.

At the heart of this effort are the amazing staff of our Ward 8 Hub, a grant review committee of local neighbors, a wide and competitive pool of applicants, and our amazing circle of supporters!

Want to help us continue to offer innovative, client-centered programming like the Microgrants program? Join our circle of supporters by signing up to make a monthly or quarterly gift to A Wider Circle.