Donations to WGA Grants Pool Will Be Matched by Delores Barr Weaver
Jacksonville, Fla. — May 19, 2026 — The Women’s Giving Alliance (WGA), an initiative of The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida, announced $675,000 in grants to 10 area non-profits and launched a matching fundraising campaign today, part of its strategic focus on addressing violence against women and girls.
WGA awarded funds to nonprofits serving six counties: Baker, Clay, Duval, Nassau, Putnam and St. Johns. The grants will support programming and services for preventing abuse, surviving violence, and thriving long after – addressing such issues as mental health and wellness, crisis and trauma prevention and response, housing stability, survivor care, and short- and long-term support services.
“Violence against women and girls is not just a women’s issue – it affects families, workplaces, schools, and our entire region,” said Sabeen Perwaiz, President of the Women’s Giving Alliance. “We’re grateful to our members for making these grants possible, and we invite the community to give to our 25th anniversary matching campaign, so that we can support more nonprofits and improve the lives of more women and girls next year.”
Five nonprofits will receive two-year grants for the 2026-2028 grant cycle:
- Arize Together – $100,000 – to support “Beyond Exit: Sustaining Safety and Stability for Women Survivors,” a program that provides financial support and education to adult survivors of sex trafficking and exploitation in Duval County and surrounding areas.
- Delores Barr Weaver Policy Center – $125,000 – to support “See the Girl: Preventing Online Exploitation and Violence Against Girls and Young Women,” a two-year initiative to design, pilot, and evaluate a 10-week, girl-centered, trauma-informed curriculum addressing cyber violence for girls ages 8–14.
- Family Support Services – $125,000 – to support the “Hope & Healing Initiative for Women & Girls,” a community-led, trauma-informed program that addresses violence across the full continuum of prevention, crisis response, and long-term healing.
- Catholic Charities – $125,000 – to support Survivors’ Emergency Assistance program to help survivors of domestic violence in Duval, Clay, Nassau, and Baker Counties secure safe, stable housing at the most critical moment of transition.
- Hubbard House – $125,000 – to support the Hubbard House Trauma-Informed Training Program, which equips frontline staff with the skills and knowledge to provide high-quality, trauma-informed care to survivors of domestic violence in Duval and Baker Counties.
Five nonprofits will receive one-year grants for the 2026-2027 grant year. These grants are specifically designed for smaller organizations with operating budgets of $250,000 or less:
- Rakad Dance Camp – $10,000 – The “Inspired Dance Program” is an after-school initiative that combines dance and leadership development to build confidence, safety, and resilience among girls ages 8 to 16.
- The Lotus Flower Project – $10,000 – to support the Empowered Women & Girls Prevention Initiative, a year-long, prevention-focused program designed to help women, girls, and their families build safety, confidence, and resilience before crisis occurs.
- The Playful Family, Inc. – $10,000 – to support a trauma-responsive, evidence-based, eight-week program that helps participants heal from self-worth injuries caused by violence, abuse, and other traumatic experiences.
- Silent Women Speaking – $10,000 – to support a year-long healing and empowerment program serving 150 women in Northeast Florida who have experienced the violent loss of a child or other trauma.
- Empowering Changes, Inc. – $10,000 – to support the “Nourish & Thrive: Women and Girls Stability & Wellness Program,” which serves women and girls in Duval County who have been impacted by violence by addressing critical needs in the post-crisis period.
In addition, each organization will receive a secondary $2,500 grant for capacity building.
The grants will help address a widespread problem. In Baker, Duval, and Putnam counties, the rate of domestic violence is higher than the rest of the state. Duval has the highest incidence in Northeast Florida, with a total of 5,218 cases, a rate of 486 offenses per 100,000 residents, according to the most recently available data from the Florida Department of Health. National surveys suggest incidents are dramatically under-reported. Furthermore, as seen in this grant cycle, nonprofits serving women and girls have more need for funding than what is available: In 2026, WGA received 59 grant applications seeking total funding of $4.8M.
WGA’s matching fundraising campaign invites the community to help fill the gap. Delores Barr Weaver is offering a dollar-for-dollar match for contributions up to $150,000 made through September 30 to the WGA grants pool for its 2027 grantmaking. There is no requirement to be a WGA member in order to donate, and everyone in the community is welcome to participate. For more information about the match, visit wganefl.org/match.
About the Women’s Giving Alliance (WGA)
The Women’s Giving Alliance, a collective giving initiative of The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida, is a dynamic group of diverse women who pool their philanthropic giving to make a lasting impact on the lives of women and girls in Northeast Florida. Since 2001, hundreds of women in Northeast Florida have become WGA members, making an annual contribution of $1,500 each. Through those contributions, WGA has awarded grants totaling more than $10 million to more than 80 nonprofit organizations. It also has built an endowment of more than $6.9 million to ensure the future of its philanthropic work. For more information: www.wganefl.org.
About The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida
The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida (www.jaxcf.org), Florida’s oldest and one of its largest community foundations, works to stimulate philanthropy to build a better community. The Foundation helps donors invest their philanthropic gifts wisely, helps nonprofits serve the region effectively, and helps people come together to make the community a better place. Now in its 62nd year, the Foundation manages more than $809 million in assets as of 12/31/2025 and has made more than $925 million in grants since inception. For more information: www.jaxcf.org.
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For more information, contact:
Media
The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida
Stephanie Garry Garfunkel, VP, Strategic Communications, The Community Foundation
sgarfunkel@jaxcf.org |(904) 356-4483