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Women supporting women & children in need

Giving Together is a giving circle – a group of like-minded, committed women who pool funds and volunteer time to help low-income women and children in the Washington, DC area. Our members make all decisions on the allocation of funds by means of a thorough grantmaking process.

Our Work

luisa l, millie kahn, meri picard, karen
Jeanne Sheryl Paula Renee Christine Kare
Giving Together Members

At the Annual Meeting on September 28, the members of Giving Together (GT) voted to award grants totaling $95, 000 to five non-profits serving the DC Metro region: Safe Shores, Grassroots Health, BCAUSEICAN, Sickle Cell Reproductive Health Education Directive (SC RED), and Starting with Today. The organizations’ missions range from providing therapy and wellness programs for trauma and abuse victims to bringing STEM education to underserved communities.

Members also voted to approve a slate of three board members: Susan Alberts (incumbent), Wendy Yaross (incumbent) and Marea Hatziolos Grant (new to the board). All three will have two-year terms, expiring in the fall of 2025. [The board has a total of seven members. Four are elected in even years and three in odd years.] 

At GT’s Annual Meeting on September 28, members approved a Board proposal to establish a new Giving Together membership category for women under 45. The proposal resulted from feedback from our recent Member Survey (a very successful undertaking, with a 72% participation rate), which urged GT to consider diversifying our membership as to age, race and ethnicity.

“Having fun while doing good” is one of Giving Together's key guiding principles. This year's spring fundraiser-- held May 16 at the beautiful Bethesda home of GT Treasurer Carolyn Miller -- was proof that our giving circle knows how to throw a party.  “Jazz in the Garden” was the theme. GT members and friends enjoyed wine and hors d’oeuvres  in a flower-filled setting, with fabulous music played by the young musicians of the FAME Jazz Trio. FAME – the Foundation for the Advancement of Music and Education – received a Giving Together grant at the close of GT’s regular grant cycle in 2022. The non-profit serves middle and high school students in Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties as well as Northern Virginia.

The highlight of the evening  was an award presentation of $15,000 to Neighbors in Need Montgomery, a program of the Greater Washington Community Foundation. Neighbors in Need provides grants to frontline organizations that  identify struggling clients in emergency situations, such as the inability to pay a month’s rent, cover the cost of a prescription or meet a utility bill. Major donors to Neighbors in Need match GT’s contribution dollar for dollar, boosting our gift to $30,000 and doubling our impact.

Giving Together members honored the Martin Luther King National Day of Service on January 16, 2023 by volunteering for our former grantee, Nourish Now, in Rockville, MD. Volunteers prepared boxes of non-perishable food items which Nourish Now distributes to families in need in Montgomery County. 

Longtime Giving Together member, Mimi Brodsky Kress, was recently named 2022 Montgomery County Philanthropist of the Year by the Greater Washington Community Foundation (GWCF).

Our Grantees

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