WASHINGTON, DC, February 29 -- In December, Washington Area Women’s Foundation announced a $12,000 Open Door Capacity grant to empower Boat People SOS (BPSOS) to assess its organizational strengths and challenges, and to provide its board with support and training in order to create a stronger, more effective, and more responsive organization.
“We are grateful to The Women’s Foundation for this extremely generous grant,” said Thu Nguyen, director of BPSOS’ Health and Mental Health Department, whose Health Awareness Program for Immigrants (HAPI) educates Vietnamese women about breast and cervical cancer. “This will allow our board and staff to step back and reflect, plan for the future, and move forward with clear goals.”
The grant will support a thorough organizational review, the drafting of a five-year strategic plan, and comprehensive leadership training for the board of directors of BPSOS, a national Vietnamese-American community-based organization whose mission is to assist Vietnamese refugees and immigrants in their search for a life in dignity and liberty.
“Grants like this are the lifeblood of community organizations,” said Tuyet Duong, president of the BPSOS board. “This support from The Women’s Foundation will allow us to assess the rapid growth of the organization, reshape it to address new emerging needs, chart a course for the next five years, and build upon emerging community resources to better serve our target population.”
“We are excited that The Women’s Foundation has shown its confidence in our plan to develop the skills of our board of directors, which now includes four women,” added Duong. “BPSOS is committed to strengthening women’s leadership in areas that directly impact the lives of women and girls, including domestic violence prevention, health services, and anti-trafficking efforts.”
“Effective grantmaking is about more than funding good programs,” said Carolee Summers-Sparks, senior program and operations officer at The Women’s Foundation. “For nonprofits to grow and become more powerful as agents of change, it is crucial to invest in their own development and growth. We’re proud to support BPSOS’ commitment to boost even further the incredibly effective services they’re providing for women and girls throughout our region.”
Washington Area Women's Foundation is the only donor-supported public foundation solely focused on improving the lives of women and girls in the Washington metropolitan area. Since it was founded in 1998, The Women’s Foundation has helped improve the lives of 30,000 women and girls by engaging a broad and diverse network of supporters and Grantee Partners that helps women and girls gain access to the tools they need to reach their full potential.
Boat People SOS is a Vietnamese-American community-based organization with 15 branch offices across the United States. The nonprofit’s program areas include health awareness, youth mentoring, advocacy, domestic violence, human trafficking, and community development.