Grant Awards
2023 – 2024 Grant Awards
Housing, Reproductive Justice, and Economic Empowerment
All grants listed are $10,000 per year for two years (total of $20,000)
Domestic Grantees
Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse (AVDA) (Housing)
Casa Vegso Transitional Housing
AVDA’s mission is to offer life-saving services while promoting violence-free, equitable relationships. AVDA’s Casa Vegso Transitional Housing provides eight units of transitional housing, up to 2 years, for survivors of domestic violence to work towards their housing, employment, and self-determination goals to transition out of homelessness to independent, violence-free living.
Code Art
Program support for Art of Coding
Founded in 2016, CodeArt is based in Miami and focuses on encouraging girls to explore computer science through art. The mission is to increase the number of girls studying Computer Science by inspiring them with the creative possibilities of computer programming. Herizon funding allows Code/Art to bring their proven programs to Palm Beach County as an expansion of their innovative “Train the Trainer” K-8 Art Teacher program already well established in Miami-Dade county. Their proven model of success in training art teachers making them feel comfortable leading creative coding lessons includes the following: 1. Provide the art teachers with 12 hours of classroom training, 2. Post training, art teachers will get access to step-by-step video tutorials, detailed lesson plans, and 8 hours of in-classroom support.
EmpowerHER of the Palm Beaches
Program support for Leadership Academy for Girls
Founded in 2016, CodeArt is based in Miami and focuses on encouraging girls to explore computer science through art. The mission is to increase the number of girls studying Computer Science by inspiring them with the creative possibilities of computer programming. Herizon funding allows Code/Art to bring their proven programs to Palm Beach County as an expansion of their innovative “Train the Trainer” K-8 Art Teacher program already well established in Miami-Dade county. Their proven model of success in training art teachers making them feel comfortable leading creative coding lessons includes the following: 1. Provide the art teachers with 12 hours of classroom training, 2. Post training, art teachers will get access to step-by-step video tutorials, detailed lesson plans, and 8 hours of in-classroom support.
FLITE Center (Housing)
Program support for West Palm Beach Location
The Fort Lauderdale Independence, Training and Education Center (FLITE) provides comprehensive services for youth and young adults ages 13 to 23. They have expanded and secured a location in West Palm Beach to provide on-site services to survivors, ages 10-24, of sex trafficking.
GBDC Entrepreneurship Institute
Program support for Theatrical Motion
GBDC Entrepreneurship Institute (GBDCEI) is a non-profit established in 2014 whose vision is to have a tangible impact on the unemployment of youth, homeless and disenfranchised citizens of Florida. Their programs have impacted over 50,000 children and young adults since. Theatrical Motion employs young women in PBC ages 15 to 22 who live in disenfranchised communities. This platform provides the troop an artistic outlet to tackle social, financial, and mental health issues while helping other youth in the community develop coping mechanisms. Theatrical Motion is designed to build confidence in young performers through rehearsals and the performance. They gain experience and build self-esteem while earning valuable income. They are also exposed to professionals such as scriptwriters, directors, actors, and producers. They deliver relevant messages on serious topics through a nontraditional teaching method creating social change in the process.
Jews for a Secular Democracy (Reproductive Justice)
Program support for Jewish Women and Religious Freedom in America: Fostering a Community of Action
Jews for a Secular Democracy is a pluralistic initiative for Jews who are deeply concerned about the growing influence of religious fundamentalism on government policy-making. Jewish Women and Religious Freedom in America: Fostering a Community of Action is about creating a space for Jewish women to explore Jewish perspectives on women’s rights issues.
Milagro Center
Program support for Girls Go Build
Since its inception in 1997, Milagro Center is a nationally-accredited, licensed, and often-awarded nonprofit Its mission is to ensure the social and academic success of at-risk youth through cultural arts education, academic support, and mentoring. This benefits not only the youth served but their families and the community as a whole. With this grant, they will expand the Girls Go Build program. The construction industry desperately needs women, is in high demand, pays well, and has a minimal gender wage gap. But, women are sorely underrepresented – only 9% of the workforce. Girls Go Build is an innovative, hands-on learning program. Milagro Center is partnering with the City of Delray Beach, area private businesses, and other nonprofit organizations to introduce economically-challenged, academically at-risk MS and HS girls from underserved PBC communities to career opportunities in the construction industry.
Planned Parenthood of South, East and North Florida (Reproductive Justice)
Operational Support
Planned Parenthood of South, East and North Florida, (PPSENFL) is a private, nonprofit, health care agency. Herizon’s grant will provide operating support to ensure that women and girls throughout Florida, regardless of income, will receive a full array of reproductive health services, which includes abortion care, at free and reduced costs.
Tampa Bay Abortion Fund (TBAF) (Reproductive Justice)
Operational Support for a Case Manager Position
The Tampa Bay Abortion Fund (TBAF) removes financial and logistical barriers to abortion access. Herizon funding allows for a case manager to create capacity for clients to have strong support when navigating multiple barriers such as a 24 hour waiting period, and a ban on abortion after 15 weeks.
The Lord’s Place (Economic Empowerment)
Program support for Project CATER
The Lord’s Place mission is to break the cycle of homelessness by providing innovative, compassionate and effective services to men, women and children. Project CATER (Career Advancement Through Extrinsic Rewards) will advance the economic prosperity of formerly homeless and incarcerated women by incentivizing and rewarding their workplace successes.
Women’s Foundation of Florida
Program support for Statewide Advocacy Program
The Women’s Foundation of Florida focuses on investing in women and girls to encourage leadership and positively affect their economic, political, and social status. The WFFL Statewide Advocacy program will grow and deepen coalition work across FL and leverage partnerships to amplify the voice for women and girls in the legislative process through direct and indirect actions. Funding will be used towards a staff person based in Tallahassee to highlight and uplift women and girls. The Program’s overall goal is to become a presence in the capitol during Session and to be a resource for FL Legislators on policy and issues that affect women and girls. Through education and relationship building, we will have the ability to influence legislators to not only pay attention to how their policies affect women and girls, but will have them coming to us to ensure they are on the right track.
Israeli Organizations
Adva Center (Housing)
Program support for The Gendered Impact of the Housing Crisis
Adva Center was founded in 1991 to increase equality of opportunity and social justice for all groups composing Israeli society, with a special emphasis on women. Herizon funding will expand the knowledge on the intersection of gender and the housing crisis, and will impact future housing policy in Israel through establishment of a group of women activists and residents of Haifa that will enable us to test the feasibility and impact of community action and advocacy projects.
Ertez-Ir (Economic Empowerment)
Program support for Employment for Russia-Ukraine Refugees to the Negev
Eretz-Ir is a non-profit established in 2006 to promote community and economic resilience in cities across Israel’s periphery. The Herizon funded program will work with Ukrainian refugee women to help them overcome their lack of job experience and join the Israeli workforce in a high-quality job through personal support, professional career guidance, group career workshops, and professional (re)training courses for 20 of these women.
Friends of the IDF (Economic Empowerment)
Program support for Project Overcome for Women
Friends of the Israeli Defense Forces works to identify the most urgent needs of its soldiers and target assistance in the most effective manner possible. Through Project Overcome, FIDF provides educational programming for female soldiers that places emphasis on developing life skills, such as communication, negotiation, and decision making that will enable them to serve honorably and become citizens who meaningfully contribute to Israeli society.
Friends of Israeli Sci-Tech Schools (Economic Empowerment)
Program support for Promoting Girls in STEM
Established in 1949, the Israel Sci-Tech Schools Network is Israel’s leading chain of science and technology schools. The target audience of the funded program is 150 girls in 10th – 12th grades in schools in Jewish, Arab, and Druze schools. The volunteer activity will involve mentoring 2 middle school (8th – 9th grade) girls totaling 300 girls involved in the project and 450 in total.
Israel Women’s Network
Program support for a Russian-speakers hotline
Established in 1984, IWN is Israel’s leading feminist lobby organization, working towards widespread institutional and legislative reforms of women’s rights. Herizon is funding an informational employment rights legal aid hotline specifically for Russian-speaking women to address issues they may encounter in the workplace. IWN will offer free consultation from legal aid lawyers via phone, Zoom meetings and workshops, to Russian-speaking women in order to improve their status and wellbeing. Employment among Russian-speaking women is generally high and concentrated in contract work. Often, they are not aware of their workers’ rights including social security, pay, pensions, etc. Detailed data from our hotlines will be made publicly accessible to beused for research and to promote policy and legislation that will lead to an equal opportunity workforce. Based on this data, IWN will work with policymakers and employers to abolish discriminatory practices and policies.
ItWorks
Program support for workforce training
Itworks mission is to promote the economic success of marginalized populations by closing wage gaps and diversifying the skilled workforce in Israel. Working nationwide, itworks provides disadvantaged populations throughout Israel with in-demand tech training, professional skills and job placement assistance, helping them launch new careers in Israel’s thriving hi-tech industry. There are over 130k single-parent families in Israel with women heading 88% of these homes. Many single mothers in Israel do not receive support from their former spouse and the amount they receive from government aid does not cover their costs. These factors allow the cycle of poverty to continue and further the employment and income gaps. Since 2017 Itwork’s Single Mothers project helped 500+ women lift themselves out of poverty into solid careers. The Single Mothers program provides vocational training, soft-skills training, and job placement and has a success rate of more than 75%.
La O’Fek
Program support for Achotenu Nurses Program
La’Ofek empowers individuals from Israel’s vulnerable sectors to successfully integrate into the workplace and build greater financial stability, which will in turn bolster their families and communities from within. Its multi-pronged programs are grounded in three pillars: guidance towards academic tracks while building strong skill sets, individual mentoring, and financial assistance. La’Ofek was initially launched in response to the 85% unemployment rate among Ethiopian-Israelis. Achotenu empowers this group to gain entry to higher education and successfully complete their studies which enables them to find stable employment in the fields of nursing and occupational therapy. La’Ofek provides ongoing support throughout the entirety of their degrees, including tuition, dormitories, tutoring, counselling and living subsidies.
Women’s Spirit
Program support for Breaking the Bind
Women’s Spirit, founded in 2007 promotes economic independence of Israeli women survivors of violence, strives for social change from a feminist perspective, and is committed to social and gender justice. They provide women with long-term, personally tailored solution, to help them break the cycle of violence and rebuild their lives. A woman cannot protect herself and regain control of her life if she is not financially stable. Women’s Spirit works on three levels: Individual –tools, trainings and knowledge to find employment and become financially independent. Societal – recruiting and training professional volunteers and business that provide support and guidance with training’s, networking and job placement. Political – Women’s Spirit has taken its work with individuals and spearheaded legislation on behalf of women survivors of violence.