Grants That Make a Difference
Every month, "Grants that Make a Difference" highlights grants given to Washington, DC area organizations that have helped make a difference in people's lives. "Grants That Make a Difference" profiles these important community success stories.
October 1, 2004
Grant amount: $50,000
Who got the grant:
Washington Office on Latin America
1630 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Suite 200
Washington, DC 20009
Phone: 202/797-2171
Fax: 202/797-2172
E-mail: wola@wola.org
Web site: http://www.wola.org/
Who gave the grant:
Public Welfare Foundation
1200 U Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20009
Phone: 202/965-1800
Fax: 202/265-8851
E-mail:
reviewcommittee@publicwelfare.org
Web site:
http://www.publicwelfare.org/
Purpose of the grant:
Support for WOLA's Mexico Program for work on the following issues: violence against women, monitoring police reform, human rights violations and the military, implementation of the new freedom of information law, and implementation of the new recommendations from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Impact:
With a 2,000-mile common border, a population of nearly 100 million, and its status as the United States' second-largest trading partner, Mexico is of vital national importance to the United States. Yet US policy toward Mexico has focused mostly on economic integration, limiting migration, and combating illegal drugs. Since the 1990s, WOLA has worked to promote human rights, support democratic police reform, strengthen democratic processes, and change U.S. counternarcotics policies in Mexico. WOLA has a long-standing relationship with human rights and civil society organizations in Mexico, accompanying their work on democratic reform and fundamental human rights issues for the past decade.
Serious human rights violations continue to occur in Mexico because the institutions and systems contributing to human rights abuse – particularly the police forces and the criminal justice system – have not been reformed, and the perpetrators of abuse are rarely punished. WOLA supports efforts to end impunity for human rights violators, promote accountability, and provide relief to victims of human rights violations. It acts as a voice for Mexican human rights organizations in Washington, DC raising their concerns with policymakers.
WOLA works closely with our Mexican counterparts to:
- Engage US policymakers in efforts to prevent and punish violence against women in Ciudad Juárez
Seek justice for victims of human rights violations by the Mexican military
- Support efforts to eradicate torture and seek justice for torture victims
- Call for the full implementation of the Leahy Law
- Support the Technical Cooperation Agreement signed by the Mexican government and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR)
- Support the work of threatened human rights defenders
Mission:
One of WOLA's most important roles is to function as a key resource and interlocutor for Latin American non-governmental organizations (NGO's) working for human rights and social justice. WOLA also plays an important role in fostering dialogue, debate, and policy-consensus among US and Latin American NGO's with diverse perspectives that share the same goals. WOLA plays a leadership role in several advocacy coalitions and regularly organizes workshops, conferences, roundtables, and briefings designed to stimulate policy debate.
"Grants that Make a Difference" is a rotating
feature profiling grants awarded to 501(c)3 nonprofit
organizations in the Metropolitan Washington,
DC area ONLY (the grantmaker doesn't necessarily
have to be local). The selection of grants for
"Grants That Make a Difference" is based on criteria
such as programmatic interests, geographic focus,
and size, to ensure the broadest possible representation
of the region's nonprofit sector.
If you'd like to see a grant awarded to your NPO
featured here, e-mail a detailed description of
the grant (following the format below), to dclibrary@foundationcenter.org,
with "Grants Submission" in the subject line.
We welcome press releases in addition to, or as
a substitute for the description.
Here is what you need to include:
- Name of your funded program
- The amount of the grant (indicate if multi-year)
- Who received the grant - Your organization's name, contact person's name (if applicable), address, telephone and Web site (if applicable).
- Who gave the grant - Name of the grantmaker
- Community impact: A brief (250 words maximum) explanation of how this program is making a difference in the community.
- Your organization's mission and how it relates to this funded project.
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