Power Station: The Social Activism Podcast for Progressive Non-Profits

Consider the implications of undertaking a 10-year strategic plan during a global pandemic. The Greater Washington Community Foundation did just that, bringing its intentionally diverse constituency of civic, business, nonprofit and community leaders together to inform the process and vision. In the Washington DC region, the pandemic exposed the thin economic margins, structural racism, and lack of access to resources that Black and other communities of color have grappled with in and around our nation’s capital for generations. As Tonia Wellons, President, and CEO of Greater Washington Community Foundation explains on this episode of Power Station, the moment created an opportunity to engage its unique cohort in building on the Foundation’s core competencies, identifying barriers to economic justice, investing in groundbreaking solutions, and aligning itself with change making, high impact nonprofits. Tonia breaks down how closing the racial wealth gap is embedded in every issue the Foundation tackles and in its robust investments in targeted guaranteed income initiatives and a brand new school-based Children’s Savings Account. Tonia Wellons see its convenings as the Foundation’s superpower, the space where communities have a voice, business leaders become allies and impact is an achievable goal.

In 1996, a small group of Asian American civil rights leaders in Washington, DC stepped up to launch a new and inclusive organization, the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans. The vision was to create a home for, and combine the forces of, a diverse constituency that includes South Asians, East Asians, Native Hawaiian Pacific Islanders and more to ensure that their voices and expertise were heard and included at public policy making tables. NCAPA is now where 40+ national AAPI nonprofits with expertise in healthcare, education, immigration, housing, and technology make recommendations and, when needed, demands to the White House, Congress, and federal agencies. This work is critical to raising the profile, needs and contributions of communities that too often have been invisible to decision-makers. In this episode of Power Station, National Director Gregg Orton, who learned the hard scrabble but exhilarating world of policy making as a Congressional staffer, shares NCAPA’s recent accomplishments. After decades of advocacy, the White House is on the brink of updating the collection of AAPINH data by standardizing data disaggregation. Gregg is savvy, hopeful and a consummate and welcoming bridge-builder. Hear him and share.

The story of Mothers Outreach Network is about what happens when women stand up for other women who live in poverty and are entangled in the child welfare system. It is about being a Black mother in Washington DC where 13% of families live under the federal poverty guidelines and face a loss of benefits when they get a job or their income increases. It is about moms who lack the basic resources, including strollers, needed to navigate their daily lives. Melody Webb, a Harvard trained public interest lawyer, founded Mother’s Outreach Network to build economic security and power among women in these circumstances. It took a global pandemic and the death of George Floyd to push the philanthropic sector to deepen their investments in Black-led nonprofits, including Mothers Outreach Network. In this episode of Power Station, Melody shares stories about women who are blossoming as advocates who testify before the DC City Council to identify policy solutions. She explains how Mother Up, her new pilot project that targets $500 per month in guaranteed income to these moms provides security and builds confidence. This is a story about making change in real time.