WWIN (Washington Women in Need), was founded in 1992 to help Washington women throughout the entire state achieve their education goals and meet their healthcare needs.
After the passing of the Affordable Care Act, the group saw a reduced need for healthcare grants and instead focused more on providing grants for education.
“We work with women of promise who are ready to make transformational change. Not just for themselves, but for others and their community.”- Deb Frockt, executive director of WWIN
Helping women with higher education aspirations.
Frockt said WWIN knows there are obstacles women face in achieving higher educational goals, whether it be a lack of funding, balancing school with raising a family, or being a caretaker for an elderly or sick relative.
Because of these challenges, WWIN doesn’t have an age limit for those who are eligible.
“They don’t time out of our program, which is super important for women who have many responsibilities,” Frockt said.
That flexibility doesn’t just apply to when women can apply for assistance with WWIN, as the nonprofit will fund students going for associate and bachelor’s degrees, or even professional certificates. They also aren’t rigid on how long it takes a recipient to reach their goal.
“So many programs, are ‘use it or lose it’,” Frockt said. “Ours is really meant to help people get across their self-determined finish line in whatever way that works for them.”
Since the current Star Scholar Program started in 2014, Frockt said WWIN has helped more than 500 scholars achieve their educational goals, many of which credit the nonprofit with helping them in their journey.
“I would never have made it through the past four years without the financial support and community that WWIN has given to me,” Frock quoted one alumna as saying.
How to help.
Frockt said that WWIN, like all nonprofits, welcome donations, which can be made online at their website. They also hold an annual fundraising event, Elevate, in the fall. The other main way people can get involved in helping WWIN is by becoming a scholarship application reviewer in the spring.
All applicants with WWIN must submit an essay, which is then reviewed as part of the selection process. Each year, WWIN receives approximately 350 applicants, and each applicant’s essay is read by four volunteer reviewers who are trained by WWIN.
For more information about WWIN and how you can get involved, visit their website at wwin.org.