If You Want to Support Education and Youth Mental Health
Peace of Mind
This nonprofit provides a curriculum for DC pre-K-through-eighth-graders, teaching them to deal with stress, emotions, and conflict. It uses tools such as storybooks to meet kids at a developmentally appropriate place.
$100 will buy: One Storybook Series for a school.
GoPlay
The DC organization (formerly CRYSP) helps kids get involved in sports, connecting them with the scholarships and equipment they need to participate. Athletic opportunities go beyond the typical: Soccer and baseball are options, but so are trapeze and Ultimate Frisbee.
$100 will buy: A pair of cleats and shin guards.
Comunidad
This group runs programming for elementary-through-high-school kids in Fairfax County’s Seven Corners neighborhood, including reading tutorials and art therapy. In addition to an afterschool STEM program, a summer camp teaches teens coding basics.
$500 will buy: A laptop for the summer coding boot camp.
College Tribe
This nonprofit pairs Black elementary- and middle-school boys in DC’s Wards 7 and 8 with Black male mentors who hold a college degree or military rank of staff sergeant or higher. Students can also participate in afterschool and summer programs for STEM, arts, and reading.
$1,000 will buy: Clothing and shoes for five kids.
If You Want to Support Civic Engagement and Justice
Ally Theatre Company
This DC group aims to highlight oppression and issues in the criminal-justice system via artistic works. The Voices Unbarred program gives people impacted by incarceration the chance to share their stories through scriptwriting and performances.
$100 will buy: A previously incarcerated artist’s participation in one performance.
Conflict Resolution Center of Montgomery County
This organization’s expertise is to provide free mediation between a variety of parties: landlords and tenants, neighbors, divorcing parents creating a plan for their kids, and others. Conflict-mediation training empowers residents to safely deal with disputes.
$100 will buy: Two hours of family mediation.
Shaw Community Center
About 150 students engage in afterschool and summer-camp programs at the community center each year—the only community-based afterschool program in the neighborhood. Educational initiatives for kids and teens range from performing arts to yoga.
$500 will buy: Six hours of programming for 20 kids.
The Second Look Project
This organization works on behalf of people who are eligible for reduced sentences under DC laws, providing legal services and support as well as advocating for a smooth reentry post-incarceration.
$1,000 will buy: A month of litigation for a client.
If You Want to Support the Environment
Environmental Film Festival in the Nation’s Capital
To raise awareness about the climate crisis, this nonprofit runs an annual festival showing documentaries and feature films related to the environment. The group also provides grants for BIPOC filmmakers making their first climate-related feature.
$100 will buy: Closed captioning for a virtual post-screening talk.
Friends of the National Arboretum
The arboretum’s nonprofit partner helps maintain the 451-acre urban oasis with events and educational initiatives. Its core program is the Washington Youth Garden, a teaching garden that’s also a source of produce for food-insecure families around the District.
$100 will buy: Seeds for a school garden.
Red Wiggler Community Farm
This sustainable farm in Montgomery County is an inclusive operation employing adults with and without developmental disabilities. The team plants and harvests produce and offers a community-supported agriculture (CSA) program.
$500 will buy: Continuing education for staff and volunteers.
Soul Trak Outdoors
With a mission to bring more people of color into nature spaces, the nonprofit aims to inspire and support more diverse leadership in outdoor settings. Youth programs include a six-week exploration of local parks, an adventure summer camp, and an Appalachian Trail backpacking trip.
$100 will buy: Equipment rental for a nature program.
If You Want to Support Women and Girls
Amara Legal Center
Serving sex workers and survivors of sex trafficking around the region, this group provides free legal services such as securing civil-protection orders against abusers, helping clients regain custody of their children, and expunging records with charges related to the commercial sex industry.
$100 will buy: Criminal-defense support for a misdemeanor case.
Girls on the Run DC
This nonprofit empowers elementary- and middle-school girls by having them train for and run a 5K. Groups meet twice a week for practice, creating a support system among the girls while working toward a common goal.
$320 will buy: A season scholarship for one girl.
DC Abortion Fund
The high cost of an abortion can keep residents from safely seeking treatment, so this fund provides monetary support with no eligibility requirements. Once someone calls a helpline, that person is connected within 48 hours to a case manager to figure out next steps.
$750 will buy: A first-trimester abortion.
DC Rape Crisis Center
Survivors of sexual violence can receive free trauma-informed counseling, regardless of whether an assault happened recently or farther in the past. Advocates help survivors move through the legal and medical systems, respecting their right to choose how they want to proceed.
$2,000 will buy: 24 therapy sessions for a sexual-assault survivor.
If You Want to Support Food and Housing Security
Fields 4 Valor
Area veterans and their families can access produce and eggs grown at a Maryland farm run by veterans who also volunteer to take care of everything from the beehive to growing seeds.
$100 will buy: Garden scissors, a thorn stripper, and gloves.
Father McKenna Center
It can be challenging for unhoused single men to access resources, and this DC organization fills that need with a food pantry, a case-management program, and a shelter at night during winter months.
$500 will buy: 375 meals.
Gaithersburg Help
This needs-based nonprofit supports residents by funding medication, arranging food drop-offs, and transporting seniors to social-service and doc-tors’ appointments. It also connects people with programs that can help them buy more affordable prescriptions.
$1,000 will buy: 20 prescription medications.
Community Lodgings
Based in Alexandria, this group works with the community in the Arlandria-Chirilagua neighborhood to provide affordable housing and meals for food-insecure students. Families can participate in education programs, including computer classes and academic mentoring.
$1,000 will buy: A summer-camp experience for five kids.
A version of this article appears in the December 2024 issue of Washingtonian.
Daniella Byck joined Washingtonian in 2022. She was previously with Outside Magazine and lives in Northeast DC.
