Help the District

Mission Statement Help the District’s mission is to provide funding to organizations working to address hunger, homelessness, and poverty in the District of Columbia, especially those who have suffered as a result of recent government budget cuts.

Survey of the Problem DC is currently experiencing a budget crisis as a result of the economic recession. The city government has responded by proposing budget cuts that will disproportionately impact organizations that address hunger, homelessness, and poverty. Although organizations like Save Our Safety Net have undertaken arduous campaigns to prevent the budget cuts, other measures must also be taken to ensure not only that the safety net is preserved in the short term but also that nonprofit funding is sustainable in the long term.

Organization Description Existing organizations that comprise the social safety net in DC are generally well-established, well-run, and often have long waiting lists of volunteers. Yet, these organizations are frequently in need of funding. In other words, nonprofits addressing hunger, homelessness, and poverty in DC are in need of financial capital more than human capital. Help the District will address this financial need by harnessing the power of everyday consumption to increase funding for nonprofits in DC. By scaling up already-in-place programs and incentives from the private sector and combining them with the power of social networking, e-commerce, and Web 2.0, Help the District will multiply and magnify the positive effects of such programs to provide a source of funding for local nonprofits.