Empowered to Live

To better acquaint our members and the greater community with our grantees, we are highlighting some of the nonprofit organizations that have received WGC grant funds. This quarter, we reached out to Tiffany Green, Founder and CEO of Empowered to Live.

Please introduce yourself. What is your role at your organization and how long have you been with the organization.

My name is Tiffany Green and I am the Founder, CEO, and President of Empowered to Live. Empowered to Live was established in 2016 and served in much smaller capacity such as running Parent Cafe and facilitating workshops for local non-profits. In 2021, we decided to launch our first program called, Project GUIDE: a pre-apprenticeship program that offers job readiness and technical skills training and paid work experience.

What is the mission of the organization, and what personally moves you about that mission?

Our mission is to empower people to lead purpose-driven lives through programs designed to educate, provide resources, increase economic mobility, strengthen families, and build stronger communities. I enjoy helping young people and families discover their purpose in life and connecting them to the opportunities and resources that will give them a sense of hope that they can fulfill their purpose and provide them with guidance along the journey.

What are the most significant challenges that the organization is facing right now? What are the most significant challenges faced by the clients/populations that you serve?

1. Accessing new funding opportunities (i.e. grants) and raising seed funds (i.e. corporate and individual gifts);

2. Establishing new partnerships;

3. Gaining community support; and

4. Limited capacity due to staffing. The greatest need is that many of our participants are considered ALICE (Assets Limited, Income Constrained, Employed), meaning they have insufficient income to cover the basic cost of living.

What is the nature of the Giving Circle grant that you received for 2020, and what impact will it have on women and their dependents in Frederick?

The funds received from the Women's Giving Circle will be used to launch a group coaching program for single moms ages 16-24 called MY WAY (Motivating Young Women's Ambitions Yearly). The launching of our group coaching program for young single mothers comes at a critical time, especially since many individuals across the nation experienced job loss during the pandemic. For instance, the Stateline (2020) reported, mothers of children 12 years old and younger lost nearly 2.2 million jobs between February and August, a 12% drop, while fathers of small children lost 870,000 jobs (4% drop). In Frederick County, there is a significant number of single mother households who are between the ages of 16 and 25 that are not financially stable enough to meet all of their families’ basic needs. Our program goal is to help young single mothers to transition from surviving to thriving, so they can increase productivity, accomplish personal goals, achieve personal growth, and improve their parenting skills by offering their child(ren) the best version of themselves.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

We are grateful for this opportunity. WGC generosity will create the following:

• Opportunities for young women to increase their economic mobility and make healthier financial decisions.

• Opportunities to build meaningful relationships amongst their peers and caring adults.

• Connect young women to community resources that will help with goal attainment.

• Stronger families and thriving communities