NWCAVE receives $30,000 grant from Firstenburg Foundation

Vancouver-based National Women’s Coalition Against Violence & Exploitation was awarded a $30,000 grant by the Firstenburg Foundation.

According to Michelle Bart, president and founder of NWCAVE, the grant will be evenly dispersed over the course of three years to fund a new position for Kathie Mathis as director of the Advocacy Center for Justice. Mathis is a member of the board of directors and has been with the organization since 2010. Mathis will be the new director beginning Feb. 1.

“We’re honored that Firstenburg has taken a chance and that they have provided funding for victims of crime that deserve to be heard. Our Advocacy Center for Justice is in full swing of providing vital services to victims of crime and injustices,” Bart said. “We thank the foundation for awarding us this operational grant.”

The center launched in summer 2023 and provides survivors of domestic violence, sexual violence and human trafficking with supportive resources. The center also offers services to families of victims who did not survive their assaults. The advocacy center houses NWCAVE’s missing children’s division, the dignity clothing program, survivor support services, spotlight for justice podcast and community resource center.

NWCAVE is an anti-violence nonprofit organization headquartered in Vancouver, with offices in Oregon, Arizona and California. NWCAVE advocates for victims and survivors of violence by helping clients through the court process, spreading awareness about violence going on in the community and working to stop human trafficking. It has provided services, education and training related to violence prevention to the community for more than a decade.

The Firstenburg Foundation was founded in 2004 by Edward William (E.W.) Firstenburg and his wife, Mary. It has donated more than $22 million to grantees within Southwest Washington.