May 1, 2001

Funded project name: The Strength Campaign

Who got the grant:
Men Can Stop Rape
PO Box 57144
Washington, DC 20037
Phone: (202) 265-6530
Contact: Jonathan Stillerman, Co-Director
Web site: http://www.mencanstoprape.org/

Who gave the grant:
Summit Fund of Washington
2099 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 1000
Washington, DC 20006
Phone: (202) 912-2900
Web site: http://www.summitfund.org/

Community impact: On February 1, Men Can Stop Rape (MCSR), a DC-based nonprofit, launched the Strength Campaign, targeting young men in the District of Columbia. This landmark Campaign was the most extensive dating violence prevention effort in the country directed specifically at male youth. The Campaign ran city-wide in every DC public high school and consisted of METRO bus and bus shelter ads, in-school posters, educational magazines for students, guidebooks for school faculty, and "Safe and Strong" workshops for youth emphasizing that men can be strong without being violent.

The Strength Campaign made a difference in the DC public school community in a number of ways. Young men were educated about their role as allies with women in preventing dating violence, and were presented with positive, nonviolent models of male strength. All of the students, faculty, and school staff were empowered to take action to stop sexual violence and harassment, promote healthy relationships based on equality and respect, and create safer school communities. Dr. Paul Vance, Superintendent of DC Public Schools, formally endorsed the Campaign's messages and encouraged their integration into DCPS's Peaceable Schools Initiative, recognizing that "even when the Strength Campaign ends, these messages will continue to be relevant every day of the year."

Given the Strength Campaign's unique emphasis on male youth, it will serve as a model for future dating violence prevention efforts around the country. Plans are already underway to expand the Campaign nationwide. Agencies in 26 states have purchased Campaign materials for their local communities.

Men Can Stop Rape's mission: Men Can Stop Rape (MCSR) empowers male youth and the institutions that serve them to work as allies with women in preventing rape and other forms of men's violence. Through awareness-to-action education and community organizing, we promote gender equity and build men's capacity to be strong without being violent. The Strength Campaign is one component of MCSR's comprehensive Strength Training Program designed to reach young men and help them redefine manhood in ways that embrace peace and gender equality.

"Grants that Make a Difference" is a rotating feature profiling grants awarded to 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations in the Metropolitan Washington, DC area ONLY (the grantmaker doesn't necessarily have to be local). The selection of grants for "Grants That Make a Difference" is based on criteria such as programmatic interests, geographic focus, and size, to ensure the broadest possible representation of the region's nonprofit sector.


Here is what you need to include:

1. Name of your funded program
   
2. The amount of the grant (indicate if multi-year)
   
3. Who received the grant - Your organization's name, contact person's name (if applicable), address, telephone and Web site (if applicable).
   
4. Who gave the grant - Name of the grantmaker
   
5. Community impact: A brief (250 words maximum) explanation of how this program is making a difference in the community.
   
6. Your organization's mission and how it relates to this funded project.