Educational Foundation

The WNDC Educational Foundation was established in 1991 and is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit public charity. The Educational Foundation serves and supports the community through outreach opportunities which include volunteer opportunity for Club members, preserves the “architecturally significant clubhouse of the Woman’s National Democratic Club as a repository for unique collections concerning women’s political history” and educates the public, but in particular women, about economic, social and cultural issues by sponsoring events held at the club.

Student Programs

The Young Woman’s Leadership Program is designed to interest high school juniors in public affairs and public service. A small group of young women is selected every year from The School Without Walls. This group comes to the clubhouse on a regular basis for nonpartisan discussions of important issues in the public sphere. The Ruth Nadel Award, named after a WNDC member who helped create the Young Woman’s Leadership Program, is given annually to an alumna of the program in order to reduce the cost of her higher education. The Educational Foundation has also adopted the Nevel Thomas Elementary School though the Partners in Education program developed by the District of Columbia Department of Education. The Educational Foundation raises money for holiday celebrations and extracurricular activities at the school. Volunteers from the Educational Foundation volunteer their tutoring skills at the school regularly.

New Citizen Reception

Every year the Educational Foundation sponsors a reception for new citizens right after their naturalization ceremony at the U. S. District Court for the District of Columbia. There are usually 100 to 150 people at this ceremony.

Historic Preservation

WNDC purchased the 19th Century clubhouse in 1927 and the house was placed on the Nation Register of Historic Places in 1973. The Educational Foundation works to preserve this unique house and its collections. The house is now open to the public as a museum, giving a glimpse into the changing role in women in public and political life.

Collections

The WNDC archives are a collection of club records and publications, photographs, political memorabilia, newspaper clippings, portraits and audio and video tapes of selected WNDC speaker programs from 1922 to the present. Researchers and scholar from around the globe have used the archives and memorabilia in their research. The Educational Foundation also maintains the Eleanor Roosevelt Library which contains a large amount of volumes dedicated to women’s issues and current affairs.

Volunteer Opportunities

The Educational Foundation volunteers assist in a broad spectrum of activities. They include hosting students from The School Without Walls at the club, tutoring at the Neval Thomas Elementary School, participating in activities at the club for the Thomas students, greeting new U.S. citizens at a reception after their naturalization ceremony, mounting exhibits from the museum and archival museums, planning educational trips and tours, sustaining the archives of the WNDC and advising on historic preservation of the clubhouse and its collections.

Public Policy Committee

The Public Policy Committee was created in 1974 and is the “political action arm of the Woman’s National Democratic Club.” Currently there are 13 task forces that met on a regular basis to discuss a broad range of issues, domestic and international. These task forces ensure that WNDC takes actions that advance the platform of WNDC and the Democratic Party. The Public Policy Committee works to “strengthen the role of women in the political process, provide a forum for experts and political figures on selected issues, support Democratic candidates for office, coordinate activities with the Democratic National Committee and other organizations and alert members to opportunities for lobbying and other political action.” The Chair of the Public Policy Committee issues a monthly Political Dispatch to all WNDC members, Democratic Party officials and other groups.

Public Policy Task Forces

Church/State: To support the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, and to oppose the use of federal funding that supports faith-based charities and personal ideologies.

DC/Metro: To develop positions and act on issues affecting citizens of the District of Columbia and the surrounding metropolitan area.

Economics: To promote fiscal policies that reflect our democratic ideals of justice and equality of opportunity, and that increase the common good and national equity.

Education: To advocate for quality public education.

Election Reform: To promote nationwide reform in elections for federal offices and verify that the votes of all registered voters are counted; to ensure the fair conduct of elections under uniform standards that accurately reflect the will of the people.

Environment and Energy: To study and act on the connections between population, environment, and natural resources; and to advocate environmental positions.

Foreign Policy: To actively support U.S. foreign policies characterized by consultation and cooperation with friendly nations and international organizations.

Global Women: To study and act on issues of the 1995 Fourth UN World Conference on Women and its Beijing Platform for Action, and to network with like-minded organizations.

Health: To educate members and provide a forum to discuss important health issues facing the country that can lend themselves to political and legislative action. To advocate for universal health coverage, as well as to examine major health care legislative initiatives that affect large groups of Americans.

Human Rights and International Organizations: To promote support for human rights observance nationally and internationally, including the right to peacefully change governments.

Judicial: To monitor the selection and performance of Federal judges, and develop policy positions on constitutional issues, including actions that aggrandize presidential powers; to advocate for U.S. adherence to international human rights laws, treaties and norms.

Social Security: To develop public policy positions on Social Security

Telecommunications: To create policy positions on telecommunications issues, especially on the subject of universal access to the internet