More Than $3.5 Million Raised During the 2018 Allstate Foundation Purple Purse Challenge to Benefit Domestic Violence Survivors

Nearly 300 domestic violence nonprofits urged people to donate funds to provide critical support services
Nov 15, 2018 12:00 PM ET

November 15, 2018 /3BL Media/ - On a single day in 2017, more than 11,000 calls for help from victims went unanswered due to the lack of resources and staff at domestic violence nonprofits. To address these immense funding gaps, The Allstate Foundation rallied nearly 300 domestic violence nonprofits across the country to participate in its fifth annual Purple Purse® Challenge during National Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October. Together, the organizations raised more than $3.5 million, which will be used to provide life-changing services for survivors and their families, including emergency shelter, child-care, food and transportation.

Since 2014, the Allstate Foundation Purple Purse Challenge has enabled domestic violence nonprofits to raise more than $10 million for critical services. In addition to the funds raised during the Purple Purse Challenge, The Allstate Foundation contributed nearly $800,000 in incentive grants, including grand prizes for the nonprofits that raised the most in their division. WINGS Program, Inc.; Partners for Women and Justice; and FreeFrom topped the fundraising leader boards in their respective divisions and each received a $100,000 grand prize grant from The Allstate Foundation.

"We understand how vital funding is to domestic violence nonprofits so each one can provide the care and services necessary to victims in our communities,” said Vicky Dinges, Allstate's senior vice president of corporate relations. “While we’re extremely pleased by the amount of critical donations raised during the Allstate Foundation Purple Purse Challenge, we know funding alone is not enough. We need everyone – men and women – to continue to join us in standing up for the victims of domestic violence so we can break the cycle for future generations.”

Since 2005, The Allstate Foundation has invested more than $60 million to help empower more than 1.3 million domestic violence survivors through Purple Purse, one of its signature programs. The Allstate Foundation’s Purple Purse program is dedicated to breaking the cycle of domestic violence and financial abuse through financial empowerment. In 99 percent of all domestic violence cases, victims experience financial abuse. Examples of financial abuse may include ruining a partner’s credit, restricting a partner’s access to money, preventing a partner from having a job, or tightly monitoring a partner’s spending. Financial abuse traps victims in abusive relationships, making it very difficult to leave.

The top five winners from each division in the 2018 Allstate Foundation Purple Purse Challenge follow below.

DIVISION I

  • First Place: WINGS Program, Inc., Rolling Meadows, Ill.

  • Second Place: YWCA Evanston/North Shore, Evanston, Ill.

  • Third Place: YWCA Greenwich, Greenwich, Conn.

  • Fourth Place: YWCA of Metropolitan Chicago, Chicago, Ill.

  • Fifth Place: The Center for Women and Families, Louisville, Ky.

DIVISION II

  • First Place: Partners for Women and Justice, Montclair, N.J.

  • Second Place: House of Ruth, Inc., Pomona, Calif.

  • Third Place: liveSAFE Resources, Inc., Marietta, Ga.

  • Fourth Place: Between Friends, Chicago, Ill.

  • Fifth Place: Jewish Women International, Washington, D.C.

DIVISION III

  • First Place: FreeFrom, Los Angeles, Calif.

  • Second Place: Lincoln County Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Cherryville, N.C.

  • Third Place: Beyond Violence, Inc., Berwick, Pa.

  • Fourth Place: Family Justice Center Foundation, Nampa, Idaho

  • Fifth Place: Dover Center Inc, St. George, Utah

In addition to its work to break the cycle of domestic violence, The Allstate Foundation creates more prosperous communities where people are empowered to fulfill their hopes and dreams by inspiring the next generation of leaders, closing the nonprofit leadership gap and honoring Allstate volunteers. For updates on Allstate Foundation initiatives, follow The Allstate Foundation on FacebookTwitter, and Instagram. More information on The Allstate Foundation is available at AllstateFoundation.org.

If you or someone you know is in a domestic violence situation, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or TTY 1-800-787-3224.

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