Social Impact Heroes: Why & How Emily Won, Wendy Prager & Jennifer Gardner Trulson of 2×4 Foundation Is Helping To Change Our World
Great leaders are able to motivate people to work together to achieve a shared vision. This requires the keen ability to communicate effectively, pivot and adapt decisively to changing circumstances, delegate in a way that recognizes the strengths and talents of others, and continue to listen, learn, and evolve.
As part of my series about “individuals and organizations making an important social impact”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Emily Won, Co-founder, Wendy Prager, Executive Director, and Jennifer Gardner Trulson, Founding Board Member of 2×4 foundation.
2×4 foundation is a groundbreaking initiative committed to supporting women across the United States by providing essential services through partnerships with grassroots nonprofits. Founded by Nikki Silver and Emily Won, 2×4 foundation will create a community of supporters and nonprofits that will elevate the lives of all women and girls nationwide — regardless of race, religion, or political affiliation. 2×4 foundation allows women to receive proper care and safety, while advancing proprietorship through advocacy, research, and support.
With a focus on health, safety, and education, 2×4 foundation supports grassroots nonprofits providing essential services that elevate the lives of all women and girls in the country. 2×4 foundation conducts dedicated research in identifying these organizations, appraises their needs, and provides funding to amplify their voices and expand their reach.
At launch (March 2024), 2×4 foundation is working with:
- Women Rising: (NJ) provides direct and immediate help to victims of domestic violence.
- Helping Women Period: (MI) is dedicated to supplying menstrual products to homeless and low-income people.
- Plan A Health: (MS) operates mobile clinics for free healthcare services directly to the Mississippi Delta region.
- The IF Project: (WA) provides services for women to help reduce incarceration and recidivism.
- DIY Girls: (CA) is committed to sparking girls’ interest and future success in STEM-related fields.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
2×4 foundation grew out of conversations among women. My co-founder Nikki Silver is a film and television producer, and I practiced law for many years. We have been friends for over thirty years. In the summer of 2022, we were concerned about the divisiveness in our country, the growing economic inequalities, and the ever-increasing burdens on women. We decided to start a foundation based upon women helping women, focusing on the issues impacting women in America today and supporting exceptional organizations working to provide the essential services that are needed to overcome those obstacles.— Emily Won
After pivoting from a career as a private equity and hedge fund attorney in New York, I led a startup nonprofit that connected donors to individuals directly through various causes. Emily was a college friend from the University of Pennsylvania and one of our amazing volunteers. When she and Nikki approached me to be on the Board of 2×4 in its inception, I was struck by the timeliness and uniqueness of a charity that aggregated women’s most pressing issues into one organization. Given the recent years of social and political tumult and divisiveness, the idea of bringing women of every ilk together to support a common cause really resonated with me. As a donor to many different causes in the past, there is great value in 2×4 foundation’s process: researching and vetting grassroots organizations around the country to find ones making the most impact, and pooling your donation with others to help ameliorate several of the most important issues affecting women in the US. Once I could see the difference that 2×4 foundation would make to these organizations and their constituents over time, I was happy to take on the Co-Executive Director role in January. I envision 2×4 more as a movement of women caring for each other than just an organization. — Wendy Prager
In 2004 I started a small, private foundation in memory of my late husband that identifies and funds exceptional after-school sports and educational programs for children from under-served urban communities. Over the years I have learned through my foundation and other philanthropic endeavors that the most effective organizations know how to make small dollars go a long way. When my friend Nikki told me about her and Emily’s idea to create a foundation to support grassroots organizations throughout the country that provide essential services directly to vulnerable women, I signed on immediately as a Founding Member to help shape 2×4’s mission, process, and outreach. I can’t think of anything more resonant and uplifting than women helping women, especially during this country’s fraught time of political and social division. I am excited to be a part of a movement that aims to motivate donors of all stripes to coalesce around a shared vision of removing barriers to security, fulfillment, and advancement through the simple act of meeting women’s basic needs.— Jennifer Gardner Trulson
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company or organization?
Since its inception, 2×4 has been the beneficiary of incredible volunteerism. We were confident that our vision would resonate with the supporters around us, but we were surprised by the energy and time that so many have donated to launch our foundation. From legal and accounting services, to the volunteers who have been building with us from the start, to our public relations team, we have been given so much support. To highlight one among so many, the Spaceship Earth team at Buck put Nikki and me through their brand design creative process where we evaluated other women-supporting foundations in the country, articulated our core beliefs, and concluded with our name and logo design. We are so grateful to Buck and are proud to move confidently forward with 2×4 foundation — to, by, and for women.” — Emily Won
Since we launched 2×4, I have been overwhelmed with women and people in general reaching out to me to ask about the organization. I think there is some intrigue around a domestic charity that supports a variety of women’s issues in that it is a rarity. We don’t see many organizations like 2×4 that have so many touchpoints across the country. I also think that it resonates with women, as we see all that is happening to women and girls in the world, that we can and should strive to make a difference in our own backyards.” — Wendy Prager
Can you describe how you or your organization is making a significant social impact?
2×4 was founded specifically to help women reach their full potential by identifying and supporting exceptional grassroots organizations that provide essential services to women in the areas of health, safety, and education. By ensuring that these basic needs are met, we help strengthen a woman’s decision-making capacity, provide economic independence, and foster autonomy so that she may focus on uplifting her family and community. Though we’ve only just launched, we believe that through our research-driven grantmaking and ability to expand reach, 2×4 will help innovative organizations spur sustainable, community-driven change. For example, Helping Women Period, an initiative started in mid-Michigan to help provide free menstrual products to women experiencing homelessness or low income, has grown from delivering 33,000 items in 2015 to over two million in 2023 throughout the state. This model has been replicated in counties across the country.” — Jennifer Gardner Trulson
Are there three things the community/society/politicians can do to help you address the root of the problem you are trying to solve?
(All answers from Jennifer Gardner Trulson)
Living Wage — Poverty is the root of so much pain in this country. The best way to lift a woman and her family out of poverty is a living wage. A federal study entitled “Report on the Economic Well-being of U.S. Households for 2018,” found that an unexpected expense of $400 could hurl over a third of Americans into a dire financial situation. A proper living wage will reduce food insecurity, public assistance, worker absenteeism, and illness. For women, a living wage will provide autonomy, reduce stress, and create healthier environments to care for their families, educate their children, and uplift their communities.
Criminal Justice Reform — The incarceration rate for women has skyrocketed in the last 25 years due to more expansive law enforcement efforts, harsher sentencing, and post-conviction barriers to reentry that uniquely affect women. Many women in custody or on probation struggle with poverty, physical and sexual abuse, drug addiction, and untreated mental illness. On the federal, state, and local levels, we need to find alternatives to using the criminal justice system to address social problems. Additionally, for those already touched by the system, we need to encourage collaborations among law enforcement, community partners, and incarcerated women to provide effective, support initiatives that will reduce recidivism and increase the chances of a woman’s successful reentry into her life after prison.
Access to Health Care — Women living in rural and non-urban areas are less likely to have access to health care services, especially sexual and reproductive care. According to a 2021 report by the March of Dimes, over 2.2 million women of childbearing years across 1,119 counties live in “maternity care deserts.” Low income women with less education have nearly double the rate of disease in this country. Our leaders need to address the barriers preventing women from accessing essential health care, namely low income, gender and race-based discrimination, education, and lack of transportation.
How do you define “Leadership”? Can you explain what you mean or give an example?
Great leaders are able to motivate people to work together to achieve a shared vision. This requires the keen ability to communicate effectively, pivot and adapt decisively to changing circumstances, delegate in a way that recognizes the strengths and talents of others, and continue to listen, learn, and evolve. Shazi Vizram, the founder of Happy Family Brands, is an inspiring example of a leader who brought her socially and environmentally conscious vision of improving children’s health worldwide to building the top organic baby food company in the country. She was able to respond to evolving nutritional landscapes while also addressing the needs of new mothers through disruptive innovations such as optimizing organic baby food with Probiotics and DHA, creating gluten-free puffs, and introducing the first line of baby food pouches in the U.S. as an alternative to glass jars.” — Jennifer Gardner Trulson
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
A partner at my former law firm once affixed a Post-It note on what I thought was a well-researched memorandum that said, “Don’t settle for what you can get away with. Push the envelope toward better.” I kept that yellow note tacked on the wall next to my desk for years. It reminded me that life isn’t graded on a curve, and we cannot do the minimum and expect to get an “A” for our efforts. Hard work, anticipating roadblocks, developing empathy, and constantly finding new, innovative ways to improve one’s character and skills are the essential building blocks for a successful career and life.” — Jennifer Gardner Trulson
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them.
The person I most admire and I encourage all our future leaders to learn more about is former Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg. She faced all of life’s obstacles with hard work and determination. She devoted her life to battling discrimination in America with her brilliant mind and strategic fortitude. Her ability to forge alliances and earn the respect of those who disagreed with her were only some of her admirable leadership qualities. Even after 87 years, America needed more time to learn from Justice Ginsberg.” — Emily Won
How can our readers further follow your work online?
Our work is highlighted on our website, www.2x4foundation.org, which will be continually updated to describe our ever-growing list of partner organizations as well as serve as a repository for resources and articles relating to the many pressing women’s issues we are following. We hope to soon be a community of online and in-person resources and thought leadership for women across the country as well as for our partner organizations to come together and learn about each other and from each other. Since our formal launch on March 12th, 2×4 has expanded its social media presence to Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. We encourage anyone interested in our mission to follow along with us! –Wendy Prager
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success in your great work!
Social Impact Heroes: Why & How Emily Won, Wendy Prager & Jennifer Gardner Trulson of 2×4… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.