KD Hall Foundation and Other Non-Profits Face Looming Funding Crisis

KD Hall joined The Day With Trae to discuss her non-profit, the KD Hall Foundation, which is in danger of losing its funding. The proposed Operating Budgets in the Washington State House of Representatives and Senate could redirect funds away from Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER), which the KD Hall Foundation and 49 other organizations are part of. For Hall, the effects could be devastating as she says her foundation receives $100,000 per year from ESSER.

“All of our money is spent down with either girls or women, and at the end of the year, we're at zero,” Hall, who runs the foundation as a volunteer, said. “And so losing $100,000 is devastating. For a small nonprofit, we have our own space, we have rent to pay, it's devastating for them to take this type of funding away.”

Hall also mentioned the cohort of eight girls in Nigeria who the foundation helps support. She said without the $100,000 in ESSER funding, she will have to put that work on hold.

“We will probably have to stop the work that we're doing over in Nigeria, so we can focus on our girls in Washington,” Hall said. “We're going to fundraise regardless, but when you were expecting something in September, and we're talking about it's almost May, it’s a deficit for us.”

Hall said she’s gone to Olympia with some of the girls she works with and they voiced their concerns to Governor Jay Inslee, but ultimately she knows the decision lies in the hands of legislators.

“We need the funding, it’s that simple,” Hall said. “Our girls, they're doing a fundraiser. They said let's just take the rest of our time and invest into getting out there vocally and asking for funding.”

Never one to back down from a challenge, Hall has faced her share of setbacks. Just after she graduated from college, she faced the prospect of serving time in prison. Due to that, she was forced to navigate a corporate environment where she couldn't fully be herself. Hall overcame those obstacles and is now using her experiences to make a positive impact in her community through the foundation.

Although she did not end up serving time in prison, the experience had a lasting impact on her. She was determined to make a positive difference and not let her past define her. She pursued her passion for communications and started sharing her story at conferences, gradually gaining confidence and overcoming the mental setback she had faced, including not wanting to share her maiden name for fear that people would discover her felony charge.

"I was mentally in prison. I was afraid to really be myself, to show my degree, because it had my last name on it, which was associated with my past. I went through that for like, 10 years," Hall said. She realized that she needed to break free from these limitations and start making a change.

When Hall and her husband returned to Seattle for the third time after living in different parts of the country due to her job with Macy's and his time in the military, she knew she didn't want to go back to a corporate environment and instead wanted to focus her energy into making a meaningful impact in her community. She started the nonprofit organization called the KD Hall Foundation with the goal of empowering women and girls through education, mentorship, and leadership development.

The foundation aims to provide resources and support to women and girls in Seattle, particularly those from underprivileged communities, to help them overcome obstacles, build confidence, and achieve their full potential. The organization focuses on providing educational opportunities, mentoring programs, and leadership development workshops to help women and girls thrive in their personal and professional lives.

"I started the foundation because I wanted to ensure that other girls didn't experience what I experienced - that feeling of fumbling the ball at the Super Bowl. I didn't want them to feel like failures," Hall said. She believes that empowering women and girls is crucial for building a more inclusive and equitable society.

Since its inception, the KD Hall Foundation has made significant strides in empowering women and girls in Seattle. The organization provides scholarships to support women pursuing higher education, conducts mentoring programs to provide guidance and support to young girls, and organizes leadership development workshops to equip women with the skills and tools they need to succeed in their careers.

You can find out more and support the KD Hall foundation here and watch the full interview above