The Allstate Foundation awards $2.2M in grants to support survivors of relationship abuse

 The Allstate Foundation is distributing $2.2 million to 54 state and territory domestic violence coalitions through the annual Economic Empowerment Grant program. The 2025 grants include $300,000 in new funding to address nonprofit advocate well-being and staff burnout. Since launching in 2023, the program has provided economic support to an estimated 46,000 relationship abuse survivors, fueled by a $6.2 million investment from The Allstate Foundation. As one of the largest corporate philanthropic commitments of its kind, these grants are distributed through a partnership with the National Network to End Domestic Violence.

Helping survivors achieve financial independence

The Economic Empowerment Grant program provides flexible funding that coalitions can use to meet survivors’ most urgent needs on their path to safety. Grantees report using the funds to support survivors in tangible, life-changing ways – from helping a client buy a vehicle to covering moving costs, storage fees or even launching a small business – expenses that are often excluded from traditional funding sources. Some coalitions have used the funding to host local economic/housing summits, while another purchased bunk beds for a survivor’s children in their new apartment.

“Survivors often face difficult choices between safety and financial survival. In fact, survivors say that access to financial resources is the number one barrier to safety,” said Sharisse Kimbro, relationship abuse program officer, The Allstate Foundation. “These grants give coalitions the freedom to respond to what survivors desperately need, when they need it. That flexibility is powerful.”

Financial abuse is one of the most pervasive and least recognized forms of control in abusive relationships. Studies show that one in five survivors who experience financial abuse don’t identify it as abuse, making it harder to seek help or leave. The Allstate Foundation’s Economic Empowerment Grant Program addresses this gap.

Supporting advocates and nonprofit leaders

An additional $300,000 in funding is being distributed through the program for coalitions to support the well-being of staff and advocates, many of which are also survivors.

“To truly ease the burden on nonprofit leaders, grant makers must invest in their emotional health and well-being,” Kimbro said. “We’ve all heard the expression that you can’t pour from an empty cup. These funds are a small way to fill the cups of those who give so tirelessly to survivors each and every day.” 

For more information about The Allstate Foundation’s work to disrupt the cycle of relationship abuse, visit allstatefoundation.org.

If you’re experiencing abuse, call The National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233, Text BEGIN to 88788, or visit thehotline.org to start a chat or learn more.

About The Allstate Foundation
The Allstate Foundation empowers people and communities to thrive. Established in 1952, we take a trust-based approach to philanthropy that centers the needs of the nonprofit and the stakeholders they serve. Through bold actions and inspiring people to act, we empower youth to serve, disrupt the cycle of relationship abuse, and increase access to thriving-wage careers. We amplify all corporate and agent volunteer efforts through our Helping Hands match and grant programs, support communities before and after disasters and develop nonprofit leaders and boards through the Nonprofit Leadership Center. Learn more at www.allstatefoundation.org