About Win

Washington Interfaith Network (WIN)

where DC's power is built from the ground up

Since 1996, WIN has been a broad-based, multi-racial, multi-faith citizens' organization rooted in congregations and community associations across every ward of the District. We're 45 member institutions representing 25,000 families — reflecting DC's full diversity of faith traditions, races, neighborhoods, and income levels.

WIN isn't a staff or leadership telling members what to do. WIN is its members — organized, trained, and taking action together.

Our Purpose

WIN creates long-term power through a united front of organized institutions, organized people, and organized money. We act consistently and persistently for change on the issues that matter most to DC families: affordable housing, public safety, youth opportunity, and more.

We bring people together across the divides of race, culture, income, faith, and neighborhood to take public action on their issues — and to hold government and corporate leaders accountable for addressing them.

How We Work

WIN operates through institutional organizing — a proven model that develops leaders and wins concrete change:

  • Member institutions build core organizing teams trained to identify new leaders and surface issues for action

  • House meetings develop relationships, identify leaders and issues, and build a base of people ready to act

  • Research actions develop the knowledge and strategy needed to make campaigns effective

  • Public actions bring pressure to bear on decision-makers with the power to create change

  • Evaluation helps leaders learn from experience and grow their public leadership skills

Leadership Development

WIN identifies, trains, and engages hundreds of DC leaders every year to take action on issues affecting their lives and communities. We follow the Iron Rule: "Never do for others what they can do for themselves."

Member organizations and volunteer leaders do the work of WIN — the organizing, public negotiation, issue identification, strategy development, and decision-making. WIN's professional organizers are teachers, not directors.

Funding & Independence

WIN is entirely non-partisan, supports no party or candidate, and accepts no financial support from any level of government for its operations. WIN is funded through member dues (ranging from $2,500 to $25,000 annually), individual contributions from WIN leaders and supporters, and grants from national and local businesses, foundations, and other funders who recognize the unique service WIN provides.

WIN is registered in DC as a not-for-profit corporation and designated by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) organization.