hi! my name is t'ai freedom ford and i'm the founder of the POWERHOUSE residency. allow me to tell you a little bit about our organization.

WHAT WE DO:

the POWERHOUSE residency was born out of a desire to create a beautiful, comfortable, and safe space for Black women and women of color. in this space, women can: activate dreams, celebrate nature, cultivate creativity, meditate and rejuvenate spirit. in our mission towards abundant expansiveness, there is NO cost to stay at the POWERHOUSE. in fact, residents are given a modest stipend of $500. our residency, still in its infancy, has made a BIG IMPACT, over the last two years.

WHAT WE'VE DONE:

welcomed 13 residents into the POWERHOUSE space for their solo one week stays
paid out $4000 in resident stipends (beginning with 2nd cohort)
paid out $1000 in emergency funding to Black trans women writers
purchased TWO ELECTRIC BIKES for residents to use during their stay
facilitated new & existing projects by our residents who worked on book proposals, essays, screenplays, poetry, non-fiction and novel manuscripts, art installations, and more!

WHAT WE HOPE TO DO:

for our 2025 season, we've received 45 new applicants, the most ever! in this political climate, many of us are feeling unsafe, but Black women and women of color have always had to contend with issues around safety even, and especially, in retreat and residency spaces. that is why we would like to welcome another 8-10 residents for this year's cohort. in order to support that goal, we hope to raise $32,000 to support overhead costs and resident stipends and household supplies. Your support will go directly to:

Mortgage Costs: $19,032 for the year
Utilities(propane gas, water, electric and wifi): $7,000
Residency supplies (food staples, cleaning supplies, toiletries, etc.): $1000
Resident stipends @ $500/resident for 8-10 residents: $4000-$5000

TOTAL OVERHEAD COSTS: $32,032

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

the POWERHOUSE residency would NOT EXIST without community support! thanks to the supreme generosity of folx like YOU, we've been able to continue to do this good work. so, please GIVE in any way that feels comfortable to you. please SHARE our campaign with folx who are willing and able to become change agents in the lives of Black women and women of color. DONATE works of art, time or services to provide incentives for our upcoming auction. SUGGEST organizations or businesses who are willing to support our mission with monetary and in-kind donations.

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!! POWERHOUSE is indeed OUR HOUSE!

Hand Screen printed T-shirt by artist Oasa DuVerney