The Wendy Martinez Legacy Project Gives Away $100,000 to Partners in 2022

The Wendy Martinez Legacy Project (TWMLP), established by friends and family to honor the memory of Wendy K. Martinez, is supporting its partners with  $100,000 in grant funding in 2022. This milestone in TWMLP’s giving was achieved through the disbursement of $80,000 in new grants in September, 2022 complementing $20,000 in giving made in partnership with FiscalNote earlier this year. 

Our partners execute their missions centered around three strategic pillars: empowering girls and women in tech, empowering girls and women as leaders, and strengthening and uniting communities. TWMLP ramped up its giving up to this new level to help respond to the continued hardship faced by TWMLP’s stakeholders and communities in the United States and around the world as a result of rising inflation globally and the lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Wendy was passionate about giving back and supporting those in need. That’s why we are honored to be able to provide unprecedented levels of support to our community during this time of need, celebrating Wendy’s life by giving back in line with the passions that were close to her heart: empowering women and girls in the tech industry, empowering them as leaders, and bringing communities together,” said Cora Martinez, TWMLP CEO and Wendy’s mother. 

Earlier this year, FiscalNote and TWMLP joined forces with Girls in Technology to announce the inaugural “Wendy K. Martinez Memorial Coding Scholarship.” The scholarship, which targets qualifying Washington, D.C. high school students, enables the scholarship recipient to pursue a STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) coding camp education and experience. It provides $20,000 to cover access to a multi-week, in-person, or virtual STEM/coding camp experience, such as those hosted by Capitol City Robotics or Code Wiz, among others. 

This more recent wave of support complements these efforts by providing financing to Latinas in Tech, an organization that builds a community for Latinas working in the industry, as well as a $20,000 provided to a selected student attending Wendy’s alma mater, Florida Atlantic University. In the leadership space, the foundation is also empowering girls by supporting the Girls on the Run (GOTR) chapters in both Washington, D.C. and West Palm Beach, Wendy’s two hometowns. 

Finally, to provide more comprehensive community support in places dear to Wendy’s heart, TWMLP provided $15,000 to the D.C.-based Latin American Youth Center, which works to empower a diverse population of youth to achieve a successful transition to adulthood through multicultural, comprehensive, and innovative programs that address youths’ social, academic, and career needs. It also provided a second grant to Fabretto, a Central America-based organization that supports children, youth, and their families in Central America through the power of education. 

Finally, TWMLP provided continued support to Back On My Feet (BOMF), which combats homelessness through the power of fitness, community support and essential employment and housing resources. BOMF and TWMLP, as well as their supporters and BOMF alumni, gathered in person to celebrate Wendy’s life on September 17 at BOMF’s FitFest. 

Wendy Martinez fervently believed in the unlimited possibilities that can be achieved when women and girls are both represented and empowered at the intersection of community and technology. Wendy was the victim of a senseless and random act of violence while jogging in Washington, D.C., and passed away on September 18, 2018. Wendy’s friends and family established The Wendy Martinez Legacy Project in the wake of this tragedy. Its work is made possible thanks to the generous support of Wendy’s employer FiscalNote, and a robust community of supporters.