Announcing Our 2025 hatch! Microgrant Winner: The Safe Nest Project.
Nest DC
Every year, something special happens at Nest. We pause, we read, and we’re reminded how much good is growing right here in our city.
Our annual
hatch! microgrant is one of our favorite things we do. Once a year, we give a $2,500 boost to a local doer, maker, or disruptor using creativity and care to make DC a little better, brighter, and kinder.
This year, nearly 150 folks applied. Artists, educators, neighbors, and organizers all dreaming up ways to serve their communities. It’s always one of the hardest and most inspiring decisions we make. Our hatch! committee team of Nesters reads every word, reflects together, and chooses one project that truly embodies what hatch! is about: small boosts that create lasting impact. And this year’s project hits right at the heart of home.
We’re proud to announce that our 2025 hatch! microgrant recipient is
The Wanda Alston Foundation’s
Safe Nest Project, an initiative furnishing dignity, one home at a time.
We connected with
Cesar Toledo, Executive Director of the Wanda Alston Foundation, to shine a light on their mission, their vision for the Safe Nest Project, and what this moment means for the LGBTQ+ youth they serve.
Meet The Wanda Alston Foundation
Since 2008, the Wanda Alston Foundation has been a lifeline for LGBTQ+ youth in DC, providing housing, support services, and pathways to independence. The foundation launched the city’s first housing program for homeless LGBTQ+ youth and has helped more than 200 young people prepare for life beyond its program.
Today, the foundation’s work spans advocacy, direct services, and education. All rooted in a simple mission: to make sure no queer or trans young person ever has to choose between their identity and their safety.
“Our work is more urgent than ever,” Cesar shared. “We’re seeing a rise in LGBTQ+ youth homelessness. We show up every day to make sure every young person knows they belong.”
About the Safe Nest Project
Within the foundation’s housing program, 20 young residents live in apartment-style housing designed to foster growth, safety, and stability. This year, the team began much-needed facility upgrades but couldn’t afford new furnishings. That’s where hatch! came in.
“This year, we’ve begun upgrading our housing facility, but we couldn’t afford new furnishings. The hatch! microgrant from Nest DC changes that. It ensures we can turn apartments into real homes, with new paint, tables, and dressers that reflect the worth of the young people who live there.”
The Safe Nest Project will outfit 20 apartments with fresh, functional furnishings and teach residents how to assemble them, building confidence and practical skills along the way. But more than that, it will give young people something many have never had before: a space that feels like theirs.
Why It Matters
At a time when queer and trans youth across the country are facing rising hostility and shrinking safety nets, the work of the Wanda Alston Foundation feels not only vital but urgent.
“It tells our youth, you belong here. Every bed, every piece of furniture says you matter. In a time when queer and trans young people are facing so much rejection, we’re building spaces filled with warmth, safety, and love.”
Home, they remind us, isn’t just a roof. It’s where healing begins. It’s where hope lives.
“When young people feel safe, they start to see what’s possible. You see confidence return, goals take shape, and hope come back into their eyes. A safe, affirming space gives them room to grow into who they’re meant to be.”
A Shared Mission
At Nest, we believe housing is about people, not property. It’s about care, stability, and community. Those are the same values the Wanda Alston Foundation lives by every day. This partnership is a reminder of what hatch! was built for: to lift up the people doing the work that makes DC a better place to live.
“Our work is possible because of the love and support from Nest DC, Mayor Bowser, DC Council, and countless neighbors who believe every LGBTQ+ youth deserves a safe place to call home.”
Looking Ahead
The Safe Nest Project is just getting started, and we can’t wait to see it come to life.
To learn more about the Wanda Alston Foundation, their mission, or how to support their work, visit
wandaalstonfoundation.org and follow them on socials.
Keep an eye on our socials and newsletter for updates as their project takes flight in the coming weeks.
Because when we invest in people, we invest in home. And that’s what hatch! and Nest will always be about.
