YWCA Walla Walla secures $4,800 Wildhorse grant to expand survivor support groups

WALLA WALLA — YWCA Walla Walla has secured a $4,800 grant from the Wildhorse Foundation to expand support groups for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault across Walla Walla and Columbia counties.

The yearlong initiative, which from Tuesday through Aug. 31, 2027, aims to help survivors navigate long-term trauma, financial uncertainty, and parenting challenges after immediate crises resolve.

“Support groups give survivors an opportunity to move from simply getting through the day to beginning to see what comes next,” YWCA Walla Walla Executive Director Shannon Nagy said. “There is tremendous power in being in a room where you don’t have to explain your experience before someone understands.”

Funding will cover practical resources including program supplies, printing, transportation assistance, and food. Organizers say eliminating these logistical barriers creates a welcoming environment for participants to build connections and coping skills. The funds are designated specifically for group program operations and will not support emergency shelter costs.

YWCA Walla Walla offers trauma-informed services to guide survivors toward self-sufficiency. In addition to peer support groups, the organization provides medical and legal advocacy alongside connections to housing, mental health, and employment services. The grant was awarded by the Wildhorse Foundation, established in 2001 by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation.

Funded by revenues from Wildhorse Resort and Casino, the tribal foundation supports community programs across the ancestral lands of the Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla people as well as state and national indigenous programs. It has distributed over $20 million since its inception.

---

• 
• 
• 
• 

---

• 
• 
• 
• 

---

Elkhorn Media Group