On any given weeknight in DC, a group of residents gathers around tables and notebooks at a Federation partner agency. They talk about credit scores, spending plans, debt that’s been sitting heavy for years, and long-term investing goals.
And then something shifts.
“After eight weeks, most participants made positive and tangible changes in their lives,” says Sophie Adler, Financial Empowerment Program Coordinator at Tzedek DC. “One participant increased their credit score by 100 points, and another paid down thousands of dollars of debt. But almost everyone, 98%, made a financial behavior change as a direct result of our program.”
Ninety-eight percent.
That kind of change doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when people are given practical tools, steady support, and a space to build confidence.
The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington is proud to help make that support possible by investing in partners like Tzedek DC.
From Portland to Purpose
Sophie grew up in Portland, Oregon, and came to DC through Avodah’s Jewish Service Corps, part of a Federation partner agency. She was looking for a way to pair Jewish community with hands-on social justice work—and found both at Tzedek DC, which works to alleviate debt and address economic injustice in DC. Its name inspired by the Jewish teaching Tzedek tzedek tirdof—“Justice, justice shall you pursue”.
What stood out for Sophie, though, wasn’t just the mission. It was the model.
“We don’t just offer direct services,” she explains. “We also work on policy and community education. You need all of it—reactive support for people in crisis and proactive, systemic change.”
Following her Avodah year, Sophie was hired to join the staff. Today, she serves as Financial Empowerment Program Coordinator, leading the eight-week program she helped launch during her Avodah service year.
That integrated approach reflects Federation’s belief that strengthening Jewish life and advancing economic justice go hand in hand. When Federation invests in partners like Tzedek DC, we help sustain both immediate support and long-term solutions.
Eight Weeks That Change Everything
When Sophie arrived, Tzedek DC was launching a pilot Financial Empowerment Program, an intensive, eight-week series offered free to DC residents.
Each week, participants dive into spending plans, short- and long-term financial goals, and building credit. They move beyond theory, through interactive workshops driven by the participants’ questions.
Alongside the workshops, participants can meet one-on-one with Tzedek DC’s financial counselors, pulling credit reports, identifying priorities, and setting repayment strategies. The workshops build knowledge. The counseling builds momentum.
The impact is tangible. One participant got her first credit card, and another opened a CD account. One participant worked hard at her long-term goal of becoming a homeowner and purchased her first home 15 months after graduating from the program.
But for Sophie, the most powerful shift isn’t numeric.
“It’s seeing participants’ confidence grow,” she says. “They’ll message me months later to celebrate a milestone. That pride, that sense of ‘I did this,’ that’s what stays with me.”
This is the kind of work Federation is proud to support: programs that help people build stability and long-term confidence.
Stronger Together
No organization can do this work alone.
“We constantly have people calling us with different needs that we might not always be able to provide,” Sophie shares. “Being able to rely on our community partners is so important.”
By investing across Greater Washington, we help create the connective tissue that allows agencies to share resources, refer clients, and respond more effectively when needs arise.
Beyond the Workshop
Outside the classroom, Sophie brings the same energy to community life. She’s been playing basketball since she was four, most recently in DC’s Volo leagues, and now organizes Tzedek DC’s annual March Madness bracket challenge.
She also helped launch the organization’s Racial Equity Book Club and co-organizes a book club with fellow Avodah alumni.
It’s not separate from her work. It’s an extension of it.
“I want a career rooted in community,” she says. “Grounded in lived experience. People-centered.”
That instinct, toward connection and shared responsibility, is at the heart of Federation’s work across Greater Washington.
Where Confidence Becomes Stability
Eight weeks may not seem like a long time.
But in that time, participants begin putting the lessons into action—creating spending plans, building credit, and setting long-term goals.
That’s why Federation invests in partners who pair practical tools with lasting solutions.
Because when one person gains stability, the ripple effect reaches far beyond a single balance sheet—strengthening families and the broader community.
