Friendship Place to Expand Support for DC Region Families Experiencing Homelessness with $2.5 Million Grant from Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos

32 organizations across the U.S. receive a total of $102.5 million from the Bezos Day 1 Families Fund to connect families with homes and hope

WASHINGTON, Dec. 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Friendship Place, the premier housing service provider for people experiencing homelessness in the DC region, offering innovative, person-focused programs that help individuals and families secure stable housing, find employment and rebuild their lives, today announced that Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos are recognizing the organization with a $2.5 million grant from the Bezos Day 1 Families Fund. This investment builds on the $2.5 million Day 1 Families Fund grant received in 2020. With this new grant, Friendship Place is part of the eighth annual cohort of organizations across the country receiving funding from the Day 1 Families Fund to deepen their work to help every family have a safe, stable place to call home.

"These funds are critical to our effort to end and prevent homelessness for parents in crisis," said Jean-Michel Giraud, president & CEO of Friendship Place. "The Day 1 Families Fund will continue to strengthen our work to help families rebuild their lives with dignity and ensure more children in our community can grow up safe and housed." 

Friendship Place will use its Day 1 Families Fund grant to serve even more families experiencing homelessness in the DC metro area, with the goal of ensuring no child in our community sleeps outside.

With its first Day 1 Families Fund grant, Friendship Place delivered financial assistance to more than 1,400 families. This support enabled the families to exit homelessness and move into permanent housing by assisting with security deposits, first month's rent and other essential housing stability costs. The grant also enhanced services at The Brooks, the organization's short-term family housing facility, and helped parents increase their income and secure jobs through the AimHire program.

Friendship Place plans to use its new, one-time Day 1 Families Fund grant over the next five years to continue providing financial assistance that helps more families quickly exit homelessness and secure permanent housing. The grant will also strengthen operations at The Brooks, supporting families during their stay and helping them transition into stable housing, and expand rapid-employment services through the AimHire program.

Friendship Place was identified to receive this grant by a group of national advisors who are leading advocates and bring expertise on homelessness, housing policy and effective approaches and solutions to family homelessness.  

"When a family finally found an apartment after months in a shelter, this support enabled us to jump in immediately and cover the deposit and first month's rent," said Emily Carpenter, Family Fund manager of Friendship Place. "That speed made all the difference in securing the home, and we're grateful that the Bezos Day 1 Families Fund allowed us to help."

Since its inception in 2018, the Day 1 Families Fund has awarded 280 grants totaling more than $850 million to organizations serving families in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam. The Day 1 Families Fund grant recipients have tremendous flexibility to use the funds in the ways that are most impactful in their communities, making the grant a game-changer for organizations on the frontlines of the family homelessness crisis. Recipients will use their funds to support families experiencing homelessness to access critical services, regain stable housing and achieve well-being.

This year, the Fund issued a total of $102.5 million in grants to 32 organizations. The full list of awardees is available at https://bezosdayonefund.org/day1familiesfund. Case studies of the impacts past Day 1 Families Fund grantees have made with their funds are available at https://www.bezosdayonefund.org/case-studies.

About Friendship Place
Friendship Place is the DC region's leading provider of housing and support services for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Its innovative, person-focused programs empower individuals and families to secure stable housing, find employment, and reconnect with the community. Each year, the organization serves more than 5,000 people across the region. For more information, visit friendshipplace.org. 

About the Bezos Day 1 Families Fund
Through the Bezos Day 1 Families Fund, Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos issue annual leadership awards to organizations doing compassionate, needle-moving work to help families experiencing homelessness. For more information, visit www.BezosDayOneFund.org/Day1FamiliesFund.

Contact
Yimka Odebode,
Media, Marketing & Communications Director
202.306.1958

SOURCE FRIENDSHIP PLACE