Washington Regional Equity Network (WREN)
The Washington Regional Equity Network (WREN) brings together non-profit organizations throughout Metropolitan Washington, DC, to create greater economic and social equity across the region.  The goal is to define and work towards a set of specific near-term initiatives that increase the commitment of regional leaders to equitable development and place equitable development at the center of regional priorities.

A Brief History:
On May 10, 2005, more than fifty representatives from housing, social service and environmental  organizations from throughout the Metropolitan Washington region met in downtown DC.  They formed a delegation to attend the 2nd National Summit on Equitable Development, Social  Justice and Smart Growth sponsored by PolicyLink and the Funders’ Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities in Philadelphia, May 22-24, 2005.

On June 7, 2005 delegation members met again and agreed that the Washington Metropolitan region needed a network  dedicated to promoting regional equitable development. Various working groups comprised of local funders,community based organizations, and  regional actors began conceptualizing and planning such a network.  Some of these planners  attended the February 2006 Potomac Conference, which led them to accelerate their activities.

In September 2006, the Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington held a preliminary Network meeting and began a search to create a secretariat for a network that would promote equitable development and social justice in the Washington Metro region. In November 2006, the Nonprofit Roundtable selected Justice and Sustainability Associates to host WREN's secretariat.
 

Working Groups

Shared Prosperity
The Shared Prosperity Working Group advocates for equitable sharing of regional economic  development and the benefits derived from it. For more information click here.

Regional Collaboration
The Regional Collaboration Working Group members organize to make sure the Washington  Metropolitan region's non-profit community is an effective participant in regional agenda-setting and decision-making processes which may promote or impede regional equity. For more information click here.

Health Equity
The Regional Health Equity Interest group is WREN's newest issue group. Members came together  for the first time in November 2007 to begin building relationships and determining what they want to  organize around. For more information click here.