We provide programs for women in Charlotte, North Carolina, and we partner with artisan projects in eight other countries. Locally, we teach women skills in jewelry production and other artisanal creations. The products created provide supplemental income for these women, as well as an income stream for our organization.

The women served, called artisans, are referred by non-profit community partners as they seek to overcome situations such as human trafficking, abuse, addiction, incarceration, generational poverty, and ethnic persecution.

Once in our program, they create an Artisan Empowerment Plan that documents their physical, emotional, and spiritual growth dreams for the future. The plan breaks their dream down into achievable goals and begins with three basic work readiness milestones: Arriving to work on time, having a good attitude, and working diligently at assigned tasks. We then connect the artisans to employment opportunities and other resources in the local community as needed to reach milestones and accomplish goals around employment, education, housing, continued sobriety, financial literacy, ESL, supportive community, emotional health, and skill development.

Our new logo is beautifully complex and features a bridge visual in the shape of the "W" and signifies bridging the gap between pain and purpose. The "B" and "W" are connected in three places, making the cord of three strands the strongest connection because we are all about impactful connections – the “stitching together” of the letters represents the physical and metaphorical aspects of the artisans working – stitch by stitch, bead by bead, day by day – to become brave.

BraveWorks is a 501(c)3 nonprofit, EIN #32-0423402, empowering women and families overcoming trauma and injustice through impactful connections, inspired creations, and economic confidence.

We partner with dozens of organizations to better serve our community and world.  Brave Step, one of our partners, is a separate nonprofit entity, with no legal affiliation with BraveWorks.  You can learn more about Brave Step here. You can learn about all of our valued partners here.