The Mary Kay Foundation has awarded $3 million in grants to 150 domestic violence shelters in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, including $20,000 to the Elizabeth Buffum Chace Center. The unrestricted grant will be used to maintain critical services and programs for individuals who are survivors of domestic abuse.

Since 1981, the EBC Center has been providing services to victims of domestic abuse, including safe shelter, transitional housing, counseling, support groups and court advocacy. In 2012 alone, over 3,500 individuals were assisted by the dedicated staff, while funding from federal, state and municipal sources continued to be cut.

“We are so grateful for the support of foundations like Mary Kay,” said Judith Earle, executive director of the EBC Center. “This gift from The Mary Kay Foundation will mean the difference in our ability to meet the growing needs of victims of domestic abuse. It directly translates to additional staff hours over the next year, which is a critical need. We are honored to be the only agency in Rhode Island to receive this year’s grant award.”

For nearly 20 years, the Mary Kay Foundation has supported the prevention and elimination of domestic violence, an epidemic that touches one in every four women in her lifetime. Through the Foundation’s annual shelter grant program, $34 million has been granted to domestic violence agencies since 2000.

“The Mary Kay Foundation is proud to support local shelters that are on the front lines of helping thousands of women and children who seek shelter and support from abuse,” Anne Crews, vice president of government relations for Mary Kay Inc. and board member for the Mary Kay Foundation, said in a statement. “The shelter grants are a signature program for the Mary Kay Foundation and represent just one of the ways we are committed to breaking the cycle of domestic violence.”