Our Mission & Vision
Summer Willis Foundation
Through our commitment to advocacy, community, and resource provision, the Summer Willis Foundation exists to reframe the narrative around sexual violence, empower survivors to reclaim their stories, and create lasting systemic change that prevents future harm.
Combatting Stigma and Shame
We’re combatting shame and stigma by focusing on resilience, community, and strength. SWF understands that community and collective action can be transformative in ending stigma and empowering individuals to be their own change-makers. With this, we build a movement to end sexual violence.
Building Survivor-Led Communities
We foster local, national and global safe spaces where survivors and allies can connect, heal, and create lasting change together, through our Denim Race Series, speaking engagements, upcoming Resource Map and Advocacy Bootcamp projects, and more.
Fighting for Policy Reform
We work with legislators across party lines at the highest levels of government, both federally and at the state level, to push for stronger protections and accountability for survivors.
Showing Up
SWF in Action
Upcoming Event:
The Denim Runs
The Denim Run is more than just an event — it's a movement. The first-ever national race series for survivors and by survivors, launching in 2026 across Los Angeles, Austin, and New York City, with a virtual option for all — a chance to celebrate community and resilience while sending a powerful message against shame and stigma.
Legislative Work
The Summer Willis Act is a historic victory for survivors in Texas. This 2025 legislation closes legal loopholes and provides the first affirmative definition of consent in Texas sexual assault law—ensuring that those who are intoxicated or impaired by any substance are legally protected from sexual violence.
The Resource Map
The Summer Willis Foundation's Resource Map is the first comprehensive national directory connecting survivors of sexual and domestic violence to vetted legal, medical, mental health, and protective services — designed by survivors, for survivors, and grounded in trauma-informed care. By consolidating fragmented resources at both the campus and community level, it eliminates the burden of repeated disclosure and creates a low-stigma, low-effort entry point into care when survivors need it most. Piloting first in Texas, the Strides Map is built to scale nationwide, with the goal of measurably reducing re-traumatization and transforming how survivors across the country find help.
"A Letter to My Younger Self" Film
When the Summer Willis Act passed in Texas—finally making Summer's own assault legally recognized 10 years after it occurred—she wrote a letter to herself in the aftermath, and that letter became the foundation for a six-minute animated short film tracing what one night can take and the decade it can steal. The project brought together an extraordinary team, with animator Hisko Hulsing and his Undone team bringing the vision to life, and Soledad O'Brien, Mariska Hargitay, Regina Scully, Monica Lewinsky, and Dini Von Mueffling joining as Executive Producers. The film is what many survivors on the team wish they'd had after their own assaults: an honest acknowledgment of how hard healing is, and proof that pain can become purpose.
Our Impact
Voices of the Movement
Tristan E.
Denim Run Ambassador
"Through Summer's perseverance, I discovered the inner strength to keep healing and to run my own marathon."
Paulina P.
Advisory Board Member
As a parent of a survivor, SWF has helped me walk alongside my daughter in her journey. It has also allowed me to use my voice and experience to stand with other parents."
Logan S.
SWF Volunteer
"Walking in the April 2025 Denim March filled me with a sense of hope and inspiration. It brought together a community so fiercely dedicated to making this world a better place, and I am immensely proud to stand together in support."
How to Reach Us
We’re here for you!
Strength Through Strides
PO Box 26431
Austin, TX 78755