Through trauma-informed advocacy, bipartisan collaboration, and transformative storytelling, we create spaces where survivors are empowered to share their experiences and drive systemic change.
Our founder, Summer Willis, is a survivor of sexual violence. In the wake of her assault, she experienced firsthand the systemic failures, silence, and shame that often define the survivor experience. She began running as a bold act of reclamation. This personal challenge grew into 'Project 29'— a commitment to run 29 marathons as a testament to her own resilience. She met survivors around the world, each with different lives yet she observed the same pattern. She realized Sexual violence thrives on shame, silence, and laws that haven’t kept up with reality. Eventually, Project 29 grew into the Summer Willis Foundation. SWF was established to combat the root causes of sexual violence in innovative and community-driven ways to make a lasting impact.
All About Our Story
Running was only the start.
Summer found her true, renewed strength not just in the miles, but in community, in the power of telling her story without shame , and in a fierce new purpose: creating tangible change so that what happened to her wouldn't happen to others. She realized she had a choice: accept the narrative of 'victim,' or rewrite it. She chose to rewrite it. That single run transformed into a public mission. What started as 'Project 29' became a movement. Summer founded the Summer Willis Foundation to ensure that no survivor ever feels alone and that every survivor has the tools to find their own power—whether on the running path, in their community, or in creating systemic change."
The SWF Approach
Mission
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.
Vision
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.
Our Campaigns
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.
Legislation
From the pavement to the halls of Congress, the Summer Willis Foundation is championing landmark legislation to protect survivors and hold perpetrators accountable—including the Summer Willis Act and the SOS Campus Safety Act.
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.
How to Reach Us
We’re here for you!
Strength Through Strides
PO Box 26431
Austin, TX 78755