Funded Partner Spotlight: Diamond Survivors
As a survivor of domestic violence, Toshar Bryant founded Diamond Survivors to help other women rebuild their lives after trauma. She focuses specifically on economic empowerment and financial autonomy, as she says that’s a “common denominator” running through so many instances of abuse.
“I’m here to help women tap into the purpose they had before domestic violence disrupted them,” Bryant says. “Just like you have to be taught how to eat healthy, you have to be taught how to have a healthy relationship with money after domestic violence.”
Bryant grew up in a middle-class Catholic household in New York. She got married at 18. Soon after, her relationship turned violent. It was a different time, she said.
“Police used to tell people to walk it off,” she said.
Breaking free from an abusive marriage with young children wasn’t easy, she said. Ultimately, however, she succeeded and went on to build a successful career in the Department of Corrections.
After retiring, she moved to Florida, where she had to rebuild her life again after a financially abusive relationship left her temporarily unhoused. She quickly got herself back on her feet. And now, through Diamond Survivors, she wants to show other people how she did it.
In 2026, Diamond Survivors received a $10,000 capacity-building grant from the Foundation and Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital. After working with the Nonprofit Leadership Center (NLC) on a capacity assessment, Bryant has been growing her skills in fundraising, board development, program evaluation, and more.
“From the Core Capacity Assessment Tool work with NLC showed me that I was building a mansion with furniture in it, but it had no foundation. I’ve learned so much about sustainability, how to measure outcomes, the importance of partnership and networking,” Bryant said.
The Foundation capacity-building grant has allowed for Bryant to take a number of classes and pursue a fundraising certification. It will also cover costs for her to attend the 26th annual International Family Justice Center Conference happening at the University of South Florida’s St. Petersburg campus in November.
Diamond Survivors is currently accepting applications for its 12-week empowerment program for domestic violence survivors, which focuses on rebuilding purpose and working towards long-term financial independence through coaching, entrepreneurship, and faith-guided support.
“Financial abuse is a silent killer of survivors, and it’s not mentioned as often as it should be,” Bryant said. “Ot hurts the economy, it hurts the family, and it hurts the children. Rebuilding financially is having the bandwidth to teach your children how to move past the financial dishevelment that transpires in many survivors.”
Bryant is currently offering free individual coaching for women but is working to build a larger cohort of survivors for her formal 12-week program, so that she may continue to evaluate its effectiveness and fine-tune the curriculum as needed.
“I’m looking for women in zip codes 33705, 33711, and 33712 who are ready to rebuild and move past survival mode into thriving mode, whether through career-building, entrepreneurship, asset-building or wealth creation,” she said.
Visit the organization’s website to learn more.