About The Community Foundation — Greater Washington Community Foundation

For over 50 years, the Greater Washington Community Foundation has ignited the power of philanthropy to respond to critical community needs and build a thriving region where every person prospers.

As the region’s largest local funder, we have invested $1.7 billion since 1973 to build racially equitable, just, and thriving communities so that people of all races, places, and identities reach their full potential.

The Community Foundation is a trusted advisor and navigator helping thousands of individuals, families, businesses, and government partners make a meaningful difference throughout this region and beyond. We serve as a critical link between caring donors, committed nonprofits, and local communities where potential too often exceeds resources.

We keep our finger on the pulse of the issues and organizations that make a difference in our region. Our work centers the voices and needs of communities throughout DC, Northern Virginia, Montgomery County, and Prince George’s County. We deeply understand the challenges, the neighborhoods most impacted, and the effective nonprofits that serve on the frontlines.

As a tax-exempt public charity, we take seriously our responsibility to be the best stewards of charitable resources for this community. We are accredited by the Council on Foundations for meeting its national standards for community foundations and maintain a four-star Charity Navigator rating and Candid Gold Seal of Transparency.

Our Strategic Vision

Some say the racial wealth gap is too big to solve; we believe it’s too urgent to be ignored. And we’re taking action.

We are galvanizing a united coalition of donors and doers to advance a bold vision – grounded in equity and economic justice – that will grow opportunity and secure prosperity for all who call this region home. Together we’ll invest in powerful economic strategies and put them to work in the parts of our community experiencing the deepest disparities and historical disinvestment to help close our region’s racial wealth gap.

Our History and Impact

The Community Foundation was established in 1973 by a group of prominent business and civic leaders to promote a permanent source of philanthropic capital for the Washington Metropolitan region. We have served as grantmaker, convener, community leader, and philanthropic first responder when our community needed us most – from the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon to the financial crisis, and from multiple government shutdowns to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thanks to the generosity of our donors and partners, we are the region’s largest local funder. In FY2024, we granted out more than $87 million to a diverse range of causes including human services, education, the environment, health, the arts, and economic development.

$1.7 billion

invested in our Community since 1973

$480 million

in assets under management

70%

of Annual grants support this region

Our Vision

We envision a region where people of all races, places, and identities reach their full potential.

Our Mission

Our mission is to lead, mobilize, and ignite the power of philanthropy to build a racially equitable, just, and thriving region where everyone prospers.  

Our Values

At The Community Foundation, we are:

  • We take seriously our responsibility to be the best stewards of our community's charitable resources and to uphold the trust our community has placed in us.

  • We believe in the power of community and the potential for creating deeper, more lasting impact together. We are ready to be bold to achieve our goal of closing the racial wealth gap.

  • We exist for the benefit of the communities in which we live and serve. We are committed to actively listening to our community partners to ensure their experience guides our work.

  • We strive for a racially equitable, just, and thriving region. To advance these justice principles, we apply a racial equity lens to our mission, strategy, and practices.

  • Our collaborations with donors and partners power our efforts. We are informed by decades of partnering with and serving our community and our efforts are grounded in research and community engagement.