Now that 2022 has come to a close, we’re reflecting on and celebrating our most impactful stories from the past year – from launching the $95 million Health Equity Fund, to the creation of the Children’s Opportunity Alliance, to appointing a new Chair of the Board of Trustees. Here are some of our most meaningful milestones from 2022.
Outlining a Vision for Change at the Celebration of Philanthropy
At the 2022 Celebration of Philanthropy, President & CEO Tonia Wellons outlined The Community Foundation’s strategic vision and path to pursue economic justice, with a neighborhood-centered approach to over 200 supporters, community partners, and friends gathered at the Warner Theatre.
The evening included a special conversation with two of the country’s leading experts on racial inequality – Dr. Rashawn Ray, a Senior Fellow at The Brookings Institution and Professor of Sociology at the University of Maryland, and Dr. Thomas Shapiro, award-winning author and Professor of Law and Social Policy at Brandeis University – to reflect on the causes and consequences of the racial wealth gap, and how can we pursue economic justice for the Greater Washington region.
Let’s GO DMV! Guaranteed Income Pilot launches in DC
In April, The Community Foundation joined if, a Foundation for Radical Possibility, Meyer Foundation, and other partners to announce the launch of Let’s GO DMV! – a 5-year guaranteed income pilot that provides $1,000 a month–no strings attached– to 75 hospitality workers who lost their jobs during COVID. All but one of the workers are individuals of color.
Let’s GO DMV! is designed to get cash in people’s hands – giving them increased flexibility and financial freedom to overcome the systemic barriers they face. Our hope is that this initiative can be used as a case for future government-supported programs and policies that are needed to advance economic justice.
Historic Health Equity Fund Announces Inaugural Grant Round Targeting Economic Mobility
In October, The Community Foundation announced $9.2 million in grants during the inaugural round of funding from the Health Equity Fund. The grants focused on boldly investing in economic mobility and wealth-building in DC’s historically underinvested communities – recognizing that 80 percent of DC’s health outcomes are driven by social, economic, and other factors, compared to just 20 percent by clinical care
The historic $95 million fund was welcomed to The Community Foundation’s philanthropic family earlier this year. The fund is governed by a seven-member Health Equity Committee, in partnership with the Greater Washington Community Foundation and is dedicated to supporting innovative systems-changing strategies as well as existing approaches that improve prospects for Black, Latinx, Indigenous, people of color, and other marginalized populations.
Partnership To End Homelessness Invests in the Future of Homeless Services
This year, the Partnership to End Homelessness provided grants to enroll 26 nonprofit partners in The Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH)’s Supportive Housing Medicaid Academy.
The six-week series provided invaluable trainings and one-on-one technical assistance to nonprofits in the permanent supportive housing (PSH) space – including smaller, BIPOC-led organizations. As a result, these organizations will be better prepared to leverage an estimated $20+ million in new, annual federal resources made available through Medicaid this past summer.
The new Medicaid funding could be a breakthrough in our region’s fight against homelessness; specifically for our PSH programs -- one of the leading nationally-recognized solutions to chronic homelessness.
Children’s Opportunity Alliance Named Montgomery County Coordinating Entity for Ages 0-5
In July, Montgomery County leaders announced the launch of the Montgomery County Children’s Opportunity Alliance, a nonprofit entity that will connect partners in support of equitable outcomes for children from birth through age 5.
The Children’s Opportunity Alliance is a new independent nonprofit organization that transitioned from the Children’s Opportunity Fund, a public-private impact initiative created by the Greater Washington Community Foundation, Montgomery County Government and Montgomery County Public Schools in 2014.
Bringing Faith & Philanthropy Together in Prince George’s County
In June, The Community Foundation convened faith, nonprofit, and philanthropic leaders from across Prince George’s County to recognize the important role that the faith community has historically played in the fight for social and economic justice and will continue to play, as we partner together to close the racial wealth gap.
Greater Washington Community Foundation Welcomes Richard Bynum as New Board Chair
In September, The Community Foundation announced the appointment of Richard K. Bynum, Chief Corporate Responsibility Officer for The PNC Financial Services Group, as the new Chair of its Board of Trustees.
Bynum is an accomplished executive with nearly 20 years of executive leadership experience. As chief corporate responsibility officer for The PNC Financial Services Group and a member of its Executive Committee, Bynum leads the PNC Foundation, Community Affairs, ESG practice, Community Development Banking, and Diversity and Inclusion.
Bynum succeeded Katharine Weymouth who served as Board Chair since September 2020. During her tenure as Chair, Weymouth oversaw the hiring of Tonia Wellons as permanent President and CEO in 2020 and she played a key role during the development of The Community Foundation’s new 10-year strategic vision.
Celebrating $1.5 Billion in Giving & Looking to the Future at the 2022 Annual Meeting
In October, The Community Foundation hosted its 2022 Annual Meeting at The National Press Club and via livestream. The event capped off a record-breaking year of growth and community impact for The Community Foundation and its donors and partners – which recently surpassed $1.5 billion in grantmaking (with approximately $93 million given in FY22, alone).
The event also included a panel discussion with two nationally recognized experts on economic mobility – a major focus of The Community Foundation’s strategic vision, outlined by President & CEO, Tonia Wellons. The panel included Nisha Patel, co-author of the study Restoring the American Dream, and Gary Cunningham, President & CEO of Prosperity Now, and touched on a wide range of topics, including entrepreneurship, the need for more investment in social safety nets, shifting policies and practices to advance economic mobility, and the need to center these policies around lived experiences.
Continuing our Learning Journey at the DMV Community Book Group
Our quarterly DMV Community Book Group hosted several riveting discussions this past year that created invaluable space for conversation around economic and social justice.
In September, we hosted Anne Price for a conversation about her article “What We Get Wrong About Closing the Racial Wealth Gap”. Price outlined how there is no “one-size fits all” solution to closing the racial wealth gap, and outlined the importance of redefining racial wealth.
In December, we invited Dr. Manuel Pastor to discuss his book Solidarity Economics: Why Mutuality and Movements Matter. We learned about the vital role that social movements play in creating a society and economy that work for everyone.
The Community Foundation Closes out COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund with Investment in Mutual Aid Groups
Recognizing the critical role of mutual aid networks in responding to current and future crises, the Greater Washington Community Foundation awarded $250,000 in grants to support mutual aid groups in their work to help neighbors meet basic needs, support vaccine education and access, strengthen political education and organizing, and more.
These investments marked an important milestone as they represent the final grants issued from the COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund established at the onset of the pandemic.
The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation Recognized with 2022 Arts Champions Award
In December, The Community Foundation was proud to recognize The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation with the 2022 Arts Champion Award, in recognition of its outstanding commitment to helping arts organizations adapt and respond to the pandemic.
When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, the Cafritz Foundation was among the first to recognize the devastating impact that it would have on the region. Within weeks, the foundation approved a $1 million grant to The Community Foundation’s COVID-19 Response Fund – one of the largest single contributions to the fund -- at a time when uncertainty surrounding the pandemic was at its height.
A month later, the Cafritz Foundation made a lead grant of $500,000 to launch Arts Forward Fund – a collaborative partnership with The Community Foundation and more than a dozen other individual and institutional contributors, and followed up with a second grant of $400,000 in 2021. Since October 2020, the fund has distributed more than $2.7 million in grants to 100+ organizations, providing essential resources to help them continue their work during the pandemic.