Meet Our Spirit of Philanthropy Award Honoree – Alex Orfinger

THE GREATER WASHINGTON COMMUNITY FOUNDATION is PROUD TO HONOR Alex Orfinger WITH THE 2024 SPIRIT OF PHILANTHROPY AWARD.

The Community Foundation is thrilled to honor Alex Orfinger with the 2024 Spirit of Philanthropy Award. Working at the intersection of business and community, Alex’s work shines a light on vital social issues such as economic recovery and income disparity, and why these issues matter to the business community.  He is actively engaged in the philanthropic community and has made a significant impact on our region through his investment of time and resources to support some of the region’s leading nonprofit organizations.

Alex believes what is good for business is also good for the greater community. Alex is a champion of collaboration and is dedicated to developing relationships that strengthen the connection among business leaders and between the business and philanthropic communities.

For over two decades serving as Publisher of the Washington Business Journal, Alex has worked out front and behind the scenes to develop a strong identity for the region's business sector. The core purpose of the Washington Business Journal is to help local business grow by providing leaders with the information they need to get their work done, including leads, competitive intelligence, and knowledge about who was doing what and with whom.

His Business Journal team continues to report on the diversity of the business community. Through the pages of the Business Journal, they tell the stories of companies, the personalities who run them, and what makes leaders tick.
Beyond reporting, Alex and the Washington Business Journal bring leaders and business people together – including senior executives from across the region and across industry sectors. These are places where deals are consummated, connections are made, and regional problems are solved.

Alex is also actively engaged in the philanthropic community. He is passionate about fostering relationships and believes that the cross-pollination of business and nonprofit contacts results in better business and a stronger community. As the Chair of Jubilee Housing’s Board of Directors, Alex helped the organization raise $5.27 million towards its Housing Justice campaign. In addition, Alex previously served two terms as the Secretary of The Community Foundation’s Board of Directors and founded and launched the David Bradt Nonprofit Education Fund to honor his friend by supporting nonprofit leaders to attend intensive executive training programs. Currently, Alex serves as board chair of Leadership Greater Washington, the region’s largest talent and leadership incubator. 

“Say Their Name, Say Their Name” Advocates Call for Action at Annual Vigil For Those Who Have Died Without Housing

Days before Christmas, friends and advocates for DC’s homeless community gathered around an empty coffin at Luther Place Memorial Church for the 11th Annual Vigil honoring DC residents who died without housing in 2023.

The event is an annual holiday tradition that many say they have become weary -- and wary -- of celebrating, as the number of those who died without housing in DC continues to rise.

“Ninety people died without housing this year,” Rachelle Ellison, Assistant Director at the People for Fairness Coalition shared to an audience of about 60 people gathered at the church.

“Last year it was 77 – more than 17% increase.”
“It’s so sad that the number of deaths just keeps going up.”

A young Vigil attendee and his mother pay their respects to the 90 DC Residents who died without housing in DC.

With local forecasters predicting above average snowfall this winter, advocates fear that unless more action is taken, the trend will likely carry over into the New Year.

“So many of these people - we don’t see their names – but they are humans. They matter,” shared Reginald Black, lead organizer with the People for Fairness Coalition.

“I spent 10 years – 10 long years homeless.”

“Any one of those years, I could have been one of the names; one of the initials; one of the ages on this list.”

“We need to raise our voices that housing is a human right and that those whom this casket represents were denied that right,” Black added.

Black also pointed out the need to incorporate racial equity into policies to end homelessness. Of the 90 DC residents who died without housing this year, 80 percent of them were Black.

“We can and must do better.”

Following the service, the participants filed out onto 14th Street where they followed the empty coffin on a mile-long march towards Freedom Plaza.

For some in the procession, this was their first time at the annual Vigil – which has become something of a somber holiday tradition in the homeless community.

The White House looms in the background as housing advocates gather at Freedom Plaza

For those at the front of the procession; the pallbearers – especially those with ‘lived experience’ of homelessness, the experience marks a milestone of far too many cold sleepless nights and far too many friends needlessly lost.

“I’ve been doing this for three years now,” one pallbearer shared at an open mic gathering held at the end of the march. “It’s sad to keep seeing the same results. But I know it’s important to put our heart on the line and raise our voices.”

“We need to advocate, to be concerned, and to raise awareness– this is an issue that can be solved.”

Perhaps most concerning to housing advocates is the number of deaths that were nearly prevented. Close to 70% of those on the list had received a housing voucher but died before they could be housed – that’s up from more than 60% in 2022.

The list of those who died without housing in 2022 compared with the list from 2023

The harrowing statistic outlines what advocates say is one of the biggest existing gaps in a housing system where people too often fall through the cracks.

“It is disappointing how often this city gives up on people who are unhoused,” Council Member Janeese Lewis (Ward 4) shared at the vigil. “We shouldn’t ever give up on anyone.”

Council Member Lewis and her staff attended the vigil to honor the memory of one of their constituents, David Ashmore, a lifetime Ward 4 resident and close friend of Council Member Lewis. Mr. Ashmore experienced homelessness for 30 years before he passed away in July 2023.

DC Council Member Janeese Lewis (Ward 4) at the annual Vigil for those who died without housing in 2023.

Council Member Lewis shared that, like many people who experience homelessness, Mr. Ashmore had lost faith in the government and the housing system.

“We spent months visiting with him, building a relationship with him, before he trusted us enough to help him with the housing voucher process.”

Council Member Lewis explained that although housing advocates had tried to help Mr. Ashmore with the housing voucher application in the past, few had taken sufficient time to guide him through the paperwork.

“All he asked was to know what he was signing,” Council Member Lewis explained. “It took us three hours to go through the application with him – but three hours is worth the time for someone who’s been on the streets for 30 years.”

Even after receiving his voucher, Mr. Ashmore still faced an uphill battle, as he now needed to find an apartment that would meet his needs and accept his voucher. Council Member Lewis and her team were in the process of helping Mr. Ashmore visit apartments when he passed away in July.

“Mr. Ashmore had so many people behind him – he had a DC Council Member behind him -- yet he died on the streets,” Council Member Lewis shared. “Mr. Ashmore deserved better from our city.”

DC Council Member Robert White (At-Large) at the annual Vigil for those who died without housing in 2023.

Also in attendance was Council Member Robert White (At-Large), who thanked advocates, including the People for Fairness Coalition for their efforts to raise awareness of the need for further investment and systems change in homeless services.

“Because of you all, I know there are folks in this city who care,” Council Member White shared. “Thank you for continuing to remind us of the work that is truly important – the work that needs to be done.”

The Community Foundation’s Partnership to End Homelessness is proud to partner with advocates like the People for Fairness Coalition in our efforts to end homelessness in DC.

The Partnership to End Homelessness is a public-private partnership that convenes government agencies, funders, and advocates to create more supportive and deeply affordable housing and lead strategic and sustainable investment in the homeless services system.

For more information, visit  https://www.thecommunityfoundation.org/partnership-to-end-homelessness

A Year in Review: Looking Back at the Top Milestones from 2023

2023 was a year full of milestones for The Community Foundation and our community of changemakers – from celebrating our 50th Anniversary at the National Museum of African American History & Culture, to launching the first guaranteed income program in Prince George’s County, to kick-starting a capital campaign for economic justice. Here are some of our most meaningful milestones from 2023.

Celebrating History, Hope & Healing at our 50th Anniversary Celebration of Philanthropy at the National Museum of African American History and Culture

On May 3rd, The Community Foundation hosted the 50th Anniversary Celebration of Philanthropy – celebrating 50 Years of History, Hope, and Healing in the Greater Washington region. Leading up to the celebration, The Community Foundation spotlighted the work of outstanding philanthropic leaders and donors over the course of our organization’s history – past, present, and future – including leaders like Peggy Cooper Cafritz, Vicki & Roger Sant, Bob Linowes, The Honorable Wayne Curry, and others.

Chief among these was our 2023 Spirit of Philanthropy Honoree, Terri Lee Freeman – the longest-serving and first Black female President and CEO of The Community Foundation from 1996-2014. We were delighted to celebrate her legacy during an unforgettable evening at the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Convening Faith & Philanthropy to foster belonging and strengthen our region

In February, The Community Foundation expanded our dialogue with faith leaders by partnering with The Jewish Community Foundation and other faith leaders to discuss ways in which our region’s Black and Jewish communities can operate with greater alignment, solidarity, and allyship to address antisemitism, anti-Black racism, Islamophobia, and bigotry more broadly.

In June, The Community Foundation hosted the second annual Faith & Philanthropy Summit, which included a dialogue between Christian & Jewish faith leaders from across the region to help set a baseline understanding of reparative justice through the lens of faith traditions.

Looking to 2024, The Community Foundation remains committed to strengthening ties across our region’s vibrant and diverse faith community to foster belonging and build a stronger and more equitable region.

Together, We Prosper: Making a Stand for Economic Justice

In May 2023, The Community Foundation launched Together, We Prosper, a three-year campaign to jump-start our vision of economic justice and build permanent resources to ensure The Community Foundation’s ability to respond to today’s needs and tomorrow’s challenges.

In conjunction with the campaign, The Community Foundation hosted a series of webinars titled "In Pursuit of Economic Justice” – designed to bring together experts to explore innovative approaches to closing the racial wealth gap. The series featured national leaders in the guaranteed income movement and advocates for wealth building programs such as Children’s Saving’s Accounts.

Celebrating Tonia Wellons’ leadership in the greater washington region

In October, we were thrilled to celebrate our President & CEO, Tonia Wellons as she was named to the Washington Business Journal’s 2023 list of “Women Who Mean Business” and Washingtonian Magazine’s 2023 “Most Powerful Women in Washington” in recognition of her outstanding leadership and commitment to racial and economic justice. In honor of her achievements, members of our Board of Directors helped create a special tribute video to celebrate.

Health Equity Fund Celebrates One Year of Transformative Grantmaking

In October, The Community Foundation’s Health Equity Fund celebrated an exciting milestone – awarding more than $21 million in grants to 46 organizations in just 12 months. The fund recently announced a new grant round which aims to award at least twice that amount over the next 3 years – making it one of the most transformative impact funds in The Community Foundation’s history.

Announced in March 2022, The $95 Million Health Equity Fund is dedicated to closing gaps in healthcare as well as addressing social determinants of health (SDOH) that impact health outcomes including education, employment, income, housing, transportation, nutrition, environmental safety, medical care, culture and recreation, and more.

Celebrating Four Years of the Partnership to End Homelessness in DC

This year also marked the fourth anniversary of the Partnership to End Homelessness in DC. Since its launch, the Partnership has leveraged and aligned over $18 million in private sector resources. At the same time, advocacy efforts have resulted in over 4,000 permanent supportive housing vouchers to end homelessness for 3,106 individuals and 1,217 families.

In October, The Partnership hosted friends and supporters at the Festival Center in Northwest DC to discuss the initiative’s progress and hear from advocates and service providers. They also participated in a walking tour of the neighborhood, including several stops at affordable housing projects under development.

championing Philanthropy and economic justice in Prince George’s County

While The Community Foundation celebrated 50 years of impact in the Greater Washington region, it also celebrated the 25th anniversary of its local office in Prince George’s County. Since 1998, The Community Foundation and our fundholders are proud to have invested more than $65 million in Prince George’s County. In October, The Community Foundation gathered with outstanding nonprofit and civic leaders from across the county to celebrate at the 2023 Civic Leadership Awards at MGM National Harbor.

Three weeks later, The Community Foundation gathered again in Largo at the Wayne K. Curry Building to announce the launch of Thrive Prince George’s – the first-ever guaranteed income pilot in Prince George’s County.

The two-year, $4 million initiative will provide monthly payments of $800 to 50 youth (age 18-24) who have aged out of foster care and 125+ seniors (age 60+) for a 24-month period with no strings attached and no requirements tied to employment. Thrive Prince George’s is a public-private partnership that will leverage both public and private philanthropic resources from the Greater Washington Community Foundation, Prince George’s County Executive and Council, and the Meyer Foundation.

Celebrating a Legacy of Philanthropy in Montgomery County

On November 16th, donors and community partners across Montgomery County gathered for the annual Celebration of Giving.  The event included a moving memorial tribute to the Founding Executive Director of The Community Foundation in Montgomery County, Sally Rudney who passed away this year – as well as a report on the more than $9.5 million that The Community Foundation’s network of donors gave to nonprofits this past year.

The event also honored Mary Pat Alcus – the 2023 Montgomery County Philanthropist of the Year – for her outstanding contributions to philanthropy in Montgomery County.

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 conversations with community partners and fundholders around economic and social justice.

In March, we dove into the world of cooperative economics with Dr. Jessica Gordon-Nembhard, Professor at City University of New York and author of the book Collective Courage: The History of African American Economic Thought and Practice.

That was followed by a discussion of Rob Hopkins’ From What Is to What If: Unleashing the Power of Imagination to Create the Future We Want.

We closed out the year in December with Jennifer Vanica, author of Courageous Philanthropy: Going Public in a Closely Held World, as together we explored how to promote sustainable, community-driven wealth building.

Building Community, Fostering Belonging & Sharing Prosperity at the 2023 Annual Meeting

In October, The Community Foundation hosted its 2023 Annual Meeting at the National Press Club. The event capped off another exciting year of growth and community impact for The Community Foundation and its donors and partners – which surpassed $1.7 billion in grantmaking.

The event included a panel discussion around fostering belonging and building community –an important topic that ties into The Community Foundation’s strategic vision and Together, We Prosper Campaign. The panel included Cat Goughnour Racial Equity Fellow at Prosperity Now and Bobby Milstein, Director of System Strategy for the Rippel Foundation.

Ceding Power and Seeding Community Wealth Building in DC Ward 7 & 8

This past year, The Community Foundation, JP Morgan Chase, and our nonprofit partners collaborated to invest in community wealth building in DC Ward 7 & 8.

In August, Martha’s Table announced the second round of grants through the Community Impact Fund, which provided $10,000 grants to high-impact organizations based in Ward 8. The Community Foundation and JP Morgan Chase partnered to match these initial grants through the Equitable Development Fund.

In October, The Community Foundation and JP Morgan Chase convened funders and nonprofit partners at the Marshall Heights Community Development Organization in Ward 7 to hear directly from community partners about the best ways to promote community wealth building and equitable development in DC Wards 7 & 8.

Book Group Recap: Courageous Philanthropy with Jennifer Vanica

What does Courageous Philanthropy look like?

For our December gathering of the quarterly DMV Community Book Group, that was the question of the hour, as we were joined by Jennifer Vanica, a 40-year veteran of philanthropy and community change, and author of Courageous Philanthropy: Going Public in a Closely Held World

“It is time to forge new, more courageous relationships between foundations and the communities we seek to serve,” Vanica shared. “When we no longer work to sustain our own points of view and work toward community ownership of change as accountable partners, we will discover that what endures is the fire of inspired action.”

In the late 1990s, Vanica was the CEO and President of the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation (JCNI), one of the lead organizers behind Market Creek Plaza Project in San Diego, California. The project has gained national acclaim for being one of the first neighborhood redevelopment projects in the US that was driven and owned by residents. From 1997 to 2005, more than 3,000 residents participated in teams to plan, design, build and lease the project which transformed a 20-acre industrial lot into a thriving commercial and cultural plaza. In her book, Vanica shares what she believes was key to the project’s success – mainly, a bold and intentional focus on listening and developing community ownership.

“Don’t do about me, without me,” Vanica recalled one resident sharing with her at a community meeting. “That was the mantra that drove our work.”

When asked what amenities should be included in the development project, Vanica says her organization supported residents as they went door-to-door, conducting more than 600 surveys with their fellow neighbors in four different languages. Their responses helped lay the blueprint for Market Creek Plaza – similar to the way that research initiatives like VoicesDMV have laid the foundation for The Community Foundation’s Strategic Vision and other initiatives.

Market Creek Plaza in San Diego, California includes one of the first grocery stores in the surrounding community, many minority-owned businesses, a cultural center, an open-air amphitheater, and other social amenities.

But Vanica says, for JCNI, the community involvement didn’t stop there. JCNI moved their offices to the neighborhood to be closer to residents. They met with around 200 local organizations, inviting various leaders to serve on committees for the project. They also went out of their way to include the diverse ethnic groups in the region by providing multiple translators for community meetings.

“Courage is what it takes to stand and speak,” Vanica shared. “But courage is also doing what it takes to create the space and environment to sit and listen.”

“If philanthropy has a job to act in the public interest, doesn’t it have an obligation to engage with and seek out the public interest?” Vanica asked.

“At JCNI, we consistently looked to residents to guide who was needed at the table and what kind of help would need to be provided in any given situation.”

Vanica says that the secret to success is to “protect the process” that prioritizes action and community engagement.

“If you’re going to cede decision-making control to the community, your process really matters,” Vanica shared. “Prioritizing participatory planning that is biased towards action; allowing people across different cultures to be involved and have a voice.”

Vanica explained that while the process of philanthropy ceding control of the planning process to community members seemed daunting, it ultimately led to the creation of a better project – allowing community members and developers access to untapped resources in the form of ideas and greater growth potential for the community.

For example, community members pointed out that – at the time – less than 2% of public works jobs in San Diego were awarded to minority contractors. By the end of the project, 69% of construction contracts were awarded to local minority-owned enterprises.

Community leaders share their experience working on the Market Plaza project in a video shared with the book group.

In addition, Vanica worked with a team of residents and attorneys to develop the nation’s first Community-Development Initial Public Offering – allowing residents to directly invest between $200-$10,000 in the project. As of 2009, 20% of the plaza was owned by local residents.

“As a premise of our democracy, those affected by decisions need a voice in those decisions,” Vanica explained. “And that demands that we let go of the idea that one group with power and privilege should try to stimulate social change without opening the door to the community.”

“In the foundation world, we wonder why things aren’t sustainable,” she added. “But if the assets are still sitting in our bank accounts or are only accessible through narrow parameters, it will never be sustainable. We have to be willing to let go of control.”

“We’re better together. Together, we have more endurance to face obstacles and become the most courageous versions of ourselves.”

The Community Foundation is excited to promote discussions and initiatives around innovative and courageous philanthropy that cedes power and seeds community wealth building. For more information, visit our website to learn about our Strategic Vision for Economic Justice and Together, We Prosper Campaign.

Click here to watch a full recording of the December 2023 DMV Community Book Group! For more information about the DMV Community Book Group, visit our website!

To C3 or Not to C3 – Helping Professional Advisors And Their Clients Maximize Charitable Impact

In early November, The Community Foundation gathered at the National Press Club for its Annual Professional Advisors Luncheon. Organized by The Community Foundation’s Professional Advisor Council, the event brings together professional advisors and financial planners from across the region to network and discuss important topics for them and their clients.

“As Professional Advisors, we play a critical role in helping our clients maximize their philanthropic impact,” Karen Wawrzaszek, Co-Chair of The Community Foundation’s Professional Advisor Council, shared. “The Community Foundation is an invaluable partner and resource to help us achieve the best possible outcome for our clients and community.”

The luncheon featured a panel of professional advisors and experts to discuss the various mediums donors can utilize to enhance their philanthropic impact.

“We have seen increasingly over the past few years that philanthropists want to move beyond just charity,” The Community Foundation’s President & CEO Tonia Wellons, who served as moderator for the discussion, shared. “Philanthropists are increasingly looking to get involved in advocacy and more permanent solutions that can lead to systems change.”

“Philanthropy is no longer an extra,” Scott Jackson, President & CEO of Global Impact, shared. “Philanthropy can lead and drive change – and donors want to be a part of it.”

Established in 1956, Global Impact is a nonprofit that works with international charities based in the United States. Originally organized as a 501 c(3), Jackson says the organization recently expanded, to launch a 501 c(4)  because of this shifting trend in donor engagement regarding system change work.

“If you look at the latest Giving Tuesday Data, 60% of philanthropy is no longer going to traditional nonprofits,” Jackson shared. “It’s going to coalitions, community foundations, and 501 c(4)’s.”

“Donors – especially younger donors – are increasingly looking for change. They want organizations that are movement builders and advocates – something that we didn’t feel we could do effectively under the 501 c(3) status. So we made the transition.”

Global Impact’s move reflects a conversation that many professional advisors say their clients are raising, as many look to move beyond traditional DAFs (donor-advised funds) for new avenues to make a deeper impact, including establishing their own 501 c(3) or c(4) as a channel for their philanthropic impact.

““If your clients want extra help transitioning
from being charitable and making contributions
to being philanthropic and making a difference,
a community foundation is a great place for them.””

— Jeff Hammond

“What we’re seeing from our clients is that if you want to change the world, you have to use all your tools,” Bridgette Weiss, Partner at Arnold & Porter, shared. “We’re seeing folks be much more adventurous than they were in the past.”                                                

While most 501 c(3)’s are set up for specific charitable purposes, 501 c(4)’s have a broader purpose of promoting social welfare – which allows them more freedom and flexibility to do things like lobbying, political campaigning, and education around public policy.

However, Weiss shared, there are plenty of trade-offs. Unlike 501 c(3)’s, contributions to 501 c(4) organizations are not tax deductible. In addition, operating a 501 c(4) requires more infrastructure to ensure that the organization complies with IRS regulations.

“There is no ‘one-size fits all’ solution. It all comes down to your clients’ personal goals,” Weiss added. “What is their comfort with risk tolerance, deductibility, disclosure, and compliance?”

“Don’t be afraid to be creative in finding the best structures for your client,” she added. “There’s a lot of opportunities to have real impact. It’s all about exploring the available tools within each structure to find what feels best for your client’s needs and interests.”

Jeff Hammond, Vice President at Van Scoyoc Associates (VSA) – a leading lobbyist and government affairs firm – suggested that partnering with a community foundation is a great place to start. Hammond has over a decade of experience lobbying on behalf of philanthropic organizations and individuals – including The Community Foundation.

“If your client wants to get involved in advocacy, but they can’t do all the administrative work that advocacy requires, The Community Foundation can help,” Hammond shared – pointing out that most wealthy individuals may not have the capacity to run a private foundation or 501 c(4).  “Unlike private foundations, community foundations are public foundations, so they have more flexibility to lobby around issues important to donors and their communities. They also have years of experience and relationships with the communities they serve that can provide donors with a direct conduit to making a significant impact.”

Hammond pointed out that community foundations have become increasingly involved in advocacy nationally. This is partly due to a post-pandemic leadership shift, as Boards for many of the top 60 community foundations in the country have hired more CEOs from the nonprofit sector, as opposed to those from traditional philanthropic backgrounds. The result is that community foundations are becoming more community-focused and mission-driven, with a growing focus on direct advocacy and policy change.

“There’s a trend I’m seeing on Capitol Hill,” Hammond shared. “Staff on the Hill are starting to recognize what Community Foundations are and the power they have to promote change in their communities.”

“If your clients want extra help transitioning from being charitable and making contributions to being philanthropic and making a difference, a community foundation is a great place for them.”

The Community Foundation’s Professional Advisor Councilhelps connect estate planning attorneys, wealth advisors and financial professionals with the resources and information they need to help their clients maximize their philanthropic impact and achieve their goals. For more information, visit our website or read how partnering with The Community Foundation can enhance your client’s philanthropy.

Investing in Community-Driven Solutions in Montgomery County

Members of The Community Foundation’s Montgomery County Advisory Board, staff, and Sharing Montgomery donors recently visited with key community partners in Germantown to learn how our grantmaking is helping them to advance meaningful change.

“Over the past several years, The Community Foundation and our donors have made large and multiyear contributions to support community-driven solutions in Montgomery County,” shared Anna Hargrave, Executive Director for The Community Foundation in Montgomery County. “Today we’re excited to meet with some of our partners to hear about the impact of their work to date, what they have learned in the process, and the top priorities guiding them now. 

The first stop was at Watkins Mill High School, where the group heard from students and administrators about how nonprofit partners are stepping up to address learning delays exacerbated by pandemic and the lingering mental health challenges many continue to face today.

“We have close to 1,600 students here at Watkins Mill,” shared Principal Vilma Najera. “Almost two-thirds of them come from economically disadvantaged households.”

“There’s a lot of care that our students need – and as educators, we are sometimes stuck with trying to find challenging solutions to systemic problems – that’s where our nonprofit partners and philanthropy step in to fill the gaps.”

“We need an environment where we can feel safe to dream bigger,” shared Rosaline, a Senior at Watkins Mill. She and her classmate Sam shared their experiences, as students who entered High School when schools were operating virtually during the COVID era.

“Having a community is a huge part of our success,” Sam added. “We need that foundation of people that we can trust and rely on to inspire us.”

Sam and Rosaline were followed by a panel of nonprofit leaders from The Black and Brown Coalition for Educational Equity and Excellence and CollegeTracks – two nonprofit organizations that have become an integral advocates for improved access to education and opportunity for students across Montgomery County. (Both organizations are recent recipients of $100,000 multiyear grants through Sharing Montgomery.)

“The situation for Black, Brown, and low-income students in Montgomery County was already extremely challenging,” Diego Uriburu, co-founder of the Black and Brown Coalition and Identity, Inc shared. “The pandemic made things a lot worse.”

Uriburu shared how Black, Brown, and low-income students and their families often lack key resources such as early childhood education and other supports equip kids with the academic foundation needed for success.  Ultimately, barriers to those resources contribute to the ‘achievement gap’ between Black, Brown, and low-income students and their more affluent peers.   One alarming example shared was data from recent state assessments shows that only a third of Black and Brown students in MCPS are proficient in reading and English language by third grade.   Most people do not realize that after third grade, strong reading skills become increasing essential for all classes, including math and science.  Therefore, without strategic interventions, students who are not reading on grade level can find themselves falling further and further behind their peers.

“Our mission is empower more students and their families to advocate for their educational needs,” shared Byron Johns, Co-Founder of the Black and Brown Coalition and Chair of the NAACP Montgomery County Education Committee. One of the Black & Brown Coalition’s top recommendations is for the creation of an early warning system to help parents understand when their students are at-risk of not hitting key educational milestones.

“The only force capable of breaking the achievement gap is for all of us to work together with Black and Brown parents to step up,” Wylea Chase, Director of Operations and Community Engagement at the Black and Brown Coalition added. “There’s a cost to doing the work that we do; but there’s an even larger cost to NOT doing it.”

The Black and Brown Coalition has also advocated to support teachers and administrators to ensure that they get the resources and support they need.

“We need to provide care and support before we can provide instructions and learning,” shared Mecha Inman, President and CEO of CollegeTracks. “If we’re not creating the environment for students to succeed, they won’t.”

“That’s why organizations like CollegeTracks and the Black and Brown Coalition are advocating and implementing much-needed changes in our education system so we can create that climate where all students – especially Black and Brown students – can succeed and thrive.”

Like the Black and Brown Coalition, CollegeTracks has worked hard to create an environment where students can succeed and pursue their dreams. The organization partners with five high schools across Montgomery County (including Watkins Mill) to provide career and higher education coaching to more than 9,000 students – of which, 99% have been admitted to at least one college or technical school.

“Last year we served 22 percent more students than the year before,” Inman shared. “The desire and interest for this program is growing rapidly – but the resources are finite.”

“If college and career readiness is the goal, the system needs to acknowledge the changes that need to happen to make that dream a reality. We need more advocacy and we need more investment.”

After the classroom, donors and partners headed to the Middlebrook Trailer Park – a trailer community of more than 200 families, where they heard from Grace Rivera-Oven, member of the Montgomery County School Board and Founder & CEO of the Upcounty Hub.

Rivera-Oven and the Upcounty Hub’s staff and volunteers have been advocating for the needs of low-income, immigrant communities for years. At the height of the pandemic, they leveraged grants from The Community Foundation’s Food for Montgomery Fund and other partners to provide food for 2,000 families a week. They also partnered with clinics to provide much-needed vaccines and other medical services to residents. Residents credit the sustained community involvement for a wave of positive changes to the community, including a 70% drop in crime.

However, even in a ‘post-pandemic’ world, Rivera-Oven says the need for continued advocacy for this community has never been greater.

“People were suffering before the pandemic because we chose not to see them,” Rivera-Oven shared. “While we’ve made a lot of progress, there’s still many needs that need to be met.”

Many of these needs are being raised by the residents themselves, who have banded together to advocate and push for solutions. Together, they’ve advocated for issues including pedestrian safety for children and fair billing practices from utility companies.

“Sometimes you have to try new things and have faith in your community,” one resident shared. “Thank you for enabling us to come together and strengthen ours.”

Sharing Montgomery and The Community Foundation in Montgomery County are dedicated to investing in community-driven solutions for positive change. For more information on how to get involved, contact Anna Hargrave, Executive Director for Montgomery County, at ahargrave@thecommunityfoundation.org

Prince George’s County Launches its First-Ever Guaranteed Income Program

Today, The Community Foundation is excited to announce the launch of Thrive Prince George’s, a two-year, $4 million guaranteed-income pilot that seeks to provide greater economic stability and mobility for families in the region. The program, which is spearheaded by the Greater Washington Community Foundation, Prince George’s County Executive and Council, and the Meyer Foundation, will provide monthly payments of $800 to 50 youth (age 18-24) who have aged out of foster care and 125+ seniors (age 60+) for a 24-month period with no strings attached and no requirements tied to employment.

“Studies have shown that modest guaranteed basic income pilots can decrease poverty by as much as 40%,” said Tonia Wellons, President and CEO of the Greater Washington Community Foundation. “We strongly believe that this program will improve the lives of many in Prince George’s County and will reduce the racial wealth gap in a way that makes it viable for the county to consider providing guaranteed basic income for years to come.” 

While several pilots are currently operating around the region – including in Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax, DC, and Montgomery County – this is the first guaranteed income program to exclusively serve residents of Prince George’s County. The $4 million pilot is funded using both public and private philanthropic resources, with participating partners each contributing $1 million to the program.

"This initiative is an innovative example of how we find solutions through public-private partnerships," said Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks. "Thanks to this collaborative pilot program, we're weaving a stronger social fabric and empowering people to pursue their aspirations with dignity and resilience."

Guaranteed income programs have proven to be one of the most promising approaches to increasing financial stability. The positive impact of guaranteed income has been studied for decades, with evidence indicating that monthly cash payments can reduce income volatility and support recipients in attaining full-time employment, greater housing stability, improved health outcomes, and more

“I’ve championed the guaranteed basic income program for years because I know it provides an opportunity to tackle poverty and create better quality of life for our residents,” said County Council Member Krystal Oriadha. “My hope is with more jurisdictions moving to implement programs like this, we will see an investment at the state and federal level that will allow these pilots to become permanent. I am excited about partnering with organizations like the Greater Washington Community Foundation to make this dream a reality.”

The Community Foundation will administer the pilot program as part of its Together, We Prosper Campaign for Economic Justice, which is focused on investing in economic strategies that will increase economic mobility to help close the region’s racial wealth gap.

It has also partnered with Court Appointed Special Advocate Prince George’s County (CASA) and United Communities Against Poverty (UCAP), two community-based organizations in Prince George’s County that will lead the recruitment, selection, and onboarding of participants, distribute cash payments, and provide optional benefits counseling to ensure existing safety net services are not compromised by participation in this income-boosting pilot. Other partners include Prince George’s County Department of Social Services, which provides stable environments for at-risk children and adults, Prince George’s ChangeMakers, who has long advocated for the adoption of a guaranteed income program in Prince George’s County, and Capital Area Asset Builders, who works to create opportunities for low- and moderate-income individuals in the region.

“The Meyer Foundation has enthusiastically supported a growing number of guaranteed basic income pilots in our region,” said George L. Askew, MD, President and CEO of the Meyer Foundation. “Pilot programs like this one are consistent with our mission to pursue and invest in solutions that build an equitable Greater Washington community. We’re proud to be supporting this work in Prince George’s County – an area that has experienced continued growth, but where support for residents facing the most significant social, economic, and health challenges remains critical. These public-private partnerships help bring economic justice closer to reality.” 

The Community Foundation will measure how the economic status of participants improves over time and plans to design and implement an evaluation program that balances quantitative and qualitative measures that have historically demonstrated client progress and program viability. For more information about Thrive Prince George’s, visit www.thecommunityfoundation.org/thrive-prince-georges

For those interested in supporting Thrive Prince George’s and other Guaranteed Income Initiatives in our region, click here!

Tackling Hunger and Homelessness in the Greater Washington Region

November 11-18 is National Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week — a time to raise awareness of those in our community who lack the basic needs of food and shelter heading into the holiday months.

In recognition of those in our community who struggle with chronic homelessness and food insecurity, during the month of November, The Community Foundation is highlighting experiences from some of our partners working to increase access to affordable housing and nutritious food for our community.

• DC Central Kitchen

  1) Briefly describe the mission of your organization and the services you provide to help those struggling with chronic homelessness or food insecurity in the Greater Washington region.

  As the nation's first and leading community kitchen, DC Central Kitchen uses food as a tool to strengthen bodies, empower minds, and build communities. We prepare 11,000 nutritious meals a day for our community while creating living-wage jobs and enduring careers for our neighbors who have experienced food insecurity, homelessness, and incarceration via our acclaimed Culinary Job Training program.

  2) What do you find most meaningful about the work that you do for those struggling with chronic homelessness or food insecurity in the Greater Washington region? What are you most proud of?

  We bring healthy, dignified food where it is most needed while employing 130 graduates of our Culinary Job Training program to lead and guide this work -- with industry leading benefits and living wages. Our graduates have overcome systemic barriers to employment and now are responsible for serving award-winning healthy school meals, empowering corner stores to become reliable sources of fresh, affordable produce, supporting local farmers, and training the next generation of culinary talent. We are most proud of this "leadership cycle" that takes on the root cause of hunger: poverty.

  3) As a nonprofit partner, tell us about how funding that you’ve received that has helped you achieve this?

  As a social enterprise, we earn half of our budget by serving scratch-cooked school meals, wholesaling affordable produce to small corner stores, and operating three cafes city-wide, but philanthropy makes our innovative solutions to hunger and poverty possible. Grants through the GWCF have allowed us to increase our trauma-informed, comprehensive social services for culinary students, invest more resources in local farmers, open the nation's most ambitious community kitchen and urban food hub in Southwest DC, and provide millions of emergency meals in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

  4) What do you wish that more people understood about those struggling with chronic homelessness or food insecurity in the Greater Washington region?

  Food alone will never end hunger. Hunger-fighting organizations cannot measure our progress in fighting food insecurity through the pounds of charitable food we distribute. Answers to hunger must also reflect our success in unleashing the power of food to improve health, create jobs, and build a more resilient, sustainable, and inclusive food system.

• Sasha Bruce Youthwork

  1) Briefly describe the mission of your organization and the services you provide to help those struggling with chronic homelessness or food insecurity in the Greater Washington region.

  For nearly 50 years, Sasha Bruce Youthwork has been providing services to an often-overlooked population experiencing homelessness in the Greater Washington region - young people who are on their own. Our goal is to prevent chronic homelessness by addressing the factors that lead to homelessness before they become entrenched. Our 25 programs provide direct and preventive services for more than 5,000 young people experiencing or at risk of homelessness in Washington, DC, and Prince George's County.

  2) What do you find most meaningful about the work that you do for those struggling with chronic homelessness or food insecurity in the Greater Washington region? What are you most proud of?

  The most meaningful aspect of our work in the Greater Washington region is the historic and ongoing impact Sasha Bruce Youthwork has on calling attention to the plight of young people experiencing homelessness. We are incredibly proud of our services tailored to the needs of young people ages 18 to 24. While legally adults, these young people are still very much in transition.

  3) As a nonprofit partner, tell us about how funding that you’ve received that has helped you achieve this?

  The Community Foundation of Greater Washington has been an invaluable partner throughout history, helping achieve our mission. The Foundation administers giving for some of our top individual donors and foundation funds. Ongoing grants through The Community Foundation’s fundholders provide critical support for our Barracks Row Drop-In Center. Regular visits to a Drop-In Center are frequently the first step for a homeless or unstably housed young person to move toward family reunification or stable and supportive housing. This support ensures that we can fully staff our Center and provide all the resources needed to help vulnerable youth. The Community Foundation’s Fund for Children, Youth, and Families has also been instrumental over the last few years at Promise Place, our emergency youth shelter in Prince George’s County allowing us to hire a case manager, an essential position for helping homeless youth achieve self-sufficiency.

  4) What do you wish that more people understood about those struggling with chronic homelessness or food insecurity in the Greater Washington region?

  We wish for greater awareness of youth experiencing homelessness in our region. Homeless young people often manage to stay below the radar for a long time. They move between friends’ and relatives’ homes and sometimes stay in abandoned buildings. It can be difficult for them to admit they need help and to seek assistance. They are often homeless because the adults in their lives have mistreated them. Greater awareness of these youth and an understanding that they may need a lot of support to even admit they are homeless is critical. The more visibility organizations like Sasha Bruce Youthwork have, the more people will know about the needs of youth experiencing homelessness and the services available to them.

• Miriam's Kitchen

  1) Briefly describe the mission of your organization and the services you provide to help those struggling with chronic homelessness or food insecurity in the Greater Washington region.

  Miriam's Kitchen is dedicated to helping DC reach its goal of ending all chronic homelessness. We are thrilled with the impact of collective advocacy we help lead through The Way Home Campaign. Together 110+ agencies and 7,000 individual supporters have helped bring about important systems changes and increased city investment in proven best practices like Housing First/Permanent Supportive Housing.

  Aside from system level work, Miriam's Kitchen operates four programs that together provide a variety of direct services. Every weekday morning and evening our chefs serve a made-from-scratch meal--about 83,000 meals over the last year. Our Street Outreach program covers half of DC's geographic area to connect people living on the street or in shelters to essential services they. Our Permanent Supportive Housing program supports 320 people who used to live without the security of a home, but now have apartments. Our Social Services team staffs a drop-in center open every weekday morning and afternoon to connect clients (we call them guests) to medical care, mental health support, housing assistance and the income help they need to reach their goals.

  At the core of our work is our guests who have a seat at the decision-making table. They are equal partners in our strategic planning, serve in important advisory roles, fill paid positions as an Advocacy Fellow, speak alongside staff members at local, regional and national conferences, and help guide The Way Home Campaign from seats on the Steering Committee.

  2) What do you find most meaningful about the work that you do for those struggling with chronic homelessness or food insecurity in the Greater Washington region? What are you most proud of?

  We are proud of the high-quality services we provide AND that we were open every weekday during the pandemic except one (Inauguration Day) during which we had to close to protect our guests from threats posted on the Internet.

  3) As a nonprofit partner, tell us about how funding that you’ve received that has helped you achieve this?

  Funding from the Partnership to End Homelessness has helped us make great strides in advocacy and systems change. Together we have 1) pushed forward unprecedented investments in Permanent Supportive Housing, 2) taken initial steps on changing the narrative around homelessness 3) increased local investment and help expand Medicaid funding which will reduce the cost of Permanent Supportive Housing by about 20%, 4) achieved system improvements to address some of the hurdles in implementing the voucher investments and 5) helped win approval for a much-needed non-congregate shelter in Ward 2 against strong opposition.

  With support from the Community Foundation (and from other important private investors) we have been able to field a four-person Advocacy team (building to five this year) to lead collective advocacy through The Way Home Campaign. We will broaden our work in 2023 to address some of the root causes of homelessness and continue the important narrative change.

  4) What do you wish that more people understood about those struggling with chronic homelessness or food insecurity in the Greater Washington region?

  Homelessness is not caused by addiction, mental illness, or lack of family support. Those are risk factors that make it harder for some people to work their way out of homelessness, but they are not causes. Housing is too expensive and even people working full time jobs often can't afford to live here because of rapidly rising rents and increased cost of living. Structural reasons like systemic inequality and discrimination are some of the root causes of homelessness.

• Hope and a Home

  1) Briefly describe the mission of your organization and the services you provide to help those struggling with chronic homelessness or food insecurity in the Greater Washington region.

  Hope and a Home’s mission is to empower low-income families with children in D.C. to create stable homes of their own and to make lasting changes in their lives. Our mandate is to break the cycle of poverty for qualified families through the programs and services we offer.

  Recognizing the extremely negative impact on the wellbeing of individuals, families, and communities that result from homelessness, Hope and a Home’s programs implement the best practices of a housing-first model coupled with proven, multi-generational programs to confront the root causes of homelessness. Hope and a Home’s 19 transitional housing units in Washington, DC are rented to homeless and extremely low-income families with children at subsidized rates while families participate in Hope and a Home’s robust, multi-phased program, consisting of Phase I: Transitional Housing, Phase II: Independent Housing, the Grace Dickerson Higher Education Program (GDHE), and the Mary Jo Schumacher Nutrition Security Program.

  2) What do you find most meaningful about the work that you do for those struggling with chronic homelessness or food insecurity in the Greater Washington region? What are you most proud of?

  The most meaningful part of the work Hope and Home provides is seeing the growth of the parents and families Hope and Home works with. Our two-generation approach focuses on meeting the needs of both children and parents, providing parents access to quality education and financial literacy opportunities while also supporting children's development and educational needs. Families that come to Hope and a Home with little hope, leave the housing program after three years of intensive support thriving mentally, physically, and economically – not only because of the support Hope and Home provides but also through the hard and diligent work that parents and children engage in to build strong foundations for success. They also have the confidence that, when hard times inevitably come, they remain connected to the education, nutrition, and other supportive programming that Hope and a Home provides for as long as necessary. Hope and a Home is proud of its dedicated staff, who remain a constant source of support for each adult and child throughout their academic journey and is proud of the work that these families do to build new pathways to a permanent exit from homelessness.

  3) As a nonprofit partner, tell us about how funding that you’ve received that has helped you achieve this?

  Hope and a Home is grateful for the funding partners who make possible our work supporting low-income families with children in Washington, DC to create stable homes of their own and to make lasting changes in their lives. Support from Hope and Home’s partners ensures that Hope and Home can remain committed to operating the two-generation model that works to address the systemic causes of poverty and homelessness for families living in Washington DC. Becuase Hope and a Home provides services to families even after they have transitioned out of Hope and Home’s transitional housing, funds from our partners have been critical in ensuring that Hope and a Home can support families if they return for additional supportive services.

  Importantly, support from Hope and a Home’s partners has afforded Hope and a Home the ability to remain responsive to the needs of families experiencing homelessness which continues to be a critical element in Hope and a Home’s ability to support families as they build the foundation to transition from transitional to market-rate housing. In FY2023, Hope and a Home focused efforts on supporting families as they continued to be disproportionately impacted by post-pandemic pressures and increasing inflation. Even as emergency pandemic support has abated, Hope and a Home has been able to increase support for the Mary Jo Schumacher Nutrition Security Program to ensure families continue to receive nutritional, fresh foods.

  Hope and a Home has also been able to continue working to support our students who are recovering academically from the pandemic-mandated school closures and subsequent changes in school routines.

  4) What do you wish that more people understood about those struggling with chronic homelessness or food insecurity in the Greater Washington region?

  We wish more people, organizations, and stakeholders understood the multi-dimensional, multi-layered, and multi-generational challenges that families experiencing homelessness in the greater Washington area are met with. We also wish more people understood the opportunity that we have to strengthen our community, as we invest in the long-term well-being and success of these families.

  Research shows that getting people housed saves tax-payer dollars; improves education outcomes for young people, increases the likelihood that they will not experience homelessness in adulthood to mitigate further costs of homelessness; and reduces the cost and pressures on healthcare systems, among others.

  Investment is more than getting people housed. Investment means supporting individuals and families to develop the skills and foundation necessary to maintain economic stability and improved well-being. By investing in families and individuals experiencing homelessness, we can ensure that all people can experience the stability necessary for overall well-being and contribute to developing stronger communities.

• People for Fairness Coalition

  1) Briefly describe the mission of your organization and the services you provide to help those struggling with chronic homelessness or food insecurity in the Greater Washington region.

  Our Mission is to end housing instability with outreach Peer Mentoring and Advocacy by advocating on behalf of those who haven't found their voice yet. Speaking before Dc Council. Leading a women's initiative of women with lived experience although challenging it has been rewarding

  2) What do you find most meaningful about the work that you do for those struggling with chronic homelessness or food insecurity in the Greater Washington region? What are you most proud of?

  Being their voice and doing what we can to change the stigma around mental health and homelessness so society at large will see the unhoused population as human beings with a back story and helping those who engage with documents and resources to get housing.

  3) As a nonprofit partner, tell us about how funding that you’ve received that has helped you achieve this?

  The Rhonda Whitaker Streets to life DC Women's Initiative was birthed through the Waldons Adams Justice Grant bringing about racial equity and allowing unhoused women to have a seat at the table with real time info to become their own best advocates

  4) What do you wish that more people understood about those struggling with chronic homelessness or food insecurity in the Greater Washington region?

  That people who struggle with chronic homelessness are human and have a back story and just need someone to believe in them and treat them with dignity and respect so.they can see themselves in a different light thanks to the support of consistent people in their lives.

2023 Celebration of Giving - Celebrating Mary Pat Alcus, 2023 Montgomery County Philanthropist of the Year

On November 16th, donors and community partners across Montgomery County gathered for the annual Celebration of Giving.  This year’s event kicked off with a moving memorial tribute to the Founding Executive Director of The Community Foundation in Montgomery County, Sally Rudney, and reflections on how her incredible legacy continues to inspire our work.  Anna Hargrave, Executive Director, then reported that The Community Foundation’s network of donors gave over $9.5 million to organizations in Montgomery County last year.  She also shared the early progress of The Community Foundation’s Together, We Prosper campaign which seeks to grow opportunity and build a community where everyone has what they need to thrive.

“For inspiration on how to set and achieve big goals, we can look to our 2023 Montgomery County Philanthropist of the Year, Mary Pat Alcus,” Hargrave said. “Time and time again, her generosity and leadership have been game-changing for vital organizations across the county.”

Friends, family, and community partners joined in saluting Mary Pat as a catalytic leader who combines her financial acumen, strategic thinking, and generous support to help vital organizations achieve major breakthroughs for our community.

Through a fireside chat with President & CEO, Tonia Wellons, Mary Pat shared how her parents instilled the importance of education early on.  She then reflect on how her local philanthropic journey began shortly after she and her husband, Darren, moved to Potomac, MD with their two children, Claire and Colin.  Wanting to get more involved in their new home, the entire family became active leaders in kid-led giving circles through The Community Foundation. Mary Pat joined The Community Foundation’s Montgomery County Advisory Board and its Grants Committee for Sharing Montgomery, the flagship grantmaking initiative which supports high-impact nonprofits working on the frontlines of the county’s most pressing challenges.  Between the giving circles and her leadership with The Community Foundation, Mary Pat quickly learned about the needs across our community and supported visionary organizations helping low-income residents pursue pathways out of poverty.

After reflecting on where the community’s needs matched their deepest passions, Mary Pat and Darren decided to focus on helping children and youth to pursue their dreams.  She was drawn to join the Board of Horizons Greater Washington which provides academic enrichment to empower low-income children to succeed in school and beyond.  She also joined the Montgomery College Foundation Board shortly after she and Darren created scholarships to help promising students pursue higher education.  All the while, she continued to take on more leadership roles with The Community Foundation including joining the Board of Trustees and chairing its Investment Committee. 

Professionally, Mary Pat is an institutional investment advisor and a Chartered Financial Analyst with over 30 years of experience advising foundations, endowments, corporate, and public pensions in the areas of investment strategy, investment policy development, manager selection, and performance monitoring.  She explained how, as a philanthropist, she loves leveraging her professional expertise to help her favorite nonprofits grow so they can make a deeper impact.

“Time, talent treasure—that combination for me, that nexus of all three is what has helped fuel what I do,” Mary Pat explained. 

Inspired by Mary Pat’s philanthropic leadership, Craig & Pat Ruppert and Cliff & Debbie White teamed up to offer a $50,000 challenge match for the Sharing Montgomery Endowment —an initiative that Mary Pat has long championed. Contributions to the Endowment enable The Community to “keep giving” to the community in perpetuity by offering a stream of more stable, game-changing investments to nonprofit organizations. Thanks to the Ruppert and White families, the impact of endowment gifts will be doubled (up to $50,000). (To help us make the match, you can make a gift online today or contact us for other giving options!)

On behalf of the thousands of lives touched by her leadership and generosity, we congratulate Mary Pat on being named the 2023 Montgomery County Philanthropist of the Year. We know her example will continue to inspire others to discover the powerful difference we each can make when we commit to making our community stronger for all.

Additional information about our 2023 Philanthropist of the Year is available the Bethesda Magazine Article and in our Celebration program booklet linked below.

Partnership to End Homelessness Continues to Invest in Systemic Change for Service Providers

In 2022, DC launched a new Medicaid benefit that can pay for permanent supportive housing (PSH) services for people experiencing homelessness – a major shift that allowed the city to leverage an estimated $20+ million in new, annual federal resources through Medicaid.

Since the launch, the Partnership has been working to help nonprofit providers take advantage of the opportunity and make the transition to billing the new Medicaid Benefit for permanent supportive housing (PSH) services for people experiencing homelessness.

Shortly after the change was announced, the Partnership provided an initial grant to provide technical assistance for twenty-six PSH providers through The Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH), a national leader in supportive housing. Providers were enrolled in CSH’s Supportive Housing Medicaid Academy, a six-week training series where they learned how to enroll clients, how to supervise, budget, and bill under the Medicaid model and how to comply with Medicaid regulations – filling a critical knowledge gap for many providers.

However, as the Medicaid Academy came to a close, it became clear that some providers needed more human resources, accounting, evaluation, and compliance capacity to meet Medicaid requirements.

The Partnership responded quickly to meet the needs of these providers. The Partnership provided $200,000 in additional Readiness Grants, administered by CSH, to seventeen of the PSH providers. Each readiness grant included a technology stipend of $5,000 for PSH providers who were implementing electronic medical record software to comply with Medicaid requirements. It also included support for increased overhead costs associated with the Medicaid transition, such as staff training, additional back office administrative support, and hiring and retention incentives.

The investments are already paying off. Since the launch of the new Medicaid Benefit in DC, providers have been reimbursed a total of $22 million for delivering housing supportive services to over 4,500 Medicaid beneficiaries.

“Partnership funding helped us get our infrastructure and initial staffing in place so we could hit the ground running and start serving people experiencing homelessness as soon as the city assigned them to our caseload,” Chapman Todd, Principal at Jaydot shared. Jaydot is one of DC’s newest PSH providers, and a Readiness Grant recipient.

“Thanks to their support, we are now serving 70 households.” 

“By reducing some of this financial burden, the Partnership has allowed us to focus on supporting and stabilizing our most vulnerable clients in housing,” added Brendan Haley, Director of Single Adult Programs at Everyone Home DC. “They helped to supplement the difference between our income and expenses while we transitioned our clients into housing – which helped us to grow and take on more clients.”

New PSH providers weren’t the only ones who benefited from the additional support. Long-time PSH providers also shared how the Partnership funding proved transformational to the way they operate.

“This grant has been critical to our ability to ramp up,” shared Corey Mendez, Deputy Chief Operating Officer at Housing Up. “In addition to incurring hard costs for things like new billing software, we’ve incurred new costs given the need for increased staff time to manage the complex Medicaid billing process. Funding from the Partnership was essential to helping us make the transition to Medicaid.”

Cornelia Kent, Friendship Place’s Vice President of Administration and CFO, agreed. “The Partnership grant helped offset costs for our new Credible billing software system – a tool that allows us to bill both Medicaid and DC’s Department of Human Services accurately and efficiently, for around 400 participants each month.”

The Partnership is continuing to engage PSH providers and monitor the progress of the Medicaid implementation to identify additional systems investment opportunities. Ultimately, the Partnership hopes that these investments will not only continue to leverage millions of dollars in new federal resources but, most importantly, position providers to provide high-quality services and support to people experiencing homelessness in DC.

To learn more about earlier stages of this project, check out our previous blog posts Investing In the Future of Homeless Services: How Medicaid Is Driving Systemic Change In DC’s Fight to End Homelessness and  Investing in Nonprofit Capacity to Leverage Federal Funds to End Homelessness.

Food Justice DMV: Lifting the Immigrant Community One Delivery at a Time

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

For Food Justice DMV, a growing movement to feed 9,000 families across three jurisdictions, began with a young father from Central America.

Denise Woods met Oscar in 2019, while volunteering with Sanctuary DMV – a mutual aid organization that operates a hotline for migrants who need help getting to ICE court hearings.

For thousands of migrants and asylum seekers across the DMV, these regular check-ins with ICE officials determine whether or not they can continue to live in the United States. In these situations, something as trivial as missing a bus can be life-altering.

On one such occasion, Oscar shared with Woods how he struggled to find transportation to his ICE appointment in Baltimore – more than a two-hour drive from his home in Northern Virginia. Fearing that he would be deported if he missed his check-in, Oscar paid $150 to take a taxi to his appointment. Later that night, when his 8-year daughter asked why they had no food, Oscar explained that he had made a choice between feeding his family and staying in the country.

A year later, as the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the country, Woods recognized the impact this would have on Oscar and dozens of other Sanctuary DMV families who were already living on the edge.

“My fellow volunteers and I realized how devastating this would be for the families we served,” Woods shared. “So overnight, we decided – with no training or background experience in food distribution – to change our accompaniment hotline to a food hotline.”

A young volunteer helps his mother at a distribution in Hyattsville, Maryland

The group called themselves Food Justice DMV and quickly transitioned to provide deliveries of food, diapers, and other essentials for anyone who called the hotline – initially about 200 migrant families.

As the economic impact of the pandemic worsened, word about the hotline spread quickly. Within weeks, Food Justice DMV had tripled its reach to serve more than 600 families.

Three years later, the group currently serves more than 9,000 families with weekly deliveries and distributions in Virginia on Tuesdays, Hyattsville, Maryland on Thursdays, and DC on Saturdays. They are one of the only programs in our region that continues to deliver food to families, despite their massive service area.

When asked why the need has continued to grow, Woods pointed to a number of factors – including the ongoing migrant bus crisis that has brought more than 10,000 asylum seekers to our region over the past year and a half – in addition to those who continue to struggle due to the economic impact of the pandemic.

“For decades, our asylum system has left thousands of families living on the edge,” Woods shared. “It can take up to seven years for an asylum seeker just to get a work permit. During that time frame, those that may qualify for assistance or resources often can’t access the help they need due to economic or language barriers.”

“People who are asylum seekers or migrants without documentation have always had to live in the shadows,” she added. “Doing whatever they can just to get by. Food Justice DMV is one of the few organizations stepping up to fill that gap.”

Recognizing the need to empower and uplift these communities, Food Justice DMV sought to meet people where they are at. They partnered with community leaders to conduct a needs assessment survey to identify what specific needs were. They established a Spanish Facebook page to facilitate information-sharing around community resources including free legal, medical, dental, and vaccination clinics and expanded their distribution services to include formula, diapers, and wipes.

Food Justice DMV also recognized early on, the importance and power of centering community voices in the work.

“Currently, we have 22 Black and Brown – Haitian, Nigerian, and Latino – community leaders who are partnering with us in this work,” Woods shared. “These are phenomenal leaders who are the backbone and the North star for the work that we do.”

“We recognize that our community will only get stronger when we as a society open the doors and let them lead – providing the resources, the support, and the empowerment they need to thrive.”

Food Justice DMV also established partnerships with organizations such as local churches, Capital Area Food Bank, DC Central Kitchen, Ayuda, and others to provide more resources to community leaders and the families they serve.

One of those partnerships was with The Community Foundation, who became the Fiscal Sponsor for Food Justice DMV in 2022. As a component fund at The Community Foundation, Food Justice DMV was able to receive funding from both individual and institutional donors resulting in over $200,000 raised during FY2022. The Community Foundation also provides critical financial and administrative infrastructure that allows Food Justice DMV’s staff and volunteers to devote more time and energy to serving their community.

“We are blown away by the level of support we receive from The Community Foundation,” Woods shared. “The service and expertise they provide is truly a life-saver for our organization.”

The partnership also reflects The Community Foundation’s commitment to invest in community-led organizations that empower Black and Brown communities. Community leaders of color make up half of Food Justice DMV’s leadership circle and play a key role in planning and orchestrating food distributions – ensuring that distributions are both equitable and culturally sensitive to community needs. They also play a key role in facilitating advocacy and activism to empower their fellow community members to push for systems change.

“There are so many incredible people we serve who can’t contribute their talents and full potential because our current system restricts them to focusing on their most basic needs,” Woods shared. “By enabling our communities to advocate for systems-change, we hope to one day achieve true Food Justice here in the DMV.”

The Community Foundation is proud to serve as a Fiscal Sponsor for Food Justice DMV. For more information, visit www.foodjusticedmv.org.

Now Is the Time! Your Holiday Charitable Giving Checklist

The holidays are quickly approaching, which means so is December 31st. Now is the time to familiarize yourself with several essential year-end charitable giving techniques and deadlines as you prepare for year-end giving with your attorney, accountant, financial advisor, and The Community Foundation team.

Standard deduction reminders. Remember that the 2023 standard deduction for single taxpayers ($13,850) and married filing jointly ($27,700) is up nearly 7% over 2022. While this increase allows for more relief from income tax for most filers, it also sets a higher bar to exceed for those who itemize deductions. Keep your household's standard deduction amount in mind when you tally your deductible expenditures, including your gifts to charity.

Itemization and bunching. If your total deductions are at or under the standard deduction amount for 2023, but you and your advisors determine that your particularly high income this year means you could benefit from increased deductions, a "bunching" strategy may be a good fit for you. "Bunching" means you are "front-loading" charitable donations into the current year, knowing that you plan to make these donations in future years.

By structuring a sizeable year-end gift to your donor-advised fund at The Community Foundation, you could surpass the standard deduction threshold to further reduce your taxes in 2023. Then, your favorite organizations can receive support from your donor-advised fund this year and in subsequent years.

Stock, not cash! Don't automatically reach for the checkbook as you prepare for year-end giving! Gifts of long-term appreciated stock to your donor-advised or other type of fund at the community foundation is always one of the most tax-savvy ways to support your favorite charitable causes because capital gains tax can be avoided.

Not only will transfers be eligible for a charitable deduction during the year of transfer (and at fair market value if you held the shares for more than one year), but these gifts could potentially reduce income tax burdens triggered upon a future sale of the business. 

QCDs from IRAs. Remember that the Qualified Charitable Distribution ("QCD") is an ingenious way to support charitable causes. If you are over 70 ½, you can direct up to $100,000 from your IRA to specific charities, including a field-of-interest or designated fund at the community foundation. If you're subject to the Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) rules, QCDs count toward those RMDs. That means you avoid income tax on the funds distributed to charity.

Don't miss year-end deadlines. Remember it takes time to process your charitable giving! Donor Advised Fundholders who wish to submit grant recommendations must do so by December 15th.

Checks to your fund at The Community Foundation must be postmarked or hand-delivered no later than December 29th to be eligible for a 2023 tax deduction. Gifts of marketable securities also need to be fully transferred by December 29th, so please work with your advisors to contact us in plenty of time for our team to process and receive the transfer. Click here for more information about year-end deadlines!

If you have questions or would like additional information to help meet your year-end giving goals, The Community Foundation stands ready to help! Contact our Donor Services team at donorservices@thecommunityfoundation.org

Building Community, Fostering Belonging, and Sharing Prosperity at the 2023 Annual Meeting

On Wednesday, October 25, the Greater Washington Community Foundation hosted its 2023 Annual Meeting at the MLK Library. The event celebrated what has been an extremely busy year for The Community Foundation, so far, including the launch of the Together, We Prosper Campaign, the announcement of several groundbreaking community investments, and surpassing $1.7 billion in grantmaking (with $95 million awarded in FY23, alone).

“Today, we gather to celebrate and reflect on all we’ve accomplished together,” President & CEO Tonia Wellons shared. “But we also come together so we can be reenergized for the work ahead of us – the work of building community, fostering belonging, and sharing prosperity.”

Wellons began the program by acknowledging the outstanding contributions of our Community Champions and other fundholders who continue to partner with The Community Foundation to impact our community, as well as the efforts of the more than 2,700 nonprofit and community partners who are doing the work on the ground to make our region a stronger, more vibrant, and inclusive place to live, work, and thrive.

“It takes all of us working together to ensure that our community is operating at its best,” Wellons shared. “At The Community Foundation, we look forward to bringing people together to create meaningful impact in our region.”

Wellons then welcomed Alex Orfinger and Diane Tipton to present the 2023 David Bradt Nonprofit Leadership Awards. Named for a long-time fundholder and former Trustee of The Community Foundation, the David Bradt Nonprofit Education Fund is a charitable fund that supports the development of senior-level nonprofit leaders in advancing their careers and leadership skills. Click here to learn more about the David Bradt Nonprofit Leadership Awardees.

“We are so grateful for the leadership of our incredible nonprofit partners,” Wellons shared. “We truly could not do this work without them.”

The David Bradt Nonprofit Leadership Award is just one of more 700 charitable funds that The Community Foundation manages on behalf of generous individuals, families, businesses, and local government partners. Over the past year, The Community Foundation has welcomed 28 new charitable giving funds to our community of givers, including the Developing Families Maternal Health Fund – a $5 million investment that will support life-saving efforts focused on women of color in DC’s Wards 5, 7, & 8.

In addition to partnering with donors and partners to make direct investments in the community, this year, The Community Foundation also continued its role as a key convener and facilitator by convening faith and philanthropy leaders for interfaith conversations around addressing antisemitism, anti-Black racism, islamophobia, and other forms of hate and bigotry. It also celebrated four years steering the Partnership to End Homelessness, which is working towards investing in housing justice for our region.

“As the region’s largest local funder, we have both the opportunity and the responsibility to mobilize our community to address pressing needs,” Wellons acknowledged.

At this point, Wellons provided an important update on one of The Community Foundation’s most active mobilizations – the Together, We Prosper campaign for economic justice.

Publicly launched in May, the Together, We Prosper campaign for economic justice seeks to mobilize philanthropy to close the racial wealth gap in our region and to grow endowments to ensure The Community Foundation can continue to respond to future community needs. The campaign will also sustain the launch of innovative economic pilot programs such as the first guaranteed income program in Prince George’s County and Brilliant Futures – a children’s saving program in partnership with Montgomery County Public Schools and Prince George’s County Public Schools.

“I have been completely blown away by the resounding response from our community,” Bill Taylor, member of the Board of Trustees and Co-Chair of the Together, We Prosper campaign shared. “It is gratifying to know that our community is responding to the call to eliminate the disparities which prevent all of us from living in a just society.”

“We know it will take all of us to ensure that our community is operating at its best,” Wellons shared. “This is the role of philanthropy – to connect all of us to our shared values, our shared stewardship, and to inclusion.”

“When we begin with the core, unifying values that many people share, we realize that it’s in everyone’s best interest to build a system where no one is left behind.””

— Bobby Milstein

Wellons was then joined by Cat Goughnour, Racial Wealth Equity Fellow at Prosperity Now, and Bobby Milstein, Director of System Strategy for the Rippel Foundation, for a panel discussion around race, belonging, and how we can create an inclusive and diverse community for all. Click here to watch the full discussion.

“Polls show that vast majorities of people have strong unifying values,” Milstein shared. “But many are unable to convert those values into actions in the moment. We hyper-focus on our differences or we get disillusioned by the myth of scarcity.”

“But when we begin with those core, unifying values that many people still share, we can overcome these obstacles and come to the realization that it’s in everyone’s best interest to build a system where no one is left behind.”

“Exclusion – particularly exclusion caused by the racial wealth gap- is costing all of us,” Goughnour shared, citing a recent CitiBank study that estimated the cost of racial inequality to the US economy over the past two decades to be roughly $16 trillion in lost GDP.

“The racial wealth gap is not just a problem for those on the lower end of the gap,” Milstein concurred.

Milstein then shared a model for inclusion called “Bridge, Block, Build”. The model is to put forth bridges and solutions to help bring people together, block the negative forces that are preventing growth, and continue to build and reinforce the relationships that strengthen community.

“What is most important for a sense of belonging is the table design for the people who’ve been excluded,” Goughnour added. She explained the need to exercise and prioritize efforts to build a more inclusive economy –going out of the way to include those who have been historically excluded or marginalized.

“How do we value the power of the community so that actions are not done ‘to’ them, but ‘with’ them? How do we help people to recognize their lived experience as power, as expertise – where we pay them for their participation as consultants, and not just with gift cards?”

“A lot of the innovation and creativity we yearn for is genius that has been left on the table for decades,” Goughnour said. “It’s time we were more intentional in valuing those voices. It’s time we recognized that we can go further, together, faster.”

“Belonging is one of the most powerful and fragile things that exist in social movements,” Milstein added. “We have to be able to see the future, see ourselves in it, and believe that we can navigate there.”

“Once it becomes visible and valued, we need to make it investable – we need to back it up with capital.”

“I’ve been heartened by philanthropy’s role around closing the racial wealth gap,” Goughnour added. Quoting Arundhati Roy, Goughnour shared that “Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.”

“May we continue to put our resources where our values are.”

Click here for photos from the Annual Meeting event or to watch a recording of the panel discussion. For more information about the Together, We Prosper Campaign or how you can get involved in creating a community of belonging, contact Mary Robinson, Interim Managing Director of Development at mrobinson@thecommunityfoundation.org

Ceding Power and Seeding Community Wealth Building in DC Ward 7 and 8

Earlier this month, The Community Foundation and JP Morgan Chase convened funders and nonprofit partners at the Marshall Heights Community Development Organization to hear directly from community partners about the best ways to promote community wealth building and equitable development in DC Wards 7 & 8.

“We want to bridge the gap between funders and communities,” Dr. Marla Dean, Senior Director of the Health Equity Fund shared. “We are here to discuss how philanthropy can aid community goals by supporting community controlled grantmaking and community led decision-making.”

The event was made possible by the East of the Anacostia River Equitable Development Fund – an investment of JP Morgan Chase dedicated to bridging the economic and racial wealth divide in DC.  

In a city where White wealth is 81 times that of Black wealth, 92 percent of residents living in Wards 7 & 8 are Black. For years, many of these have residents struggled to gain access to healthy food, medical care, employment and homeownership opportunities.

While traditional investments have been made from both public and private partners to help meet these needs, The Community Foundation and JP Morgan Chase wanted to explore if ceding more power and resources to the community could be the key to seeding greater community wealth.

“Philanthropists and residents sometimes have a tendency to talk past each other when it comes to impact,” Tonia Wellons, President & CEO of The Community Foundation shared. “The more we can empower and cede power to those within these communities, the better we can understand what it will take to really make a difference.”

The event kicked off with a conversation with Mary Bogle, Principal Research Associate at the Urban Institute. Bogle, who was commissioned by JP Morgan Chase and The Community Foundation to conduct research on philanthropic efforts East of the River, talked about the need to prioritize community voice in ongoing efforts.

“The challenges that residents in Wards 7 & 8 face are different than those faced in other parts of DC,” Bogle shared. “Unique challenges, call for unique solutions – specifically, community-controlled grantmaking models.”

Bogle was followed by a panel of organizations from Ward 8 including Mustafa Abdul- Salaam who facilitated the Ward 8 Community Economic Development Report and Tiffany Williams, President & CEO of Martha’s Table.

“We’re at a moment when we have the opportunity to transform the relationship between philanthropy and community,” Abdul-Salaam shared. “If you want to make a change in the communities we live in, you will not do it unless you talk to me or my neighbors about the changes that need to be made.”

Abudul-Salaam recently released “A Dream Deserved: Realizing Our Collective Emergence” a detailed community-driven report that highlights the qualitative and quantitative needs of Ward 8 residents. The report was made possible by the Bainum Family Foundation, in addition to contributions from JP Morgan Chase, The Community Foundation, and others.

“Putting cash into people’s hands is one of the most effective ways to help them out of poverty,” Williams shared when asked about some of the most innovative ways to meet the needs highlighted in the report. Since the pandemic, Martha’s Table has been an advocate for innovative funding initiatives in Wards 7 & 8 including cash transfer programs and Community Impact grants.

“Until we have capital tied into a community like Ward 8, then nothing changes.” Abdul-Salaam added. “We have a poverty-building economy right now – we want to move towards a wealth building economy.” 

Among the ideas that Abdul-Salaam and Williams championed included a Black Think Tank that would leverage intellectual capital in Wards 7 & 8 to design and implement community-based innovations like guaranteed incomes, child saving accounts, broad based ownership models and strategic economic participation.

From Ward 8, the conversation then turned towards Ward 7 and a panel discussion with Mae Best, Executive Director of the East River Family Strengthening Collaborative and Babatunde Oloyede, President & CEO of Marshall Heights Community Development Organization who hosted the event.

“We have a unique opportunity to chart our own course,” Oloyede shared. “For communities to lead the effort and the change.”

“Rather than talk about what’s good and bad in our community, right now, let’s talk about the art of the possible.”

The Marshall Heights Community Development Organization is one of Ward 7’s oldest community development organizations that supports housing and economic development opportunities for residents.

“What many organizations in Ward 7 are doing right now is putting an emergency band-aid on families,” Oloyede described. “What we need to do is provide them with meaningful, generational wealth building opportunities.”

“We need the resources to help families and communities reach their highest potential,” Best added. “Right now, we’re really lacking in a number of things that could help make a family - and a community – whole.”

Best and Oloyede said they would love to see the same level of investment in Ward 7 as has been put into other sections of DC, including U St and H St.

“We want to see redevelopment in our commerce corridors like Minnesota and Pennsylvania Avenue,” Oloyede explained. “We want to see the same amenities that we see in other parts of the city – but we want it to be done in a way that ensures that the current residents are included; that they are able to participate in that development and enjoy those amenities.”

“The time is now! We need to be as intentional and proactive as we possibly can be; let’s work together so we can marshal the positive change to make this dream a reality for this community.”

The final panel discussion featured Dana Hall and Dan Tangherini of the Emerson Collective.

The Emerson Collective is a social impact collective with the goal of reducing barriers for people to reach their full potential by investing in ideas and social entrepreneurs. In June, they partnered with local organizations to help launch Sycamore & Oak, a new retail center for Black entrepreneurs living East of the Anacostia.

“We want a future where there’s more opportunities,” Tangherini shared. “Where people have more opportunities for expression, for growth, and for wealth.”

“That means creating a place where there is opportunity for Black-led organizations to collaborate and draw strength from each other.”

“We need to start thinking about the power dynamics in funding and how we can be intentional about tapping into those dynamics to promote positive change,” Hall added. “How do I make sure I have a diverse pool of thought when I’m engaging in this work? How do I create an environment where everyone feels like they have a place at the table?”

“Most importantly, we need to trust that the best way to get a better understanding of what the community is interested, is to start with the community itself.”

“We want to seed (with an ‘S’) growth; not just cede funding,” Tangherini said, referencing the title of the event. “That means this can’t just be a ‘grant-by-grant process. It needs to be a systematic examination of our systems to learn the lessons from what has been done -- and work together with the community to find ways to make them even better.

Click here for more photos of the event! For more information about how you can get involved in investing in Wards 7 & 8, contact Dr. Marla Dean at mdean@thecommunityfoundation.org

Celebrating 25 Years of Philanthropy in Prince George's County at the Civic Leadership Awards

On October 19th, friends and supporters of The Community Foundation in Prince George’s County gathered at MGM National Harbor to honor outstanding Civic Leadership and celebrate 25 Years of The Community Foundation in Prince George’s County.

“The theme for tonight is ‘Imagine’,” President & CEO Tonia Wellons shared. “As we celebrate 25 years in Prince George’s County, may we look forward to the next 25 years with a vision for what is truly possible.”

The Community Foundation in Prince George’s County has been extremely busy over the past year, from exciting collaborations between Faith & Philanthropy to supporting innovative investments in affordable housing and pioneering plans to launch the first Guaranteed Income program in Prince George’s County.

“Since 1998, The Community Foundation has invested more than $65 million in Prince George’s County,” Darcelle Wilson, Senior Director of The Community Foundation’s Prince George’s County Office shared. “Tonight, we not only celebrate that legacy, but also the lives of the many incredible leaders who are helping us to build a more prosperous community for everyone who calls Prince George’s home.”

The first leader to be recognized was Dr. Darryll Pines, President of the University Maryland and this year’s 2023 Civic Leadership Award Recipient. Dr. Pines has been a champion for education in Prince George’s County. Click here for Dr. Pines Award Tribute Video

As a new President during the pandemic, Dr. Pines developed a partnership between the University and Prince George’s County Public Schools to help provide continuing math education for high school students during the pandemic. His efforts to develop partnerships and collaborations not only helped students acquire valuable life skills, but also helped them imagine what is possible. This past fall, the University of Maryland enrolled more Prince Georgians in their incoming class than at any point in the history of the university, including more than half of the salutatorians or valedictorians in PGCPS – all graduates of UMD’s math partnership.

“All institutions have a responsibility to reach out beyond their walls and build up the communities in which they live,” Dr. Pines shared. “At the University of Maryland, we are invested in making higher education accessible for everyone – especially in Prince George’s County.”

Dr. Pines was followed by William M. (Bill) Shipp, Esq, Partner of O’Malley, Miles, Nyland & Gilmore who received the 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award. A longtime resident of Prince George’s County, Shipp has spent much of his career facilitating the development and growth of Prince George’s County including projects such as National Harbor, IKEA, Bowie Town Center, and others. Click here for Bill Shipp’s Tribute Video.

In addition to serving as former chair of the Board of the Prince George’s County affiliate of the Greater Washington Community Foundation, Shipp served extensively with the late Prince George’s County Executive Wayne Curry, who recruited him to serve on the Prince George’s County Housing Authority, among other important county projects. He also supported a number of causes locally, including support for cancer survivors and swim instruction and camp scholarships for minority youth.

“It’s always been important to me to give back to the community where I live and where I raise my family,” Shipp shared.

Shipp was followed by Prince George’s County Advisory Board Member, Dave Ianucchi, who presented the Corporate Philanthropist of the Year Award to Melonie Ducre Johnson, on behalf of MGM National Harbor. Click here for the MGM National Harbor Tribute Video

MGM National Harbor is one of the largest employers in Prince George’s County, with more than 3,200 employees – nearly half of whom are Prince George’s County residents. Since coming to the Prince George’s County in 2016, MGM has invested heavily in workforce development, including partnering with Prince George’s Community College for their Hospitality, Tourism, Culinary Arts and Dealer School – helping residents acquire the skills to obtain better paying jobs.

“Our mission is to be a great neighbor, not just a good neighbor,” Johnson shared. “At MGM National Harbor, we believe in investing in our people and investing in this community.”

At this point, Tiffany Turner, Executive Director of Nonprofit Prince George’s County came forward to announce the winner of the Nonprofit Leader of the Year Award – Cheryl Petty Garnette, Executive Director of Ivy Community Charities of Prince Geroge’s County.

Ivy Community Charities of Prince George’s County supports youth and families residing in Prince George’s County, Maryland, with educational, cultural, and health-related resources to enhance the economic condition of citizens. One of their most exciting programs is the Ivy VINE or Village Incubator for Nonprofit Excellence, which provides training, networking, and facility support for emerging nonprofits.

As Executive Director, Garnette has been instrumental in the creation and implementation of the Ivy VINE. In addition to her leadership at Ivy Community Charities, Garnette also serves on the Board of Nonprofit Prince George’s County.

Garnette was one of four nonprofit leaders nominated for this year’s award, including Lisa Butler McDougal, Executive Director of Sowing Empowerment & Economic Development (SEED), Sandy Washington, Executive Director of Community Outreach & Development Corp (CDC), and Maryann Dillon, Executive Director of Housing Initiative Partnership (HIP). Click here to meet all the nominees. The winner was selected via text-to-vote by members of the Prince George’s County community.

The final award of the evening, the 2023 Emerging Leader of the Year Award went to Charnell Ferguson, Director of Constituent Services for the Office of At-Large Councilmember Mel Franklin.

Ferguson is a powerful activist and voice for change in her community. A member of the Prince George’s County Social Innovation Fund Forty Under 40 cohort for 2019, Ferguson helped re-establish the NAACP at Bowie State University and been actively involved in local government for several years. She also is the founder of the Diamond Foundation Inc, a nonprofit geared to help the community and build self-esteem in youth while raising awareness of mental health.

Ferguson was one of four emerging leaders nominated for this year’s award, including Jonathan Harris, Founder of Million Paths Foundation, Inc, Vince Harrington, Executive Director of the Maryland Democratic Party, and Albert T. Lewis, Principal of Largo High School. Click here to meet all the nominees!

“Thanks to all of you for your contributions to our county,” shared Darcelle Wilson, Senior Director of The Community Foundation’s Prince George’s County office. “As we close out this celebration, may we continue to work together to create a community where everyone thrives.”

Click here for more photos from the 2023 Civic Leadership Awards. We also express special thanks to our Sponsors for making this event possible!

For more information on how to get involved in Prince George’s County, contact Darcelle Wilson at dwilson@thecommunityfoundation.org

Health Equity Fund Celebrates One Year of Transformative Grantmaking

In October, The Community Foundation’s Health Equity Fund celebrated an exciting milestone. In just 12 months, the record-breaking fund has awarded more than $21 million in grants to 46 organizations. The fund also recently announced a new grant round which aims to award at least twice that amount over the next 3 years – making it one of the most transformative impact funds in The Community Foundation’s history.

“Health and wealth are inextricably linked,” shared Tonia Wellons, President and CEO of The Community Foundation. “We are confident and excited that the investments that we have made – and will continue to make -- through the Health Equity Fund will be instrumental in improving health outcomes for DC residents.

Announced in March 2022, The $95 Million Health Equity Fund is the largest fund in The Community Foundation’s 50-year history and is dedicated to closing gaps in healthcare as well as addressing social determinants of health (SDOH) that impact health outcomes including education, employment, income, housing, transportation, nutrition, environmental safety, medical care, culture and recreation, and more.

The Health Equity Fund and nonprofit partners celebrate the 2nd cohort in June 2023.

The inaugural grant round in September 2022 awarded $9.2 million to 32 DC nonprofit organizations with a focus on economic mobility and wealth building in DC’s historically underinvested communities including cash transfer initiatives, housing rehabilitation projects, wealth creation programs, and other innovative projects. Click here to learn more about the inaugural grant round.

The second grant round announced in June 2023 awarded $12.5 million – the largest single grant round in The Community Foundation’s history - to 14 DC based nonprofits working on health advocacy, policy, and systems change initiatives. Click here to learn more about the second grant round.

Convening A Community of Changemakers

However, the impact of the Health Equity Fund goes far beyond the funding provided.

“The more we take time to listen to each other - as partners in this work – the better we can understand from each one what success looks like and how we, as a philanthropic partner, can provide support that goes beyond the dollar figures,” shared Dr. Marla Dean, Senior Director of the Health Equity Fund.

HEF Nonprofit Partners share experiences at the first Idea Summit in March 2023.

This principal has been established from Day 1, thanks in part to The Community Foundation’s partnership with the American Institutes for Research (AIR), who serves as the evaluation partner for the Health Equity Fund. AIR and The Community Foundation have hosted several Idea Summits, where nonprofit partners had the chance to network and work together collaboratively to identify the outcomes and actions they hoped to see over the next few years. These factors provide a more equitable framework for future evaluation and reporting.

“What we do is co-designing success,” Dr. Brandy Farrar, a Managing Director for American Institutes for Research (AIR) explained. “Instead of establishing an arbitrary checklist of universal benchmarks, we want to work with each of you to identify what success looks like and how can we measure it.”

From the outset, nonprofit partners have expressed excitement about being part of a “cohort” for change in the District of Columbia. Even though many nonprofit partners often compete for the same limited resources, bringing them together in this space has created opportunities for collaboration and discussion that many say is invaluable to the work that they do.

“The fact that we can come together and collaborate as one is so inspiring,” one nonprofit partner shared. “It helps build power and confidence in the knowledge that we are not alone in this work to enact change.”

Driven by this enthusiasm, The Community Foundation helped organized a Partner Learning Series to convene nonprofit partners around the issues that are most impactful to the work and mission of the Health Equity Fund. Events have been organized based on partner interest and have covered topics ranging from Guaranteed Income pilots to navigating the DC Budget process.

“It’s so important to leverage the power in this room,” Misty Thomas, Executive Director of the Center for Court Excellence shared at one event. “Even though we may advocate on different issues, we need to work together to make the budget more effective, more equitable, and more participatory.”

Investing in Disruptive Partnerships - The Health Equity Fund’s Largest Grant Round Yet

In that spirit of collaboration and partnership, The Community Foundation recently announced its third and largest ongoing grant round to date to invest in innovative partnerships that promote economic mobility and build community wealth in DC. The grant round is open through March of 2026 to proposals with two or more partner organizations.

“We recognize that the most innovative work occurs through partnerships between organizations,” shared Dr. Marla Dean, Senior Director of the Health Equity Fund.

“We hope that this grant round will provide a catalyst for transformative partnerships that will reshape some of the most pressing obstacles to health and wealth for DC residents.”

Additional information on the latest HEF grant round can be found on our website. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis through March 2026 or until funds have been exhausted.

A Monument for Peace and a Beacon for the Future

Tonia Wellons with Carrie Hessler-Radelet, former Director of the Peace Corps (2014-2017) and Glenn Blumhorst, Chief Advancement Officer of the Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation

Earlier this month, our President & CEO Tonia Wellons convened a small gathering of friends and supporters to discuss plans for Peace Corps Park – a National Monument dedicated to the Peace Corps and its legacy of international service. The project will also include a digital platform and community outreach project to engage past, present, and future Peace Corps Volunteers.

Established in 1961, the Peace Corps has been instrumental at promoting world peace and friendship for more than 60 years by providing international service opportunities for US Citizens in more than 60 countries.

“The Peace Corps has provided so many invaluable global experiences for members of our community,” Tonia Wellons shared. Prior to joining The Community Foundation, Wellons served as the Head of Global Partnerships for the Peace Corps during the Obama Administration. Many of our colleagues serving local philanthropy and fundholders are either returned peace corps volunteers or have backgrounds in international development service. “We’re especially excited for what this project will mean for our local community – and our international community. With so many memorials dedicated to war, it will be a breath of fresh air to have one dedicated to peace.”

“We want to create a space that not only honors the Peace Corps, but also builds the community,” Glenn Blumhorst, Chief Advancement Officer with the Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation shared. “There are so many inspiring stories of service within the Peace Corps, and the Greater Washington Region is a large part of that.”

Part of creating that space involves creating a digital platform where past and current Peace Corps Volunteers can experience Peace Corps Park in virtual reality, as well as share their stories.

The design and location of Peace Corps Park were approved by the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts in November 2021. The Community Foundation is proud to support this project through our Fund for Greater Washington.

For more information, visit https://www.peacecorpscommemorative.org/

Welcoming New Faces at The Community Foundation!

The Community Foundation is excited to welcome a number of new Board and Team members to The Community Foundation family.

The Community Foundation Board of Trustees

S. Decker Anstrom, Vice Chair Arena Stage

Decker Anstrom serves on the Board of Directors of Discovery, Inc., as well as on the boards of national nonprofit groups (Island Press; Climate Central; and Planet Forward).

Anstrom, who lives in Washington, D.C., served as U.S. Ambassador and Head of the U.S. Delegation to the 2011 and 2015 World Radiocommunication Conferences (WRC 12 and 15), held under the auspices of the International Telecommunications Union. WRC’s, which convene every three to four years, are treaty level conferences involving more than 150 countries that consider international and regional spectrum allocation and regulatory issues that support satellite, mobile, aviation, and other wireless services.

He retired as President of Landmark Communications and Chairman of The Weather Channel Companies in late 2008, following Landmark’s sale of The Weather Channel to NBC. He also served on the Board of Directors of the Comcast Corporation from 2001-2011.

Prior to his positions at Landmark (headquartered in Norfolk, VA), Anstrom had a long career in public service and in the communications industry. During the Carter Administration, he was a senior staff member in the White House Office of Management and Budget, working on the creation of the U.S. Department of Education, and then served in the White House Office of Presidential Personnel. He subsequently joined and later became President of Public Strategies, a Washington-based public policy consulting firm.

In 1987 he joined the National Cable Television Association (NCTA) as Executive Vice President; he became President and CEO in 1994. During his tenure he led the cable industry’s efforts that helped result in the Telecommunications Act of 1996. In 1999, Anstrom joined The Weather Channel Companies (TWCC — which included The Weather Channel cable network, weather.com, and WSI, the leading business-to-business weather provider) in Atlanta, GA as President and CEO. In 2002, he became President of Landmark Communications, a privately held, diversified media company that owned newspapers, local television stations, database centers and print and classified advertising businesses, as well as The Weather Channel Companies. In that position he also served as Chairman of TWCC.

In addition, Anstrom has served on numerous cable industry boards (including NCTA, which he chaired for two years), two nonprofit boards in the Hampton Roads area (the Chrysler Museum and public television and radio broadcaster WHRO), and on the Boards of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the Institute for Educational Leadership, and the National Environmental Education Foundation.

Anstrom received a BA degree from Macalester College (St. Paul, MN) and attended the Woodrow Wilson Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University for one year.

Matthew Edwards, Partner, Ain & Bank Law

Matthew W. Edwards focuses on high-stakes matrimonial cases involving complex financial arrangements, family-owned or closely held businesses, and complex custody matters. Matt also helps clients negotiate and enforce prenuptial agreements. In addition to legal analysis, Matt routinely works with forensic accountants, valuation experts, certified financial planners, and professional therapists to provide a clear path to a quick and favorable resolution of his clients’ divorce and custody matters. Matt also advises as general and civil litigation counsel to high-net-worth clients and their businesses. When necessary, Matt is a tenacious courtroom advocate at the trial court and appellate levels.

Matt volunteers as a family law mentor for the D.C. Bar Advice & Referral Clinic, where he advises pro se litigants on family law and domestic violence matters. Over the course of his career, Matt has devoted thousands of hours to pro bono work, including on behalf of the Greater Washington Community Foundation.

Matt was recognized by Best Lawyers in 2020. He currently serves as Chair of the Litigation Community of the D.C. Bar, and as a member of the D.C. Bar Rules of Professional Conduct Review Committee. He is also a member of the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association.

Prior to joining Ain & Bank, Matt was a commercial litigator in the Washington, D.C. offices of Willkie, Farr & Gallagher LLP. While there, he focused on complex commercial and securities litigation on behalf of clients such as the General Electric Company, Facebook, Inc., and Big 4 accounting firms.

The Community Foundation would like to thank Tim Hwang and Katharine Weymouth for their service on the Board of Trustees. Tim Hwang joined the Board of Trustees in 2017. Katharine Weymouth joined the Board in 2016 and served as Chair of the Board of Trustees from 2019 to 2022. We are grateful for their tireless service and many contributions to our organization and the region.

The Community Foundation Staff

Darius Graham, Managing Director of Community Investment

Darius Graham joined the foundation in October 2023 as the Managing Director of Community Investment. In this role, he oversees the foundation’s grantmaking programs, strategic initiatives, and collaboratives. He leads the Community Investment team and serves on the foundation’s executive leadership team.

Previously as the Program Director for Baltimore at The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, Darius guided the distribution of over $30 million in grants annually to nonprofits working across the areas of housing, health, workforce development, and education in Baltimore and beyond. In this role, he also developed and led strategic initiatives such as the Greenmount Life, Opportunity, and Wellness (GLOW) Initiative — an award-winning, multi-year, place-based strategy that unites residents and a network of over 30 nonprofits to ensure all residents of four central Baltimore neighborhoods can access and utilize comprehensive healthcare services, nutritious food, and enriching opportunities for youth. Other initiatives included the $25 million economic mobility initiative (Mobility LABs) in partnership with the Robin Hood Foundation and a $3.7 million initiative in Stockton, California to improve academic and civic outcomes.

Prior to that, Darius was the founding executive director of two university-wide innovation and entrepreneurship programs at Johns Hopkins University (Social Innovation Lab and FastForwardU) where he helped students, faculty, and local residents transform novel ideas and new technologies into viable ventures. Darius was the founder and executive director of DC Social Innovation Project, which supported the launch and growth of innovative community-based ventures tackling pressing social issues in Washington, DC. He began his career as an attorney in the Financial Restructuring practice group at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP.

Darius is a Civil Society Fellow with The Aspen Institute and ADL and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network. As an adjunct professor at the University of Denver and Goucher College, Darius has taught graduate courses on social entrepreneurship, public sector innovation, and nonprofit leadership. At the Baltimore Museum of Art, he serves as vice-chair of the board of trustees and chair of the governance committee. He previously served as co-chair of the board of directors of Community Law In Action, a mayor-appointed commissioner at Serve DC, and a Social Entrepreneur-In-Residence at University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business.

Darius' work and insights are highlighted in two books, Becoming a Changemaker: An Actionable, Inclusive Guide to Leading Positive Change at Any Level and In the Business of Change: How Social Entrepreneurs Are Disrupting Business as Usual. He has been a speaker at SXSW, SOCAP, Mission Investors Exchange, and Startup Champions; published in The Baltimore Sun, Inside Philanthropy, and more; and received honors from Ebony magazine, Baltimore Business Journal, and was recently named a GameChanger by Baltimore magazine. Darius is the author of Being the Difference: True Stories of Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things to Change the World. He received a B.A. summa cum laude from Florida A&M University and a J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley – School of Law.

Chis Howie, Managing Director of Development

Chris joined The Community Foundation as Managing Director of Development in October 2023. With more than 20 years in the nonprofit and philanthropic space, Chris has worked in higher education, media, public policy, and environmental campaigns. His earlier career in Washington, D.C. includes senior roles at NPR, The Pew Charitable Trusts, and the Brookings Institution, where he built partnerships with local and national leaders in collaboration with philanthropies to advance change at the city scale.

Chris holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from Rowan University and began his career in investment banking at JPMorgan Chase & Co. and worked at BlackRock funds. A Philadelphia transplant, Chris now resides in Northwest Washington, D.C. with his wife Gupi and their two sons, Nigel and Graham. When they are not volunteering with local organizations, you will find Chris and his family on their goat farm in St Mary’s County, Maryland.

Turning Empathy Into Action

Reflections from Tonia Wellons, President & CEO, Greater Washington Community Foundation

All week I’ve been wrestling with what we might do or say to offer comfort to people who are impacted directly or indirectly by the crisis in the Middle East – Israeli people, Palestinian people, and all who suffer violence, terror or threats of terror, and crimes against their humanity.  At the Greater Washington Community Foundation, we strongly condemn antisemitism, Islamophobia, and other forms of hate and bigotry and we unequivocally stand against acts of hate, violence, and the loss of innocent lives. We offer our deep empathy and compassion to the innocent civilians, their families, and all who are impacted by this crisis. Safety is a basic human right that we all deserve, and we pray for peace, both here and abroad..

I have discussed this crisis with staff and members of our Board and Advisory Boards to share our collective grief and concern. These conversations have resurfaced the hurt, trauma, fear, discomfort, and polarization that people are experiencing. I know that thoughts and prayers have become symbolic given the number of crises we’ve experienced, especially over the last several years. 

I am also struck by the strength and resolve our community has shown, both now and historically, to quickly channel pain into philanthropy (an expression of love and compassion) and contribute to organizations providing aid to the victims. As I’ve shared before, I firmly believe that the antidote to respond to catastrophe is to choose community.

In the coming weeks and months, our Community Foundation intends to expand upon the interfaith series of dialogues we’ve hosted over the last year with even more faith leaders around the table. Additionally, we intend to make matching grants aligned with Montgomery County’s Nonprofit Security Grants program, administered by the Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, to help protect “nonprofit and religious organizations with additional funding to enhance the security of their facilities and promote safety within the communities they serve,” due to the uptick in threats of violence specifically in Montgomery County.

For our donors and partners who are looking for a way to move from empathy to action, please contact us for guidance on how to contribute to humanitarian efforts.

Partnership to End Homelessness Celebrates Four Years of Impact

On October 11th, friends and supporters of the Partnership to End Homelessness gathered at the Festival Center in Northwest DC to commemorate the fourth anniversary of the Partnership to End Homelessness and discuss the progress in the city’s fight to end homelessness.

“We believe that ending homelessness in DC is possible. And it will take all of us working together to accomplish it,” Jennifer Olney, Senior Community Investment Officer with the Partnership to End Homelessness shared. “We have made progress, but we know we have more work to do.”

Since its launch, the Partnership has leveraged and aligned over $18 million in private sector resources. At the same time, advocacy efforts have resulted in over 4,000 permanent supportive housing vouchers to end homelessness for 3,106 individuals and 1,217 families.

The event focused on the Partnership and our community’s collective progress in the work to end homelessness and featured remarks from Theresa Silla, Executive Director of the DC Interagency Council on Homelessness, key philanthropic partners such as Allison McWilliams, Executive Director of the Naomi and Nehemiah Cohen Foundation, and a panel of nonprofit leaders and advocates with lived experience of chronic homelessness.

Christy Respress, President of Pathways to Housing DC, has worked with individuals experiencing chronic homelessness since the ‘90s and has long been a champion of the “Housing First” approach adopted by the DC Government – a model that prioritizes permanent housing for individuals and families, which creates a platform for pursuing other goals.

“Housing First is a proven model,” Respress explained. “We know it works. Now we just need to get the resources and hold ourselves accountable to get things done.”

“We know we can end homelessness because we have made so much progress reaching families experiencing homelessness,” Silla shared. “What we need now is to apply that same thinking to our single adult population – and our unaccompanied youth – and invest in new resources to meet their specific needs.”

Attendees also heard from Rachelle Ellison, Assistant Director, and Robert Warren, Director, at the People for Fairness Coalition.

Rachelle Ellison (Assistant Director) and Robert Warren (Director) at the People for Fairness Coalition

 “I was homeless for 17 years before the Housing First initiative model helped me,” Ellison shared.

“Once you have that housing, you have the foundation – you can do anything you want to do.”

Ellison and Warren pointed out that while housing is by far the most critical (and costly) need, there are a host of other supports needed that help people stay in housing, such as access to healthcare and addiction recovery treatment, and access to case workers and service providers. Strengthening case management and service provider capacity has been a key focus for the Partnership for the past two years. Part of this work included helping permanent supportive housing (PSH) providers access new Medicaid funding that increases our community’s resources to invest in critical supportive services.

They also shared the importance in leading with lived experience and giving advocates who have previously or are currently experiencing homelessness a seat at the table with funders and government partners so they can better advocate for themselves and the needs of their community.

“We are so grateful for private sector funding that has given Rachelle and I a chance to advocate for change,” Warren shared. “Now we need your continued support so more can join us.”

“I know you see Rachelle and I sitting here; my hope is that you can see every unhoused member of the Washington DC community as well.”

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Partners then heard from Jim Knight, CEO of Jubilee Housing, a partner in the Partnership to End Homelessness’ impact investment efforts to build and preserve affordable housing for extremely low-income households.

“A vast percentage of people in our city are paying more in rent than they can afford,” Knight shared. “Investing in affordable housing allows us to alleviate that pressure so they can better provide for their future and their children’s future.”

“The impact of these investments can live on for generations.”

Thanks to partnerships with Jubilee Housing and Enterprise Community Loan Fund, the Partnership has helped create and maintain over 500 new homes affordable to extremely low-income households. Many of those are reserved for populations with specific needs such as seniors or returning citizens.

Martin Mellett, VP of External Affairs at Jubilee Housing leads a walking tour of Columbia Heights, including several service providers and affordable housing projects under development.

Following the panel discussion, attendees joined a walking tour around the neighborhood, which included stops at several affordable housing projects under development. Along the way, participants visited sites of multiple service providers including Mary’s Center, Columbia Road Health Services, Christ House, and the Sitar Arts Center – all within short walking distance of the homes. The hope is that the proximity, combined with new partnerships, will help residents gain access to all the resources they need to succeed.

“This Partnership is truly a partnership,” Olney shared at the event. “Nothing that we do would be possible without all of you working together with us. We thank you for your contributing your time, your expertise, and continued investment towards our shared vision to end homelessness in our city. Together we can build a community where everyone thrives.”

To learn more or to make a contribution to the Partnership to End Homelessness, visit our website where you can also learn more about Impact Investing and see our 2023 Impact Report!

For more information about how you can be involved in the Partnership to End Homelessness, contact Jennifer Olney at jolney@thecommunityfoundation.org