Members of the ACT for Alexandria Community Advisory Board meet with ACT for Alexandria President & CEO Heather Peeler.
The Community Foundation is excited to continue our Leaders of the Future series, highlighting the work and experiences of incredible individuals and organizations from across our community of philanthropic, community, professional advisor, corporate, and nonprofit partners.
In 2024, The Community Foundation teamed up with ACT for Alexandria to support ACT’s Fund for Racial Equity, a participatory grantmaking fund made up of 10 community advisory board members who live or work in Alexandria, Virginia and come from a diverse range of backgrounds and life experiences.
The Community Foundation is proud to support ACT’s Fund for Racial Equity, which recently announced its inaugural round of mini-grants to 19 different local organizations and individuals.
For Mahlet Tefera, attending the ACT for Alexandria Community Advisory Board meeting is one of the highlights of her very busy week.
Originally from Ethiopia, Mahlet has lived in Alexandria for the past 13 years. A working mother of four, Mahlet splits her time between four jobs: a Nursing Assistant during the school day; a waitress on weekends; a devoted parent and partner with her husband, who is self-employed in the transportation industry; and a passionate advocate for mothers and the Ethiopian community.
“I love being able to bring my experience to the table – as an Ethiopian and as a mom,” Mahlet shared. “It’s so important that our voices are heard and our concerns considered.
In 2023, Mahlet and ten other community members were invited to join ACT for Alexandria’s Community Advisory Board to help orient the organization’s strategic planning process – specifically, building a plan to advance racial equity in Alexandria.
Racial equity is a topic that hits close to home for many Alexandrians. Once home to the largest slave-trading operation in the US, as well as the first successful library sit-in during the Civil Rights Era, Alexandria has a long history in the struggle for racial equity – one that government and philanthropic leaders have acknowledged continues to be a challenge for residents of color.
“It is well-established that racial disparities are the greatest roadblock to achieving social and economic opportunity and health and well-being for all residents,” Brandi Yee, Chief Program Officer for ACT for Alexandria shared. “That’s why ACT for Alexandria is committed to investing in community-driven decision making – centering the voices and perspectives of those most impacted by systemic racism so we can better understand and support the full experiences of Alexandrians.”
All members of the Community Advisory Board are members of (or work closely with) communities of color in Alexandria, including the African American, Latino, Ethiopian, Afghan, and homeless communities. This past year, the board members combined their experiences to set four funding priorities for the inaugural grant round of the new Fund for Racial Equity at ACT for Alexandria, to include child welfare, health, housing, and education.
“We learned so much about our community, just through the conversations we had amongst ourselves,” Advisory Board member Bill Campbell, a long-time Alexandria resident and former member of the Alexandria City School Board shared. “All of us come from diverse backgrounds and were able to provide unique insights so that we could identify the most urgent needs in our community.”
Community Advisory Board members also had the chance to participate in a training session on Racial Equity provided by Service Never Sleeps, which helped ground the discussion and provided a baseline which the Advisory Board could build off of.
“It was important for us to consistently talk about what equity was,” Bill added. “We ended up having a better appreciation for the thoughts and challenges amongst people of color.
The Community Advisory Board shares information about upcoming opportunities at a resource fair in Alexandria.
Once the group established a shared understanding of equity and identified the funding priorities, they set about designing the application process and establishing the criteria for funding. They designed an application process that was shorter and easier to navigate for both individuals and community organizations. It was also translated into several different languages.
The Community Advisory Board also publicized the opportunity throughout the community including in places where RFPs (Requests for Funding Proposals) aren’t usually found, such as Recreation Centers, apartment and grocery store message boards, places of worship, and RHA (Redevelopment Housing Authority) meetings.
“We wanted this fund to be truly grounded in the community,” Shelley Spacek-Miller, Program Manager for ACT for Alexandria shared. “Our goal was to ensure that this opportunity reached places and people that traditional funding opportunities might not normally reach.”
The result were 19 grants, totaling $38,000 in funding supporting a wide range of projects including a community spelling bee for underserved students, a mobile eye health clinic, an eight-week mental health and wellness program to promote healing from racial trauma, and support for students filling out FAFSA applications.
Support for the Fund for Racial Equity grants was provided through the contributions of generous donors, ACT for Alexandria’s Spring2ACTion Giving Day, as well as a matching contribution from The Community Foundation.
“The Community Foundation is proud to support participatory grantmaking efforts across our region,” Chief Program Officer, Dawnn Leary shared. “ACT for Alexandria’s Racial Equity Fund aligns with our strategic vision as outlined in our VoicesDMV initiative – convening community groups, hearing their experiences, and ensuring their voice and vision is incorporated into the initiatives that impact their communities.”
“As a board, we understand that even small investments can make a large difference,” Bill shared. “Especially for the individuals on the community level who are doing the work.”
“We realize that $38,000 worth of investment isn’t going to solve inequity in our community – a problem with trillions of dollars in impact – but it’s an important first step. One that I hope we’ll continue to build on.”
"Through this grant process, we continue to learn about how to shift power to our community,” Heather Peeler, President & CEO of ACT for Alexandria added. “Community Advisory Board members bring an important strategic lens. Their intentionality inspires and challenges us in terms of how we do our work as a foundation."
For more information about future opportunities like this one, read about ACT for Alexandria’s Fund for Racial Equity on their website.