Planting Seeds for Prosperity: Sharing Montgomery Explores Strategies to Advance Food Security for All

As Thanksgiving approaches, many in our community continue to struggle to put food on the table. According to the USDA, 13.5 percent of households in America struggled with hunger during 2023. For households in the DMV, that same statistic is closer to 37 percent – this from the latest Hunger Report released by the Capital Area Food Bank.

To confront this issue locally, The Community Foundation recently brought together passionate donors, partners, and nonprofit leaders to explore how we can ecologically sustain our local environment while fostering healthy, thriving communities for all.

Anna Hargrave, The Community Foundation’s Executive Director for Montgomery County, kicked off the lunch by acknowledging the Montgomery County Advisory Board and donors who fueled our Food for Montgomery campaign to address the spike in food insecurity caused by the pandemic.

“COVID challenged us to stretch our imaginations about what’s possible, forge new partnerships, and find bold, creative solutions,” Hargrave noted as she praised the frontline nonprofit partners who deployed Food for Montgomery’s $2.6 million in grants to bring relief to thousands.  “Now we must ask, how do we build on that incredible work to create a truly equitable, sustainable and resilient food system for all?”

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AfriThrive: Poolsville FarmAugust 25th 2024©Rebecca Drobis All Rights Reserved

Nanya Chiejine, Executive Director, and Allison Schnitzer, Food Access Initiatives Director, at the Montgomery County Food Council provided an overview of the county’s food system and the landscape of need today.

Chiejine and Schnitzer shared how even after the COVID-19 pandemic, food insecurity continues to be a major concern across the region and the country. Even as COVID cases have declined and unemployment has inched towards pre-pandemic levels, food insecurity has dramatically increased in recent years – both nationally and locally -- as inflation and the rollback of COVID-19 pandemic relief efforts have left many families struggling to put food on the table.

In Montgomery County, the Hunger Report found that food insecurity increased from 27% in 2023, to 34% in 2024 -- a sobering statistic for over 300,000 residents who live just at or below the County’s self-sufficiency standard – the amount of income needed to cover the cost for basic needs. Many of these individuals earn too much to qualify for federal nutrition benefit programs, but too little to consistently make ends meet. 

Chiejine and Schnitzer were followed by two panels featuring Truphena Choti of AfriThrive and Jennifer Freeman of Community FarmShare who illuminated the connection between fresh food and health, and Lauren Goldberg of Crossroads Community Food Network and Woody Woodroof of the Red Wiggler Community Farm who discussed opportunities to leverage farms to advance economic mobility.

Here are some takeaways from the conversation:

• Fresh local produce is better for people and the planet. Our partners from AfriThrive and Community FarmShare have seen firsthand how increased access to fresh foods helps improve both mental and physical health, in addition to decreasing risks for diet-related illnesses such as hypertension and heart disease. 

• Access to land is a major barrier to expansion of these highly effective strategies.  Given that the majority of small farm owners are over the age of 65, philanthropy and government need to work together to create greater access to the next generation of farmers.

•   In order to be truly viable as a solution to food insecurity, organizations must incorporate both biodiversity for sustainability and culturally specific foods to meet the needs of our diverse populations.  

• When it comes to defining success, funders need to adapt a holistic perspective, rather than relying on limited/simplistic output numbers to determine success.  For example, there are many highly nutritious greens and herbs which are key to preparing traditional dishes from other countries.  However, funders that are only impressed by the total pounds of food distributed will overlook the importance of these vitally important veggies that do not weigh much.  Therefore, funders should consider both overall quality and the quantity of production as well as depth of community partners.

• Like agriculture itself, growth in the food industry requires time, patience, and continual cultivation – especially for young farmers and food entrepreneurs. Many of them work full-time jobs outside of their farming and lack the capital to invest in their businesses.

• Combating food insecurity strengthens the local economy as every $1 in SNAP benefits generates as much as $1.80 in local economic activity. Montgomery County has the largest "SNAP Gap" in Maryland - residents who are eligible but not enrolled due to numerous barriers and the complexity of the enrollment process. Closing the "SNAP Gap" will maximize federal dollars to support both the food security of our residents and the health of our local economy. 

“The Community Foundation is committed to working to ensure that everyone in our community has access to healthy and nutritious food,” reflected Hargrave at the end of the event. “We are grateful to all our donors and partners for your continued support and efforts as we work to ensure a future where no one goes hungry and everyone can prosper.”

To learn more about upcoming in-person and virtual visits plus other learning opportunities, contact Olivia Hsu at [email protected].

Faces of Sharing - Getting to know Sharing Prince George's David & Keisha Hawkins

“What I love about Sharing Prince George’s is that they are humans in service of humans,” Keisha Hawkins shared when I asked her about her Sharing Prince George’s experience.

“I think sometimes in life, we lose sight of our humanity,” she added. “Sharing Prince George’s helped me see the beauty and humanity in my community.”

As long-time residents of Prince George’s County, Keisha and David Hawkins joined Sharing Prince George’s in 2022 – bringing with them a tremendous amount of energy and experience in community engagement.

“I am the Community, He’s the Foundation,” Keisha said when describing the couple’s approach to giving back. “I’m passionate about getting my feet on the ground and getting involved in the logistics of community work in action. He is great at the critical, work behind-the-scenes like networking and connecting people.”  

David and Keisha met while studying at Howard University. Early on in their relationship, the couple enjoyed making time to get involved in community through volunteer work with organizations like the Red Cross and Capital Area Food Bank, while pursuing their respective careers – David in Banking Investments and Keisha in project management. Both have enjoyed finding ways to leverage those careers to give back to the community they love.

David provides monthly workshops with Medicare to educate people on how to manage their finances and achieve their financial goals, while Keisha is heavily involved with Meadows House Foundation – an organization that teaches aviation to youth through youth empowerment, workforce development, and STEM trainings in College Park. Both share a passion for helping others obtain valuable experiences and perspective beyond their current circumstances– helping them broaden their horizons and access their fullest and brightest potential for their future.

“It bothers us that people are forced into environments and situations where they don’t have the resources to change their circumstances,” the couple shared. “We believe it’s important to step up and be the change we want to see in our community.”

The couple was first introduced to The Community Foundation in 2016 through David’s colleague, Virginia Chueng -- a Trustee on The Community Foundation’s Board of Directors and a former member of the advisory board for The Community Foundation in Montgomery County.

At the time, David was working in Montgomery County and was often asked to attend events for nonprofits doing work in the area, including events for The Community Foundation. However, when he was invited to join Sharing Montgomery in 2019, he quickly realized that the initiative was a whole different story.

“I’d never seen this level of organization and collaboration in grantmaking,” David shared. “I was introduced to so many great organizations through the Sharing initiative that were doing incredible work in the community. It really made me want to be more involved.”

Over time, David realized that what he really wanted was to give back in the community where he and his family live – in Prince George’s County.

“Neither of the banks I work for have a presence in Prince George’s County,” David explained. “So I don’t get as many chances to learn about the people who are doing the work in my own backyard.”

So when David had an opportunity to join Sharing Prince George’s a few years later, he was excited to bring Keisha in on the action. Now in their second year on Sharing Prince George’s, the couple say they have thoroughly enjoyed being able to use their knowledge gained through Sharing Prince George’s to benefit their community.”

“We love contributing to these local organizations, however we can,” David shared. “Just knowing about the work that they do helps us to strengthen our community.”

In addition to making monetary and in-kind donations, David and Keisha have also referred friends and family members to some of the nonprofit partners – allowing them to access much needed services that they otherwise might not have known about.

“Sharing Prince George’s helped me to understand the larger scale impact of philanthropic work through a community lens,” Keisha shared. “It allowed me to interact with people from across my community, coming together to give back to the community they live in.”

“I believe in the ‘community’ part of the ‘The Community Foundation’,” she continued. “Sharing Prince George’s allowed me to see that in action.”

Keisha recently joined the advisory board for The Community Foundation in Prince George’s County, where she says she’s excited to be a force for change and an advocate for change in her community – in addition to continuing her involvement in Sharing Prince George’s with David and many of her fellow advisory board members.

“If you live in Prince George’s County and want to see improvements in your community – this is the organization to be a part of.”

Want to get involved? The Sharing Prince George’s Fund Committee welcomes new members! Contact Eliza Tolbert-Howard ([email protected]) to find out more about how you can be a part of this impactful fund!

Faces of Sharing - Getting to Know Sharing DC's Fonda Sutton

For Sharing DC Member Fonda Sutton, participating in the Sharing DC initiative has been a labor of love for the city she is proud to call home.

“I love Washington, DC,” Sutton shared. “I’ve lived in this city longer than my own birthplace. For me, this work is not only necessary – it’s personal.”

Born in a rural town in Eastern North Carolina, Sutton fell in love with DC as a young girl visiting relatives who had moved to the nation’s capital to pursue government jobs. Growing up, Sutton eagerly looked forward to spending time over the summers in “Chocolate City”.

After high school, Sutton moved to DC to attend Georgetown University – becoming the first member of her family to earn a college degree (and later a law degree – also from Georgetown). Following graduation, Sutton began a long and prestigious career within DC’s education system, working with some of the city’s early charter school founders and as a leader at DC Public Schools. She currently serves as the Partner of Public Engagement and Advocacy at Education Forward DC – an organization that provides grants to support  more high-quality educational opportunities for students.

Sutton says that while she loves some of the changes that she’s seen in the city over the years, she is mindful of DC’s ever-changing legacy for its Black and Brown residents – particularly the need to make increased investments to reduce inequities and build wealth.

“I’m super excited about the network of organizations that Sharing DC is building – especially those who are working to serve Black and Brown residents in the city,” Sutton shared. “It is so important that we highlight and support the work that they are doing.”

As a seasoned grant maker and community advocate, Sutton is no stranger to funding community work. However, Sharing DC was one of her first glimpses into donor-advised grant making – a process that she says is a win-win scenario for everybody.

“The organization I currently work for is an intermediary grant maker – we raise funds and then make investments to support and improve the education ecosystem,” Sutton explained. “It’s been heartening to instead rub shoulders with individual donors – people who really care about their community and are thinking about the grassroots level impact of their giving.”

Sutton’s experience and perspective – both in grant making and in the community – have been invaluable to the Sharing DC committee, as members work together to decide how to best use collective funds to have the greatest potential impact on the community.

“It’s a beautiful view into private philanthropy,” Sutton said of her experience on Sharing DC. “It’s a great give and take opportunity to work with other donors to strengthen the community around you.”

“It’s also a great opportunity for smaller organizations to get funding – support that makes a big difference for the work that they do in their communities,” she added. “I’ve had the privilege of observing and working with some of these organizations, and I can tell you that it means the world to them.”

Sutton says she has also enjoyed meeting with smaller nonprofit organizations that she was not previously familiar with, some of which she has been so impressed with that she has sought out ways to support them outside of Sharing DC in small and personal ways – like holiday donations through her personal book group.

“I think that many of us are very aware of the larger organizations doing good work on the issues that we relate to, based on our own experience,” she added. “But there are so many smaller organizations really hustling to serve in our community – and if they just had a little more support, it would go so far for the work they are doing.”

When asked about her future plans for participating in Sharing DC, Sutton had this to say.

“It’s important work, and I love to be a part of it – I will be there, as long as they will have me.”

Want to get involved? The Sharing DC Fund Committee welcomes new members! Contact Isabel Spake ([email protected]) to find out more about how you can be a part of this impactful fund!

Sharing NoVA: Building Community, One Grant at a Time

The small but mighty team behind Joyful Hands - a first-time nonprofit partner with Sharing NoVA that works to provide education, literacy and access to community resources in the Richmond Highway Corridor.

For Yolonda Earl-Thompson, making a difference in the community has always started in one place – in the community.

“Community-led efforts are important because they bring humanity and trust into the change that the community seeks,” Earl-Thompson shared.

“When change happens from within the community, it is a seed planted that takes root and encourages future community members to value and evolve the work.”

Currently the founder and Executive Director of mental health advocacy nonprofit, LAZERA Ministries, Earl-Thompson has more than a decade of experience in community-based advocacy and nonprofit work in the Richmond Highway Corridor in Southeast Fairfax County – one of the priority neighborhoods identified by The Community Foundation in its 10 Year Strategic Plan.

So when The Community Foundation decided to launch its Sharing Northern Virginia initiative, this past year, they asked Earl-Thompson to help facilitate -- ensuring that the new initiative would have the greatest possible impact on communities in Northern Virginia.

“Sharing Community Funds are designed to connect donors to the organizations that are doing the most good in their community – no matter how big or small they are,” shared Benton Murphy, Director of Fund Administration and Special Projects at The Community Foundation. 

First launched in Montgomery County and later in neighboring DC & Prince George’s County, The Community Foundation’s Sharing Community Funds are designed to bring together donors who share passion for building more equitable, just, and thriving communities. 

A community event with Loving Hands Touch Ministry, Inc, a nonprofit partners with the new Sharing Northern Virginia initiative that provides essential human services to underserved communities.

Facilitated by The Community Foundation’s staff and partners like Earl-Thompson, Sharing donors learn first-hand about the challenges facing their specific community. Together, they meet with and make impactful grants to visionary nonprofits working on the frontlines of our region’s most pressing needs.

Across the region, the initiatives have already had a tremendous impact -- distributing more than $2.7 million to dozens of nonprofit organizations in DC, Montgomery County and Prince George’s County since 2022 alone. 

For the inaugural launch of Sharing Northern Virginia, The Community Foundation convened a small group of community leaders and professional advisors like Lindsay Shetterly to be a part of this exciting initiative. Shetterly is a wealth advisor who works with clients to help them maximize the impact of their charitable giving.

“Through the Sharing NoVA program, I learned from local leaders about the diversity and depth of needs in our community,” Shetterly explained. “While many of these organizations are young and still building their foundations, their work is incredibly meaningful and crucial to many.  They are changing lives.” 

“I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to be part of this initiative.  I am now more aware of how I can support and serve the organizations that are bridging the gaps, creating pathways for success, and inspiring people to make their dreams a reality.”

Working with Earl-Thompson, the Sharing Northern Virginia committee met with several nonprofit organizations based in The Community Foundation’s priority neighborhoods in Richmond Highway and Bailey’s Crossroads. Committee members learned about the history of the communities, as well as ongoing issues of food insecurity, accessibility of transportation and educational opportunities, and other pressing community issues that nonprofits are working tirelessly to meet in their communities.

“It’s important that we take the time to not only meet the people doing the work, but also to understand the community where the work is being done,” Earl-Thompson shared. “The better we can understand the community, the more impactful our investments can be.”

Hardemon Dynasty, Inc a nonprofit partners with the Sharing Northern Virginia initiative that provides affordable housing and wrap-around services to young adults aging out of foster care.

At the end of the process, the Sharing Northern Virginia Committee awarded a total of $100,000 in multi-year funding to eight different nonprofit organizations. The grants were awarded towards general operating costs – allowing organizations to invest in their infrastructure and sustainability. What is especially exciting is that many of these organizations were receiving a grant from The Community Foundation for the very first time. 

“What makes Sharing Funds unique is that we have an opportunity to fund organizations that haven’t yet received the funding or recognition that they deserve,” Benton added. “A lot of them are younger, innovative organizations that are doing incredible work, but don’t have the capacity, staffing or connections to go after big grants or media opportunities.”

Organizations like Joyful Hands – a small nonprofit that has been providing access to school supplies and nutritious food to over 300 school-age children in the Richmond Highway corridor. 

“We are incredibly enthusiastic about the opportunity to increase our service capacity in our community,” Founder Elizabeth T. Rainey shared. “This multi-year funding will help us expand our reach, deepen our impact, and enhance our community programs.”

The Community Foundation plans to use the multi-year funding as a platform to create a cohort with the eight nonprofit partners – allowing them to learn from each other and collaborate in order to have an even greater impact on the community. The cohort will also provide a forum for The Community Foundation and future Sharing Northern Virginia committees to learn more about community needs and discuss ways to make more innovative and impactful investments in future funding rounds.

Click here to Meet the 2024 Sharing Northern Virginia Nonprofit Partners!

Want to get involved in Sharing Northern Virginia and find ways to make meaningful investments in your community?

New committee members are always welcome! Contact Benton Murphy at [email protected]

Leaders of the Future: Sharing Northern Virginia Nonprofit Partners

In 2024, The Community Foundation is highlighting 'Leaders of the Future' - individuals and organizations who inspire us to look towards a brighter future for Greater Washington.

This month, we are excited to highlight nonprofit leaders from our very first round of Sharing Northern Virginia funding. Sharing Community Initiatives facilitate connections between donors and nonprofits to build more equitable, just, and thriving communities.

Part of that initiative includes awarding intentional, multi-year grants designed to empower our nonprofit partners and the communities they serve. In 2024, Sharing Northern Virginia was pleased to award $100,000 in multi-year grants to eight incredible organizations doing impactful work in Northern Virginia. Below are a few responses from some of our partners about the critical work they are doing in our communities!

• Joyful Hands

  Which Communities/Neighborhoods do you serve?

  Murraygate Village Apartments, Stony Brook Apartments, Creekside Village Apartments, Audubon Estates along the Richmond Highway corridor in Alexandria, Virginia are among the vibrant communities that Joyful Hands has had the privilege to serve. While we have provided assistance to several communities, our primary focus and dedication lie with the Murraygate Village community.

  In 2-3 sentences, please briefly describe the mission of your organization

  Our mission is deeply rooted in the conviction that education, literacy, and access to community resources are foundational pillars of thriving societies.

  How has funding from a Sharing Community Initiative impacted the work you do? Feel free to share any brief examples of projects or outcomes you've seen over the past year.

  The funding from the Sharing Community Initiative will have a significant impact on our work at Joyful Hands. With this support, we will be able to expand our reach and deepen our impact. For example, we provided essential school supplies to over 300 school-age children and access to nutritious food for more residents each month. This funding will be invaluable in addressing food insecurity and enhancing our community programs.

  What excites you the most about receiving support through the Sharing Community initiative?

  At Joyful Hands, we are incredibly enthusiastic about the opportunity to increase our service capacity. By expanding our reach to more families and youth, we aim to make a more profound impact on the overall well-being of our community and its residents. Through our expanded services, we hope to provide vital resources and support that will not only address immediate needs but also create lasting positive change in the lives of those we serve. We believe that by extending our reach, we can foster a stronger, more resilient community where every individual has the opportunity to thrive.

  As a nonprofit leader in our community, what are your dreams or aspirations for the future?

  As a nonprofit leader, our dreams and aspirations for the future are deeply rooted in creating a more equitable and compassionate society. We envision a future where every individual, regardless of their background or circumstances, has access to the resources and opportunities they need to thrive. We aspire to continue expanding our impact, reaching more marginalized communities, and providing meaningful support that empowers individuals to overcome challenges and achieve their full potential. Ultimately, we hope to contribute to a future where kindness, empathy, and collaboration are the cornerstones of our communities, creating a world where everyone has the opportunity to lead a fulfilling and dignified life.

• Hardemon Dynasty, Inc

  Which Communities/Neighborhoods do you serve?

  We currently serve communities in Alexandria, Woodbridge, Fredericksburg, Richmond, and Petersburg, Virginia.

  In 2-3 sentences, please briefly describe the mission of your organization

  Our Mission and continued effort is to provide affordable housing to young adults that will age out of foster care along with providing support and resources such as life skills during their transition to independence.

  How has funding from a Sharing Community Initiative impacted the work you do? Feel free to share any brief examples of projects or outcomes you've seen over the past year.

  With the funding received from Sharing Community Initiative, we're able to get one step closer to our goal of assisting 2 young adults with a financial housing subsidy and hygiene essentials for this year.

  What excites you the most about receiving support through the Sharing Community initiative?

  What excites us the most is that others believe in our vision and understand the need to be a support system for our young adults who are ageing out of foster care.

  As a nonprofit leader in our community, what are your dreams or aspirations for the future?

  Our dream is that no child has to face homelessness. We are inspired by knowing that every effort we make on their behalf is a step in the right direct towards their future. With the help from partners like Community Foundation we can build a housing development where they are safe in the comfort of their own home.

• Culmore Clinic

  Which Communities/Neighborhoods do you serve?

  We provide healthcare services at no cost to eligible adults in Fairfax County and our primary service area is the Bailey's Crossroads to Seven Corners corridor. Fifty-five percent of our patients have a Falls Church address.

  In 2-3 sentences, please briefly describe the mission of your organization

  Culmore Clinic advances health by bringing community together to provide primary care, health education and disease prevention services at no cost to uninsured neighbors in Fairfax County. We serve a diverse, growing population of adult residents in a densely immigrant populated area of Fairfax County. Residents of our community are often unable to access healthcare, affordable health insurance or public assistance. Culmore Clinic exists to help these uninsured residents of our region receive the healthcare they need to thrive.

  How has funding from a Sharing Community Initiative impacted the work you do? Feel free to share any brief examples of projects or outcomes you've seen over the past year.

  Funding from the Sharing Community Initiative supports our patients by helping us sustain our volunteer supported healthcare services. As a medical home for our patients, we are not only supporting annual check-ups, but also chronic disease management and medical screening for a variety of health conditions. As an example, one of our female patients is currently undergoing radiation treatment after a mastectomy. This 56-year-old patient was referred for mammography after an in-clinic exam revealed a lump in her breast requiring further screening. This patient credits Culmore Clinic with saving her life. The support from the Sharing Community Initiative allows Culmore Clinic to continue to provide cancer screening and other health and wellness initiatives.

  What excites you the most about receiving support through the Sharing Community initiative?

  The collective impact of the Sharing Community funding throughout our region is the perfect demonstration how regional philanthropy programming expands the offerings of nonprofits for the benefit of community members for whom meeting basic needs can be challenging. We are fortunate to be among those organizations receiving support and are eager to be connected to the broader community of nonprofits who all share a mutual interest in helping our neighbors.

  As a nonprofit leader in our community, what are your dreams or aspirations for the future?

  Our commitment to patient health and wellness is our greatest priority. We strive to provide culturally sensitive medical care to all members of the community who struggle to access quality care. Our "why" is the widespread need for healthcare services. Our "how" is the community of volunteers and donors who come together to support their neighbors. It is our hope that this model of harnessing the expertise and skills of community members to help their neighbors in need is multiplied across the region.

• Loving Hands Touch Ministry, Inc

  Which Communities/Neighborhoods do you serve?

  We serve Mount Vernon, Hybla Valley, Bailey's Crossroads, and Springfield communities in Northern Virginia

  In 2-3 sentences, please briefly describe the mission of your organization

  Loving Hands Touch Ministry is a non-profit organization that provides essential human services to underserved communities. Its mission is to address immediate needs while empowering individuals and families to achieve self-sufficiency, ensuring access to necessities like food, shelter, healthcare, and education. Through its vital services, the organization aims to uplift marginalized communities and break the cycle of poverty.

  How has funding from a Sharing Community Initiative impacted the work you do? Feel free to share any brief examples of projects or outcomes you've seen over the past year.

  The funding from the Sharing Community Initiative will be instrumental in supporting our efforts to serve underserved communities. The funding will also be a game-changer, allowing us to expand our outreach and provide vital services that make a tangible difference in the lives of those we serve.

  One successful outcome was our summer drug prevention program in Baileys and Hybla Valley last year. This program provided educational resources and counseling to at-risk youth, teaching them healthy coping mechanisms and positive decision-making skills. We received overwhelmingly positive feedback from participants and their families, with many crediting the program for helping keep them away from substance abuse.

  Another impactful outcome was the Women's Health is Wealth program, which empowered women through health education and screening services. By improving access to healthcare, we facilitated referrals for screening of various conditions that impact women, ultimately enhancing the overall well-being of women in our community. Numerous participants expressed gratitude for the life-changing support provided through this program.

  Additionally, our after-school bullying program for elementary students proved highly beneficial. This program equipped young students with essential coping strategies to constructively address bullying situations. By cultivating a supportive environment and promoting empathy, we aimed to create a safer and more inclusive school experience for all children.

  What excites you the most about receiving support through the Sharing Community initiative?

  As a first-time recipient of the Sharing Community Initiative funding, I am most excited about the opportunity to expand the reach and impact of our programs within the communities we serve. This vital financial support will enable us to strengthen existing initiatives and explore new avenues to address pressing needs more comprehensively.

  One area I am particularly enthusiastic about is the potential to enhance our youth development programs. The funding could allow us to introduce additional educational and mentorship components, providing young people with valuable skills, guidance, and resources to navigate challenges and unlock their full potential. By investing in our youth, we can foster a brighter future for the entire community.

  Furthermore, I am excited about the prospect of collaborating with other organizations supported by the Sharing Community Initiative. Such partnerships could lead to innovative cross-sector approaches, leveraging our collective expertise and resources to tackle complex social issues more effectively. By joining forces, we can amplify our impact and create sustainable, holistic solutions that uplift our communities.

  Above all, I am grateful for the recognition and support from the Sharing Community Initiative, which will enable us to continue our mission with renewed vigor and increased capacity. This funding represents a vote of confidence in our work and will empower us to effect meaningful, lasting change in the lives of those we serve.

  As a nonprofit leader in our community, what are your dreams or aspirations for the future?

  Firstly, I aspire to see our organization become a beacon of hope and empowerment for even more individuals and families in need. My vision is to expand our reach, forging new partnerships, and exploring innovative approaches to address the multifaceted challenges faced by marginalized communities. By consistently evolving and adapting our programs, we can remain responsive to the ever-changing needs of those we serve.

  Additionally, I dream of fostering a more inclusive and equitable society where every person, regardless of their circumstances, has access to the resources and opportunities necessary to thrive. I envision our organization playing a pivotal role in breaking down systemic barriers and advocating for policies and initiatives that promote social justice, economic mobility, and equal access to essential services.

  Furthermore, I aspire to nurture a culture of collaboration and knowledge-sharing within the nonprofit sector. By fostering strong networks and open dialogues, we can learn from one another's experiences, leverage collective wisdom, and amplify our collective impact. Together, we can champion sustainable solutions that address the root causes of societal issues, rather than merely treating the symptoms.

  Ultimately, my dream is to witness a future where our organization's services are no longer as desperately needed – a future where every individual and community has the means to achieve self-sufficiency and live with dignity. While this may seem like an ambitious goal, I believe that through unwavering dedication, strategic partnerships, and a shared commitment to positive change, we can make significant strides toward creating a more just and equitable world for all.

• Future Kings

  Which Communities/Neighborhoods do you serve?

  We serve the Hybla Valley community in Northern Virginia.

  In 2-3 sentences, please briefly describe the mission of your organization

  We want to use education, mentoring, training, practical experiences, and mastery of 21st century technology in order to create a pipeline of young men from underserved communities who excel in STEM related careers and positively influence their communities.

  How has funding from a Sharing Community Initiative impacted the work you do? Feel free to share any brief examples of projects or outcomes you've seen over the past year.

  This funding has allowed us to expand our offering from Prince William County into the Rt. 1 corridor of Fairfax County. In this case, this funding will allow us to bring a cybersecurity internship program to the Hybla Valley area.

  What excites you the most about receiving support through the Sharing Community initiative?

  Most exciting for us is the support for helping us reach students in our target demographic access advanced training in college-level cybersecurity training. This training will directly impact the students ability to gain entry-level employment in cybersecurity

  As a nonprofit leader in our community, what are your dreams or aspirations for the future?

  We would like to see a pipeline of students from economically challenged household into lucrative STEM-based careers

• The Growth and Healing HUB

  Which Communities/Neighborhoods do you serve?

  The Growth And Healing HUB can provide service to anyone residing in the state of Virginia. However, our office is strategically located in the Mount Vernon/Gum Springs/Alexandria region of Fairfax County, in the 22306 and 22309 ZIP codes.

  In 2-3 sentences, please briefly describe the mission of your organization

  The HUB’s mission is to grow and nurture the mental health and well-being of children, youth, young adults, and families. We accept most major insurance and will turn no one away due to inability to pay.

  What excites you the most about receiving support through the Sharing Community initiative?

  The Sharing Community initiative is a game-changer. It allows us to expand our fiduciary team, keeping administrative costs lean. This translates directly into more resources for what matters most: our community. By hiring additional clinicians, we can make an even greater impact on the lives of those we serve. That's what the HUB is all about – creating a meaningful difference.

  As a nonprofit leader in our community, what are your dreams or aspirations for the future?

  The HUB aspires to be the cornerstone of mental wellness in our community. We strive to be recognized for exceptional care and impactful outreach programs. Here, everyone feels safe and supported, receiving the help they deserve.

• New Hope Housing

  Which Communities/Neighborhoods do you serve?

  We serve homeless individuals in northern Virginia, including Arlington, Fairfax and Alexandria City.

  In 2-3 sentences, please briefly describe the mission of your organization

  Our mission is to provide case management, permanent housing and shelter to support the needs of homeless individuals in Northern Virginia.

  How has funding from a Sharing Community Initiative impacted the work you do? Feel free to share any brief examples of projects or outcomes you've seen over the past year.

  We just received the funding and believe it will help us to improve our organizational capacity and infrastructure.

  What excites you the most about receiving support through the Sharing Community initiative?

  I'm excited to have the opportunity to rethink the way the organization delivers service and to reimagine the work. As the new ED its a perfect time to work with the staff to help them vision for the future.

  As a nonprofit leader in our community, what are your dreams or aspirations for the future?

  My goal is to deliver services in a way that we can demonstrably see how it puts our clients on a pathway to sustainable housing. I am also excited about playing a role in reducing incidents of homelessness and making sure that clients have tools to help them navigate in a community that has priced them out.

• Arm & Arm Inc

  Which Communities/Neighborhoods do you serve?

  Rt 1 Richmond Hwy Corridor, Mt Vernon

  In 2-3 sentences, please briefly describe the mission of your organization

  Our Mission is to work with individuals during high-crisis transition periods of their lives. Changing the paradigm of how transition servicess are delivered.

  How has funding from a Sharing Community Initiative impacted the work you do? Feel free to share any brief examples of projects or outcomes you've seen over the past year.

  The Sharing Community Initiative has allowed us to increase our outreach capacity in some of the most hard hit areas like the 7-elevens on Lockheed, and Russell. This has lead to an increase in supportive services and a decrease already in erratic bus behaviors.

  What excites you the most about receiving support through the Sharing Community initiative?

  We are most excited about the new networking connection and opportunities with other small non-profits in the area. We are also excited about the simplicity of the application process.

  As a nonprofit leader in our community, what are your dreams or aspirations for the future?

  We want to grow our Peer-Based work to the point where those served will become members, volunteers and serve yet others who we can't reach. This builds whole and health communities and empowers residents.

Want to get involved in Sharing Northern Virginia and find ways to make meaningful investments in your community?

New committee members are always welcome! Contact Benton Murphy at [email protected]

Community Foundation's Sharing Community Funds Announce $910,000 in Funding for Regional Nonprofits

The Greater Washington Community Foundation is excited to announce $910,000 in grants awarded through its Sharing Community Funds this past cycle.

The Sharing Community Funds bring together donors who share our passion for building more equitable, just, and thriving communities.  With expert facilitation by Community Foundation staff, donors join together to learn first-hand about the challenges facing our community. Thanks to the generosity of this growing community of givers, together we discover and invest in visionary nonprofits working on the frontlines of our region’s most pressing needs.   

In alignment with our Strategic Vision, the Sharing Community Funds focused on the three intervention areas of the racial wealth gap — Basic Needs, Economic Mobility, and Community Wealth Building.

This year, The Community Foundation also celebrated the launch of a new Sharing Community initiative in Northern Virginia! Click here to Learn more!

See Below for a complete list of our nonprofit partners for 2024, sorted by category.

2024 Sharing Community Fund
Nonprofit Partners- Basic Needs

• Sharing DC

  •DC Jobs with Justice engages in systems change advocacy campaigns to meet basic needs like housing stability, minimum wages, cash assistance, and health access.

  •Wendt Center for Loss and Healing provides access to high quality mental healthcare services for low-income and marginalized children, adults, and families.

• Sharing Montgomery

  •The UpCounty Hub (2024 Multi-Year) was founded with the philosophy of providing low-income individuals and families with food and other essential social services without barriers, allowing them to maintain their privacy and dignity. Since its founding in 2020, the UpCounty Hub has grown every year, currently feeding approximately 1,100 families a week via drive-thru distributions, home deliveries, and its choice-pantry walk-in services. More recently, its services expanded to include social services, connecting residents to vital resources such as SNAP.

  •AfriThrive empowers African immigrants to grow and share healthy, culturally appropriate produce with residents facing food insecurity. Its training programs help families achieve self-reliance and economic stability.

  •Care for Your Health provides culturally sensitive in-home health care to elders. Patients are served by trained staff from their own community in touch with their circumstances and needs.

  •Community Bridges, Inc empowers girls in elementary, middle, and high schools to discover their unique identity, voice, and potential through leadership development, college and career readiness, and family support and mentoring.

  •Community Farmshare strives to create a local sustainable food system. It supports small scale farmers by purchasing fresh produce for low-income children and residents struggling with diet-related chronic diseases.

  •Crittenton Services of Greater Washington helps teenage girls achieve academic success, make healthy choices, and chart their own bright futures. Its virtual and school-based programs teach teenage girls to value their education, build healthy relationships, speak up for their own needs, and explore paths toward college and careers.

  •Horizons Greater Washington supports students from low-income families for nine years, from kindergarten through eighth grade. The organization works to foster a joyful environment full of academic, artistic, and athletic activities that inspire young minds and build a love of learning.

  •Housing Unlimited provides affordable, independent housing for adults in mental health recovery in Montgomery County. The organization promotes independence and recovery by providing a stable and comfortable home, allowing tenants to focus on becoming valued and integrated members of the community.

  •Kingdom Global Community Development Corporation operates the East County Hub which distributes food, diapers, and COVID-19 support. The organization also has other public-private partnerships that address food security, health and wellness, education, employment, and housing.

  •Manna Food Center works to eliminate hunger through food distribution, healthy eating education, and advocacy. Its extensive network includes supported more than 50,000 participants over the past year, distributing 4.6 million pounds of food.

  •Mary's Center provides health care, education, and social services to build healthier and stronger communities. In response to COVID-19, Mary’s Center worked to prevent the spread of the virus by offering testing and vaccinations to community members through the Greater Washington region.

  •National Alliance on Mental Illness of Montgomery County (NAMI MC) provides comprehensive support, education, advocacy, and public awareness to promote recovery so that individuals and families affected by mental illness can build better lives.

  •Rainbow Community Development Corporation provides food security relief paired with other safety net services including PPE distribution, eviction and utility cutoff prevention, temporary short-term shelter, and job search and resume assistance.

  •Rainbow Place Shelter provides emergency overnight shelter to women during the hypothermia season and assists them as they transition to a better quality of life. Additionally, the organization is working to open a new year-round, LGBTQ-inclusive shelter to provide a safe haven for youth and young adults.

  •Red Wiggler Community Farm provides comprehensive on-farm training and education programs for adults with developmental disabilities. Half of its organic produce is donated to low-income households throughout Montgomery County.

  •Stepping Stones Shelter leverages partnerships to provide food and integrated essential services to low-income community members. Since inception, it has provided emergency shelter to over 1,035 Montgomery County families.

• Sharing Northern Virginia

  Joyful Hands is deeply rooted in the conviction that education, literacy, and access to community resources are foundational pillars of thriving societies. They provide access to essential school supplies and nutritious food for community members.

  Culmore Clinic advances health by bringing community together to provide primary care, health education and disease prevention services at no cost to uninsured neighbors in Fairfax County.

  Loving Hands Touch Ministry addresses immediate community needs while empowering individuals and families to achieve self-sufficiency, ensuring access to necessities like food, shelter, healthcare, and education.

  The Growth and Healing HUB grows and nurtures the mental health and well-being of children, youth, young adults, and families. They provide services to anyone residing in the state of Virginia and strive to help all feel safe & supported and receive the help they deserve.

  New Hope Housing provides case management, permanent housing and shelter to support the needs of homeless individuals in Northern Virginia.

  Arm & Arm, Inc provides peer-to-peer mentoring and trauma recovery services to communities across Northern Virginia.

2024 Sharing Community Fund
Nonprofit Partners - Economic Mobility

• Sharing DC

  •Byte Back creates opportunities for upward economic mobility by providing computer foundations, certification training and wraparound support to help marginalized adults develop essential digital skills.

  •TRIGGER Project (2024 Multi-Year) partners with the DC Department of Employment Services to provide paid summer jobs and advocacy training for youth who have experienced or are at-risk of experiencing gun violence.

• Sharing Montgomery

  •Identity, Inc. (2024 Multi-Year) empowers youth and their families with the social-emotional, academic, workforce, and life skills they need to succeed in the modern world. It operates at schools, in the community, and on playing fields, working to reach Latino and other historically underserved residents. Like family, Identity celebrates victories and offers extra help when something more is needed. Last year alone, Identity reached more than 45,000 Montgomery County residents.

  •Future Link (2024 Multi-Year) seeks to close the opportunity divide for first-generation-to-college, high-potential young adults (ages 18-25) by providing them with the resources, knowledge, skills, and personalized support needed to achieve their education and career goals. Annually, Future Link serves 300 students with transformative services including paid internships, career coaching, mentoring, tutoring, scholarships, and more.

  •Crossroads Community Food Network provides training and support for startup food businesses and healthy eating education to local students and shoppers at Crossroads Farmers Market. Its farmers market nutrition incentives allow federal nutrition benefits recipients to double the value of these benefits spent at the market.

  •Generation Hope provides cohort and one-on-one mentoring support plus scholarships for low-income teen parents pursuing college degrees. It recently added early childhood programming to equip families with the resources necessary for their children to start kindergarten with a strong academic foundation.

  •Housing Initiative Partnership develops innovative affordable housing. In addition, it seeks to revitalizes neighborhoods and equip people to achieve their housing and financial goals through financial coaching and bilingual housing counseling.

  •Interfaith Works provides emergency assistance and counseling, vocational services, food distributions, clothing, and shelter for those experiencing homelessness. With volunteers from 165 faith communities, its integrated prevention, stabilization, and empowerment programs support homeless low-income county residents.

  •Montgomery College Foundation, co-leads the Achieving Collegiate Excellence and Success (ACES) program in partnership with Montgomery County Public Schools and The Universities at Shady Grove. ACES provides individualized academic coaching, scholarship opportunities, and career readiness to underrepresented high school students, for a seamless and supportive pathway to a bachelor’s degree.

• Sharing Northern Virginia

  Future Kings uses education, mentoring, training, practical experiences, and mastery of 21st century technology in order to create a pipeline of young men from underserved communities who excel in STEM related careers and positively influence their communities.

  Hardemon Dynasty, Inc provides affordable housing for young adults aging out of foster care and offer sufficient support during their transition to independence.

• Sharing Prince George's

  •Life After Release (LAR) is a women-led organization focused on building a post-conviction movement, identifying challenges and creating solutions for formerly incarcerated federal/state prisoners, bailed-out moms, and mothers of youth offenders and juvenile lifers. The organization work is grounded in a vision of self-determination for directly impacted communities and partners with Howard Law and other legal services to advocate for their legal empowerment.

  •Hillside Childrens Foundation provides essential mentoring programs for middle school and high school students. The programs are designed to provide students a path to economic mobility through college preparation and job readiness programs.

  •HomeFreeUSA (2024 Multi-Year) is a fast track to homeownership program that helps renters prepare for mortgage approval and homeownership. The program provides one-on-one guidance, housing counseling, and financial planning to help low-income individuals on the path to homeownership.

  •Leep to College Foundation helps at-risk youth by providing academic support, financial education and year-round formal and informal learning experiences to students in Prince Geoge’s County public schools. The program works with students starting in the 7th/8th grade and works with them until they graduate high school and beyond.

2024 Sharing Community Fund Nonprofit Partners - Individual & Community Wealth Building

• Sharing DC

  •Women Palante (2024 Multi-Year) empowers Latina women through a holistic approach to entrepreneurship that supports business creation, mental health, legal and financial orientation.

  •Gatebridge Community (2024 Multi-Year) is on a mission to transform low-wealth communities by fostering a culture of cooperative ownership to build wealth and create sustainable neighborhoods. The organization is partnering with the Coalition for Racial Equity (CREDE) and the National Coop Grocery to launch a network of five worker and consumer owned co-op grocery stores in the DMV – including two serving communities in Ward 7 & 8.

• Sharing Montgomery

  •Capital Area Asset Building Corporation provides financial literacy and matched savings programs, enabling low-income residents to become financially stable and pursue their dreams.

  •Habitat for Humanity Metro Maryland provides home preservation and homeownership programs that help low-income families live a more stable, self-reliant life. Its staff, homeowners, and volunteers have completed nearly 850 projects since its inception.

  •Montgomery Moving Forward is a collective impact initiative which convenes leaders from government, business, philanthropy, education, and nonprofits to solve complex problems facing the county. As a capacity building partner, Sharing Montgomery’s grant empowers MMF’s nonprofit leaders to advocate around pressing issues that affect their clients, especially around challenges related to economic opportunity and early childhood education.

  •Nonprofit Montgomery supports local organizations around government relations, advocacy, strategic communications, financial management, metrics tracking, and cross-sector problem solving. As a capacity building partner, Sharing Montgomery’s support will enable our direct-service grantees to receive the personalized support and connections that will help them deepen their impact.

• Sharing Prince George's

  •Gatebridge Community is on a mission to transform low-wealth communities by fostering a culture of cooperative ownership to build wealth and create sustainable neighborhoods. The organization is partnering with the Coalition for Racial Equity (CREDE) and the National Coop Grocery to launch a network of five worker and consumer owned co-op grocery stores in the DMV – including one in Prince George’s County.

  •Seed Spot (2024 Multi-Year) is on a mission to educate, accelerate, and invest in diverse entrepreneurs who are creating solutions to social problems. The program provides entrepreneurs with mentors and an intensive 10-week impact accelerator designed to help them raise capital to start their business.

  •Washington Area Community Investment Fund (WACIF) promotes equity and economic opportunity in underserved neighborhoods in the DMV by providing access to capital products, services ,and capacity-building technical assistance for low- and moderate-income entrepreneurs.

Leaders of the Future: Nonprofit Partners with the Sharing Community Funds

In 2024, The Community Foundation is highlighting 'Leaders of the Future' - individuals and organizations who inspire us to look towards a brighter future for Greater Washington.

This month, we are highlighting incredible leaders that strengthen and empower our community through our Sharing Community initiatives. The Sharing Community Initiative facilitates connections between donors and nonprofits to build more equitable, just, and thriving communities.

Part of that initiative includes awarding intentional, multi-year grants designed to empower our nonprofit partners and the communities they serve. Below are just a few responses from some of our multi-year nonprofit partners about the critical work they are doing in our communities!

• DC Kincare Alliance

  Which Communities/Neighborhoods do you serve?

  DC KinCare Alliance serves all of the neighborhoods in DC, but primarily Wards 5, 7, and 8.

  In 2-3 sentences, please briefly describe the mission of your organization

  Founded in 2017, DC KinCare Alliance is a legal services organization whose mission is to support the legal, financial, and related service needs of relative caregivers (primarily Black women) who step up to raise at-risk DC children in times of crisis when the children’s parents are unable to care for them due to mental health and substance use disorders, incarceration, death, abuse and neglect, and/or deportation.

  How has funding from a Sharing Community Initiative impacted the work you do? Feel free to share any brief examples of projects or outcomes you've seen over the past year.

  The Sharing DC Community Initiative helped DC KinCare Alliance (DCKC) serve 182 relative caregiver clients, raising 240 DC children in 319 legal matters in 2023—surpassing our goals by 21% for relative caregivers served and 42% for legal matters provided. The Initiative also made it possible for DCKC to hire a DC relative caregiver (who is a former client and current member of our Community Board) as our first Paralegal and Client Intake Manager. Finally, the Initiative helped DCKC to commence an adoption pilot (PROJECT ADOPT), to help grandparents and caregivers adopt the children they care for.

  For those receiving Sharing Community funding for the first-time, what excites you the most about receiving support through the Sharing Community initiative?

  As a small and relatively new organization, we were especially excited to receive support from the Sharing DC Community Initiative. It is a testament to the reach of our organization in the broader DC community for the Initiative to identify us as a potential partner and then determine us worthy of multi-year funding.

  As a nonprofit leader in our community, what are your dreams or aspirations for the future?

  I dream of a future where all DC children can live in safe and stable homes free from abuse, neglect, poverty, racism, violence, and fear. I dream of a future where government systems are set up to help families achieve success and where all families, including kinship families, are recognized and treated with dignity and respect.

• The T.R.I.G.G.E.R. Project

  Which Communities/Neighborhoods do you serve?

  We serve youth citywide, in the District of Columbia.

  In 2-3 sentences, please briefly describe the mission of your organization

  The True Reasons I Grabbed the Gun Evolved from Risks Project prevents the spread of the gun violence disease in Washington, D.C. through the intersectionality of Public Health and Positive Youth Development. We are prevention - the absence and proactive state of the gun violence.

  How has funding from a Sharing Community Initiative impacted the work you do? Feel free to share any brief examples of projects or outcomes you've seen over the past year.

  We look forward to joining the Sharing Community Initiative and the safe space it will provide to grow and strategically connect to like-hearted organizations for the economic mobility and health equity of our youth and families that we serve. We also look forward to educating the community on our Public Health approach as gun violence prevention can be used as a catalyst for to shape proactive policy, practice, and structures to eliminate many, if not all, of our deepest disparities.

  For those receiving Sharing Community funding for the first-time, what excites you the most about receiving support through the Sharing Community initiative?

  In terms of funding, The T.R.I.G.G.E.R. Project has operated inadequately since being founded. It is hard for people to believe our financial struggles because of our widespread impact yet, up until receiving Sharing Community funding, we have only been able to secure funding for events or programs. We are most excited to receive our FIRST multiyear investment in providing flexible general operating support for our organization!

  As a nonprofit leader in our community, what are your dreams or aspirations for the future?

  We envision a world free from the disease of gun violence! This vision with the support of Sharing Community equates to the social change I know is possible. With my experiencing an epidemic of youth violence and gun violence, many programs and initiatives are reactionary and lack efforts and funding structures that address root causes and chronic disparities. I aim to trail blaze a sense of value and funding structure for primary prevention programming and policy that will prevent future gun violence.

• GateBridge Community

  Which Communities/Neighborhoods do you serve?

  Primarily, Wards 7 & 8 in Washington DC, Prince George’s County, along the Blue Line Corridor, and East Montgomery County.

  In 2-3 sentences, please briefly describe the mission of your organization

  At GateBridge, we're on a mission to transform low-wealth communities by fostering a culture of cooperative ownership to build wealth and create sustainable neighborhoods where everyone has an opportunity to thrive. GateBridge serves as an accelerator of community wealth building ventures, raising patient capital and providing a range of technical supports for cooperative initiatives that feature ownership and control by workers, consumers, producers, and residents of local communities.

  How has funding from a Sharing Community Initiative impacted the work you do? Feel free to share any brief examples of projects or outcomes you've seen over the past year.

  The first community wealth building project supported by the GateBridge Community Accelerator is the launch of five worker and resident owned grocery stores, the first two of which will be in Wards 7 and 8 of the District. Sharing Community funding will 1) bolster the community education and engagement essential to recruiting the consumers needed to sustain the store 2) secure the market feasibility studies needed to determine the best trade areas to locate the stores and 3) retain the legal, accounting, and technical support needed to assure project stability and sustainability

  For those receiving Sharing Community funding for the first-time, what excites you the most about receiving support through the Sharing Community initiative?

  Greater Washington Community Foundation is an established and well respected institution known for its commitment to community wellbeing in the Washington DC area. Community Wealth Building is a long and arduous journey, and success substantially depends on anchor institution partnerships like the Community Foundation. My hope is that the Foundation will increasingly see GateBridge Community as a trusted partner in this important work over the coming years. I see this funding opportunity as the beginning of that journey toward trust and committed partnership.

  As a nonprofit leader in our community, what are your dreams or aspirations for the future?

  A community where race and place no longer predict wealth and wellbeing and where every neighborhood has the physical, social, and civic infrastructure to promote human flourishing. White household median wealth in the DMV is 81 times that of Black household median wealth. GateBridge Community will work to close this racial wealth gap by scaling business enterprises that generate and maintain wealth in divested communities rather extracting it to build the wealth of other communities. Rosie’s Grocery is our first initiative. It will not be our last.

• CareerCatchers

  Which Communities/Neighborhoods do you serve?

  In 2023, we worked with 960 clients, the highest number the organization has served in a given year. Currently, almost 70% of our clientele resides in the most underserved Montgomery County zip codes. Additionally, we also serve clients in Prince George’s County and DC Wards 7 & 8.

  In 2-3 sentences, please briefly describe the mission of your organization

  Our mission is to provide personalized job-skills counseling, promote participation in work skills and training programs, foster self-esteem, and empower individuals. We aim to help clients transition out of poverty by utilizing counseling, individualized training, community and employer partnerships, helping find alternatives to minimum-wage, dead-end jobs. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are at the core of our vision, programs, and mission.

  How has funding from a Sharing Community Initiative impacted the work you do? Feel free to share any brief examples of projects or outcomes you've seen over the past year.

  In 2023, the funding we received from Sharing Montgomery allowed us to expand our basic skills classes in several ways. We have been able to offer more classes to our clients on topics such as social media networking and small business promotion, greatly increasing the opportunities available to our clients. Additionally, we were able to increase the number of partners presenting at our weekly virtual workshops, allowing our clients to learn about new career paths and resources. These feats culminated in CareerCatchers first ever in-person Empowerment event in October of 2023: Family Fun Day. Our Family Fun Day allowed our clients the opportunity to engage with our staff and partners, promote their small businesses, and learn more about food security. We hope to continue expanding our training offerings with the continued support of the GWCF.

  As a nonprofit leader in our community, what are your dreams or aspirations for the future?

  As the needs of our community grow, we intend to grow to meet them. In 2023, we were able to serve over 950 clients, and hope to serve over 1,000 in the years to come. Additionally, we plan to extend our job retention services. We approach our clients with a respect for not only their immediate goals, but also their long term goals of career success and financial sustainability. We have seen great success for clients who have received job retention services for one year, and would like to continue expanding those services to clients for two years post-employment. Finally, engaging our partners and volunteers to continue expanding our training offerings allows our clients to adapt to the ever-changing landscape of professional development. Continuing our outreach to new partners provides our clients with new avenues to pursue their goals.

• IMPACT Silver Spring

  Which Communities/Neighborhoods do you serve?

  The Montgomery County residents supported by IMPACT are mostly low-income and BIPOC, with many programs and activities in Spanish- and Amharic-speaking immigrant communities. Many IMPACT offerings, including virtual events, are publicized countywide, and we have participants from all areas of the county, but most of our in-person community work is currently done in the neighborhoods of Long Branch, Wheaton, Glenmont, Fairland, and most recently, Gaithersburg.

  In 2-3 sentences, please briefly describe the mission of your organization

  Our mission is to advance racial equity and justice in Montgomery County by working for change at 3 levels: changing hearts and minds at the individual level; building grassroots power and community connections at the neighborhood level; and changing the greater systems, structures, and policies that continue to generate inequitable outcomes for communities of color.

  How has funding from a Sharing Community Initiative impacted the work you do? Feel free to share any brief examples of projects or outcomes you've seen over the past year.

  Sharing Montgomery funding continues to support Impact’s work of promoting economic mobility and wealth building within BIPOC, immigrant, and low-income communities. Most of this work is done via our Community Trade Academy (CTA). The CTA takes a three-pronged approach to economic empowerment by: 1. offering vocational training to adult students (mostly immigrant women) in skills such as piñata or jewelry making; 2. teaching the basic skills of running a small business; and 3. providing markets where students gain real world experience as microentrepreneurs. Most recently, we worked with partners to host outdoor Holiday Markets (December 16 and 23, 2023) and Valentine’s Day Markets (February 10 and 11, 2024). Depending on the day, between 3 and 18 microentrepreneurs participated, selling between $50 and $700 worth of merchandise. We never charge vendor fees for participating in markets because those fees are often cost prohibitive. While we know classroom learning is important, we also know it is not enough. The experience of setting up, running, and breaking down these markets provides budding entrepreneurs with the crucial know-how and confidence that can only be gained experientially. Sharing Montgomery funding has been critical to paying for supplies and technical assistance needed for CTA events like these markets.

  As a nonprofit leader in our community, what are your dreams or aspirations for the future?

  An important element of the Community Trade Academy is that it is neighborhood-based. We launched our pilot academy in the Silver Spring community of Wheaton. We want to launch future academies in Gaithersburg and East County, tailored to the interests and cultures in those neighborhoods. Additionally, classes in the pilot academy were all taught in Spanish. We would like to replicate the model in other communities and offer it to English-speaking immigrants. Additionally, in the near future, we hope to introduce solidarity economy (an economy that prioritizes people and the planet) concepts such as sustainability and worker cooperation as part of our CTA curriculum.

• Montgomery county food council

  Which Communities/Neighborhoods do you serve?

  All communities in Montgomery County, MD

  In 2-3 sentences, please briefly describe the mission of your organization

  The mission of the Montgomery County Food Council (MCFC) is to bring together a diverse representation of stakeholders in a public-private partnership to improve the environmental, economic, social and nutritional health of Montgomery County, Maryland through the creation of a robust and sustainable local food system.

  How has funding from a Sharing Community Initiative impacted the work you do? Feel free to share any brief examples of projects or outcomes you've seen over the past year.

  The grant supported MCFC’s food security program in increasing outreach and collaboration among food assistance providers who are serving the County’s food insecure residents. MCFC co-implemented a Farm to Food Bank Program, which provided technical assistance and collaboration between 37 local farms in 2022 and 2023 to support a sustained and resilient local food supply and provide more nutritious and culturally diverse produce to residents who experience hunger. In FY 2023, over 191,212 lbs of fresh, locally grown produce was purchased or donated to over 54 food assistance providers.

  As a nonprofit leader in our community, what are your dreams or aspirations for the future?

  As the only non-profit organization convening all sectors of the food system within Montgomery County, and connecting various initiatives to partners throughout the region, MCFC hopes to build the capacity of our partners implement the County’s Strategic Plan to End Childhood Hunger. In addition, we hope to be more instrumental in transforming our public schools by supporting MCPS to embed wellness plans (or policies) that nurture the development of “food curious” children through the farm to school initiative.

• Black and Brown Coalition for Educational Equity & Excellence

  Which Communities/Neighborhoods do you serve?

  The BBC serves Black, Brown, and low-income communities in Montgomery County, MD.

  In 2-3 sentences, please briefly describe the mission of your organization

  The Black and Brown Coalition for Educational Equity and Excellence unites these traditionally marginalized communities to demand an education system that serves all students equitably. The BBC takes aim at dismantling systemic barriers that have underserved and limited the success of Black, Brown, and students from low-income families and fights for equitable access to the resources needed to thrive.

  How has funding from a Sharing Community Initiative impacted the work you do? Feel free to share any brief examples of projects or outcomes you've seen over the past year.

  "Having a multiyear grant allows the Coalition to take on issues that require sustained advocacy” explained Byron Johns, co-founder. In 2023, the BBC galvanized the Black and Brown communities around literacy inequity. Nearly 60% of Black and over 70% of Latino fifth-grade students are not reading at grade level. And their parents are often unaware. In November, the BBC brought together over 800 Black, Brown and low-income caregivers to demand that schools "Get Reading Right, Now!". Building on our 2022 advocacy for greater investment in literacy and math, the BBC is now leading the charge for an “early alert system” -- an easy-to-understand communication to parents when their students miss milestones –and for the development of individualized success plans to ensure that these students catch up and keep up. “We need the voices of our entire community to make literacy a priority” said Diego Uriburu, co-founder.

  As a nonprofit leader in our community, what are your dreams or aspirations for the future?

  The BBC envisions a future where Black, Brown, and low-income students who attend Montgomery County Public Schools have equitable access to resources and supports that will ensure the greatest opportunities for success in their educations, careers, and lives.

• CollegeTracks

  Which Communities/Neighborhoods do you serve?

  5 MCPS High Schools in Montgomery County, based in Gaithersburg, Wheaton, Silver Spring, Burtonsville, and Bethesda.

  In 2-3 sentences, please briefly describe the mission of your organization

  The mission of CollegeTracks is to empower first-generation-to-college students and students from low-income and immigrant households in Montgomery County, Maryland by helping them bridge systemic opportunity gaps with enough support to get to and through postsecondary education and on a career pathway. We envision a future in which every student who graduates from high school in Montgomery County, Maryland has equitable access to their chosen career pathway.

  How has funding from a Sharing Community Initiative impacted the work you do? Feel free to share any brief examples of projects or outcomes you've seen over the past year.

  Sharing Montgomery funding has helped open doors to new partnerships and funding relationships, has helped validate our approach in our community, and has brought us new donors, volunteers, and partners. This has been critical as we have expanded to meet rising demand, and prepared to grow across Montgomery County. For example, CollegeTracks' program enrollment rose by 22% last year, exceeding our pre-pandemic high by 9%, which put a great deal of stress on our program and infrastructure. Thanks to stable, yet flexible funding like Sharing Montgomery, we were able to stregmthen our program and meet our high programmatic goals, even while serving these expanded numbers.

  For those receiving Sharing Community funding for the first-time, what excites you the most about receiving support through the Sharing Community initiative?

  The most exciting part of receiving our first multi-year Sharing Montgomery award has been the realization that the people in our community who are paying the closest attention to work like ours thought of our program as highly effective, and worthy of this investment and recognition. We have worked hard to build a program model that gets results, and the fact that the people who know our work and community best agree is a tremendous boost to our team.

  As a nonprofit leader in our community, what are your dreams or aspirations for the future?

  At CollegeTracks, we dream of a future for Montgomery County where every student truly has the opportunity and support that they need to thrive. We are a highly educated and wealthy County, and we have access to proven solutions to the problems that we face. We just need to decide not to accept the status quo, and make these solutions happen.

• Beloved Community Incubator

  Which Communities/Neighborhoods do you serve?

  Beloved Community Incubator is a regional solidarity economy movement organization and lender. We engage in worker justice campaigns, mostly in Washington, DC, and offer a unique combination of cooperative incubation, lending, technical assistance, and mutual aid to create just and equitable democratic workplaces across our entire region.

  In 2-3 sentences, please briefly describe the mission of your organization

  Beloved Community Incubator is a solidarity economy movement organization, incubator, lender, and worker self-directed non-profit in Washington, DC. BCI focuses on building a regional solidarity economy that centers people, especially poor and working-class workers and people of color, over profit. We provide incubation for worker-owned cooperatives, as well as back end support for cooperatives through the BCI Network. We offer non-extractive lending to local cooperatives through the DC Solidarity Economy Loan Fund, and organize for worker power and collective control of resources in DC through community organizing, broad-based campaigns, and mutual aid.

  How has funding from a Sharing Community Initiative impacted the work you do? Feel free to share any brief examples of projects or outcomes you've seen over the past year.

  We secured the passage of the Street Vendor Advancement Act of 2023 which: decriminalized street vending without a license and removed criminal background checks, reduced fees for obtaining a vending license, created a micro-enterprise home kitchen license, which allows food entrepreneurs across the city to create home based catering businesses , and created a vending zone in Mount Pleasant/Columbia Heights, allowing a higher concentration of vendors per block. In February of this year, we launched the BCI Street Vendor License Fund. This $125,000 fund will cover eligible costs and fees associated with accessing licenses and inspections for almost 100 vendors. Our vision for growing the regional solidarity economy is coming to fruition! The DC Solidarity Economy Loan Fund held its official launch event and has received approval for 3 additional loans – totaling $922,500 dollars. Two of the loans were to a small tech cooperative for equipment and a line of credit. The most significant loan is to Community Purchasing Alliance (CPA). CPA organizes institutions to engage in collective purchasing of contracts. Purchasing programs include janitorial, HVAC, trash removal, security, and solar. Our partnership positions BCI to proposition current vendors to use worker-ownership as a succession plan, incubate cooperatives in the sectors of their current purchasing programs, and connect cooperatives that already exist (in cleaning, food service, and landscaping) to larger contracts.

  For those receiving Sharing Community funding for the first-time, what excites you the most about receiving support through the Sharing Community initiative?

  What is most exciting to me is knowing that the Sharing DC Committee really understands and believes in our vision. We realize that our organizing model as a solidarity economy organization is unique. Our power building strategy is through institution building (through cooperatives) and membership, but also includes a programmatic and technical assistance component. Our work with “high touch” cooperatives is essentially base building with poor and working class BIPOC workers in order to build a coop from the ground up. There is more and more research that traditional workforce development and job training programs don't guarantee jobs or increased income. By developing and supporting worker-owned cooperatives, creating market access for local BIPOC-owned cooperatives, and using DC SELF to invest an additional 1 million dollars in local cooperatives over the next 2 years, we are working to close the racial wealth gap. The funding from Sharing DC committee means they believe in our vision too.

  As a nonprofit leader in our community, what are your dreams or aspirations for the future?

  Last summer, the local coop ecosystem came together to vision what's possible and shape our work for the future. Their collective vision included affordable care cooperatives (childcare, home health care, elder care), bookkeeping and legal cooperatives, coop grocery stores, and collectively owned spaces for artists and food businesses. BCI is always dreaming about more community control over resources in our community -- think grocery stores, workplaces, land, banks, housing, and more!

Faces of Sharing - Getting to Know Sharing Montgomery Member, Gene Sachs

Gene Sachs is no stranger to The Community Foundation. A lifetime Montgomery County resident, successful corporate real estate advisor and alumni of the Leadership Greater Washington program, Gene joined The Community Foundation’s Board of Trustees in 2008. During his time on the Board, Gene would serve as Vice Chair, helping to expand The Community Foundation’s footprint in the Greater Washington region.

“My wife and I are firm believers in The Community Foundation,” Gene shared. “The impact that they make – and continue to make in the region, is truly phenomenal.”

However, it wasn’t until Gene stepped down from Board of Trustees and joined the Montgomery County advisory board that Gene was able to experience Sharing Montgomery.

“I wanted to understand more about what was going on at the grassroots level, here in Montgomery County,” Gene explained. “I wanted to know what was happening in on the grass roots level in places like Takoma Park and Wheaton – to really understand what was happening in the fabric of my outside of my bubble in Bethesda.”

On his first Sharing Montgomery site visit, Gene went to Wheaton HS, where he was introduced to a nonprofit working to help high school students from low-income neighborhoods prepare for college.

“I was just blown away by the work they were doing,” Gene remembered. “I immediately realized that I wanted to get more involved, however I could help them grow their mission and expand their reach.” Within a few years, Gene would join their Board of Directors.

Now in his third stint on the Sharing Montgomery Committee, Gene says he still enjoys every minute of it.

“I love hearing the passion from each of the presenters during our site visits – learning about the evolution of how they got to where they are now. I come away so inspired and humbled by the amount of work they are doing to change lives.”

Gene also shared how much he enjoyed seeing how Sharing Montgomery gave donors and partners a chance to network and collaborate at in-person site visits.

“A lot of times – after our in-person site visits – we’d get a lot of feedback from partners about how much they appreciated getting to see what other organizations are doing. Even though they sometimes work in the same field, just being able to hear what others are doing was enough to start a dialogue for potential partnerships.”

“Whether you’re a partner or a donor, Sharing Montgomery is a springboard for changemakers – convening outstanding leaders in the community and providing a better understanding of the transformative work being done in Montgomery County.”

Faces of Sharing - Getting to Know Sharing Prince George's Member Dr. Marcia Robinson

Dr. Marcia Robinson is the embodiment of ‘Prince George’s Proud’. A resident of Prince George’s County for more than 50 years, Dr. Robinson has spent much of that time in her community – as an entrepreneur and businesswoman, and as a pastor of the church she co-founded with her husband in Clinton, Maryland.

“I work in the community a lot,” Dr. Robinson explained. “I have thoroughly enjoyed it.”

“But working on Sharing Prince George’s has taken things to a whole ‘nother level!”

As a new member of Sharing Prince George’s Dr. Robinson had a chance to experience what she described as ‘collective philanthropy’ for the first time – working side by side with The Community Foundation and other donors to make impactful investments in her community.

“Before Sharing Prince George’s, I never thought of collective community-based giving as something I could do,” Dr. Robinson said. “I knew large companies like MGM could give community-wide, but Sharing Prince George’s allowed me to see how individuals can come together to help the broader community.”

Dr. Robinson added that she especially enjoyed working alongside fellow philanthropists as part of the grantmaking process.

“In Sharing Prince George’s, I got to work with talented professionals – people from all different backgrounds and skillsets – to make a larger, collective impact. I didn’t have to do [grantmaking] by myself; I didn’t need to reinvent the wheel to make a difference in my community. I was part of something bigger giving organizations the resources to help hundreds of families.” 

Dr. Robinson’s expertise as a community leader and an entrepreneur brought a powerful perspective to the grantmaking table – allowing her to connect with many of the nonprofit partners who presented to the committee.

“I loved seeing the enthusiasm that the nonprofits brought – you could feel the passion that they have in working for the betterment of the community,” she explained.

She was especially impressed with nonprofits partners who were focused on financial literacy and empowerment.

“One of the things that I really have a heart for is breaking down the racial divide and legacy wealth,” Dr. Robinson shared. “Giving people the resources, tools, and knowledge to improve their situation. That's really where my heart is.”

“Knowledge – and the application of it – is power.”

“If you give people a foundation and teach them, they can go forth to help improve their circumstances,” she concluded. “That’s what this work is all about: giving people the foundation to springboard to a better life.

Faces of Sharing - Getting to Know Sharing DC Member Maggie Prieto

First-time Sharing DC members Maggie Prieto and her husband Mark Michael started their Donor-Advised Fund with The Community Foundation this past year.

“The Community Foundation really fit with our giving philosophy,” Maggie explained. “We were impressed with how purposeful and in sync they were with our philanthropic values.”

A former Civil Rights Disabilities Lawyer with the US Department of Justice, Maggie has been heavily involved in the DC nonprofit scene for several decades – generously donating money, time, and professional expertise to champion the cause of changemakers in the region. In addition to working at organizations like The National Council de La Raza (now known as UnidosUS) and Ayuda, Maggie has served on the boards of the Latin American Youth Center, Mary’s Center, and the Rosemount Center.

So when Maggie and Mark were invited to join Sharing DC, they were intrigued at the possibility of learning more about the evolution of a field they know so well.

Mark is an entrepreneur; a political science major who moved to DC from California with the idea of starting an up-scale catering company. Years later, Maggie and Mark say they have a deep appreciation for young entrepreneurs – especially in the social impact space.

“Part of why we joined Sharing DC was to learn more about ‘social impact entrepreneurs’ – smaller organizations with new and exciting ideas about how to make an impact in DC. We wanted to learn more about the work they’re doing and how it aligns with the organizations we already support.”

Maggie and Mark also enjoyed meeting and working with fellow philanthropists from a variety of different backgrounds and experiences.

“It is so important in philanthropy to have a diversity of voices at the table,” Maggie explained. “Diversity allows you to have a deeper and richer understanding of what’s possible and the resources, tools, and ideas that are required to do the work.”

As a daughter of immigrants who worked extensively with immigrant populations over her professional career, Maggie was able to bring a unique perspective to the group that helped inform the grantmaking process. She was also able to make a small personal grant to one of the applicants that didn’t receive funding.

“I think informed philanthropy is much more effective philanthropy. When you meet the leaders of an organization, learn about their mission, what drives them and the impact they’re having – you are empowered to do so much more compared to simply giving to an organization because a close friend recommended it to you.”

“If you’re committed to making your community better through philanthropy, Sharing DC gives you a great opportunity to gain invaluable insight and connect with other folks who are doing the same thing.”

Community Foundation's Sharing Community Funds Announce $810,000 in Funding for Regional Nonprofits

The Greater Washington Community Foundation is excited to announce $810,000 in grants awarded through its Sharing Community Funds this past cycle.

The Sharing Community Funds bring together donors who share our passion for building more equitable, just, and thriving communities.  With expert facilitation by Community Foundation staff, donors join together to learn first-hand about the challenges facing our community. Thanks to the generosity of this growing community of givers, together we discover and invest in visionary nonprofits working on the frontlines of our region’s most pressing needs.   

In alignment with our Strategic Vision, the Sharing Community Funds focused on the three intervention areas of the racial wealth gap — Basic Needs, Economic Mobility, and Community Wealth Building.

See Below for a complete list of our nonprofit partners for 2023, sorted by category.

Photo Courtesy of Montgomery County Food Council

2023 Sharing Community Fund
Nonprofit Partners - Basic Needs

• Sharing DC Grant Recipients

  Dreaming Out Loud (2022 Multi-Year Grant Recipient) to create economic opportunity for DC’s marginalized communities through creating a healthy, equitable food system by driving a new framework for sustainable economic development for Black and Brown DC residents, food entrepreneurs, and farmers in our region.

  DC Greens to advance health equity and systemic change through advocacy and direct service programs, including Food is Medicine and urban farming.

  DC Kincare Alliance (2023 Multi-Year Grant Recipient) to provide legal, financial, and related services to relative caregivers who step up to at-risk DC children in times of crisis when their parents are not able to care for them.

  Safe Sister Circle to provide holistic, trauma-informed services to Black women and girls from DC Ward’s 7 and 8 who are survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence.

• Sharing Montgomery Grant Recipients

  AfriThrive to empower African immigrants to grow and share healthy, culturally appropriate produce with residents facing food insecurity.

  Black and Brown Coalition (2022 Multi-Year Grant Recipient) to engage underserved families to advocate for federal, state, and local supports of intensive and research-based academic interventions targeted toward students with the greatest need.

  Care for Your Health for culturally sensitive in-home health care for seniors.

  Community Bridges, Inc to empower girls in elementary, middle and high schools through leadership development, college and career readiness, and family support and mentoring.

  Crittenton Services of Greater Washington to help teenage girls achieve academic and personal success through virtual and school-based cohort programs.

  Crossroads Community Food Network to provide training and support for startup food businesses, healthy eating education, and farmers’ market nutrition incentives at the popular Crossroads Farmers Market.

  Horizons Greater Washington to support students from low-income families with academic, artistic, and athletic activities for nine years, from kindergarten through eighth grade.

  Manna Food Center to work to eliminate hunger through food distribution, healthy eating education, and advocacy.

  Mary's Center for health care, education, social services, and ongoing COVID-19 response that builds a healthier and stronger community.

  Montgomery County Food Council (2022 Multi-Year Grant Recipient) to build a more resilient, sustainable, and equitable local food system. Its leadership helps the many county food providers strategically work together to better serve the 100,000+ residents who do not know where their next meal will come from.

  Montgomery Housing Partnership, Inc (MHP) to develop affordable rental housing and offer Community Life programs that support young children and their families at home, ultimately strengthening neighborhoods.

  National Alliance on Mental Illness of Montgomery County (NAMI MC) to provide comprehensive support, education, advocacy and public awareness to promote recovery for those affected by mental illness.

  Rainbow Community Development Corporation to fund food security relief and other services including eviction and utility cutoff prevention, and temporary shelter, job search and resume assistance.

• Sharing Prince George's Grant Recipients

  Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Prince George’s County (2022 Multi-Year Grant Recipient) to partner with the juvenile court to improve the lives of children living in foster care who have suffered from abuse and neglect. With a strong commitment to diversity, CASA/ Prince George’s County trains and supervises volunteers from the community who advocate for the best interest of children, recognizing and respecting each child’s individual needs. By providing a voice to children in the foster care system, it’s goal is to help children and promote the timely placement of those they serve in safe, permanent homes.

  Community Crisis Services Inc. (2022 Multi-Year Grant Recipient) to provide compassionate crisis support through its hotline, safe-shelter programs and information and referral services.

  Community and Family Youth Services (CAFY) (2022 Multi-Year Grant Recipient) to guide child crime victims in Prince George’s County through the process of testifying in court. CAFY empowers victims and their families to gain the confidence to help hold offenders accountable, restore families and educate the community. They are the designated victim services provider for the four largest law enforcement departments in Prince George’s County. Their mission is “to embrace, educate, and empower those impacted, affected or harmed by crime or trauma on their journey to justice and healing”. All victims are embraced – irrespective of age, gender, religion, ethnic background or sexual orientation.

  Hillside Work Scholarship Connection (2022 Multi-Year Grant Recipient) to provide compassionate crisis support through its hotline, safe-shelter programs and information and referral services.

  Sowing Empowerment & Economic Development (SEED) to provide food, education, and training while promoting self-sufficiency and empowerment directly to low-to-moderate-income families.

Photo Courtesy of CollegeTracks

2023 Sharing Community Fund
Nonprofit Partners - Economic Mobility

• Sharing DC Grant Recipients

  Beloved Community Incubator (2023 Multi-Year Grant Recipient) to help workers create and maintain their own businesses through worker owned cooperatives, collective projects, and business ownership.

  Young Doctors DC to provide mentoring, educational programming, and service-learning opportunities to encourage high school boys in Southeast DC to pursue healthcare careers.

• Sharing Montgomery Grant Recipients

  Career Catchers (2023 Multi-Year Grant Recipient) to provide personalized employment and job skills counseling for low-income and chronically under-employed residents.

  CollegeTracks (2023 Multi-Year Grant Recipient) to improve college access and retention rates for students at risk of not attending college, primarily first-generation, low-income, minority, and immigrant youth.

  Future Link to provide career counseling, mentoring, tutoring, academic advising, scholarships, and internships to help connect disadvantaged youth to post-secondary educational opportunities.

  Generation Hope to mentor and provide scholarships for teen parents pursuing college degrees. It also delivers early childhood resources so scholars’ children begin kindergarten with a strong academic foundation.

  Identity, Inc to serve Latino and other historically underserved youths and their families. Identity helps youths develop social and emotional skills, excel in school, and get ready to enter the workforce.

  Interfaith Works to provide emergency assistance and counseling, vocational services, food distributions, clothing, and shelter for those experiencing homelessness.

  Kingdom Global Community Development Corporation to distribute food, diapers, and COVID-19 support at the East County Services Consolidation Hub, along with other public-private partnerships that address food security, health and wellness, education, employment, and housing.

  Montgomery College Foundation to support the Achieving Collegiate Excellence and Success (ACES) program that provides underrepresented students with a seamless and supportive pathway to a bachelor’s degree.

  Per Scholas National Capital Region (NCR) to run an intensive technology training course that empowers individuals – especially people of color, women, and young adults – to pursue high-growth tech careers.

  Red Wiggler Community Farm to support on-farm training and education for adults with developmental disabilities. Half of its organic produce is donated to low-income households throughout the county.

  Sheppard Pratt (formerly Family Services) for clinical health services, rehabilitation services, services to children youth and families, and community and family services, such as Linkages to Learning and domestic violence supports.

  The Upcounty Hub to supply families with food, healthcare assistance, and connections to other essential resources, while maintaining their privacy and dignity.

• Sharing Prince George's Grant Recipients

  CASA de Maryland, Inc. (2022 Multi-Year Grant Recipient) to create a more just society by building power and improving the quality of life in working class and immigrant communities. Their vision is for a future in which immigrants stand in their own power, their families live free from discrimination and fear, and diverse communities thrive as they work with partners to achieve full human rights for all.

  Community Outreach & Development CDC to provide resources that meet the varying needs of households in a compassionate center approach, that focuses on the needs of individual households. Particular focuses of this grant will be to expand partnership with Oxon Hill Elementary School, increase healthy food options and emergency financial support.

  Ivy Community Charities to provide community outreach through education, health, leadership development, cultural arts and economic empowerment. Economic self-sufficiency programs cover financial literacy, budgeting, banking, investing, scholarships, career planning and work transition skills

  Joe's Movement Emporium to offer creative cultural experiences supporting arts education, job training, and building a creative community. Recently, the nonprofit’s work has included establishment of a Suitland location and expansion of their presence in the area.

  The Training Source to provide education, training, and services that promote positive economic mobility for residents. A priority of this grant would be to better meet the demand for services by expanding to serve additional clients.

Photo Courtesy of IMPACT Silver Spring

2023 Sharing Community Fund
Nonprofit Partners -
Individual & Community Wealth Building

• Sharing DC Grant Recipients

  Empower DC (2022 Multi-Year Grant Recipient) to enhance, improve and promote the self-advocacy of low- and moderate-income DC residents through grassroots organizing, popular education style training, leadership development, and member-led campaigns strategically designed to influence pressing social issues impacting our constituency.

  Marshall Heights Community Development Organization to increase economic equity through advancements in homeownership, employment, entrepreneurship, healthcare, and public safety.

• Sharing Montgomery Grant Recipients

  Capital Area Asset Building Corporation to provide financial literacy and matched savings programs, enabling low-income residents to become financially stable and pursue their dreams.

  IMPACT Silver Spring (2023 Multi-Year Grant Recipient) to fund community-building work for a racially and economically equitable community in which people can take collaborative action to enact lasting change.

  Montgomery Moving Forward to convene leaders from government, business, philanthropy, education, and nonprofits to solve complex problems facing the county. Through capacity building programs, MMF’s leaders advocate around pressing issues of economic opportunity and early childhood education.

  Nonprofit Montgomery to support local organizations with government relations, advocacy, strategic communications, financial management, metrics tracking, and cross-sector problem solving. With this support, grantees of Sharing Montgomery can access personalized support and connections to help deepen their impact.

• Sharing Prince George's Grant Recipients

  Central Kenilworth Avenue Revitalization (CKAR) to implement projects in the Greater Riverdale community, including community and economic development, workforce training, environmental sustainability, business retention, and advocacy efforts. In part, this grant will support a café training program focused on financial stability for participants.

  Housing Initiative Partnership to provide neighborhood revitalization through innovative, green housing development and counseling – including bilingual housing counseling and financial coaching.

Listening to the Community: Sharing Montgomery Meets With Leaders in East-County

Members of The Community Foundation’s Montgomery County Advisory Board, staff, and Sharing Montgomery donors recently visited with community partners in Montgomery County’s East-County region – one of the “Priority Neighborhoods” identified by The Community Foundation as part of its new 10-year strategic plan. The event follows a similar visit with Up-County partners that took place last November.

The day began at Manna Food Center’s headquarters in Silver Spring, where the group met with a panel of nonprofit leaders who have been at the forefront of the battle against food insecurity in Montgomery County. A battle that they say has continued, even as COVID cases have declined.

“Let’s not have amnesia about what we experienced during the pandemic,” Jackie DeCarlo, CEO of Manna Food Center shared. “As one our volunteers shared ‘I hope we never go back to normal; the pandemic made me realize that -- for a lot of people -- normal just wasn’t working”.

Despite the challenges, these partners have only continued to innovate. Rev. Kendra Smith, of East County Hub led by Kingdom Fellowship, and Pat Drumming, Executive Director of Rainbow Community Development Center, outlined how they work collaboratively with local businesses, grocery stores, and farmers to rescue thousands of pounds food.  DeCarlo explained how Manna Food Center now partners with local ethnic food markets to establish a voucher system that allows families to obtain culturally appropriate foods to make homecooked meals while also supporting critical local businesses.

“Essentially, we’re working with what already exists to recreate a new food system,” Rev. Kendra Smith of East County Hub of Kingdom Fellowship explained. “One that has the flexibility to respond to our community’s needs.”

The panel expressed gratitude to the donors of Sharing Montgomery and Food for Montgomery for their extraordinary support in recent years. They further highlighted how major investments over the last few years enabled them to secure shared cold storage – increasing their capacity to collect, store, and distribute perishable food items like meat and fresh produce.

“We can’t continue to look at food insecurity in isolation,” Rev. Smith explained. “Many of the families we’re serving are multi-generational. We need to examine all the social determinants of health and start having conversations about how we can work together and collaborate to address the root causes behind the needs that these families have.”

After a quick tour of the Manna Food Center’s choice pantry, the group then moved on to Paint Branch High School in Burtonsville, MD, where they met with representatives from local nonprofits working to promote economic mobility and higher education: IMPACT Silver Spring, College Tracks and the Achieving College Excellence & Success (ACES) partnership of Montgomery College, the Universities at Shady Grove, and Montgomery County Public Schools.

Much like the safety-net partners, these nonprofit leaders had to continuously pivot and innovate since the outbreak of COVID.   For IMPACT Silver Spring, that meant finding ways to provide direct cash transfers so families in crisis could meet their needs more efficiently (an effort supported by The Community Foundation’s Neighbors in Need Montgomery Fund).  Meanwhile, CollegeTracks and ACES initially struggled to connect with students virtually while schools were operating remotely but ultimately found their efforts made them even more accessible.

“We were able to engage with their families in ways that we’d never done before,” explained Mecha Inman, CEO of College Tracks. “We were able to directly answer their questions about the college application process and help them become better informed about how to support and advocate for their students.”

Andres Maldonado, Assistant Director of ACES, further shared how ACES expanded their outreach to better serve students and their families – ensuring that students not only had access to academic support, but also important resources like food, employment opportunities, and mental health services. 

In response to how residents are helping their families and neighborhoods recover, Michael Rubin, Interim Director of IMPACT Silver Spring, shared how they are advancing worker collaboratives, empowering people with the resources and capital they need to start new enterprises that will ultimately help them on the pathway out of poverty and keep wealth in our local economy.

“We are not going to safety net ourselves out of the racial wealth gap. We are not going to safety net ourselves out of poverty,” Rubin shared. “We have to do things differently.”

Following the tour, Anna Hargrave, Executive Director for Montgomery County for the Greater Washington Community Foundation, reflected on two key takeaways:

• While the nonprofit partners we heard from have different missions, there is a common practice that has fueled their many accomplishments; they authentically listen to the community, making sure residents’ voices are driving change.

• Knowing the federal pandemic relief dollars are dwindling, we must empower our local nonprofits with flexible support they will need to further meet the urgent needs plus advocate for policy changes that will help our lowest-income neighbors who were hit hardest by the pandemic and are still struggling to recover.

To learn more about upcoming in-person and virtual visits plus other learning opportunities, contact Olivia Hsu at [email protected].

Heading “Up-County”: Community Foundation Visits Focus Neighborhoods 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, Maryland -- one of the “Priority Neighborhoods” identified by The Community Foundation as part of its new 10-year strategic plan.

The day began at Captain James E. Daly Elementary School, where the group met with school administrators and leaders of the Thriving Germantown coalition – a collaboration launched by the Healthcare Initiative Foundation, Shepperd Pratt (locally known as Family Services), and other nonprofits to holistically connect students and their families to vital supports.

Principal Pedro Cedeño explained, “We have 618 students here at Captain James E. Daly Elementary. More than 77 percent of them are enrolled in the Free and Reduced-price Meal Program. Partnerships like Thriving Germantown have been critical to helping us meet the needs of our students and their families during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Daly Elementary School’s student population is 56% Latinx, 28% Black, 6% Asian, and 6% White. School and nonprofit staff both noted the importance of providing linguistically and culturally appropriate support to fully engage the families and foster a sense of community.

“In the years prior to COVID, most nonprofits didn’t provide services north of Gaithersburg,” Sharon Settlemyer, a Community School Liaison at the school added. “As a result, many of our families spent hours on public transportation just to get food.”

To combat this challenge, the school staff worked with Thriving Germantown’s network of community partners to set up a food pantry on the school’s campus and began connecting parents to other resources for clothing, training, job opportunities, and more.  

While acknowledging these efforts have made great strides in helping families address their basic needs, both school staff and nonprofits were acutely aware of systemic breakdowns which hinder economic mobility that would led to greater stability.  They especially flagged the numerous barriers families face in securing affordable, accessible childcare which is necessary to get and keep a job. 

The group then moved to the Up-County Wellness Center where they met with representatives from local nonprofits providing a continuum of supports from basic needs through economic mobility: Care For Your Health, Up-County Hub, Identity, Inc., CareerCatchers, and Shepperd Pratt. While reflecting on both accomplishments, lessons learned, and the work ahead, the nonprofit leaders emphasized the importance of leveraging and cultivating relationships with community members.

“This isn’t charity,” Anna Maria Izquierdo-Porrera with Care 4 Your Health explained. “These are vital members of the community, all of whom have talents and gifts to share. Investing in them is key to the recovery of our community.”

She went on to point out how this is especially true in immigrant communities, where trust is often as great a barrier as language or culture.

“These folks are used to nonprofits showing up for a short time and then disappearing,” Grace Rivera-Oven with Up-County Hub added. She added that to truly make a lasting difference, “you need to be willing to stick with the community; to listen to them and be willing to invest in them.”

Representatives pointed to the recent COVID vaccination initiative as an example. At the height of the pandemic, Latinos made up 77 percent of COVID cases in Montgomery County. Working in collaboration with Up-County, Care 4 Your Health and others, the County government launched the Salud & Bienestar (Health & Wellbeing) initiative – which was so successful that Montgomery County’s Latinx population become one of the most vaccinated in the country; even going so far as to surpass the County’s more affluent White population.

However, like many efforts launched during the pandemic, the initiative’s outreach efforts have scaled back as the county’s federal relief dollars dwindled.

“The problems that our community is facing won’t just go away overnight,” Rivera-Oven continued. “We need the government to keep showing up.”

The group ended the day at the Middlebrook Mobile Home Park, where they spoke with resident leaders to hear about their priorities for their community and ways they are they have been empowered to help drive change.   One of the neighborhood’s elders spoke of how she became the leader of a collective effort to address concerns the residents are being overcharged for some of their basic utilities.  We also heard from a young man who, even though he moved out of the trailer park, comes back every week to help with food distributions and other outreach efforts.  Nicknamed “El Comandante,” he recalled how he used his background in IT to provide tech support for the neighborhood’s children when school were operating remotely. 

Rivera-Oven and Izquierdo-Porrera noted that partnering with residents has been the key to their organizations’ ability to not only provide services, but also build lasting community relationships with other entities such as the Police Department and the Fire Department which have contributed greatly to the well-being of the community.

“Before COVID, the crime rate in this community was very high,” El Comandante shared. “Now that they come to help with the food distribution, it’s much safer.”

Following the tour, Anna Hargrave, Executive Director for Montgomery County for the Greater Washington Community Foundation, reflected on two key takeaways:

• It was gratifying to see the incredible outcomes achieved by grantees of our covid-response efforts.  Their achievements prove that investments in organizations which center racial equity ultimately make our entire community healthier.

• The pandemic forced government and nonprofits to cut red tape and innovate at lightning speed.  Moving forward, it will be important that we continue to test out new ideas, “fail forward” by learning and improving, and then scaling solutions that work—all while meeting the urgent demands of the day.

On behalf of The Community Foundation, we must give special thanks all the resident leaders, Daly elementary school staff, our nonprofit guest speakers for sharing their wisdom, and to our funding peer, the Healthcare Initiative Foundation, who led a similar community tour seven years ago which sparked the creation of the Thriving Germantown coalition and helped “plant seeds” for other partnerships that ultimately launched during the pandemic.

To learn more about upcoming in-person and virtual visits plus other learning opportunities, contact Olivia Hsu at [email protected].

Faces of Sharing – Getting to Know Sharing Prince George's Committee Member, Rufus Lusk III

Sharing Prince George’s Committee Member Rufus Lusk III with Carl Cooper, Manager of the Port Towns Burger King.

Strengthening Community Connections

Rev. Rufus Lusk III has been involved with the Greater Washington Community Foundation for quite some time. A retired pastor and fourth generation Washingtonian, Rufus has been finding ways to give back to his community through The Community Foundation since the mid-90s.

Rufus is a natural connector, something that he uses on a regular basis in his ongoing role as managing partner with Lusk Family, LLC – a real estate firm with strong ties to Prince George’s County.

Unlike some landlords, Rufus loves to interact regularly with his tenants – driving down from his home in Baltimore to Port Towns Shopping Center frequently to visit, hear concerns, and take interest in his tenants’ lives.

 You can often find him enjoying pancakes at the Port Towns IHOP or chatting with the cashier at a nearby CVS. These interactions, he says form the foundation for his philanthropic giving.

“I've always felt that any philanthropy that we do needs to come around to producing a better society. That means creating greater prosperity for everybody.”

So when he was invited to join the Sharing Prince George’s Committee, Rufus was excited to get involved.

“What I really enjoyed about Sharing Prince George’s was getting to actually speak with the people on the front lines,” Rufus shares. “We were able to understand something of the background of the nonprofit staff -- as well as the specific needs that they are addressing.”

Like when Hillside Youth Services, a nonprofit supporting youth in Prince George’s County, came to Sharing Montgomery seeking support for their Work Scholarship Connection program.

Upon doing some research, Rufus realized that Hillside’s sister organization in Syracuse, New York was closely connected to one of his tenants – Carrol’s Restaurant Group, the largest Burger King franchisee in the world, with over 1,000 locations. The relationship allows Hillside to partner with local businesses to place and mentor high school youth in entry-level jobs in Upstate New York.

“I asked the Hillside team if they had a similar relationship, here in Prince George’s County,” Rufus says. “They told me they were hoping to develop something like that, but they hadn’t gotten the right introduction. I thought to myself ‘I guess that’s why God sent me to this meeting’.”

As fate would have it, Rufus had just connected with the new District Manager earlier that week. Thanks to Rufus’ introduction, Hillside is now in conversations to implement a new program which could help place dozens of teens in entry-level jobs.

The Sharing Community Funds bring together donors who share our passion for building more equitable, just, and thriving communities.  With expert facilitation by Community Foundation staff, donors join together to learn first-hand about the challenges facing our community. Thanks to the generosity of this growing community of givers, together we discover and invest in visionary nonprofits working on the frontlines of our region’s most pressing needs.

Want to get involved? The Sharing Prince George’s Fund Committee welcomes new members. Contact Desmirra Quinnonez ([email protected])  to find out more about how you can be a part of this impactful fund!

Faces of Sharing – Getting to Know Sharing DC Committee Member, Renee Licht

Sharing DC Committee Chair Renee Licht

Expanding Your Philanthropic Horizons

“I enjoy participating in Sharing DC because I’m continually learning – which I love!”

Renee Licht is a long-time DC resident and Chair of the Sharing DC Fund Committee. However, she wasn’t always super involved in philanthropy.

“Before I retired, my husband and I would write out checks to our favorite charities at the end of each year, and that was pretty much it. We didn’t think about what kind of impact we were making.”

It wasn’t until she was invited to join a local women’s giving circle, Giving Together, that Renee started to learn about the power of collective giving.

At the time, Giving Together was a relatively young group, made up of community members volunteering their time and resources to support a handful of local nonprofits. Within months, Renee was asked to co-chair the group’s grantmaking committee.

“In the giving circle, we learned as we went – especially when it came to the grantmaking process. There was no professional staff; we were all volunteers.”

Meanwhile, Renee and her husband decided to seek support for their personal philanthropy by opening a donor-advised fund at The Community Foundation. While chatting with their Donor Services Officer, Renee learned about Sharing DC and decided to become involved.

“I found it appealing that there were experts at The Community Foundation who could help inform our charitable giving and expand our thinking about philanthropy,” Renee explains.

While balancing involvement in two different philanthropic groups may seem like a daunting task, Renee says she quickly discovered there were benefits to it.

“I found I was able to bring my Giving Together experience in grant evaluating to the Sharing DC Committee. At the same time, I was able to bring the knowledge I gained from Sharing DC about local nonprofits, trust-based philanthropy, and advancing racial equity to the work we were doing at Giving Together.”

In particular, Renee says she has particularly enjoyed The Community Foundation’s new strategic vision of closing Washington’s racial wealth gap.

“It’s a fresh approach to philanthropy,” Renee says. “One that I find personally meaningful. It’s exciting to look at our grants (both in Sharing DC and Giving Together) with specific goals and objectives in mind.”

Currently, Renee is the Vice President and Co-Chair of the Grants Committee at Giving Together. She also serves as the Chair of the Sharing DC Fund Committee.

“It’s very important for anyone who is philanthropically minded to share the satisfaction of collaborative grantmaking,” Renee says. “If you care about the local community, being a member of Sharing DC will give you a window into the problems the community faces and connect you directly with the nonprofits that are doing the work to address those issues. And you will do so with a collegial group of like-minded people.”

“I really can’t say enough good things about being involved in Sharing DC.”

The Sharing Community Funds bring together donors who share our passion for building more equitable, just, and thriving communities.  With expert facilitation by Community Foundation staff, donors join together to learn first-hand about the challenges facing our community. Thanks to the generosity of this growing community of givers, together we discover and invest in visionary nonprofits working on the frontlines of our region’s most pressing needs.

Want to get involved? The Sharing DC Fund Committee welcomes new members. Contact Gisela Shanfeld ([email protected]) to find out more about how you can be a part of this impactful fund!

Faces of Sharing – Getting to Know Sharing Montgomery Committee Member, Pam Saussy

Pam & Gordon Saussy

Making an Impact from Both Sides of the Table

At the start of 2020, Sharing Montgomery Committee member Pam Saussy and her husband Gordon decided to take their financial giving to the next level. The couple opened a donor-advised fund with the Greater Washington Community Foundation. There was only one problem.

“My husband and I had a particular cause in mind that we wanted to fund, but I needed to get more familiar with which organizations were operating in that area, in Montgomery County.”

Pam is no stranger to the Greater Washington Community Foundation – or the grantmaking process, for that matter.

For ten years, Pam served as the Executive Director of the Literacy Council of Montgomery County – a nonprofit providing literacy and workforce development training to under-served adults. During that time, she applied for – and received – multiple grants from The Community Foundation, including several from the Sharing Montgomery Fund.

So you can imagine her excitement when she was invited to join a Sharing Montgomery Fund Committee – only this time she’d be helping to evaluate and approve grants, instead of requesting one.

“It was exciting to be on the other side of things,” Pam shares. “It gave me a way to dive in and be more purposeful about my giving, while learning about other nonprofits at the same time.”

Because she joined at the height of the pandemic, Pam was able to attend almost all of the virtual site visits. Thanks to the grantmaking process, she was then able to identify two nonprofits that aligned with the cause that she and her husband had chosen.

“Being part of Sharing Montgomery gave me a clearer sense of what my options were in terms of where we could make the biggest difference. We’re excited to support these nonprofits through our Donor-Advised Fund – and are grateful for Sharing Montgomery for helping us make this connection.”

However, Pam told me that one of the most impactful parts of her Sharing Montgomery experience was gaining a new perspective on grantmaking.

“Applying for grants can be a little daunting,” Pam told me. “I think a lot of times as a nonprofit, you feel like you never want to show your vulnerability to a potential funder; which can sometimes prevent you from having candid conversations about the challenges you’re facing, with people who really just want to help you achieve your goals.”

“Being a part of Sharing Montgomery helped me see that the grantmaking process is really supposed to be more of a two-way street.”

The Sharing Community Funds bring together donors who share our passion for building more equitable, just, and thriving communities.  With expert facilitation by Community Foundation staff, donors join together to learn first-hand about the challenges facing our community. Thanks to the generosity of this growing community of givers, together we discover and invest in visionary nonprofits working on the frontlines of our region’s most pressing needs.

Want to get involved? The Sharing Montgomery Fund Committee welcomes new members. Contact Kate Daniels ([email protected])  to find out more about how you can be a part of this impactful fund!

Local Nonprofit Leaders Explain Impact of Sharing Community Funds

The Greater Washington Community Foundation recently announced close to $1.1 million in grants awarded through it’s Sharing Community Funds this past cycle.

Sharing Community Funds are designed bring donors together to invest in the issues and organizations that make the most impact in their neighborhood. We facilitate education and civic engagement around local issues – allowing donors to learn, first-hand, about the challenges facing the most marginalized residents in their communities. Donors then have the opportunity to join other donors and Community Foundation staff for a grant review process, as together we identify and fund the organizations working to resolve those challenges.

We reached out to Sharing Community Fund Nonprofit Partners to ask them what impact this funding will have on their organization. Here are quotes from a few of those organizations. Click here for the complete list of Sharing Community Fund Nonprofit Partners.

Sharing DC

“Sharing DC will allow Dreaming Out Loud to continue building capacity towards transforming the regional food system and food economy to benefit communities that have traditionally been excluded from both access and economic opportunity. With new staff, including a Sales Manager and Wholesale Manager, we’ll be able to procure more produce and products from Black farmers and sold into our Black Farm Community Supported Agriculture Program, DC school food, and other channels that reach communities where they live, work, and play — meanwhile creating living wage jobs within the community. 

This next year we look forward to growing our capacity to better communicate our impact in bringing good food jobs to communities that regularly face double-digit unemployment. Our impact will contribute to modeling an equitable recovery that forces a conversation and deeply needed, radical policy initiatives to repair communities — like holistic and comprehensive reparations.”

— Christopher Bradshaw, Founder & Executive Director, Dreaming Out Loud, Inc.

“Support from Sharing DC allows Empower DC to build on recent successes in the areas of equitable development, environmental justice and racial equity. Policy victories are hard fought and deserve to be celebrated - but the often less visible work to fund, implement and enforce new policies is just as critical.

Over the next year Empower DC will be organizing to ensure that Ivy City's long awaited Crummell School Community Center and the community's first ever Small Area Plan reflect the needs and priorities of longtime residents to secure affordable housing and address environmental issues. We'll also be working to ensure meaningful implementation of the new policies we secured in the city's Comprehensive Plan requiring racial equity analysis in planning and zoning.

This work, and our ongoing grassroots organizing efforts to improve public housing and advance environmental justice, is not possible without the support we are receiving from Sharing DC and other likeminded funding initiatives.”

— Parisa Norouzi, Executive Director, Empower DC

Sharing Prince George’s

“Community Crisis Services Inc. (CCSI) would like to thank The Greater Washington Community Foundation and the Sharing Prince George’s County Fund for their continued support of CCSI programming.

Funding from the Sharing Prince George’s Fund has allowed CCSI the ability to support those in crisis through rental assistance; meals, clothing, transportation and personal needs for the guests at our Warm Nights Homeless and Safe Passages Domestic Violence Safe House shelter programs; the expansion of our domestic violence and suicide prevention ‘Chat’ services and our ability to launch the CrisisMInd Mobile Crisis Unit in Prince George’s County.

CCSI could not continue the life-changing programming we offer without funding from organizations such as The Greater Washington Community Foundation, and grants such as Sharing Prince George’s. We understand what a privilege and honor it is to receive funding, and work diligently to create an empathetic, compassionate experience for our shelter guests, callers and ‘Chat’ responders.”

-– Bill Leary, Development Director, Community Crisis Services, Inc.

“The objectives of the Sharing Prince George's Fund align directly with the strategic vision and work of CASA as we jointly endeavor to address the racial wealth gap and ensure an equitable recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. The essential support CASA will receive through the Fund will provide critical employment, legal and educational services to BIPOC communities within Prince George's County that have long experienced structural barriers that impeded their full potential to thrive. Working together and thanks to these resources, we expect to significantly contribute to strengthening the resiliency of this community.”

–-George Escobar, Chief of Programs and Services, CASA

Sharing Montgomery

“Sharing Montgomery and The Community Foundation in Montgomery County have been incredibly powerful and generous partners for CollegeTracks as we have grown and thrived.  Their support has given us a strong, local partner who understands the communities we are serving and shares our vision of a more just and equitable future for our County.  Not only have our Sharing Montgomery grants been a great asset in our work, but their grants process puts us in touch with stakeholders across our community who have become supporters, partners, and transformative Board members for CollegeTracks as well.  We would not be in the strong position we are in without Sharing Montgomery and The Community Foundation in Montgomery County, and we are deeply grateful to the Community Foundation's team and community!”

-- Mecha Inman | Chief Executive Officer, CollegeTracks

“The Greater Washington Community Foundation’s Sharing Montgomery and other COVID-related relief grants were the catalysts to CareerCatcher’s ability to offer expanded services to more clients at the start of the pandemic. In 2020, with their support, we added staff to help Montgomery County residents address their immediate and critical needs, assisting residents with receiving cash payments through the County’s Emergency Assistance Relief Payment program; filing for expanded Unemployment Benefits; improving their skills through training; increasing our outreach; and serving 50% more people than the year before. This initial and ongoing support from GWCF allows CareerCatchers to continue to offer expanded services to more residents as COVID-19 economic restrictions are eased and to help clients get back into the workforce.”

-- Mariana A. McNeill, Executive Director, The CareerCatchers, Inc.

Community Foundation's Sharing Community Funds Announce $1.1 Million in Funding for Regional Nonprofits

The Greater Washington Community Foundation is excited to announce close to $1.1 million in grants awarded through it’s Sharing Community Funds this past cycle.

The Sharing Community Funds bring together donors who share our passion for building more equitable, just, and thriving communities.  With expert facilitation by Community Foundation staff, donors join together to learn first-hand about the challenges facing our community. Thanks to the generosity of this growing community of givers, together we discover and invest in visionary nonprofits working on the frontlines of our region’s most pressing needs.   

See below for a complete list of our nonprofit partners for 2022.

2022 Sharing DC Nonprofit Partners

• 2022 Multi-year grant recipients (DC)

  Dreaming Out Loud to create economic opportunity for DC’s marginalized communities through creating a healthy, equitable food system by driving a new framework for sustainable economic development for Black and Brown DC residents, food entrepreneurs, and farmers in our region.

  Empower DC to enhance, improve and promote the self-advocacy of low- and moderate-income DC residents through grassroots organizing, popular education style training, leadership development, and member-led campaigns strategically designed to influence pressing social issues impacting our constituency.

• 2022 Grant recipients (DC)

  Ayuda to advocate for low-income immigrants through direct legal, social and language services, training, and outreach in the Washington DC metropolitan area.

  Bread for the City to help Washington, DC residents living with low income to develop their power to determine the future of their own communities by providing food, clothing, medical care, and legal and social services, to reduce the burden of poverty, in addition to community organizing and public advocacy.

  First Shift to help working parents in low wage jobs assert their workplace rights to prevent job loss by focusing on legal issues including paid sick time; family medical leave; D.C. paid family leave benefits; workplace discrimination based on pregnancy, family responsibilities, or domestic violence.

  SMYAL to support and empower lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) youth in the Washington, DC metropolitan region. SMYAL’s goal is to create opportunities for LGBTQ youth to build self-confidence, develop critical life skills, and engage their peers through service and advocacy.

2022 Sharing Prince George’s Nonprofit Partners

• 2022 Multi-year grant recipients (Prince George's County)

  Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Prince George’s County to partner with the juvenile court to improve the lives of children living in foster care who have suffered from abuse and neglect. With a strong commitment to diversity, CASA/ Prince George’s County trains and supervises volunteers from the community who advocate for the best interest of children, recognizing and respecting each child’s individual needs. By providing a voice to children in the foster care system, it’s goal is to help children and promote the timely placement of those they serve in safe, permanent homes.

  CASA de Maryland, Inc. to create a more just society by building power and improving the quality of life in working class and immigrant communities. Their vision is for a future in which immigrants stand in their own power, their families live free from discrimination and fear, and diverse communities thrive as they work with partners to achieve full human rights for all.

  Community Crisis Services Inc. to provide compassionate crisis support through its hotline, safe-shelter programs and information and referral services.

  Hillside Work Scholarship Connection to provide compassionate crisis support through its hotline, safe-shelter programs and information and referral services.

  Community and Family Youth Services (CAFY) to guide child crime victims in Prince George’s County through the process of testifying in court. CAFY empowers victims and their families to gain the confidence to help hold offenders accountable, restore families and educate the community. They are the designated victim services provider for the four largest law enforcement departments in Prince George’s County. Their mission is “to embrace, educate, and empower those impacted, affected or harmed by crime or trauma on their journey to justice and healing”. All victims are embraced – irrespective of age, gender, religion, ethnic background or sexual orientation.

2022 Sharing Montgomery Nonprofit Partners

• 2022 Multi-Year Grant Recipients (Montgomery County)

  Black and Brown Coalition to engage underserved families to advocate for federal, state, and local supports of intensive and research-based academic interventions targeted toward students with the greatest need.

  Montgomery County Food Council to build a more resilient, sustainable, and equitable local food system. Its leadership helps the many county food providers strategically work together to better serve the 100,000+ residents who do not know where their next meal will come from.

• 2022 grant recipients (Montgomery County)

  Asian American LEAD for academic support and enrichment for children of low‐income Asian American families.

  BlackRock Center for the Arts to support arts access celebrating diversity, along with COVID-19 response to address community need for food and other essentials through the new Consolidation Hub.

  Care for Your Health for culturally sensitive in-home health care for seniors.

  Career Catchers to provide personalized employment and job skills counseling for low-income and chronically under-employed residents.

  Community Health and Empowerment through Education and Research (CHEER) to fund healthy food delivery and other health supports to people with diabetes and those severely hit by COVID-19.

  CollegeTracks to improve college access and retention rates for students at risk of not attending college, primarily first-generation, low-income, minority, and immigrant youth.

  Community Bridges, Inc to empower girls in elementary, middle and high schools through leadership development, college and career readiness, and family support and mentoring.

  Crittenton Services Greater Washington to help teenage girls achieve academic and personal success through virtual and school-based cohort programs.

  EveryMind to provide community-based mental health and social services, life-saving crisis prevention and intervention work, service coordination for veterans, and community education and advocacy.

  Future Link to provide career counseling, mentoring, tutoring, academic advising, scholarships and internships to help connect disadvantaged youth to post-secondary educational opportunities.

  Generation Hope to mentor and provide scholarships for teen parents pursuing college degrees. It also delivers early childhood resources, so scholars children begin kindergarten with a strong academic foundation.

  Horizons Greater Washington supports students from low-income families with academic, artistic and athletic activities for nine years, from kindergarten through eighth grade. 

  Identity, Inc to serve Latino and other historically underserved youths and their families. Identity helps youths develop social and emotional skills, excel in school, and get ready to enter the workforce.

  IMPACT Silver Spring to fund community-building work for a racially and economically equitable community in which people can take collaborative action to enact lasting change.

  Interfaith Works to provide emergency assistance and counseling, vocational services, food distributions, clothing, and shelter for those experiencing homelessness.

  Latino Student Fund to provide year-round, out-of-school programs to ensure a strong academic foundation for underserved pre-K through 12th grade students.

  Mary's Center for health care, education, social services, and ongoing COVID-19 response that builds a healthier and stronger community.

  Mobile Medical Care, Inc to support health care, medications, and ongoing COVID-19 supports for low-income, homeless, uninsured, and underinsured individuals including those with chronic health conditions.

  Montgomery Housing Partnership, Inc to develop affordable rental housing and offer Community Life programs that support young children and their families at home, ultimately strengthening neighborhoods.

  Montgomery Moving Forward to convene leaders from government, business, philanthropy, education, and nonprofits to solve complex problems facing the county.  Through capacity building programs, MMF’s leaders advocate around pressing issues of economic opportunity and early childhood education. 

  National Alliance on Mental Illness of Montgomery County (NAMI MC) to provide comprehensive support, education, advocacy and public awareness to promote recovery for those affected by mental illness.

  Nonprofit Montgomery to support local organizations with government relations, advocacy, strategic communications, financial management, metrics tracking, and cross-sector problem solving. With this support, grantees of Sharing Montgomery can access personalized support and connections to help deepen their impact.

  Nonprofit Village to provide low-cost shared office space plus capacity building resources that help organizations launch and grow. With this support, grantees of Sharing Montgomery can connect with peers and gain supports to advance their work.

  Rainbow Community Development Corporation to fund food security relief and other services including eviction and utility cutoff prevention, and temporary shelter, job search and resume assistance.

  Red Wiggler Community Farm to support on-farm training and education for adults with developmental disabilities. Half of its organic produce is donated to low-income households throughout the county.

  Shepherd's Table to provide breakfast, lunch and dinner to people experiencing food insecurity and provide free eye exams, eyeglasses, and eye treatment to those otherwise unable to access care.

  Sheppard Pratt (formerly Family Services) for clinical health services, rehabilitation services, services to children youth and families, and community and family services such as Linkages to Learning and domestic violence supports.