On October 8, The Community Foundation gathered with friends and supporters at the beautiful Halcyon House in Georgetown for the 2024 Annual Meeting and public kick-off for Together, We Prosper, a $75 million Campaign for Economic Justice in the Greater Washington region.
“As I reflect on our work and our accomplishments, one word comes to mind: partnership,” shared Tonia Wellons, President & CEO of The Community Foundation.
“Community philanthropy is rooted in partnership – and it is because of those partnerships that we’ve been able to achieve so much over the past fiscal year in connecting philanthropy to impact, addressing critical community needs, and pursuing economic justice.”
Fiscal year 2024 was an exciting and impactful year for The Community Foundation and its community of givers. Together, our fundholders disbursed over $87 million to a diverse range of causes across the region.
In other areas, The Community Foundation’s Partnership to End Homelessness marked four years of meaningful investment, leveraging, and aligning more than $18 million in private sector resources since its launch. At the same time, The Community Foundation’s Health Equity Fund celebrated one year of transformative grantmaking with more than $21 million in grants to promote economic mobility in DC.
For more highlights from FY2024, see our 2023-2024 Annual Report!
Seán Morris, Chair of the Board of Trustees for The Community Foundation with President & CEO, Tonia Wellons.
“The Community Foundation is uniquely positioned to mobilize philanthropy and address the systemic challenges facing our communities through its bold vision for economic justice,” shared Seán Morris, a Principal at Deloitte who was recently appointed Chair of The Community Foundation’s Board of Trustees in September. “Together, we endeavor to make this community one where all can prosper.”
Morris has been a member of The Community Foundation’s Board of Trustees since 2017. In 2021, Morris co-chaired the planning committee that helped develop The Community Foundation’s 10-year strategic vision to close the region’s racial wealth gap.
Morris succeeds former Board Chair Richard Bynum, who has led The Community Foundation’s Board of Trustees since 2022. Bynum has been instrumental in helping to implement The Community Foundation’s strategic vision, including Banking on the Region, a new partnership with several major banking institutions in the region to increase financial security and build generational wealth in our region.
Initially announced in May 2023, the Together, We Prosper Campaign for Economic Justice seeks to mobilize philanthropy to close the racial wealth gap in our region by investing in innovative economic mobility programs to boost wealth building in priority high opportunity neighborhoods. This includes innovations such as Brilliant Futures – a children’s savings pilot program recently launched in Montgomery County and Prince George’s County Public Schools – and guaranteed income pilots such as Thrive Prince George’s. The campaign will also grow endowments to ensure The Community Foundation can continue to respond to current and future community needs.
“When you invest in this community – specifically the community in which you live, you’re making it better,” Karen Leder, Trustee for The Community Foundation and Co-Chair of the Together, We Prosper campaign committee shared.
Karen Leder & Bill Taylor, Trustee for The Community Foundation and co-Chairs of the Together, We Prosper campaign outline the case for support.
“The Community Foundation has been at the forefront of responding to this region’s needs,” shared fellow Trustee and Co-Chair Bill Taylor. “Through this campaign, we can ensure that The Community Foundation will continue to do so for generations to come.”
Bill and Karen shared an update on the campaign’s progress. Together, We Prosper has raised more than $64 million towards an expanded $75 million fundraising goal. The contributions come from hundreds of donors and partners who have contributed in ways both large and small to The Community Foundation’s work and future legacy.
Next, participants heard from several guest speakers about various aspects of the campaign and how it will positively impact the entire community. Quanda Allen, a Community Foundation Trustee and former member of The Community Foundation’s Professional Advisor Council, talked about the importance of leaving a legacy by establishing an endowment with The Community Foundation.
“Establishing an endowment creates a bridge; a lifeline for those who depend on us, so we can continue to care for our people and communities,” Allen shared. “I encourage you to considering finding ways to support the work of The Community Foundation now and in the future.”
Participants were also reminded of an ongoing challenge match, made possible by former Trustee John Terry Beaty and his wife, Anne Mehringer. For every donor who converts their fund to an endowment, names an endowment as its final purpose, or establishes a future endowment through a documented bequest intention, the Beaty’s will contribute $20,000 to the Endowment for Greater Washington.
Hahn Le, co-CEO of iF, A Foundation for Radical Possibility explains the impact of guaranteed income pilots in the Greater Washington region.
After Quanda, donors heard from Hanh Le, co-CEO of iF, A Foundation for Radical Possibility, the lead facilitator behind Let’s GO DMV!, a guaranteed income pilot launched in 2021 to help displaced hospitality workers in DC. The initiative is one of more than 100 such initiatives nationwide, and one of several pilot projects supported by The Community Foundation in our region, including MoCo Boost, Arlington’s Guarantee, ARISE Alexandria, and Thrive Prince George’s.
“Guaranteed Income embodies the ethos of trust, freedom, and flexibility that individuals need to grow and thrive,” Le shared.
Le was followed by Yolonda Johnson, Executive Director of Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Prince George’s, and two participants from Thrive Prince George’s – who shared the impact that the guaranteed income pilot program has already had on youth aging out of foster care. The program, which was launched in November of last year, provides $800 in monthly cash payments to 50 youth who have aged out of the foster care system and 125 seniors living below the poverty line in Prince George’s County.
Samiryah and Kaps - two participants in the Thrive Prince George’s guaranteed income pilot - shared their experiences at the 2024 Annual Meeting.
“The promise of an $800 stipend was a blessing I greatly needed,” shared Samiryah, a former CASA Prince George’s client and current Thrive Prince George’s participant. “I have become much more financially stable.”
“Thanks to this program, I have the confidence to reach my goals and look forward to a brighter future.”
After Samiryah, Wellons introduced another key strategy component of the Together, We Prosper campaign– Brilliant Futures – a children’s savings pilot program recently launched in partnership with two elementary schools located in Montgomery County Public Schools and Prince George’s County Public Schools.
“When I heard about Brilliant Futures, I was immediately in,” shared Alisha Griffey, an early supporter of the campaign.
“As a mother of two teenage boys, my job is to help kids realize that they can do anything. This investment helps them realize that.”
“Brilliant Futures will change how kids dream; it will help them think differently about what is possible and what their future will look like.”
While Brilliant Futures is currently a limited pilot program, The Community Foundation hopes that with proper funding and public support the project could one day take on a bigger scale within the state of Maryland and the broader region.
Click here for more photos from the 2024 Annual Meeting! You can also click here to watch recordings from Together, We Prosper Celebration!
“We know that the needs of our community will grow and change over time,” Wellons shared. “Our hope is that through the Together, We Prosper campaign, we can be prepared to continue to meet those needs.”
“Many of our neighbors don’t have access to the resources that they need to prosper,” Leder shared. “We can change that!”
“Join me – and the hundreds of other donors who have already joined the movement – in building a community where together, we prosper!”
With your help, together we can build a community where everyone prospers. Visit www.togetherweprosperdmv.org to learn more about how you can join the Campaign for Economic Justice.