The Community Foundation is excited to continue our Leaders of the Future series, highlighting the work and experiences of incredible individuals and organizations from across our community of philanthropic, community, professional advisor, corporate, and nonprofit partners.
In 2022, The Community Foundation partnered with Martha’s Table to facilitate their Community Impact Fund, a community-led grant program designed to support and strengthen Ward 8 nonprofits–specifically those who have historically been excluded from institutional philanthropy and whose leadership and staff reflect the demographic composition and lived experiences of the communities they serve.
Josephine Mazyck, Executive Director of FAN DC
When asked about the biggest challenges facing her organization, Josephine Mazyck, Executive Director of Fihankra Akoma Ntosaso (FAN DC), immediately responded with a single word–“Funding.”
Affectionately known as “Ms. Jojo”, Mazyck has been at the helm of FAN DC– a Ward 8-based nonprofit dedicated to providing positive youth development programs for foster care youth and their families–since 2019. Under her leadership, FAN DC – which celebrates its 20th Anniversary next year– has expanded its services to meet critical community needs, including a community food pantry that serves over 18,000 annual meals and a growing program to support parents and caregivers
However, as most nonprofit leaders know, those growing programs come at a cost – one which usually falls heaviest on the Executive Director.
“Work-life balance can be a struggle,” Mazyck shared. “Even though we’ve been around for twenty years, we’re still a small grassroots organization. That means it falls to me to do a lot of the development and fundraising to keep programs running.”
While Mazyck’s experience may not be unique to many nonprofit leaders, it is acutely felt by those operating in Ward 8–a community that historically has received less investment from institutional and philanthropic partners, while at the same time providing increasingly critical services to thousands of residents.
Community Investment Fund – Building Bridges Through Grant making
“For decades, organizations based in Ward 8 simply haven’t had the same access to traditional funding or support,” Douglas Ireland, Chief Program Officer at Martha’s Table shared.
Established in 1980, Martha’s Table has been working to advance equity in DC for nearly 45 years. In 2018, the organization made the bold decision to relocate from its home on 14th Street, NW to Ward 8.
Shortly after the move–and in the midst of the pandemic–Martha’s Table held listening sessions with more than 1,000 community members to identify their neighbors' needs and center the voices of the community in the organization’s strategic planning.
“One of the most common themes that was brought up was the need for direct community investments to help grassroots organizations build capacity,” Ireland continued. “There was a lot of uncertainty about the impact that Martha’s Table’s presence in the community would have on their ability to continue to do the work and get the funding they needed. That’s part of the reason why Martha’s Table felt so strongly about the need to establish the Community Impact Fund.”
In 2022, Martha’s Table partnered with The Community Foundation to launch the Community Impact Fund, a grant program to support and strengthen organizations in Ward 8 that have been historically excluded from institutional philanthropy.
Eligible organizations must be based in Ward 8 with an operating budget of under $1 million.
To ensure the grants meet the needs and interests of Ward 8, all applications are reviewed by an independent review committee–facilitated by The Community Foundation–made up of volunteers who live or work in Ward 8.
“Community-based grant making is one of the best ways to connect philanthropy to impact,” shared Ben Murphy, Director of Fund Administration & Special Projects for The Community Foundation. “It’s more than just disbursing funds; it’s a learning process that requires you to listen to recognize community voices and then work together to address community needs.”
“Working with The Community Foundation and the grantees has been truly inspiring,” Charlie Gussom, Director of Community Programs, shared of the process. “We learn so much about our community and its needs each time we meet. Those insights have been critical not only for the grant making, but also as we’ve worked to adapt our programming and services to better meet those needs.”
Since the launch of the Community Impact Fund, Martha’s Table has awarded nearly $1 million in funding to 34 organizations in Ward 8. The fund recently announced its latest round of nonprofit partners.
The grants have already made a significant impact for nonprofit partners–most of whom have less than five full-time employees and a meager operating budget to support all that they do in the community.
FAN DC’s Community Food Pantry
For nonprofit leaders like Mazyck, the grant allowed her to position her organization for success by investing in much-needed development support.
“Thanks to the Martha’s Table grant, we were able to secure grant-writing support for three months,” Mazyck shared. “Not only did they help us find prospects and write proposals, they helped us create an organizational overview that we could use as a starting template for future funding requests.”
Thanks to the extra development support, Mazyck was also able to spend more time brainstorming and engaging in high-level strategic planning outside of the day-to-day needs–focusing on FAN DC’s sustainability, including its long-term Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), and better plan for the future.
“The support means a lot to me,” Mazyck shared. “Having the bandwidth to think about organizational sustainability makes me hopeful that FAN DC can continue to serve Ward 8 for another 20 years and beyond.”
Building Capacity & Community
In addition to providing nonprofit partners with funding, the Community Impact Fund has also provided partners with additional opportunities for training, networking, and collaboration. Last year, Martha’s Table began partnering with the Center for Nonprofit Advancement to help grantee organizations develop best practices in communications and other administrative processes. This year, they are adding initiatives to support the mental and emotional health of nonprofit leaders. They’ve also opened up their headquarters as a venue for partner events and community activities.
“A lot of organizations in Ward 8 work in silos,” shared Gussom. “Our partnerships through the Community Impact Fund have allowed us to build new relationships across our community, bring people together, and align our services with the work that is already being done.”
A Youth Volunteer with FAN DC gets ready to help out at the Joyful Food Market
Staff Volunteers with Martha’s Table help assemble new furniture for FAN DC’s meeting space
For FAN DC, Martha’s Table has become a valuable partner, providing food and fresh produce for the organization’s busy community pantry and annual Radical Wellness Fair. It’s also provided a great service opportunity for youth to volunteer at Martha’s Table’s Joyful Food Market. Continuing their partnership, earlier this year, Martha’s Table refurbished FAN DC’s meeting space, as part of their annual MLK Day of Service Project– providing a more welcoming atmosphere for foster youth participating in the program.
“Collaborating with Martha’s Table has really helped us so much,” Mazyck shared. “Aside from partnering on programming, we’ve been able to tap into their network and get connected to partnerships and funding opportunities that will help us take our programming to the next level.”
The Community Foundation is proud to support Martha’s Table’s Community Impact Fund. For more information about the fund, visit www.marthastable.org/communityimpactfund
If your organization is interested in giving back to the community through an Impact Fund, contact Benton Murphy, Director of Fund Administration & Special Projects at [email protected]