DMV Residents Reveal a Tale of Two Regions in New Report

The Greater Washington Community Foundation is pleased to release the findings from Voices of the Community: DC, Maryland, Virginia (VoicesDMV). This new community engagement initiative, conducted in partnership with the Urban Institute, is lifting up residents’ stories and perceptions of the quality of life in the Greater Washington region to accelerate effective community-driven improvement.

The Community Foundation created VoicesDMV to serve as a catalyst for community investments that will ensure a more equitable, just, and thriving region for all residents. The initiative specifically seeks to shed light on the region’s challenges and opportunities related to housing, transportation, safety, economic security, race relations and community well-being. 

While the Greater Washington region is undeniably prosperous, the VoicesDMV findings show that the region’s economic growth and prosperity are not evenly distributed:

• The survey found that 18 percent of respondents did not have enough money for either food or housing at some point in the past 12 months. Even further, 29 percent of respondents said they knew someone in the region who was forced to leave their jurisdiction in the past two years for a reason other than their own choice. High housing costs (58 percent) and job loss (23 percent) were the most common reasons for moving.
• Despite the sense that the DMV is more inclusive than other places, one in four people surveyed said they had felt discriminated against in the region in the past year, and 82 percent of these individuals felt discriminated against because of their race or ethnicity.
• Residents have clear priorities for their local governments, such as protecting people from crime, making sure children get a quality education and maintaining local infrastructure; and the majority of residents trust their elected leaders. But 79 percent of respondents felt they had “little” or “no” influence over local government decisionmaking.

To capture the experiences and sentiments of community members from all walks of life, The Community Foundation and the Urban Institute conducted an extensive survey of more than 3,000 residents; held focus groups with Spanish-speaking immigrants, disconnected youth (youth not connected to either school or work), middle-class individuals, Muslims, Asian and Pacific Islanders, and members of the LGBTQ community; and engaged residents through community conversations in Prince George’s County, Northern Virginia, Montgomery County, and DC.

The result is a collection of rich, local data that provide a roadmap to inform and inspire local government, philanthropy, businesses, and community-based organizations to develop responsive strategies and make more strategic investments that better serve the needs of our communities.

The full report is available at https://www.thecommunityfoundation.org/voicesdmv, along with interactive data tables and jurisdiction-focused two-pagers that allow for deeper engagement with the data.

Sasha Bruce Youthwork: Helping Youth Transition Successfully to Adulthood

For the past 43 years, Sasha Bruce has helped homeless youth find safe shelter, strengthened family ties and prepared youth for post-secondary education and careers. These services are available to the 1,500 youth and 5,000 family members who reside in Sasha Bruce’s transitional living facility or receive services via their Homeless Youth Drop-In Center each year.

Our Sharing DC Advisory Committee members and The Community Foundation donors and staff visited the Teen Drop-In Center to learn more about the work of Sasha Bruce, including its 18-year-old workforce development program. The program includes mentoring services that are geared toward the development of post-secondary plans for homeless youth and helping them access skills training certifications which can lead to immediate career tracks.

On the day of our visit, the drop-in center, which opens from 8:00 am-6:00 pm daily, was in full swing. The lounge, kitchen, and computer lab were all filled with teens. Some were studying for their GED exam or fixing lunch and others were applying for jobs or just taking a break from the chaos of life on the streets.

Executive Director, Deborah Shore, graciously escorted our group through the facility while sharing how the organization has evolved and expanded over the years. We paused periodically to meet with key staff and chat with clients. Most of the teens who participate in Sasha Bruce’s programs are grappling with very difficult circumstances. Despite their challenges, case managers shared numerous success stories of students obtaining jobs in construction or retail, entering transitional housing, or attending college.

With so much of their lives in flux, achieving any of these milestones is a major victory. Sasha Bruce often serves as a stabilizing force for youth. It provides ongoing support and a mentoring relationship that often extends for years. Its presence helps to ensure the successful transition to adulthood for DC area youth.
 

Sharing DC

Sharing DC, a donor led grantmaking initiative of The Community Foundation, focused on youth access to and success in post-secondary education this year. By 2018, 71% of all jobs in DC will require a post-secondary degree or certificate. However, only 72% of DC Public and Charter School students will graduate high school, and of those, just 19% will earn post-secondary degrees.

To learn more about Sharing DC or join us for future visits, please contact Gisela Shanfeld at [email protected]

Year-End Grantmaking and Giving

The Greater Washington Community Foundation would like to acknowledge the generosity exhibited by our donors in 2017.  Throughout the year you’ve continued to demonstrate a strong philanthropic spirit - maintaining and establishing new funds, and recommending thousands of grants to local and national nonprofit organizations.

In an effort to assist you with carrying out your end-of-year philanthropic goals, please see below for The Community Foundation’s deadlines regarding year-end giving and grantmaking activities:

RECOMMENDING GRANTS FROM YOUR DONOR-ADVISED FUND

Grant recommendations submitted by December 15 will be processed by December 31, provided the organization meets The Community Foundation’s due diligence requirements. Due to increased volume, grant recommendations submitted after December 15 may not be processed and mailed in 2017.

PLEASE NOTE: Grants submitted prior to December 15, 2017 must also be approved (meeting The Community Foundation’s due diligence requirements) to be processed and mailed by December 31, 2017.

Grant recommendations should be submitted through your Donor Central account.  Questions regarding Donor Central can be forwarded to Emily Davis (202-973-2501, [email protected]).

MAKING GIFTS TO THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION

Stock and cash gifts (check, wire, online) submitted to The Community Foundation by December 31st will be earmarked as a 2017 contribution. 

Gifts made via check can be sent to:          

Attn: Finance Department
Greater Washington Community Foundation
1325 G Street NW
Suite 480
Washington, DC 20005

*Please include the name of the fund in the memo line of the check. 

**Checks sent by US Postal Service mail can be earmarked as a 2017 contribution if postmarked by the US Postal Service for December 31.

Gifts made online:

Gifts can be made online at www.thecommunityfoundation.org. 

Gifts of cash or securities made via wire transfer:

Please see the instructions for making gifts of cash or securities by wire transfer.  Please contact the Finance Department at 202-955-5890 if there are any questions. Monies must be in The Community Foundation’s account by December 31, to be earmarked as a 2017 contribution.

Save the Date for our 2018 Celebration of Philanthropy!

In 1973, a group of now legendary Washington-area leaders – Katharine Graham, Robert Linowes, and Hank Strong among them – formed the Greater Washington Community Foundation to mobilize the generosity of individuals and organizations wanting to make a difference in their communities around the causes that matter most to them. Today, The Community Foundation continues this legacy by providing critical leadership on issues affecting our community and encouraging and supporting effective giving. We are now the largest funder of nonprofit organizations in the region and continue to manage hundreds of charitable funds for individuals and families, corporations, and civic leaders.

You’re invited to celebrate the 45th anniversary of The Community Foundation and our community of givers! In the spirit of our founders, we will mark this special occasion with a true celebration of our community – the nonprofits, donors, and community members that work tirelessly to make our region a more vibrant and inclusive place to live. This is also an opportunity to celebrate our region’s unique history and cultural heritage, and reflect on our legacy of bringing people and resources together for community change.

There is no better way to celebrate the history and resilience of our region than to honor Carol Thompson Cole with our 2018 Civic Spirit Award. This award recognizes her exceptional contributions to the region throughout her long career in local government, the private sector, and now as President and CEO of Venture Philanthropy Partners (VPP). Under Cole’s leadership for the past 10 years, VPP is making the future brighter for young people living in Greater Washington by helping them succeed in school and gain the skills and confidence to attend college or start their career.

Attending the Celebration of Philanthropy is an experience unlike any other! You’ll take part in a community festival featuring live music, theatre, poetry, and dance performances from some of the region's most exciting nonprofits and local artists. These showcases are staggered throughout the evening and across the venue, allowing you to choose from a line-up of incredible acts while enjoying delicious food, an open bar, and networking with friends and colleagues. 

When you purchase your ticket or sponsorship for this event, you are also giving back to your community by supporting our efforts to strengthen the region. Proceeds benefit The Community Foundation's Fund for Greater Washington, enabling us to make grants to effective nonprofits, to incubate new ideas, and to support our programmatic initiatives, operations, and advocacy. Through this Fund, The Community Foundation invests in effective safety net, education, and workforce development programs to help our most vulnerable neighbors achieve economic security.

We hope you will join us on March 12! This is truly a special celebration that you will not want to miss!

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WHEN

Monday, March 12, 2018
6:00pm to 9:00pm

WHERE

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater
1101 Sixth Street SW | Washington, DC 20024

TICKETS

$90 - Emerging Philanthropist (Nonprofit Affiliation/Young Professional)
$150 – Friend/General Admission

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We have a variety of sponsorship opportunities for organizations of all sizes and for individuals who want to celebrate with us and share their great work with an audience of 700+ community, philanthropic, local government, and business leaders – contact Emily Davis for more details.

Local Youth Team Up with Law Enforcement & Build Bonds Through Athletics

““Building big league people, not just big league athletes.””

— Cal Ripken, Sr.

The Site Visit

The Community Foundation in Prince George’s County witnessed the great work that both the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation and the Police Athletic League are doing for some of our most vulnerable youth.  Students, donors and other participants had a great time getting to know each other through fun introductions, team building exercises and trainings! The PAL Program uses mentoring, education, recreation and athletic activities to build bonds between youth and law enforcement. They have went from serving 15 to over 400 students in just 5 years.

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Getting to Know the Team

Randy Acosta (far right), Senior Director of Development & National Corporate Partnerships, Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation. “I grew up going to the Boys and Girls Club. The opportunity to serve and give back to these same types of organizations is my greatest accomplishment.”

Joe Rossow (far left), Executive Vice President of Operations, Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation. “We are always looking to learn from the work of other foundations and in the process, form lasting partnerships.”

Corporal Kurt Schnitzenbaumer (middle), Executive Director, Prince George’s County Police Athletic League (PAL). “PAL wants to create a space for kids to call home. We want our kids to feel a sense of ownership and connectivity.”

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Meet Taylor!

Taylor is a student participant from Fairmont Heights High School. “Here, we have so many different ways to express ourselves… Fairmont Heights is the hidden secret of Prince Georges. There is so much talent at my school. I’m glad that when the police came to our building, it wasn’t bad. They recognized our talent and gave us resources to achieve our goals. I have really seen the police force and my peers changing for the better.”

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Meet our 2017 Montgomery County Philanthropist of the Year

Cliff White was a founding partner of N.E.W. Customer Service Companies Inc., the nation’s leading provider of extended service plans and buyer protection programs for consumer products. Wanting to focus on philanthropy after leaving N.E.W., Cliff and his wife, Debbie, opened their family fund at the Greater Washington Community Foundation. Right away, Cliff joined the foundation’s Sharing Montgomery Grants committee to learn more about the needs of his home community and explore how he could make a difference.

In 2008, Cliff was especially concerned about Montgomery County’s most vulnerable residents who were being hit hardest by the economic downturn. “I was at a grants committee meeting in the fall of 2008 when someone mentioned that Manna Food Center in Rockville was experiencing a 40% increase in requests for food,” he recalls. “That was at the beginning of the economic downturn. It was clear then that things were going to get worse. I’m not sure any of us knew how much worse.” By the end of that year, people who previously had been donors to Manna’s food pantry had become clients.

It was then that he realized how those of us who are in a position to give have a tremendous responsibility to make a difference. “Many of us have a financial cushion and are able to weather an economic storm of this magnitude. And for those of us who are, we need to give more than ever.”

Believing that people would step up if they were aware of the growing needs, Cliff helped lead the creation of our Neighbors in Need Montgomery Fund to bolster support for the county’s safety-net providers. To date, Neighbors in Need Montgomery has galvanized over $1.5 million to support our lowest income neighbors. According to Cliff, "Giving to The Neighbors in Need Fund ensures your money will be spent wisely and efficiently and will go to a select list of worthy organizations.”

“My parents taught us to look out for our neighbors,” White adds. “That’s something that’s always been important to me.”

— Cliff White

Hope for the Girl in the Twirling Skirt

By Andrea Powell, Founder and Executive Director, FAIR Girls

Chloe* isn’t even 12 yet, but she has run away from home more than 13 times.  She likes to draw with glitter pens and is obsessed with my pink cell phone cover. She’s a child.  Lost in her own world, she twirled around in circles in her floral skirt through the halls of the “J level” DC Superior Court, while a judge eventually ruled to have her removed from her parent’s custody. 

At 23, I founded FAIR Girls to help provide long-term therapeutic interventions, including safe housing, for exploited and trafficked young women and girls. After working with more than 1,000 girls, I have learned that many sex trafficking situations of American girls like Chloe start within 48 hours of being on the streets. In the past year, with the support of the City Fund administered by the Greater Washington Community Foundation, FAIR Girls has hired a youth case manager whose full-time job is to serve trafficked and exploited children in the nation’s capital.

Chloe continued to run away several times after I first met her that day at court. Fortunately, I was able to connect her with a dedicated FAIR Girls case manager and our partners at Sasha Bruce, a homeless shelter and safe haven for disconnected youth who are unable to return home.

Drawing by 13 year old survivor of sex trafficking in a FAIR Girls workshop

In March, a media outcry over the thousands of missing girls of color in DC put the District under the national spotlight. Town hall meetings were filled with the heated questions of women of color demanding to know why their daughters are not being referred to as “critical missing” but rather being labeled as “runaways,” a stigmatizing term that could result in some minors over the age of 12 not being actively searched for as aggressively by law enforcement.   

Six months later, direct service providers like FAIR Girls are working alongside city agencies including the Child and Family Services and DC Courts to implement a citywide strategy that is part of the outcome of Mayor Muriel Bowser’s Task Force on Missing and Runaway Youth. This includes the implementation of the District’s citywide plan to pull missing girls and boys back into their homes and communities, including the newly opened STEP shelter managed by Sasha Bruce.

To understand what has been done and where we go from here, we need to be willing to ensure solutions are rooted in the lived experiences of girls like Chloe, whose support systems are shattered with unforeseen and unpredictable acts of life. Chloe’s father died months earlier, she was in a schoolyard fight that led to months of out-of-school suspensions, and her mother was overwhelmed with grief and loss. While on the streets, she met an older boy who gave her expensive gifts. She was flattered with the attention but still too young to understand the price of accepting these gifts. When I met her, I was determined to make sure she didn’t have to learn.

As heartbreaking as her story is, many missing girls are not as lucky as Chloe. In looking at the photos of missing girls in DC, I see the familiar faces of girls who have since been confirmed as child victims of sex trafficking.

Many people believe that sex trafficking happens in faraway countries, but more than 90% of the girls we serve are American girls of color. On average, they are 14 to 15 years old when first sold into sex trafficking and their abuse continues for four years before they receive help. Approximately 60% of the 125 to 150 young girls we serve annually are from the D.C. metropolitan area. As a repeat “runaway,” Chloe was at risk of being one of them.

Since the media storm, FAIR Girls receives an average of one to two new referrals a week of exploited and trafficked girls. While the numbers here are alarming, this is progress. Law enforcement’s focus on missing and exploited youth has resulted in girls who have been missing anywhere from two days to two years being found and connected to the care they need to recover. 

Drawing of what human trafficking looks like, as drawn by teen girl in DC schools

However, there is more to be done before we can say that we are meeting needs of sexually trafficked and exploited teens in DC. A critical gap remains that there is no secure therapeutic housing program specifically for child survivors of human trafficking in the nation’s capital. This must be our next step in truly creating a safe haven for missing and exploited youth in the nation’s capital.

Chloe’s story is one of a child being pushed away by adults and institutions, time and time again. To refer to her as a “runaway” is to miss the point. In fact, the very term, “runaway,” implies blame and stigma that does not belong to Chloe or any child who finds themselves on the streets. Chloe’s leaving home was the attempt of a scared and disconnected child at regaining control of her life. Chloe wasn’t a “runaway.” She was “pushed away.”   

Our conversation must shift from “why are they running away?” to “how is our community pushing these vulnerable young girls out into the margins of society and into the hands of pimps?”

Pulling in Chloe and the thousands of other “pushed away” girls and boys of color is a critical mission for FAIR Girls and the District of Columbia.

Andrea Powell is the founder and Executive Director of FAIR Girls. To learn more, visit www.fairgirls.org, email [email protected], or follow @FAIR_Girls.

*Names of youth in this post have been changed to protect their identity.  All facts are accurately portrayed.

What I Learned about Social Justice Philanthropy from the Diverse City Fund

By Nancy Withbroe

“Diverse City Fund is a grassroots activist grant maker we can count on to support the work of justice. There is nothing like it in our capital city. As a donor, I am more committed than ever to keeping the funds flowing to and through D.C. Fund.”

— Donald Temple

One warm evening this summer, several colleagues and I had the joy of attending a reception for the Diverse City Fund, a component fund of the Greater Washington Community Foundation, at the home of Andy and Marjan Shallal. The event raised more than $25,000 in fresh commitments, which doubles to $50,000 based on a match from a major donor.

The fund works to nurture community leaders of color and grassroots projects that are acting to transform the District of Columbia into a more just, vibrant place to live. One of the event co-hosts, Medea Benjamin, celebrated these efforts: “In these times, I am most energized by joining hearts, minds, and resources for racial justice. Bringing people together to contribute to the Diverse City Fund is one way I know that my giving is relevant and powerful." The small projects supported by the fund — often volunteer-powered — have few options for funding, but it is often these very projects that work to build institutions by and for communities with the least access to resources. Those were boosted considerably by the success of this event.

Attending the reception gave me the opportunity to learn more about the innovative social justice-oriented philanthropic model practiced by the volunteers involved with the Diverse City Fund. The Fund is led by a group of volunteers who call themselves the “Board of Instigators.” Because they want to center social changemakers of color in their grantmaking process, they recruit a separate Grantmaking Team composed of activists of color who are rooted in D.C. and its social justice work.

I encourage other donors who want to empower and build the capacity of community-led social change leaders to consider what they might learn from them.

The recent resurgence of hate crimes and racist acts like the violent march in Charlottesville remind us all that, now more than ever, it’s imperative that the people of color who are building innovative programs to support community-building and resist displacement have a say in how philanthropic resources are deployed in the District. This fund has organized itself to fulfill that mission through its resident-led decision-making and micro-grants, which recently grew to total $150,000 for 2017.

The event hosted by the Shallals helped to foster community among grantees, donors, and supporters of the Fund, and put a spotlight on less visible community-level projects. An attendee, Laurie Emrich, declared, “Justice won't wait. It is the work of a lifetime and it takes all of us. I was thrilled to invite new donors to the Diverse City Fund to be a part of resourcing movements here where local, national and global arenas all intersect. I look forward to more activists and allies joining this important work."

The Greater Washington Community Foundation is proud to house the Diverse City Fund and many other initiatives that donors create to realize their philanthropic and social change dreams. If you would like to learn more about ways to leverage your philanthropy strategically, please reach out to me at [email protected].

The Resilience Fund Announces New Grants and Commitments

Ayuda to receive $25k emergency grant for community clinics;
Cafritz pledges $20k matching grant

The Resilience Fund, a collaborative partnership among the Greater Washington Community Foundation, the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation, and other foundation and individual contributors, today announced an emergency rapid response grant of $25,000 to Ayuda. The grant will support Ayuda to address the urgent and immediate need for emergency clinics to prepare and file Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) renewal applications in DC, Northern Virginia and Maryland before the October 5 filing deadline. Ayuda will also provide legal services and consultations to advise DACA recipients regarding possible avenues of relief that may be available to them.

The Resilience Fund launched in February to respond to the critical needs of nonprofits working to support our region’s most vulnerable communities. The Fund is focused on addressing federal policy and budget changes that are disproportionately impacting people of color, immigrant and refugee communities. The DC metropolitan area is home to 1.3 million foreign-born residents, including an estimated 400,000 unauthorized immigrants — many of whom are long-term residents with deep community ties, including spouses and children who are U.S. citizens.

The Fund’s first round of grants were awarded last month to help the region’s networks of community organizations working to support immigrants affected by changes in international travel, immigration, and deportation policies. These grants will help expand collaborative work to ensure that community members understand their legal and civil rights, take precautions to stabilize their families in the event they are detained, and receive legal representation.

At a stakeholders meeting today, the Steering Committee was proud to announce the Fund has surpassed its initial $500,000 fundraising goal. The goal has been extended and the Fund is now on its way to raising $1 million total thanks to the generosity of local foundations and individuals across the region.

One such commitment is a new challenge matching grant from the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, the largest private foundation focused exclusively on the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. The Cafritz Foundation has pledged to match every dollar donated to the Resilience Fund, up to $20,000.

“The Community Foundation is proud to partner with the Resilience Fund Steering Committee and other generous donors who want to ensure our community is a vibrant and inclusive place for all residents and families in the region,” said Tonia Wellons, VP of Community Investment for the Greater Washington Community Foundation. “The Resilience Fund’s efforts going forward seek to address the growing climate of intolerance and hate, including the uptick in violent incidents linked to race, religion, national origin, and other differences. We invite those who are concerned about what is happening in our region to stand with us against intolerance by making a contribution to this Fund today.”

“With rapid response grant funding from the Resilience Fund, Ayuda is taking immediate steps to serve the urgent needs of DACA recipients,” said Paula S. Fitzgerald, Executive Director of Ayuda. “We are providing multiple DACA renewal clinics and open walk-in days in September to serve those who are eligible to renew their DACA status within the short window of time. We are also providing consultations to those Dreamers who stand to lose DACA in the near future to evaluate them for other forms of relief and inform them of their rights.”

Members of the Resilience Fund Steering Committee include:
Greater Washington Community Foundation
Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation
Harman Family Foundation
The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation
Rob and Sheri Rosenfeld
Mauri Ziff and Jeff Hamond

Mobilizing Community Support When Disaster Strikes

By Nancy Withbroe, Vice President, Philanthropic Engagement and Chief of Staff

On this 16th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks, I am heartbroken by the suffering of people in the devastating paths of recent natural disasters, as well as the horrific violence of war and terrorism. Yet, when disaster strikes we can count on the country’s network of community foundations to step in to help, as we are seeing in response to the current season of horrific hurricanes.

The Greater Washington Community Foundation has a longstanding track record of mobilizing philanthropic giving from individuals and organizations when disaster strikes. Following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, The Community Foundation administered the $25 million Survivors’ Fund, which used over 12,000 gifts to make grants to 1,051 people impacted by the attack on the Pentagon. More recently, we have helped our donors provide help to neighbors facing such local disasters as the Flower Branch Apartments Silver Spring gas explosion that killed seven low-income residents in August 2016 and displaced 100 others, or the emergency housing situation at the Lynnhill Condominiums in Temple Hills that left 77 families without power.

We’re keenly aware that those who struggle the most in natural disasters like Hurricanes Harvey and Irma are residents of low-income communities – and often communities of color. This recent opinion piece in The Washington Post summarizes painfully the compounding negative effect that poverty, housing, racism and other issues have in the immediate and longer-term wake of natural disasters.

As someone who has devoted her career to philanthropy, I take solace in moments like these by the opportunity – and the responsibility – we have to relieve the suffering of our most vulnerable neighbors and to address the systemic inequities and injustices that disproportionately exacerbate the suffering of people of color.

At the Greater Washington Community Foundation, we have been busy advising our donors and fundholders as they direct their contributions to nonprofits supporting those impacted by the hurricanes. We’re also collaborating with our corporate fundholders to raise money for their disaster relief funds held here – to date, processing more than a thousand gifts into their funds – and, most importantly, quickly mobilizing to make grants to help nonprofits and individuals in need. We are working with Capital One, Fannie Mae and Marriott International to disburse grants to over 3,000 employees of those companies, collectively, in the greater Houston area, and stand ready to assist for other disasters.

Somehow the scale of these events can distance us from the experiences of individual people and families whose homes are lost and lives disrupted. The following note, which accompanied an $8 contribution to one of the corporate funds held at The Community Foundation, moved me deeply and reminded me that any of us can take action through giving: “I am a Night Auditor at [a corporate site in Illinois].  I want to contribute to this fund because [my employer] has a 'Spirit to Serve' and I want to be a part of that.  God bless all the people who have been affected by Hurricane Harvey in the Houston area.”

While small in amount, this $8 contribution represented enormous heart, character and selflessness – giving what you can to those most in need. I’m grateful to all our donors, fundholders, nonprofit grantees, and colleagues who partner with us to create opportunities for others to help their colleagues, to feel connected to an employer in a meaningful way, and to make a difference, one dollar at a time.

Please reach out to me or any other staff member if you’d like guidance on how you can make a difference during these times.

Reflections on Intolerance

By Bruce McNamer, President and CEO

While on vacation in Europe last month, I spent the day touring the Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp in Poland.  For me it was such a powerful, if still inadequate, reminder of the scale and brutally systematic nature of the crime perpetrated there by the Nazis – and of their unapologetic, explicit, even prideful buy-in to hatred and cruelty and dehumanization on an epic scale.  Pure, unmitigated, unequivocal, racist evil.

The very next day, I was shocked, saddened and angered to learn of the violent march of self-proclaimed neo-Nazis and white supremacists in Charlottesville.  By the end of the day, one of their own had killed one woman and injured many others. Pure, unmitigated, unequivocal, racist evil lives. 

I expect the horror of Charlottesville was brought home to each of us in different ways.  I didn’t need to go to Poland to be outraged.  But being there sure brought home the stakes to me.

Every day I am thankful to live in a country that was founded on the principles of freedom of assembly, speech, religion, and the press. Unfortunately, as of late, we are too often reminded that this freedom also extends to hate speech and even the most evil ideas.  But allowing such expression must be the extent of our accommodation.  To “see both sides,” to tolerate violent intolerance, to morally equivocate, to be silent in the face of evil … is to side with evil.  

I am heartened and inspired by the millions of people from across our country and around the world who have spoken out to condemn this display of evil, as well as the hate and intolerance that seem to have found new license in recent months. I believe our country is resilient, most of its people decent, and that our founding ideals of liberty, justice, and equality will sustain us in spite of these assaults upon them.   

But that will be the case only so long as we don’t stand passively by.  That has been tried before, in places like Germany. If you are concerned, and wondering what you can do, there are ways that you can help make a difference for our most vulnerable neighbors.

Here at the Greater Washington Community Foundation we serve as a bridge, connecting donors who want to make our community stronger and more vibrant with nonprofits that are serving the most critical needs throughout the region. In February, we partnered with the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation to launch the Resilience Fund to ensure our region’s communities are resilient and supported in the face of federal policy and budget shifts. Through this Fund we are responding to the critical needs of nonprofits working to address changes that are disproportionately impacting people of color, immigrant and refugee communities. Our first round of grants was awarded last month to help the region’s networks of community organizations working to support immigrant communities affected by changes in international travel, immigration, and deportation policies. For our next round of grants, we seek to address intolerance, incivility, and the uptick in violent incidents linked to race, religion, national origin, and other differences.

How can you join this effort?

Stand with Us Against Intolerance on Sept. 12  

The Resilience Fund Steering Committee invites you to join a Stakeholders Briefing on September 12 from 10-11:30 am at the Meyer Foundation. Learn how our neighbors are being affected by policy recommendations and increases in incidents of bias and bigotry. Explore what steps we can take as a community to stand together against intolerance.

Guest panelists will include: Nicole Cozier, director of diversity and inclusion at the Human Rights Campaign; Doron Ezickson, D.C. regional director of the Anti-Defamation League; Hurunnessa Fariad, interfaith/outreach/communications coordinator for the ADAMS Center; and Dr. Rashawn Ray, sociology professor at the University of Maryland. Please  RSVP here to receive more event details.

Join Us by Making a Donation

Contribute to the Fund and join with others who seek to advance community-based solutions that support community cohesion, work to limit intolerance, and address federal policy changes that are adversely affecting residents and families in the Greater Washington region. We initially set a goal of raising $500,000 for this effort — a goal which we have already surpassed thanks to the generosity and compassion of our community of givers. We now aim to raise $1 million with your help. You may give directly to the Fund through an online donation form available here, or as a fund-to-fund transfer in Donor Central if you are an existing donor to The Community Foundation.  

This is just the beginning of our efforts. It is more important now than ever that we stand together to fight intolerance and build community cohesion for lasting change.

Thank you for being part of our community of givers and for your own commitment to our neighbors.

Sincerely,

Bruce McNamer
President & CEO

How You Can Help with Hurricane Relief Efforts

This post was created on August 29 to aid Hurricane Harvey recovery and relief efforts. It was modified on September 11, 2017 to include information for anyone seeking to support nonprofits in Florida involved in the recovery efforts following Hurricane Irma, and again on October 2 for Hurricane Maria recovery in Puerto Rico.

Rescue operations are currently underway in Houston and surrounding areas as the unrelenting rain and rising floodwaters continue to threaten residents and communities across Southeast Texas and parts of Louisiana. Many of you have asked how we can aid these relief efforts and help the victims affected by the devastating floods.

When disaster strikes, it is a good idea to seek out information from the local community foundation regarding how you can best help with recovery efforts. Community foundations have deep community knowledge and a lasting commitment to community improvement.

In response to the overwhelming interest in supporting Houston's recovery efforts, Houston Mayor Turner established the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund with the Greater Houston Community Foundation to accept tax-deductible flood relief donations. If you would like to support the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund, please  click here for details.

As Harvey now heads towards Louisiana, the Mayor of New Orleans has activated the NOLA Pay It Forward Fund: Hurricane Harvey in partnership with the Greater New Orleans Foundation. The fund will provide resources for the early relief and rebuilding efforts of those communities impacted by Hurricane Harvey.

If you are looking for additional ways to help, here is a list of other local and national organizations that are accepting donations to aid victims and recovery efforts:

National Organizations

• The American Red Cross is accepting donations on its website, by phone at 1-800-RED-CROSS, or you can text HARVEY to 90999 to donate $10.
• Donations to the Salvation Army can be made online, by calling 1-800-SAL-ARMY (1-800-725-2769) or  texting STORM to 51555.
• Council on Foundations Disaster Giving Resources, including a recording of an August 29 webinar hosted with the Center for Disaster Philanthropy.
• One America Appeal is the effort of former Presidents to help our fellow citizens in Texas, Florida and the Caribbean as they recover and rebuild.

Local Organizations in Texas

• Houston Food Bank and the Food Bank of Corpus Christi are asking for donations.
• To help animals suffering from the disaster, visit the Houston Humane Society.
• The Texas Diaper Bank is asking for donations of cash and items such as diapers and wipes. A list of much needed items is available here and donations can be made online here.
• Additional information about local community response efforts around Texas and resources can be found here.

Local Organizations in Florida

• Miami Foundation
• Community Foundation of Tampa Bay
• Community Foundation of Sarasota County
• Hurricane Irma Community Recovery Fund to support grassroots organizing for recovery in the most vulnerable communities.

Organizations helping in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

• Hispanics in Philanthropy,  Puerto Rico Community Foundation, and La Red de Fundaciones de Puerto Rico have set up a Hurricane Relief Fund for Puerto Rico, Cuba and Florida.
• United For Puerto Rico is providing aid and support to those affected in Puerto Rico by Hurricane Irma and Hurricane María.
• The Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands is collecting donations to the Fund for the Virgin Islands to aid Hurricane Irma relief and recovery.

You may request a grant from your fund with The Community Foundation to support many of the organizations mentioned in this message, or to other qualifying nonprofits and public charities. Please log into your Donor Central account to submit your grant recommendations. If there are ways that you would like to offer support beyond what we have suggested, feel free to contact your donor services representative or any of our staff with your questions.

Bridging Community Divides

By Jayne Park, Executive Director, IMPACT Silver Spring

Between income and wealth, culture and language, the newly arrived versus life-long residents, the divisions that separate people within Montgomery County’s diverse community are wide.  So when the Greater Washington Community Foundation reached out to IMPACT Silver Spring for support in organizing their Community Conversation in Montgomery County, we welcomed it as a positive step towards closing this divide.

We were admittedly a little unsure how many residents from IMPACT’s grassroots network would choose to come to this one-time event, with an organization they did not know.  We decided to do targeted invitations to people we thought might be inclined to participate, and did our best to explain who the Community Foundation is, and their goals. To our surprise, nearly all the 30 residents we spoke with showed up, to the point that we could barely fit everyone in the room.  The time and care IMPACT takes to nurture relationships of trust with members of our network are in large measure what led to the high community turn-out. 

Most certainly, our network’s participation in the event will help to infuse the foundation’s learning process with the voices, perspectives, and lived experiences of grassroots residents, and not only the voices of the professionals serving the poor and low-income.  Our hope is that philanthropy will continue to press forward in figuring out ways to cultivate its own trusting relationships with grassroots residents through a long-term community engagement process.  Only then can foundations be assured that their giving priorities will be informed and shaped by the lived realities of the very residents they are trying to support, through a constant flow of mutual learning that comes when strong connections and relationships are in place. 

We witnessed the start of this relationship-building process at the event, when the foundation’s President and CEO Bruce McNamer pulled up a seat to join one of the tables reserved for IMPACT’s Spanish-speaking network members.  Bruce stayed with this group for the entirety of the 3-hour evening, and listened and spoke to the group in Spanish.  This simple yet powerful gesture was a first step towards overcoming the divide that often exists between philanthropy and the grassroots.  Imagine if it was more common practice for foundation CEO’s to take the time to meet with grassroots residents as equals, speaking in their language!  This could go a long way for establishing a more meaningful relationship-building process. 

The Resilience Fund Awards First Grants to Organizations that Support Immigrant Communities

The Resilience Fund, a collaborative partnership among the Greater Washington Community Foundation, the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation, and other foundation and individual contributors, awarded its first grants last week — three grants totaling $110,000 to community organizations working throughout the region to support immigrant communities. Grants were awarded to:

• Capital Area Immigrants’ Rights (CAIR) Coalition — $30,000 to support community education and legal services, and the organization’s role as convener of the DMV Immigration Alliance

• Casa de Maryland — $30,000 to support community education, legal services, and policy advocacy

• Legal Aid Justice Center — $50,000 to support community education and legal services through the members of the Northern Virginia Immigrant Legal Services Providers Coalition

The Resilience Fund was created by The Community Foundation and the Meyer Foundation in early 2017 to address critical needs of nonprofits working to support our region’s vulnerable communities during a period of rapid federal policy change.

The three initial grants reflect the Resilience Fund’s early focus on changes in international travel, immigration, and deportation policies that are affecting residents and families in the Greater Washington region. The DC metropolitan area has 1.3 million foreign-born residents, including an estimated 400,000 unauthorized immigrants — many of whom are long-term residents with deep community ties, including spouses and children who are U.S. citizens.

These grants will help the region’s networks of immigrant-serving organizations expand their collaborative work to ensure that community members understand their legal and civil rights, take precautions to stabilize their families in the event they are detained, and receive legal representation.

Share Your Ideas

As the Fund’s steering committee considers further work in this area, as well as future areas of focus, members welcome input from a wide range of stakeholders about how federal policy shifts are currently affecting our region. The committee has created this form so that representatives of nonprofit organizations, businesses, government, and community residents can provide input on current and future areas of focus. The steering committee will review all comment submitted, and is especially interested in hearing about efforts to fight intolerance and build community cohesion. Please use this form to share your ideas and thoughts with us.

Join us!

The Resilience Fund was launched in early 2017 with an initial goal of $500,000, and has so far raised nearly $400,000 in gifts and commitments from foundations and individual donors — although the breadth of policy changes affecting the region may lead us to increase our goal. Join with us and others who seek to ensure that our region’s communities are resilient and supported in spite of federal policy shifts by contributing to The Resilience Fund. More information is available here.

Mayor Bowser Announces Grant Awards to Community Organizations Working to Prevent Violence

Mayor Bowser has announced 33 awardees of the City Innovation Fund’s Safer, Stronger DC Community Opportunity Grant Competition, administered by the Greater Washington Community Foundation. The grants, which total $1.5 million, are part of Mayor Bowser’s Safer, Stronger DC initiative.

“We know that public safety and violence prevention are not just policing issues,” said Mayor Bowser. “As my Administration works with the community to build a safer, stronger DC, these grants will provide financial resources to outstanding organizations that are improving the lives of individuals and families in neighborhoods throughout our city.”

The grants will support the work of organizations whose missions and programs provide targeted interventions and strategies that:

• reduce incidents of violent crime;
• improve the health, well-being, and quality of life of residents in the priority communities;
• increase community and civic participation; and
• engag e residents in meaningful and productive activities.

The 33 organizations were selected through an independent grant management process managed by the Greater Washington Community Foundation. 

“We applaud the District’s leadership in providing critical assistance to community-based organizations in the form of general operating grants and capacity-building support," said Bruce McNamer, President and CEO of the Greater Washington Community Foundation. "The Community Foundation is proud to partner with District leadership to administer the City Fund and advance our shared goal of improving the quality of life throughout the region.”

In all, 104 organizations applied for funding this round – the most ever for a Safer, Stronger DC Community Opportunity Grant Competition. The following organizations are being awarded grants:

• Access Inc.
• Apple Tree Early Learning Public Charter School
• Bread for the City
• City Kids in the Wilderness Project
• City Year DC
• Citydance Ensemble, Inc
• Collaborative Solutions for Communities
• DC Creative Writing Worksho
• DC Promise Neighborhood Initiative, Inc
• DC Youth Orchestra Program
• Do the Write Thing Foundation of DC
• East of the River Clergy Police Community Partnership
• Excel Automotive Institute
• Exodus Treatment Center
• FAIR Girls
• Homes for Hope Inc.
• Innercity Collaborative Community Development Corporation
• Institute for African Man Development Inc.
• Jah Kente International, Inc.
• Kid Power
• Live It Learn It
• Men Can Stop Rape
• Nomis Youth Network
• One Common Unity
• Open City Advocates
• Recreation Wish List Committee of Washington, DC
• Survivors and Advocates for Empowerment – SAFE Inc.
• Teens Run DC
• University Legal Services
• Washington Tennis & Education Foundation
• Y.O.U.R. Community Center
• Young Women’s Project
• Youth Entrepreneur Institute

The disbursement of grant payments is contingent on organizations successfully satisfying all District of Columbia business and tax requirements. In Fall 2017, during the next round of grants, an additional $1.4 million will be awarded. Technical assistance will be provided to organizations interested in applying and those that did not get funded this round.

Information on the final grantmaking round is forthcoming. Visit the City Fund website for more information.

The Children’s Opportunity Fund Announces Initial Grants in Montgomery County

July 17, 2017 -- The Greater Washington Community Foundation has announced the Children’s Opportunity Fund’s (COF) first grants of $625,000 to three high-impact nonprofit organizations in Montgomery County, Maryland.  All three groups provide life-changing educational opportunities for low-income children and reflect the COF’s innovative and systemic approach to closing the opportunity gap for children and youth in Montgomery County.  These first three grants include nearly $625,000 in public funding and will leverage an additional $625,000 in private matching funds, totaling a $1.25 million investment. 

Children’s Opportunity Fund Grants June 2017

The Children’s Opportunity Fund's initial grants will serve over 1,200 students in the following ways:

Building Educated Leaders for Life (BELL) works to create high-quality learning opportunities for the children who need them most, so that they, too, can develop the skills, interests, and determination to excel.  BELL builds educational equality by mobilizing schools and communities and expanding learning time beyond the traditional school day and school year.  BELL exists to transform the academic achievements, self-confidence, and life trajectories of children living in under-resourced communities. The grant from COF will support educational services to students currently attending Montgomery County Public Schools Summer Program in partnership with the Norman R. and Ruth Rales Foundation, Montgomery County Government and MCPS.

The Urban Alliance Foundation, Inc. partners with businesses to empower under-resourced youth to aspire, work, and succeed through paid internships, formal training, and mentorship. The grant from COF will expand the Urban Alliance High School Internship Program into Montgomery County by providing career preparation and internships to low-income high school students in the east county area.

Family Services, Inc. (FSI) provides high-quality services for newborns to adults to foster health and well-being in the home, school, and community.  FSI currently serves over 27,000 of the most vulnerable residents through more than 36 programs throughout Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties. The grant announced today supports the coordination of work around early childhood care and education for participants of the newly formed Thriving Germantown Collaboration.

Although Montgomery County is the 11th richest county in the United States, most people are shocked to discover that over 200,000 people are living below self-sufficiency levels and over a third of MCPS students quality for free and reduced meals  — widening the opportunity gap for children and families.  The latest U.S. Census data show 12 census tracts with poverty rates of 18 percent or more.

The Children’s Opportunity Fund is working to close the opportunity gap for children and their families; address the need for integration among health, education, and social investments for vulnerable children; and diminish the disparity in educational achievement between children from wealthy and low-income families.

About the Children’s Opportunity Fund

The Children’s Opportunity Fund (COF) is a component fund of the Greater Washington Community Foundation (The Community Foundation) and its local office in Montgomery County. Funded jointly by the government of Montgomery County, Maryland, and Montgomery County Public Schools to leverage public funds to attract private investment, COF champions, plans and funds strategic investments that improve the lives of low-income children and families in the county. With a focus on innovative, evidence-informed efforts targeted at closing the opportunity gap, COF identifies priority areas for investment based on unmet need, aligns resources toward effective multi-sector collaborations serving the county’s most vulnerable youth and their families, and seeks new funding sources.

COF is guided by and works closely with a Policy Leadership Group and Steering Committee representing leaders from government, philanthropy, business and the community. These leaders include:

 Children’s Opportunity Fund Policy Leadership Group

• Ike Leggett, County Executive, Montgomery County
• Nancy Navarro, Councilmember, Montgomery County Council
• Patricia O' Neill, Member, Montgomery County Board of Education
• Jack Smith, Superintendent, Montgomery County Public Schools

 Children’s Opportunity Fund Steering Committee

• Uma Ahluwalia, Director, Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services
• Gabriel Albornoz, Director, Montgomery County Department of Recreation
• David Asai, Senior Director of Science Education, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
• Kevin Beverly, President and CEO, Social and Scientific Systems
• Parker Hamilton, Director, Montgomery County Public Libraries
• Anna Hargrave, Executive Director, Montgomery County, Greater Washington Community Foundation
• Julian Haynes, Program Officer, Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation
• April Kaplan, Executive Director, Montgomery County Collaboration Council for Children, Youth and Families
• Agnes Leshner, Board Member, Montgomery's Kids
• Maria Navarro, Chief Academic Officer, Montgomery County Public Schools
• David Petr, President/CEO, Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation

For more information on the Children’s Opportunity Fund, click here.

Contact:

Mala B. Thakur

Executive Director, Children's Opportunity Fund

Greater Washington Community Foundation

[email protected]

Introducing the Greater Washington Community Foundation

This week the Community Foundation for the National Capital Region is undergoing some exciting new changes as we transition to the Greater Washington Community Foundation. We’ll still be doing the same great work serving our region, but now with a new name, logo, website, and office address for DC-based staff.

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Please update your records! 

Effective July 5, 2017, our headquarters in Washington, DC has moved to:
1325 G Street NW, Suite 480, Washington, DC 20005

Our phone numbers will remain the same; however, staff email addresses have changed to [email protected]. 

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The Community Foundation was originally incorporated in 1973 to make community change through charitable giving easy, flexible, tax-smart, efficient and, above all, personal. Since that time, The Community Foundation has grown into the largest funder of nonprofits in the region while also managing charitable giving funds of all sizes. We may have expanded over the years, but our commitment to our community has never wavered. Community is at the center of our work and we exist to help our region thrive and be more resilient.

Last year, we began implementing a new strategic plan with new Board and staff leadership in place. As we listened to our community, it became clear that our name and visual identity needed to better reflect the region we serve and be inclusive of our local work. We decided it was the right time to redefine our organization to better communicate who we are, and why we exist.

We are excited to unveil our new name and logo for the Greater Washington Community Foundation that were designed to represent the power of generous giving. Just as seeds of a plant flourish with proper care, so too does our community flourish when we work together in a spirit of giving. The four-leaf like symbols represent the four communities we serve in the District of Columbia, Montgomery County, Northern Virginia, and Prince George’s County.

Although our name and visual identity have changed, we remain committed to mobilizing philanthropy through leading, partnering, and serving with others in the community. We have deep roots in this region and we respect our heritage. At the same time, we are evolving and innovating to be the best stewards of philanthropic engagement for Greater Washington’s community of givers and partners to our nonprofit grantees.

Check out our new website to find out more about how we plan to continue leveraging the resources in our region for the greatest impact.

Sincerely,

Bruce McNamer

President & CEO, Greater Washington Community Foundation

1325 G Street NW, Suite 480 | Washington, DC 20005

GWWDC Announces Investments To Address Regional Employer Hiring Challenges

Washington, DC (July 10, 2017) – The Greater Washington Community Foundation’s Workforce Development Collaborative today announced new investments through Greater Washington Works, a $1 million grantmaking initiative. Developed to address hiring challenges that have been persistently reported by local employers, Greater Washington Works will support at least 250 local workers to launch living-wage careers in the IT and Healthcare sectors.

With over 70% of net new jobs requiring post-secondary education and training, the Washington regional economy continues to be highly knowledge-based. Local employers, however, face challenges in finding skilled workers. Nearly 800,000 individuals in our region have no education past high school, highlighting a skills gap that has the potential to undermine our region’s global economic competitiveness. This gap is a particular challenge for employers in higher-skilled industry sectors including IT and Healthcare. 

In an effort to address this significant gap and connect local employers to a qualified workforce, Greater Washington Works is issuing multiyear investments in three employer-led regional consortia to help meet the talent needs of local IT and Healthcare employers.  

IT AND HEALTHCARE ARE REGIONAL ECONOMIC DRIVERS

In December 2016, JP Morgan Chase & Co. sponsored the release of a landmark study on the Washington region’s IT and Healthcare workforce challenges, Greater Washington Works IT and Health Careers with Promise. The report examined regional labor market trends and included interviews and focus groups with dozens of regional employers and workforce development stakeholders, focusing on how our region can address the skills gap and lift more of our neighbors out of poverty through careers in IT and Healthcare.  The report finds: 

• 12% projected growth in healthcare employment during 2016-2021.
• 6% projected growth in IT employment during 2016-2021.
• 3x growth in IT cybersecurity jobs during 2010-2014 in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia.
• $6,500 yearly average salary premium in the nation for cybersecurity specialists compared to other information technology salaries.

The report found that growth will remain robust in both IT and Healthcare, and that demand for workers with the necessary skills and credentials will continue to outstrip supply without additional investment and support. Employers in all industries across Washington D.C., Maryland and Virginia will maintain strong demand in the coming years for “middle-skill” workers—those individuals employed in occupations that require postsecondary education and training beyond high school but less than a four-year degree. “Investing in data is a key part of our skill development strategy—without sound information it is impossible to build the industry driven workforce solutions our region needs to succeed,” said Alexis Bataillon, Head of Strategic Initiatives for the Washington, D.C. Region for JPMorgan Chase & Co. The report, developed by Civic Analytics and Oldmixon Consulting, further highlighted the need for increased regional collaboration to address employer hiring needs. 

PARTNERSHIPS WILL ADDRESS TALENT PIPELINE CHALLENGES

The Workforce Development Collaborative, a partnership comprised of local foundations, philanthropists, and businesses, is issuing three investments in regional partnerships that are poised to assist Greater Washington employers address their hiring challenges. Grantees were selected by a diverse set of workforce development experts and philanthropists based on the strength of the proposed partnership, connections with local employers, and deep understanding of the needs of our region’s un- and under-employed workers. 

Each partnership is a strategic collaboration between regional nonprofits, local government, and IT and Healthcare employers who will work collectively to train and place workers in living wage careers with the opportunity for career advancement. Partnerships will focus on a range of occupations including Computer User Support and Certified Electronic Health Record Specialists. Investments include: 

BYTE BACK

Local unemployed and underemployed residents will get a new chance at tech careers soon with EPIC (Education Partnership for IT Careers). Byte Back, in partnership with the Prince George's County Economic Development Corporation-Workforce Services Division, will help workers earn industry-recognized IT certifications and launch living-wage careers. With almost 30 years of collective experience, the two organizations are excited to expand tech opportunities to even more local residents. Additional partners include the Northern Virginia Technology Council, Angarai, PC Retro.com, DC Office of the Chief Technology Officer, International Software Systems, Nucore Vision, Sage Services Group, SoftCon Enterprises, and Science Systems and Applications.

SKILLSOURCE GROUP

The Northern Virginia IT Employment (NVITE) Partnership, led by Skillsource will provide unemployed and underemployed low-income job seekers with intensive case management, employment coaching and skills training to launch or advance them into entry-level Information Technology living wage careers as Computer User Support Specialists.  The partnership will also address the hiring disconnect between front-line IT hiring managers and corporate HR personnel hiring policies. Additional partners include the Fairfax County Department of Family Services, Stratford University, Intellectual Point, and StrategyUS LLC.

SOME (SO OTHERS MIGHT EAT) 

SOME’s Center for Employment Training will launch a Healthcare Industry Sector Partnership of leading healthcare employers (including Unity HealthCare, Abundant Health Chiropractic & Wellness Center, and Providence Health System) in Washington, DC and Prince George’s County, Maryland. This Partnership will provide ongoing strategic direction and oversight of their employer engagement efforts and provide a hiring pipeline for healthcare employers in the region.  Students will train for careers as Medical Administrative Assistants and Electronic Health Records Specialists.

The Community Foundation’s President, Bruce McNamer, notes that “We believe that this initiative provides important support for our region’s workforce stakeholders—including government, business, nonprofits, and philanthropy—to help support efforts to address the skills gap that underlies the lack of opportunity for so many in our region.” The full report, Greater Washington Works: IT and Health Careers with Promise is available online at www.gwwdc.org.   

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Greater Washington Community Foundation
The Community Foundation works to ensure equity, access, and opportunity for all residents in the Washington metropolitan area. Our mission is to strengthen the Washington metropolitan region by encouraging and supporting effective giving and by providing leadership on critical issues in our community. As the region’s largest local grantmaker with grants of more than $70 million last year, we are a community of givers dedicated to inspiring and creating change across the Washington region and beyond.

JPMorgan Chase & Co.
JPMorgan Chase & Co. is a leading global financial services firm with assets of $2.5 trillion and operations worldwide. The firm is a leader in investment banking, financial services for consumers and small businesses, commercial banking, financial transaction processing, asset management and private equity. A component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, JPMorgan Chase & Co. serves millions of consumers in the United States and many of the world’s most prominent corporate, institutional and government clients under its J.P. Morgan and Chase brands. Information about JPMorgan Chase & Co. is available at www.jpmorganchase.com.

The Greater Washington Workforce Development Collaborative
The Workforce Collaborative is a coalition of local workforce investors who share a common commitment to addressing poverty and income inequality by helping workers advance their skills and credentials so they can earn family-sustaining wages. Current Collaborative partners include The Community Foundation, the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, Capital One, JPMorgan Chase & Co., the Consumer Health Foundation, Kaiser Permanente, the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation, the Moriah Fund, Northern Virginia Health Foundation, Patricia Weiss Fagen, United Way of the National Capital Area, and the Washington Area Women’s Foundation.

Generation Hope’s Pep Rally Under the Stars Honors The Community Foundation

President & CEO Bruce McNamer was honored to accept the 2017 MVP Award on behalf of the Greater Washington Community Foundation at Generation Hope’s 6th Annual “Pep Rally Under the Stars” gala on Friday, June 16.

The Community Foundation has been a vital part of Generation Hope’s success. In 2010, as a fledgling nonprofit, Generation Hope participated in The Community Foundation’s incubator program, sharing office space and resources to support the organization during its critical first years. Since then, Generation Hope has been able to provide emotional and financial support to 120 parenting teens as they pursue a college degree. Additionally, Generation Hope has reached nearly 600 expecting and parenting teens through college-readiness workshops in schools, churches, and organizations across the D.C. Metro area.

While it was wonderful for The Community Foundation to be recognized as a long-time supporter of Generation Hope, the highlight of the evening was hearing inspirational speeches by Generation Hope Founder and CEO Nicole Lynn Lewis, as well as 2016 National Teacher of the Year Jahana Hayes. Their stories and experiences as former teen parents, were marked by their perseverance and dedication to education; stories which mirrored those pregnant and parenting teens who benefit from Generation Hope’s programs and services today.

Generation Hope currently supports 100 teen parents attending 18 different two-and four-year colleges across the region. The mission of Generation Hope is to empower ambitious, family-focused teen parents striving to complete their college education by pairing them with caring, committed, adult mentors and an emotional and financial support system, thereby driving a two-generation solution to poverty.

You can learn more about Generation Hope’s mission and services by clicking here or viewing this video shared at the gala.

Learn! DC Takes Community Foundation Donors Out on the Water

The Greater Washington Community Foundation held its inaugural event for a new initiative called Learn! DC on Monday, June 19. Learn! DC will be a series of opportunities for Community Foundation donors and fund holders to learn about the issues facing the Washington, D.C. community, and the organizations who build their programming to combat these issues and support the needs of the community.

Learn! DC’s first event was held in partnership with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF), a nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing pollution in the bay and its tributaries by serving as a watchdog fighting for effective science-based solutions to “Save the Bay”. In addition to advocacy, the CBF hosts educational field programs which take students outside to explore the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

To gain a deeper perspective regarding the state of the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers, 10 Community Foundation donors took a ride on the CBF’s education vessel for a two-hour exploratory, interactive adventure. As the boat passed through the waterways crisscrossing the rivers, CBF educators explained in great detail how the state of the Chesapeake Bay and its sprawling watershed effects the health of the rivers’ water.

Trawling for fish is one way to measure the health of the Anacostia and Potomac rivers. The variety and health of fish are good indicators of oxygen and nutrient levels in the water. Donors participated in a trawling demonstration by helping to heave a massive net from the water and then survey the catch. The haul that day produced a majority of catfish. These catfish are not native to the area, as they were placed here for sport fishing. The catfish have since flourished as there are otherwise no other natural predators. All fish caught by the trawling net were then put back in the water safe and sound.

“It’s so important for the DC community to learn about the Potomac and Anacostia rivers. As  D.C. natives and fishing enthusiasts, it was exciting to learn about how we can help maintain the health of the rivers that we love.” - Betsy Paull, donor

The Community Foundation hopes to host more Learn! DC events starting in Fall 2017.