DC Cares Program $5M Undocumented Workers Relief Package

Events DC, Washington DC's official convention and sports authority, finalized its programs for the $5M undocumented workers relief fund through the DC Cares Program.

The DC Cares Program will provide financial assistance to workers in the District of Columbia who have been excluded from federal stimulus efforts and are experiencing financial hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  This critical program is in partnership with the Executive Office of the Mayor and the Greater Washington Community Foundation. Both the DC Cares Program and the grant awardees were approved by Events DC's Board of Directors and represent an important component of the organization's commitment to building an ever-stronger city. 

"While we are known for our work in conventions and meetings, sports and entertainment, Events DC is deeply committed to the community and its residents, many of whom form the backbone of our restaurant and hospitality industry.  Supporting our undocumented community is personal —my grandfather came to this country when he was 13 with nothing. He was as an immigrant and couldn't get a job because of his last name and how he looked. He was hired in a hotel restaurant and began his journey in America. We owe it to our friends in the undocumented community to share in the success we have as a city. The success of our work and projects depend on the vibrancy of our city, thriving non-profits and cultural institutions.  The undocumented workers relief fund and the Cultural Institutions Grant Program will help serve our neighbors and make our diverse city stronger and more resilient," stated Max Brown, Chairman, Board of Directors, Events DC. "The relief fund distribution is a critical step forward in helping our city get back on track following the devastation of the pandemic. We also extend our congratulations to the organizations that have been awarded cultural institution grants, each of them is eminently deserving and a terrific example of what we can achieve together to enhance our world-class city." 

The DC Cares Program
The distribution for the $5 million undocumented workers relief funds will be managed through the Greater Washington Community Foundation with the purchase of pre-paid debit cards in the amount of $1,000 per card.  The Community Foundation will then disseminate the pre-paid debit cards to designated community-based organizations in collaboration with the Executive Office of the Mayor. The identified community-based organizations will issue the pre-paid debit cards to eligible undocumented workers determined by criteria set forth by the Mayor's Office. 

The Community Foundation is a tax-exempt public charity that manages hundreds of charitable giving funds on behalf of generous individuals, families, and businesses in the Washington, DC metro area. The community-based organization currently designated by the Mayor's Office to receive the pre-paid debit cards include the following:

• Bread for the City

• The Central American Resource Center (CARECEN)

• CentroNía

• Latin American Youth Center (LAYC)

• Mary's Center

Events DC will continue to work with the Community Foundation to implement ongoing efforts surrounding the DC Cares program to provide future financial assistance to DC workers who by reason of their status do not have access to other COVID-19-related public relief programs.  The DC CARES program will be administered by the Community Foundation through its Greater Washington Workforce Collaborative, an initiative with the mission of enabling people to increase their skills, credentials, employment and wages with an emphasis on systems change that eliminates income gaps based on race, ethnicity and gender.

"A core part of Events DC's mission is to serve and give back to our communities which will help to continue to propel our city forward. The critical cultural grants program will help strengthen these important cultural institutions and empower new programming for generations to come while the undocumented workers relief fund will provide a vital lifeline to our neighbors in need," said Gregory A. O'Dell, president and chief executive officer of Events DC.  "Through the relief funds and the grant program, we are humbled by the opportunity to assist District residents and the extraordinary organizations performing vital work to educate and enhance the lives of Washingtonians and visitors. Together, we look forward to continuing to enrich our community."

“We are proud to partner with Events DC, the Executive Office of the Mayor, and our nonprofit partners to bring critical relief to workers who have been excluded from other forms of relief intended to help our most vulnerable neighbors during this difficult time. Immigrant communities are some of the hardest hit in this region by the COVID-19 health and economic crisis. Our goal is to support disproportionately impacted communities, especially low-income and black and brown communities, by providing emergency cash assistance to cover basic needs for food, housing/shelter, medical care, and other services.”

Our Commitment to Racial Justice

By Tonia Wellons, President & CEO

On Mother’s Day weekend, I received a call from the parents of 2nd Lt. Richard Collins III, the Bowie State University student who was killed at the hands of University of Maryland senior, Sean Urbanski. This devastating hate-linked, race-based crime happened in 2017 around Mother’s Day weekend. I have been humbled by the opportunity to get to know the Collins family and work with them to honor their son’s legacy by confronting the challenges represented by hate and bias violence. Yet the recent killings of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and now George Floyd immediately triggered the Collins family and reignited their quest to address domestic terror, police brutality, and other forms of anti-black racism.

These senseless and intolerable tragedies remind us that structural racism continues to deny our Black brothers and sisters the opportunity to live their lives completely free and without fear of the institutions intended to serve and protect them. It reminds us that racism is built into many US systems and carried by individual actors in overt and covert methods.

Even in our Nation’s Capital in 2020, pre-existing inequities in education, housing, healthcare, and employment opportunities continue to create deep disparities and divides that threaten the vibrancy and health of our communities. Take for example the drastic way in which COVID-19 has hit African American communities the hardest – while roughly half of Washingtonians are African American, they make up more than three-quarters of the deaths from COVID-19.

At the Greater Washington Community Foundation, we see it as our responsibility to uplift and amplify the voices of communities that have been systematically unheard and silenced. Through VoicesDMV, we have engaged our entire community to understand racial tensions in our region along with other needs, attitudes, and perceptions of our neighbors often left out of conversations about community development. What we have learned from these conversations has shaped our approach to Building Thriving Communities that are more equitable, healthy, and vibrant. We continue to focus on racial equity in our grantmaking and have committed at least half of our funding for COVID-19 response efforts to organizations led by people of color that are supporting historically underserved communities.

We believe now is the time for more than just words, our communities deserve action that will lead to real tangible change in inequitable systems. The Community Foundation will continue to support ending racial disparities through our voice, influence, programs and grantmaking initiatives.

We stand in solidarity with peaceful protestors who have the courage to speak up and share their anguish, frustration, fear, heartbreak, and anger to push for action. We hear you, we see you, and we stand with you in raising our fists and shouting Black Lives Matter. History has to be our teacher. These issues will not casually go away – not without effort or a deliberate attempt to be anti-racists.

"These conditions are the things that cause individuals to feel that they have no other alternative. A riot is the language of the unheard." - Martin Luther King, Jr.

We encourage our community to stand with us, our partners, and advocates in calling for an end to police brutality and anti-black racism.

If you’d like to learn more, and hear from the parents of Lt. Richard Collins III, we invite you to watch our Social Justice Town Hall: From Grief To Action. This special discussion, held on June 19, 2020, examined racial justice and the concrete ways we can take action to support the Black community.

From 9/11 to the Coronavirus: Responding to Our Community’s Greatest Challenges

By Danielle Yates, Senior Director of Marketing & Communications

Whenever our community has faced a major crisis, such as the current COVID-19 pandemic, The Community Foundation is our region’s philanthropic first responder to connect those in need with our caring donors who can help.

As our region’s community foundation, we see it as our responsibility to support our neighbors and communities during times of need. We fulfill this critical role in several ways:

• As a trusted philanthropic partner to our donors and local funders, we can raise and mobilize funds quickly to serve our community.

• Our history as a community convener and partner enables us to bring people and resources together to achieve greater impact through collective action.

• Our deep community expertise and relationships with local nonprofits on the frontlines allows us to quickly identify and direct resources to where they are needed most. 

• Our nearly 50-year commitment to this region has helped shape our perspective and ability to address both the current and future needs of our community.

While Covid-19 is an unprecedented crisis, we have amassed considerable experience helping our community meet significant challenges and build critical capacity and resilience. In situations like this, our focus is to provide both immediate relief and ongoing support as our community works to recover and rebuild for the future.

This was evident in our approach to responding to several crises in the past two decades. For example, within 24 hours after the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon, we launched the Survivor’s Fund to direct the charitable response and caring spirit of some 12,000 donors. Housed at The Community Foundation, the fund raised more than $25 million to aid 1,051 victims and their families by providing access to both financial support and case management services needed to achieve long-term financial and emotional stability. 

During the 2008 financial crisis, we collaborated with our donors to launch the Neighbors in Need Fund which raised $5 million to help families hit hardest by the economic crisis. This initiative helped meet the increase in demand for food, shelter, clothing, foreclosure prevention and healthcare services through grants to nonprofits across the region.

When gun violence erupted in tragedy at Navy Yard in 2011, we partnered with DC government and leveraged our local expertise to identify and fund nonprofits providing direct support to victims and families as well as addressing gun violence and mental health issues.

Today, we are ready to use the lessons we’ve learned from past challenges to help our region through this unprecedented health and economic crisis. You can stand with us and support this effort through the COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund.

Rebuilding Our Region With Racial Equity and Inclusion

By Brittany Owens, Community Investment and Donor Services Associate

The United States has made a lot of progress towards racial equity—but, even in today’s world, there are still stark injustices. Take the recent shooting of Ahmaud Arbery, a 25 year-old black man, killed by two white men while he was jogging in his south Georgia neighborhood. He was targeted because he allegedly “looked like a man suspected in several break-ins in the area.” It took months for local authorities to address the case.

It’s tragic and shocking incidents like these that continue to fuel my passion for racial equity and inclusion (REI) work, and inspire our REI focus here at The Community Foundation. Racial equity and inclusion, according to Center for Assessment and Policy Development, is “the condition that would be achieved if one's racial identity no longer predicted.” This means that, through REI, we are not only addressing the root causes of inequities—we’re also eliminating policies or attitudes that reinforce them.

Ignited by Experience
My own experience with REI, and inspiration to focus my career on it, goes back to my college years.

Owens (pictured top row, third from the left) with leaders at her university

For my undergraduate studies, I went to a small school in Tennessee—quite the change from my native Washington, DC. I’ll never forget one incident during Black History month, when some students wrote racial slurs on an internet site during the celebratory program my school was hosting. One of them especially striking: “Blacks should be grateful for whites because we freed them.”

After these posts surfaced, the school decided to address these issues by blocking the website and holding a school wide convocation. For some students, though, this wasn’t enough. We demanded that they take more concrete action to prevent similar situations from happening.

I gathered students to come and speak with the leaders of our institution and we crafted a list of ideas and actions the university could take. We wanted to see more diversity in faculty and staff and for the university to add a diversity officer and an African American history class. While it took time, some of the suggestions were fulfilled – though others have still not been offered, such as classes focusing on African American history.

While this incident was challenging, it was also motivating. I wanted to help inspire change through REI. And today, at The Community Foundation, I’m honored to be doing just that.

Britney Owens, at her pinning ceremony for social work during college

A Renewed Commitment to REI
At The Community Foundation, where I now work as a Community Investment and Donor Services Associate, we are working to build on a rich history of social justice grantmaking and community leadership initiatives. We have led funding collaboratives, like the Washington Area Partnership for Immigrants, the Resilience Fund, and the Common Ground Fund (which originated our acclaimed “Putting Race on the Table” discussion series) - and President & CEO Tonia Wellons felt it was time to refocus our commitment to REI.  

One key way we’ve done this is by forming an REI Working Group, which leads discussions for staff at our organization. We meet once a month to read articles and discuss different REI issues, with the goal of continuing to grow into an organization that understands and can more fully center REI principles and practices in both our internal and external work.

In a recent meeting, we read and discussed The Case for Reparations by Ta-Nehisi Coates. We also watched his testimony on House Bill HR 40, legislation that would allow the exploration of reparations for African Americans. This has really set the tone for what we want to accomplish as an organization: providing equity and liberation to groups that continue to be impacted by systemic racism.

We are also working with external partners to educate and encourage an REI focus for the nonprofit and philanthropic sector in this region. We’ll participate in the inaugural Race, Equity and Future of Greater Washington Region Summit, tentatively rescheduled for this fall, to convene 800 regional leaders to examine existing disparities and co-create a new path toward a racially just and equitable region.

And, we are, more and more, infusing REI into our grantmaking. We recently made a commitment to ensure that at least 50% of our COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund nonprofit partners are organizations led by people of color. We hope this will inspire greater equity in the Greater Washington region; and, ultimately fuel the change we want. 

What’s Next?
It’s been an honor to be part of our REI work at The Community Foundation, and I’m looking forward to continuing to help lead the conversation and engage our broader community. This is especially exciting as our region begins to stabilize after the COVID-19 pandemic. Those most disproportionately impacted by the pandemic have been people of color who were already marginalized before COVID-19 hit.

We want to help address the pre-existing inequities this pandemic has shone a spotlight on. We don’t want to just return to the way things were before; instead, we will re-focus on how we can rebuild our communities to be more equitable and resilient.

While we’re still figuring out what this will look like, I know that REI will be a part of it. And, so will I.

Building Resilience in the Face of COVID-19

By Melen Hagos, Manager, Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships

We are incredibly grateful for this cash assistance that will benefit our ‘forgotten ones’ who are facing health problems, evictions, and hunger during this difficult time. –Maria Gomez, President & CEO, Mary’s Center

Since 2017, The Resilience Fund has been at the forefront of responding to the changing needs and priorities in our region. Following a brutal campaign season that contributed to a rise in instances of hate and intolerance, specifically towards immigrants and people of color, The Greater Washington Community Foundation and its partners came together to create a mechanism to ensure that our local communities were resilient and supported despite federal policy shifts that could adversely affect our neighbors.

Fast forward to 2020 and our world looks a bit different. We’re dealing with a global pandemic that has taken the lives of many individuals, most of which are people of color. And it’s no surprise that low-income communities and hourly wage workers, particularly people of color, have been disproportionately impacted through this crisis. While legislation has been passed to support our friends and neighbors in the region, undocumented immigrants have largely been left out of the conversation.

Staying True to Our Mission

Given our new reality, it is important to stay true to our mission. A key focus of the Resilience Fund has always been to support the critical needs of nonprofits responding to federal policy shifts on behalf of our most marginalized neighbors. Immigrant communities in particular have faced many hardships exacerbated by these changes, and the effects of COVID-19 are no different.

Due to the changing nature of our environment, we have decided to shift our strategy to reflect the current reality. We have decided to redirect the Resilience Fund’s remaining resources to make grants to nonprofit partners serving immigrant communities disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. Following this final distribution of grants, we will shift our focus and efforts to COVID-19 response and prioritize meeting our community’s needs related to the pandemic through the COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund.

We have made 7 final grants totaling $340,000 to organizations responding to the COVID-19 crisis and its impact on immigrant communities:

• African Communities Together: To engage in rapid response activities to support African immigrants.

• Ayuda: To support low-income immigrant clients by providing the resources needed for food medical needs, and housing.  

• CASA de Maryland:  To support immigrant communities in Montgomery and Prince George’s County, Maryland, whose immigration status puts them in danger of extreme economic hardship.

• Mary’s Center: To provide health services to immigrant communities in DC and Maryland. 

• National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC): For an emergency fund providing support to undocumented individuals or individuals in mixed status households, and other individuals expressly excluded from federal relief.

• Northern Virginia Family Services:  To support the Immigration Legal Service (ILS) program and its impact on immigrant communities in Northern Virginia as it relates to the uptick in domestic violence and sexual assault during this pandemic.

• Prince George’s Child Resource Center: To support Prince George’s Child Resource Center in their ability to provide guidance and assistance to the childcare provider community in Prince George’s County, Maryland.

Grateful for the Past, Hopeful for our Future

We're very proud of the work we have been able to accomplish together with our nonprofit partners, which we could not have done without the help of our committed donors. Together, we’ve raised more than $1.3 million and made grants to 46 nonprofit organizations across the region since the Fund’s inception.

We would also like to express our sincere gratitude to the Steering Committee, which included the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation, the Harman Family Foundation, the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, June Linowitz, Elaine Reuben, Rob and Sheri Rosenfeld, Mauri Ziff, and Jeff Hamond

This core group of individual and institutional donors worked with us to advise grant decisions and future Fund priorities, ultimately providing us with the thought partnership and accountability needed to ensure the Fund was successful. 

I will miss being part of the Resilience Fund Steering Committee, where the members' experience and expertise were shared in service of local need. We learned from grantees, our consultants, The Community Foundation’s supportive staff, and each other. I believe it was truly a success. –Elaine Reuben, Steering Committee member since 2017

At a difficult time for our country and our community, I felt the Resilience Fund was doing important work to alleviate suffering and to combat negative trends. I was truly honored to be helping and, in a time, when it was easy to feel overwhelmed and frustrated, it gave me a sense of purpose and agency.” –June Linowitz, Steering Committee member since 2017

As we begin to return to our daily routines, we know we won’t be returning to normal. In fact, I would encourage us to question if our “normal” was even good enough in the first place. The very same systems and structures that existed prior to the global pandemic have only been exacerbated during COVID-19. And, we anticipate the issues facing our most marginalized communities will only continue after we transition back to re-opening our country.  

COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund

If you’d like to continue to support our region’s immigrant communities, The Community Foundation’s COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund is one way to help. The Fund helps mitigate the impact on disproportionately affected communities in our region—including many immigrant populations that the Resilience Fund previously served.

Join us and, together, we can continue to help and empower our most marginalized neighbors towards a tomorrow that is more resilient, equitable, and just.

Building Critical Capacity for Nonprofits in Need

By Glen O’Gilvie, CEO, Center for Nonprofit Advancement

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, many nonprofits are struggling to survive. 501c3’s face a host of challenges as they seek funding to cover losses and maintain their programs—one of which is navigating the complexities of local and federal funding programs.    

This is one of many reasons why, when I received a call in March from The Community Foundation with an innovative partnership idea, I was immediately on board. Silvana Straw, Senior Community Investment Officer and Philanthropic Advisor, who also helps lead the Partnership to End Homelessness, wanted to work together to support and help build the capacity of housing and homelessness nonprofits on the frontlines of battling COVID-19.

Our plan was to help these organizations develop proposals for the DC Small Business Recovery Microgrants program, which provides grant funding to help small, local businesses and nonprofits to cover employee wages and benefits, fixed costs, inventory, rent and utilities. The Community Foundation would identify nonprofit partners in need and the Center for Nonprofit Advancement would provide encouragement, technical assistance, and grant writing support to participants.

Glen O’Gilvie (pictured far right) with Martha’s Table at the Center for Nonprofit Advancement’s 2019 Board Leadership Reception.

Jumping into action, we organized our capacity building specialists (part-time and consultant team members) to work with housing and homelessness nonprofits in the region. After reaching out to dozens of local nonprofit homeless services providers identified by The Community Foundation, we received interest from Casa Ruby, DC Doors, Everyone Home DC (formerly CHGM), Homeless Children’s Playtime Project, Jubilee Housing, Miriam’s Kitchen, and SMYAL. 

The Center’s Capacity Building Specialists used available public information (e.g. website, Form 990s, etc.) to draft proposals for each participating organization. We then worked directly with nonprofits to review proposals, collect additional information, and submit their applications.

We are proud to report that every organization we worked with submitted an application. While award notifications are still pending, we remain hopeful that each nonprofit will receive the support they need.

We were honored to receive enthusiastic feedback from our nonprofit partners:

We could not have done this without you.” – Jamila Larson, Executive Director & Co-Founder, Homeless Children’s Playtime Project

I am so grateful for your help with the recovery microgrant! Your assistance on this was so valuable, especially with the really quick turnaround time. Whatever happens, it feels good to have the support of our nonprofit community as we focus on helping our clients through this scary time and try to anticipate what it means for all of us long term.” – Karen Cunningham, Executive Director, Everyone Home DC

“Thank you so much. This really meant a lot. I’m really hopeful we’ll be able to keep our doors open for those in need. And I truly believe people put their hearts into all Ruby’s work. Thank you!” – Holly Goldmann, Director of External Affairs, Casa Ruby

The COVID-19 pandemic has created tremendous uncertainty for many organizations—and we are proud that by working together with The Community Foundation we could help ensure nonprofits have the support they need to focus on their critical missions. Our hope is to build this program out to serve additional nonprofits with administrative needs including assistance with proposal development for future public and private funding opportunities. 

It’s inspiring to work in partnership with another philanthropic organization, especially the Greater Washington Community Foundation, who we have a long history of partnering with for community impact. This spirit of collaboration and service helped ensure housing and homelessness organizations had the opportunity to access funds during this critical time—and that’s something we can all celebrate.  When funders, direct service nonprofits, and local capacity building organizations collaborate, our communities win.

Learn more about the Center for Nonprofit Advancement, and The Community Foundation’s Partnership to End Homelessness.

To help support nonprofits responding to COVID-19 in our region, consider giving to our COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund.

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About the author

Glen O’Gilvie has served as chief executive officer of the Center for Nonprofit Advancement since 2008, providing education, networking, advocacy and back office services to nearly 1,000 organizations. A leader with more than 24 years of management experience in the National Capital region’s nonprofit sector, Glen is passionate about addressing the issues affecting people and communities.

Before joining the Center, Glen served as President and CEO of Earth Conservation Corps, Program Officer at The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region and National Coordinator at the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial. During his tenure at each organization, he strengthened programmatic and administrative infrastructure and forged partnerships with nonprofits, government, foundations and corporations to advance each mission and increase outcomes.

Glen holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology, a master’s of education and has completed various nonprofit management and leadership training and certification programs, including Harvard University Kennedy School’s Leadership in the 21st Century. In 2015, he accomplished the Certified Association Executive (CAE) designation. He also serves as a nonprofit management, fundraising, and leadership and management adjunct professor.

Glen resides with his wife and two children, Delaney and AJ, and is active in youth sports and education enrichment.

Leading Our Community's Response

Our COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund has now been in operation for one month. Over that time, we have provided more than $3.8 million in grant funds to local nonprofits providing critical relief supports across our region and across five issue areas—education and youth, employment and small business, medical care and access, housing and homelessness, and general operating support.

Our RFP is currently on pause as we absorb the information from 750 applications on the evolving needs of our community and learn more about communities and populations that are being impacted disproportionately. We plan to reopen our RFP later this month reflecting an updated set of giving priorities.

Over the last few weeks, we have formed working groups for each of our five issue areas to review proposals and make grant recommendations. Below, read about what we are doing and learning in each area - and how our community is organizing to fight the COVID pandemic.

Employment and Small Business

We have made a set of investments in local service providers working to provide emergency cash assistance to our region’s low-income workers that do not have the resources to wait for Federal or State unemployment benefits to kick in, or communities (like undocumented workers) that do not qualify for this type of support.

Education and Youth

We have been singularly focused on supporting the most vulnerable children and families who are struggling as a result of this crisis. Many organizations are stretching themselves to support the youth and families they already have built strong connections with to address basic needs.  Parents are a child’s first teacher and now that schools are closed education is not solely in the classroom.  Despite what schools, local government and philanthropy are doing there are still many families that are not able to connect to services and education opportunities for the children in their homes. 

Medical Care and Access

We are providing support services for health care and frontline workers while also addressing the health access needs of the more vulnerable populations in Greater Washington area. Their focus has been to support efforts to source PPE for frontline workers, increase COVID-19 testing for vulnerable and marginalized communities, and support clinics and health centers providing support and care in response to COVID-19.

As the pandemic response continues to grow on a statewide and national level, we know that our response will have to adapt as well. This working group is continuously monitoring changes, sharing resources, and adjusting its priorities directly in response to needs.

Homelessness and Housing

We have been working to support local providers whose doors are open and who are actively providing direct services to the most vulnerable and disproportionately impacted populations during the COVID crisis - specifically people living in shelters or on the street. Priority populations include: women and children facing increased instances of domestic violence and abuse, families, youth including foster care and LGBTQ youth, older/chronically ill individuals, and undocumented people and immigrants.

As we continue to see increasing numbers of people experiencing homelessness testing positive for COVID and deaths amongst this vulnerable population, our investments will help organizations provide essential services and resources to protect these individuals, families, and youth and to prevent community spread.

General Operating Support

Investments also included grants to nonprofits addressing the dramatic uptick in intimate partner violence and other types of abuse, grants to organizations supporting at-risk communities including those living with disabilities, and grants to support the ability of legal services providers to continue to provide critically needed services to local residents as courts continue to convene.

What’s Next?

We anticipate re-opening the RFP by the end of April. In the meantime, for more information on our COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund, please visit www.thecommunityfoundation.org/covid-19 for a list of our grantee partners and funding priorities.

$5.2 Million Raised for COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund and $1 Million Granted to Local Nonprofit Partners

The Greater Washington Community Foundation has mobilized more than $5.2 million in community support for its COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund and made new grants totaling $1 million to 14 nonprofits serving residents of Washington, DC, Montgomery and Prince George’s counties in Maryland. Through this Fund, which launched on March 13 in collaboration with regional partners, The Community Foundation is working to rapidly raise and deploy critical resources to nonprofits responding to the urgent health and economic needs of disproportionately impacted communities in the region.

“During this time of crisis and uncertainty, we are inspired by how our generous donors and community partners are stepping up to help us meet the evolving needs and challenges associated with the impacts of coronavirus on this region,” said Tonia Wellons, President and CEO of the Greater Washington Community Foundation. “The Community Foundation is committed to working with our partners to address both the immediate needs of our neighbors and to plan for the longer term needs of our communities.”

New Grants Announced

Since opening an online request for proposals last week, The Community Foundation has received more than 500 requests for funding across five issue areas: Education and Youth, Employment and Small Business, Medical Care and Access, Housing and Homelessness, and General Operating Support.

The following nonprofit organizations were selected this week to receive a total of $1 million in funding based on their alignment with the Fund’s strategic priorities and their ability to both address urgent needs and reach historically underserved populations.

General Operating Support:

• Network for Victim Recovery to provide staff with living wages, support clients through the Survivor Support Fund, and provide frontline staff at hospitals with hazard pay.  

• Greater Baden Medical Services, Inc. to help stabilize and recover from a sharp drop in revenue due to the COVID crisis, ensuring it continues to provide health care services in Prince George’s County.

• Greater DC Diaper Bank to provide low-income families with a reliable source of diapers, formula, feminine products, and baby gear.

Education and Youth:

• CollegeTracks to provide virtual supports and additional assistance for first-generation-to-college students from low-income, minority, and immigrant families.

• Generation Hope to serve teen parents and their children who may experience or have experienced homelessness, foster care, abuse, and food insecurity.   

• New Futures to serve under-resourced young people pursuing postsecondary degrees while struggling with loss of income, lack of childcare, or adjusting to distance learning and remote work.

Employment and Small Business:

• Community Services Agency of the Metro Washington AFL-CIO to provide financial assistance directly to workers demonstrating need. 

• Martha’s Table to provide a weekly cash stipend to Ward 8 families facing lack of childcare and temporary loss of income for parents and caregivers.

Housing and Homelessness:

• House of Ruth to serve women and survivors of domestic violence and help mitigate the risk of increased homelessness for these populations.

• Miriam's Kitchen to continue providing services and essential frontline support to people experiencing homelessness.

• Calvary Women’s Services to serve women experiencing homelessness in Ward 8.

• Pathways to Housing DC to continue providing outreach and to maintain access to medical and psychiatric care for people living on the streets.

Medical Care and Access:

• CCI Health & Wellness Services to purchase PPE kits, COVID-19 Test Kits, and software to provide critical services to minority, immigrant, low-income, and uninsured or underinsured populations.

• Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington, DC to implement care through a telehealth system, replenish PPE to protect providers and patients, and to create virtual workshops.

To date, the Fund has made nearly $1.8 million in grants. A full list of all nonprofits supported by this Fund is available at www.thecommunityfoundation.org/covid-19-grant-recipients.

“Our funding is targeted toward our nonprofit partners serving the most vulnerable communities in our region, including low wage workers, hourly and gig economy workers, health care providers, people of color, and people experiencing homelessness,” said Tonia Wellons. “These flexible grants will help stabilize our nonprofit partners and allow them to begin addressing the economic shocks brought on by this crisis so they can meet the increase in demand for their services. More importantly, this funding will enable them to expand critical medical care, shelter/housing, financial or other supports and services to provide relief for individuals and families facing hardship across this region.”

Mobilizing Community Support

In addition to The Community Foundation’s initial commitment of $150,000 to launch the Fund, support for this effort has come from The Community Foundation’s donors, local foundations, corporate partners, and online contributions. A full list of donors and partners is available at www.thecommunityfoundation.org/covid-19-our-partners.

Donors include:

Amazon

Aviv Foundation

Diane & Norman Bernstein Foundation

Booz Allen Hamilton

The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation

A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation

Comcast

The Crimsonbridge Foundation

The Lois and Richard England Family Foundation

Philip L. Graham Fund

Harman Family Foundation

Horizon Therapeutics

International Monetary Fund Giving Together

The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation

Richard E. and Nancy P. Marriott Foundation

Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation

Pivotal Ventures, a Melinda Gates company

PNC

Prince Charitable Trusts

Target

United Solutions

Washington AIDS Partnership

Washington Gas

Weissberg Foundation

Wells Fargo Foundation

The World Bank Group Community Connections Fund

200+ individual online donations from community members with gifts ranging in size from $10 - $5,000

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As the global pandemic continues, we will continue to make grants from our COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund. We anticipate doing so on a weekly basis.

If you’d like to contribute to the COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund, you can read more and donate below.

New COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund Grants Announced

The Community Foundation established the COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund to support emergency preparedness and response efforts that will help mitigate the impact on disproportionately affected communities in our region. Through this fund, we are focused on addressing lost wages, providing relief for small businesses and gig economy workers, expanding access to medical services, and meeting the unique needs of people experiencing homelessness, among other needs.

Read more about our priorities, which include education and youth, workforce and small business, medical care and access, homelessness and housing, and general operating support for nonprofits to help fill critical gaps.

This week, we are pleased to announce new grants to nonprofit organizations focused on the critical health care needs of people experiencing homeless. These grants will support nonprofits that provide essential health care services for the homeless population in Washington, DC, and Montgomery County, Maryland, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A total of $175,000 in grants was awarded to:

• Unity Health Care, Inc is the largest network of community health centers in Washington, DC. Unity provides comprehensive primary and specialty health care and wrap-around services, regardless of ability to pay, at numerous traditional and non-traditional sites.

  Unity received a $100,000 grant to increase capacity to serve people in shelters and congregate settings, as well as in quarantine locations. The funds will help provide health care to those who are ill, and help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

• Mobile Medical Care (MobileMed) serves low-income, uninsured, and Medicaid-enrolled residents of Montgomery County, Maryland. MobileMed offers a network of primary care clinics, and specialty care clinics located throughout the county to reach areas of greatest unmet medical need. They also provide primary care and nurse case management services at two County homelessness shelters.

  MobileMed received a $75,000 grant to increase capacity to serve people experiencing homelessness at shelters and via telehealth.

These providers are already going above and beyond to serve people who do not have a home where they can isolate or quarantine. Even with the severe shortages of personal protective equipment and cleaning supplies, they continue to provide essential services to some of our most vulnerable neighbors.

As the global pandemic continues, we will continue to make grants from our COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund. We anticipate doing so on a weekly basis.

If you’d like to apply, please review our Request for Proposals and submit your application.

If you’d like to contribute to the COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund, you can read more and donate below.

Tonia Wellons Named CEO of Greater Washington Community Foundation

The Board of Trustees of the Greater Washington Community Foundation is delighted to announce the appointment of Tonia Wellons as President and CEO. This selection is the result of a rigorous search process conducted by executive search firm Russell Reynolds Associates, in partnership with a committee of six Community Foundation Trustees.

While serving as Interim CEO since early October, Tonia has guided The Community Foundation through this leadership transition by ensuring the organization maintained its donor services, continued its programs, and advanced fundraising efforts in order to deepen community impact work. Over the past month, Tonia has led The Community Foundation as it quickly shifted to respond to the evolving COVID-19 outbreak in Greater Washington, helping raise nearly $4.5 million for local relief and recovery efforts.

“As our community continues to face the crisis and uncertainty brought on by the global coronavirus pandemic, Tonia’s steadfast vision and leadership of The Community Foundation offers us hope and much needed continuity for the critical work of addressing this community’s immediate and long-term needs,” said Katharine Weymouth, chair of the Board of Trustees, Greater Washington Community Foundation. “This is a crucial time of both need and opportunity for The Community Foundation as an anchor institution that is uniquely positioned to help our community weather this crisis and come out stronger and more resilient on the other side. Tonia’s expertise in community development, both globally and locally, and her leadership skills combined with her personal connection to this region, make her ideally suited to accelerate our impact in the community.”

Previously, as our VP of Community Investment, Tonia spearheaded multiple initiatives that have had tremendous impact in the region. She led the launch of VoicesDMV, a community engagement initiative designed to understand the quality of life in the region by surveying residents and hosting community conversations. Based on what we learned from VoicesDMV, Tonia led a refresh of our Community Investment framework to focus on Building Thriving Communities by disrupting poverty, deepening culture and human connection, and preparing for the future of work.

Under this new framework, Tonia has been instrumental to the launch of several community impact initiatives, including the Partnership to End Homelessness, a public-private initiative focused on DC, and re-centering the Children’s Opportunity Fund to address the achievement gap for low-income students in Montgomery County. She also co-led the strategic refresh of our Prince George’s County agenda to include more philanthropic and strategic partners and focus investments on education and workforce development.

Prior to joining The Community Foundation in 2016, Tonia was a political appointee for the Obama Administration as head of global partnerships at the Peace Corps. She previously served as fund manager of a multi-donor initiative focused on financial access and inclusion at the World Bank Group. She also spent a significant part of her career working on USAID-funded capacity development initiatives during the immediate post-apartheid era in South Africa and the broader sub-Sahara region. In 2010, Tonia founded the Prince George’s County Social Innovation Fund (PGCSIF) and its flagship initiative Forty Under 40 Prince George’s, designed to increase social capital in the county where Tonia has lived for nearly 24 years.

“It is an honor to become President and CEO of the region’s largest public foundation, and to lead our team of talented and passionate employees, dedicated to serving this community,” said Tonia Wellons. “I’ve been proud to support The Community Foundation’s mission to Build Thriving Communities and now look forward to working even more closely with Katharine and our board to build on a strong foundation and nearly 50-year history of positively impacting our community.”

Please join us in congratulating Tonia by sharing this announcement on social media or by commenting, liking, or sharing The Community Foundation’s announcement on our Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn channels.

Community Foundation Announces Unprecedented Community Support for Emergency COVID-19 Response Fund

Editor’s note: This post was updated on April 6 to reflect additional contributions to the fund.

Region’s Largest Community Foundation has raised and committed $4.7 million to support disproportionately impacted communities

Across the region, the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 is rising and the situation is rapidly evolving. The health, social, and economic implications of this pandemic are already being felt and could continue to be staggering to our region.

Last week, The Community Foundation launched the COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund to support emergency preparedness and response efforts to help mitigate the impact on disproportionately affected communities in our region. Through this fund, we are focused on addressing lost wages, relief for small businesses and gig economy workers, expanding access to medical services, and meeting the unique needs of people experiencing homelessness, among other issues.

Since launching the COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund, The Community Foundation has raised and committed more than $4.7 million in contributions from both individual donors and institutional funders.

You can join this effort to ensure our region is prepared to meet the evolving needs and challenges associated with this public health emergency and economic crisis. Your contribution will help support and assist our nonprofit partners working on the frontlines to provide supplies and direct services to affected communities, especially low-income communities, hourly wage and gig economy workers, people of color, and people experiencing homelessness who may be disproportionately impacted.

“We know that missing one shift or even one paycheck can mean members of our community, especially the region’s low-wage workers, struggle to pay rent, afford groceries, and otherwise provide for their families,” said Tonia Wellons, Interim President and CEO of the Greater Washington Community Foundation. “The outpouring of support from our community has been nothing short of incredible! We are truly inspired by our community coming together to help each other out during a difficult time. Your support helps us deploy critical resources to our nonprofit partners responding to the urgent health and economic needs of our communities.”

In addition to The Community Foundation’s initial commitment of $150,000 to seed the fund, support for this effort has come from several individual, philanthropic, and corporate partners. Initial partners and contributions to this fund include:

• The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation has approved a $1 million grant, $750,000 outright and $250,000 as a 1:1 match

• Thanks to a generous matching challenge grant from the A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation, starting today all additional contributions to this fund will be matched up to $500,000

• More than $750,000 in individual contributions from The Community Foundation’s donors and donations from community members ranging in size from $10 - $5,000

• $350,000 from Amazon as part of a $1 million total contribution to four local community foundations serving residents of the Greater Washington region

• $250,000 from Diane & Norman Bernstein Foundation and Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation

• $200,000 from Public Welfare Foundation

• $150,000 from Pivotal Ventures, a Melinda Gates company, and Wells Fargo Foundation

• $100,000 from Philip L. Graham Fund, Richard E. and Nancy P. Marriott Foundation, The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation, and Target

• $75,000 from Horizon Therapeutics and PNC

• $60,000 from International Monetary Fund Giving Together

• $50,000 from the Lois and Richard England Family Foundation, Prince Charitable Trusts, Washington AIDS Partnership, Weissberg Foundation, and the World Bank Group Community Connections Fund

• $25,000 from Booz Allen Hamilton and Comcast

• $10,000 from The Crimsonbridge Foundation and United Solutions

“During these challenging times, the Foundation is pleased to support the COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund,” said Calvin Cafritz, President and CEO, The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation. “We want to ensure that nonprofits, and the communities they serve, are able to survive this crisis and thrive in the future. We are happy to work with the Greater Washington Community Foundation, and others, to help local organizations in both the short- and long-term.”

"In keeping with Mr. Clark's commitment to the Washington, DC region, the A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation believes that this is a time to come together as a community to provide resources to our neighbors,” said Joe Del Guercio, President and CEO of the A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation. “The Greater Washington Community Foundation is uniquely positioned to respond to this evolving crisis and address the immediate and long-term needs of the region. We are proud to partner with them on this effort.”

“Right now, our nonprofit partners need flexible resources in order to fill critical gaps and meet increased demand for their services, while they also grapple with their own fundraising and volunteer shortfalls,” said Tonia Wellons, Interim President and CEO of the Greater Washington Community Foundation. “The Community Foundation is committed to addressing both the immediate needs of people in our region and we’re planning for the longer term needs of communities to ensure our region remains strong and resilient.”

“The Wells Fargo Foundation is appreciative of the Greater Washington Community Foundation’s leadership as our region – and the world – faces unprecedented challenge,” said Anna Bard, Senior Vice President and Community Affairs Manager for DMV at Wells Fargo. “We have chosen to provide a $150,000 investment because we trust The Community Foundation to exercise their convening power and work collaboratively to identify the best means of supporting vulnerable members of our community.”

“Thousands of World Bank Group staff and retirees call the Washington, DC region home and they are eager to help their local communities’ response to the COVID-19 virus,” said Lindsey Buss, Senior Officer, Community Outreach at The World Bank. “Through this emergency grant, from staff/retiree donations and World Bank Group matching funds, to The Community Foundation’s COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund, we are happy to be a part of an ongoing and flexible support system for our community and neighbors.”

The Community Foundation will administer grants in cooperation with our local government advisors and philanthropic partners. In order to move resources quickly, funds will be released on a rolling basis throughout the outbreak and recovery phases of this crisis, making it possible to adapt to evolving needs in subsequent funding rounds.

With a mission to Build Thriving Communities, The Community Foundation brings together people and resources to tackle critical community issues and leads community impact initiatives to ensure our region is healthy and thriving. The Community Foundation is best known for establishing and managing the Survivor’s Fund, which from 2001-2008 raised and deployed $25 million in support for emergency services to families and victims of the 9/11 Pentagon attack. In 2008, The Community Foundation also created the Neighbors in Need fund and raised more than $5 million to support local residents hit hardest by the economic crisis. More recently, The Community Foundation’s Resilience Fund helped workers displaced by the partial Federal Government shutdown in January 2019 by funding nonprofits providing emergency cash and food assistance to our neighbors.

More information is available at www.thecommunityfoundation.org/covid-19.

Amazon Donates $1 Million to Washington, DC Region Community Foundations to Kick-Start Emergency COVID-19 Response Funds

Donation will support the four largest local community foundations serving residents of the Greater Washington region: ACT for Alexandria, Arlington Community Foundation, Community Foundation for Northern Virginia, and the Greater Washington Community Foundation – this five-part partnership is strategically positioned to support nonprofits at the frontlines of the region’s Coronavirus response 

Local businesses, community groups, and individuals are encouraged to get involved

Arlington, VA—March 18, 2020 — Amazon has donated $1 million total to kick-start collaborative emergency COVID-19 response funds that will immediately benefit four local community foundations across the Greater Washington region who are working to support vulnerable populations disproportionately impacted amid the coronavirus outbreak. ACT for Alexandria, Arlington Community Foundation, Community Foundation for Northern Virginia, and the Greater Washington Community Foundation will each use these funds for grants to nonprofits addressing food insecurity, housing/shelter, and providing emergency financial assistance. This gift will allow each foundation to lean into their unique strengths and community connections to rapidly disperse resources to nonprofits with deep roots in our community and strong experience serving our most vulnerable neighbors.

The donation from Amazon to the four community foundations is coming at a critical time to bolster frontline services and safety net needs across the District, Maryland, and Virginia. The community foundations recognize that the fast-moving crisis will require both immediate action and long-range planning to best serve those most impacted. Amazon’s donation will be distributed to provide imperative flexible resources to organizations working with communities who are disproportionately impacted by coronavirus and the economic consequences of the outbreak including hourly workers, people experiencing homelessness, and the elderly.

“So many families in our community were already on the financial edge. The need for food, household items and emergency financial assistance is significant,” said Heather Peeler, president and CEO of ACT for Alexandria. “This support enables us to collectively help those who are hardest hit.”

“Our four organizations are working closely together to respond in a nimble way to address the most critical needs facing our neighbors,” said Jennifer Owens, president and CEO of the Arlington Community Foundation. “We know that we are stronger together and hope this gift will inspire others to jump in and do what they can to improve outcomes for our neighbors in need.”

“Amazon’s support allows us to deploy critical resources in response to the urgent health and economic needs of our communities,” said Tonia Wellons, interim president and CEO of the Greater Washington Community Foundation. “We are specifically targeting resources to low-income communities, hourly wage and gig economy workers, and people of color who will be disproportionately impacted. We also know that people experiencing homelessness and direct service providers face unique health risks that must be addressed.”

“As COVID-19 is a public health issue, our community foundations will seek input from public health officials to understand how philanthropy optimally folds into the greater community response,” said Eileen Ellsworth, president and CEO of Community Foundation for Northern Virginia. “This is also an economic issue, and to the greatest extent possible, we will use this gift to respond to the economic impacts of the virus in our service areas.”

“The Washington, D.C. area is our new home, and we must rally together to support our neighbors during this difficult time for our region and around the world,” said Jay Carney, Amazon SVP, Global Corporate Affairs. “In addition to making sure our Amazon customers can get the essentials they need, we will support our community partners who are doing life-saving work. Amazon’s $1 million donation to these four community groups will provide fast, flexible support to those who need it most and encourage a wave of additional community donations during this unprecedented time.”

“We are just coming to grips with the full scope of the impact of COVID-19 on our community,” said Justin Wilson, Mayor of Alexandria, Virginia. “The human service needs, economic impact and strains on our critical services will be with us long into the future. We have a resilient community and this contribution will help bring our City and our resident back stronger than ever.”

“Arlington welcomes Amazon’s donation to the Arlington Community Foundation,” Arlington County Board Chair Libby Garvey said. “We hope this is the first of many donations by Amazon and our other corporate citizens who recognize the need to partner with County government, and Arlington nonprofits during this public health crisis.”

The funds will be deployed in the District of Columbia, Montgomery and Prince George’s counties in Maryland through the Greater Washington Community Foundation; Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William counties and the cities of Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas and Manassas Park through the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia; the City of Alexandria through ACT for Alexandria; and Arlington County through the Arlington Community Foundation.

Other businesses, community groups, and individuals interested in the COVID-19 response funds can visit: www.thecommunityfoundation.org/covid-19-our-partners/#nova.

As a global company, Amazon is closely monitoring the impact of COVID-19. In addition to those who are affected by the illness, many more are indirectly dealing with changes in their work, school, and community environments. You can read more about how Amazon is supporting customers, their employees, and communities here.

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Learn more:

• ACT for Alexandria: www.actforalexandria.org

• Arlington Community Foundation: www.arlcf.org

• Community Foundation for Northern Virginia: www.cfnova.org

• Greater Washington Community Foundation: www.thecommunityfoundation.org

About the Greater Washington Community Foundation

The Greater Washington Community Foundation exists to Build Thriving Communities by guiding strategic philanthropy, providing leadership on critical issues, promoting civic engagement, and inspiring local giving. Founded in 1973, The Community Foundation is a public charity made up of hundreds of charitable giving funds established by generous individuals, families, and businesses. We work with donors and partners to enhance the quality of life in the District of Columbia, Montgomery County, Northern Virginia, and Prince George’s County. As the region’s largest local funder, we manage $350 million in assets and have invested nearly $1.3 billion to build more equitable, just, and enriching communities where all residents can thrive.

Community Foundation Announces COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund

The Community Foundation is coordinating with our peers in philanthropy to rapidly raise and deploy critical resources to nonprofits on the frontlines of responding to the urgent health and economic needs of disproportionately impacted communities in Greater Washington.

Celebrating Philanthropy and Civic Spirit

“Every day I’m inspired by [those] who chose to give,” Tonia Wellons, Interim President and CEO of The Community Foundation.

While we regret that the Celebration of Philanthropy was cancelled out of concern for the safety and health of our guests, we still want to celebrate our 2020 Civic Spirit Award honoree, the A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation, and the many contributions of our community to help make this region a more vibrant, equitable, and inclusive place to live.

We want to give a special thanks to our sponsors, especially our lead sponsors from Brown Advisory, Morgan Stanley, and the J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation. We are very fortunate to have the support of so many caring individuals and organizations—too many of them for me to name, but you can see the full list on our website. We would also like to recognize the generosity and leadership of our host committee, especially our co-chairs Debbi Jarvis and Neal Simon. Thank you!

“Every day, I’m inspired by the individuals and families in this region who choose to give some of what they have to help those who have less,” said Tonia Wellons, our Interim President and CEO.

One such example of the incredible power of neighbors helping neighbors comes from our 2020 Civic Spirit Award honoree, the A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation. Mr. and Mrs. Clark believed in quietly and generously giving back to local organizations serving the community where they lived, worked, and achieved their success.

Now under the leadership of their daughter, Board Chair Courtney Clark Pastrick, and President and CEO Joe Del Guercio, the Foundation continues this philanthropic legacy by investing in building connections between effort and opportunity to help people achieve their greatest ambitions.

Presenting the 2020 Civic Spirit Award to the A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation

In prepared introductory remarks, Patty Stonesifer, retired CEO of Martha’s Table, said: “It is not just what the A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation is investing in, but [their] values: hard work, integrity, accountability, and humility.”

Watch the video below to learn more about those values, and how they have influenced the Clark Foundation’s investments.

A Thank You from Courtney Clark Pastrick

Courtney Clark Pastrick

“It is with sincere thanks that we accept the Greater Washington Community Foundation’s 2020 Civic Spirit Award. Although we are not celebrating together in person, my gratitude is not dampened. This award is an incredible honor for me, my family, and the entire team at the A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation."

“My parents, Alice and Jim always believed in investing in others and connecting effort with opportunity. For 30 years, I was fortunate to work with my father to help to direct his philanthropic investments in the Washington, DC region as well as for engineering scholarships and veterans support programs across the country. Today we continue this work in his honor. Our investments in the Washington, DC region focus on three areas: maternal and child health and early education, strong schools and community anchors, and college persistence for DC students. We are inspired by the work of our grantee partners and are grateful to the Greater Washington Community Foundation for this honor.”

Supporting Our Community

In addition to honoring the A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation with the 2020 Civic Spirit Award, the Celebration raised more than $620,000 to support The Community Foundation’s work to foster more vibrant and healthy communities. A portion of the proceeds from ticket sales will now be dedicated to supporting local emergency response efforts.

We have already started coordinating with the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, United Way, and our peers in philanthropy to prepare for our community's response to a potential public health and economic crisis. The Community Foundation has opened and provided seed funding for the COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund to collect donations that can help with supplies and emergency preparedness activities, and to provide emergency cash or other assistance to nonprofits and community members who may be negatively impacted by major event cancellations, lost wages, decrease in demand for small business services, lack of access to health care, and more. If you would like to make an additional contribution to this effort, please click here.

Delivering food to United Communities Against Poverty

Despite the event cancellation, we have taken proactive measures to turn a disappointing situation into something that positively benefits our community. The food and florals for the event have been donated to United Communities Against Poverty to provide 500 meals to individuals and families in Prince George's County whose quality of life has been negatively impacted by poverty, unemployment, or homelessness. We also compensated all workers, volunteers, and nonprofit performers who were relying on this event as a source of income to ensure that our cancellation did not create negative financial impacts for them. 

With a mission to Build Thriving Communities, The Community Foundation continues to bring together people and resources to tackle critical community issues and leads community impact initiatives to ensure the Greater Washington region is a place where all residents can live, work, and thrive.

As the largest funder of nonprofits in the region, The Community Foundation and our donors have invested nearly $1.3 billion to strengthen our community since 1973. Last year alone, we collectively granted more than $64 million to thousands of nonprofit partners, with 73% directly serving the Greater Washington region. This is a testament to the generosity and commitment of our community of givers who chose to focus their giving locally.

How to Get Involved

To all of our sponsors, Host Committee members, and guests, although we do not get to celebrate with you tonight, your continued support and partnership are crucial to building the kind of community that we are all proud to call our home. And that is something worth celebrating!

If you are not already part of our remarkable community of givers, partners, and doers, we invite you to join with us today. You can visit our website or contact Angela Willingham, AVP of Development.

The Starbucks Memorial Fund: Strengthening DC Communities through Nonprofit Partnerships

By Ryan Hudnall, Starbucks partner resources associate and The Starbucks Foundation grant ambassador

Editor’s note: This is part of a series of posts which provide an introspective look at the partnership between Starbucks and The Community Foundation which resulted in more than two decades of grant support to tackle the various issues that local communities face.

Recognizing the memorial fund and its grants in the Starbucks store on Wisconsin Avenue

In December 1997, the Starbucks Memorial Fund (funded by Starbucks and The Starbucks Foundation) was created at The Community Foundation in response to the tragic killings of three Starbucks partners (employees) during an attempted robbery of their Georgetown store. The fund was created to help support nonprofit organizations who were working to help better communities in order to help mitigate issues of violence. It’s been more than 20 years but the memory of Mary Caitrin Mahoney, Aaron David Goodrich, and Emory Allen Evans continues to burn brightly in our hearts and in the Washington, DC community with the help of the fund created in their honor. Their store on Wisconsin Avenue continues to be a living tribute. Over two decades, the fund supported more than sixty nonprofits based in the Greater Washington region with more than $1.3 million in grant support.

Grants have supported a variety of local organizations, from those providing emergency services to survivors of domestic violence and child abuse, to organizations leading violence prevention programs through peer education and advocacy. In 2016, the focus of the Starbucks Memorial Fund shifted to supporting local organizations that create opportunities for underserved populations and that strengthen communities in Washington, DC, including supporting job training opportunities for Opportunity Youth, veterans, and refugees.

DC partners with Dog Tag Bakery, a memorial fund grantee

“Participating in the process to select beneficiaries of the Starbucks Memorial Fund allows our local store leaders to both learn about philanthropy and the local nonprofit landscape, as well as share their valuable perspectives and experiences from engaging with community both inside and outside our stores.” – Stephanie Jasek, Starbucks district manager and Washington, DC regional community lead

The grantees support causes that many local Starbucks partners are passionate about. Local Starbucks partners participated in the review of grants every year under the guidance of the Greater Washington Community Foundation’s philanthropic advisory services team to select organizations that serve the diverse needs of the city. Starbucks partners were also encouraged to invest in building relationships and volunteering their time to support programs led by the Starbucks Memorial Fund grantees.

Starbucks partners have shared their personal and professional experiences with Opportunity Youth participating in workforce readiness training and have served as mock interviewers and mentors. They have also prepared meals, served coffee at community events led by the grantees, and helped to raise awareness and other financial support for the organizations. Many of these relationships have lasted long beyond the term of the grant and continue to be valuable in strengthening Starbucks partner and customer connections to the Greater Washington community.

DC partners with Public Allies, a memorial fund grantee

“Our partnership with the Greater Washington Community Foundation over the past 20 years has helped us identify and support local organizations that truly share our mission and values. With the Greater Washington Community Foundation’s deep insight into the nonprofit ecosystem and issues affecting the community, combined with our Starbucks partners’ commitment to creating community in our third place, we hope to both honor the memory of our partners and build a strong community in partnership with local DC nonprofits for years to come.” – Virginia Tenpenny, executive director, The Starbucks Foundation and vice president, Global Social Impact, Starbucks Corporation

DC partners with SOME, a memorial fund grantee

Performances Announced for the 2020 Celebration of Philanthropy

By Brittany Owens, Community Investment and Donor Services Associate

Our annual Celebration of Philanthropy pays tribute to the individuals and organizations that dedicate their time and resources to make our region a more vibrant, equitable, and inclusive place to live. Even our pop-performances – live music, theater, poetry, and dance – come from nonprofits and local artists who are supported by The Community Foundation and our community of givers. We are so excited to announce the individuals and organizations who will entertain you at our Celebration on Thursday, March 12, 2020. To get your tickets to the Celebration, please visit www.thecommunityfoundation.org/celebration.

The Asylum Seeker Assistance Project (ASAP) was founded in 2016 to strengthen and support asylum seekers to rebuild their lives with dignity and purpose.  ASAP utilizes a holistic approach that combines social, employment, and community engagement services to support their clients achieve safety, stability, and economic security. A component of ASAP’s community engagement services program focuses on storytelling to communicate the value and importance of welcoming refugees. ASAP’s performance will feature a selection of storytellers that will share personal excerpts from their lives to offer listeners a greater insight into the asylum seeker experience. 

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Alliance for New Music-Theatre develops and produces works across the spectrum of music-theatre on subjects and issues that matter in our community, changing the conversation through the arts. The Musicianship Washington Youth Chorus joins the Alliance for New Music-Theatre to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of Dunbar High School, the first African American high school in our nation. To mark the occasion, this performance will feature Greg Watkins — a distinguished performer, composer and music director — and the Washington Youth Chorus singing several pieces from Steven M. Allen’s opera based on the life of poet Paul Laurence Dunbar.

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CREATE Arts Center’s mission is to spark creativity, foster learning, empower individuals, and facilitate community connections through the visual arts. CREATE builds community partnerships that bridge cultural, economic, and social barriers. The programs at CREATE consist of arts education and art therapy. At the celebration, CREATE will host an interactive mural design to engage guests and illustrate a collective story of those who participate. Participants will choose from dozens of mixed media elements to express their own narrative that will be presented in an eclectic form of artistic expression and artwork.

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DC Jazz Festival (DCJF) provides enriching and entertaining performances that introduce students from various walks of life to jazz. DCJF nourishes the community with free educational programs that extend their reach into underserved neighborhoods and enhance the quality of life for DC public and charter school students. Its signature programs include the DC JazzFest program showcasing emerging and established artists, while the DCJazzPrix is a national jazz band competition. DC Jazz Festival’s performance will feature several music selections from Teaching Artist Herman Burney, a mix of professional musicians, and students from the Jazzin’ Afterschool Youth Ensemble program at Sitar Arts Center.

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Girls Rock! DC is an arts and justice organization that is a supportive, inclusive, and creative space for girls, non-binary, and other trans and gender expansive youth. The program focuses on building self-confidence and community to rise up and rock out. The youth in this program vary in race, ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic backgrounds, abilities, and identities. Girls Rock! DC will be hosting an “instrument petting zoo” for guests to learn about, try out, and appreciate music in an interactive, judgement-free, fun space. We'll have a variety of instruments on display and teaching artists will lead one-on-one demonstrations and lessons.

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Guided by the founding principle that “Dance is for Everyone”, Joy of Motion’s mission is to cultivate a diverse community of dance students, educators, artists, and audiences in the DC metropolitan area. Joy of Motion accomplishes this by providing exceptional dance education and performances that open doors for learners of all ages and abilities. This mission supports our vision of making dance a celebrated component of life-long learning, well-being, and a thriving society. Joy of Motion’s performance will showcase “Rage Mode”, a high-energy Hip-Hop piece performed by the Rhymthmx Youth Performance company comprised of 8 company members ages 8-11 years old.

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The Washington Ballet (TWB) is internationally recognized for its excellence in classical and contemporary ballet repertory. TWB has a three-part mission: to bring the joy and artistry of dance to the nation's capital and the world's stage through the professional presentation of the best in classic and contemporary ballet; provide the highest caliber of dance training through The Washington School of Ballet (TWSB); and serve and involve the entire community through extensive dance education and community engagement programs. The Washington Ballet’s performance of Ballet Hispano was choreographed by Helga Paris Morales, a native of Puerto Rico, and will consist of a three-part ballet that showcases different styles of Latin American dance with classical ballet technique.  

Viewpoint: Region's income gaps can also lead to perception gap

In her Washington Business Journal op-ed, Interim President and CEO Tonia Wellons discusses the misperception that poverty is primarily a choice—and how philanthropy can help.

“My hope for 2020 is that we can not only inspire more local philanthropy here in Greater Washington – but also that we can make progress on controlling the circumstances of economic injustice which make philanthropy necessary.”

Quarterly Community Update

Dear friends,

Happy new year! I want to take a moment to share how thankful I am for the generosity and continued partnership throughout 2019 and beyond. I am so proud of what we have accomplished together — here are just a few highlights from last year:

• The Community Foundation joined with Mayor Bowser’s Interagency Council on Homelessness to launch the District’s first-of-its-kind public-private Partnership to End Homelessness.

• The Children’s Opportunity Fund doubled its impact for a total of $1.2 million invested towards closing the opportunity gap for children and families in Montgomery County.

• The Workforce Development Collaborative celebrated its 10th anniversary by updating its strategy to focus on eliminating inequities based on race, ethnicity, or gender and providing new career pathways and wealth-building opportunities for local workers.

• The Resilience Fund mobilized community support for nonprofits providing emergency cash and food assistance to our neighbors during the partial Federal Government shutdown.

Last quarter (October-December 2019), our community of givers collectively awarded nearly $20.4 million in grants to organizations serving the most critical needs of our communities. With your support, The Community Foundation continued its critical work to Build Thriving Communities in the Greater Washington region by awarding new grants from:

• The Resilience Fund to increase civic engagement, support advocacy on behalf of immigrants and asylum seekers, and expand outreach and services to marginalized communities;

• The 2020 Count DMV In Census Project to ensure an equitable future for our region through a fair and accurate Census count by supporting education, outreach, and assistance focused on hard-to-count communities; and

• The Partnership to End Homelessness in the form of “flex funding” to help nonprofits expedite housing placement and increase stabilization for single adults experiencing homelessness.

I hope to see you at our 2020 Celebration of Philanthropy on March 12, where we will recognize the collective effort of our region’s nonprofits, donors, and community leaders who work to make our communities stronger. We are excited to present the 2020 Civic Spirit Award to the A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation at the Celebration. Sponsorship packages are available for individuals and businesses — please contact Emily Davis at [email protected].

It is our generous donors who make this all possible! Together, we are building a more vibrant, equitable, and enriching community for all who call the Greater Washington region their home.

Sincerely,

Tonia Wellons
Interim President and CEO

New Grant Opportunities for Nonprofits Serving Greater Washington

The Community Foundation has opened its Spring 2020 Grant Round and is now accepting proposals for grants from the Fund for Children, Youth, and Families; Spring Creek Environmental and Preservation Fund; and the David Bradt Nonprofit Education Fund's Nonprofit Leadership Award. Additionally, the Resilience Fund has opened a call for ideas and the Partnership to End Homelessness has released an RFI related to advocacy and public will building efforts focused on homelessness and affordable housing. 

Save the Date for VoicesDMV Community Conversations

Save the Date

Wednesday, May 20, 2020

Our region is shifting, neighborhoods are changing, and many residents are experiencing those changes in dramatically different ways that can disrupt families and communities. As we seek to build the kind of vibrant community we can all be proud to call home, it is critical to understand the diverse experiences of the people who live and work in the Greater Washington region.

Your Voice Matters! On May 20, help us explore and shape the priorities for our community!

Please save the date and plan to join your friends, neighbors, colleagues, and fellow community members in small-group conversations to discuss critical issues impacting our region, and consider ways we can all work together to make our communities stronger. On the Table is part of a region-wide civic engagement initiative, called VoicesDMV, launched by The Community Foundation in 2017 to explore the region’s challenges and opportunities related to housing, transportation, safety, economic security, race relations, community well-being, and more.

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#VoicesDMV | VoicesDMV.org