Cancelled Event Helps Families in Need
Earlier this week, we made the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 Celebration of Philanthropy. Despite the event cancellation, we took proactive measures to turn a disappointing situation into something that positively benefits our community. The food and florals for the event were 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. Our story was featured yesterday as part of WJLA’s (the local ABC7 affiliate) coverage of local coronavirus response efforts.
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.
2020 Celebration of Philanthropy Canceled
On March 9, we made the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 Celebration of Philanthropy, scheduled for Thursday, March 12.
While local and federal governments continue to view the threat level as low, we have made this decision out of an abundance of caution and concern for your health and safety. As a community foundation whose mission is to ensure a vibrant and healthy community, we cannot in good conscience proceed with a large public gathering that could potentially put you and our valued community members at risk of exposure.
Proactive and Positive Measures
We are taking proactive measures to turn a disappointing situation into something that positively benefits our community. The food and florals for the event will be donated to our grantee partners that help feed and care for vulnerable members of our community. We also plan to pay the workers and volunteers who were relying on our event as a source of income to ensure that our cancellation does not create negative financial impacts for them. And we will honor our agreement to compensate our nonprofit performers in appreciation for their continued partnership, impact in our community, and the time they spent in preparation for this event.
Preparing for our Community’s Response
Shifting our focus away from the event will allow The Community Foundation to begin coordinating and preparing for our community's response to this potential public health crisis, and how we can help community members who may be impacted by lost wages, decrease in demand for small businesses, or lack of access to health services. We have already begun coordinating discussion and efforts with the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, WRAG, and other local funders. A portion of the proceeds from the Celebration will now be dedicated to supporting disaster response, something we have strong experience with and have built a reputation for leading in our community.
Questions?
We thank you for your patience and understanding! If you have any questions, please contact Danielle Yates at [email protected] or 202-973-2513.
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
Introducing Three New Team Members
“To me, philanthropy is the highest form of advocacy. You’re not only supporting important community issues, but can inspire others around you, too. I hope to elevate this through the stories I share about our community.” –Jamie McCrary, our new Digital Marketing Manager, on what inspired her to join The Community Foundation.
Jamie started her new role this past month, working with Danielle Yates, Senior Director of Marketing and Communications, to implement the organization’s marketing strategy across digital platforms.
Jana-Lynn Louis and Jennifer Olney, two new Program Officers who joined our Community Investment team this past November, echo a similar sentiment. They are excited to join an organization that supports issues they’re passionate about, including underserved youth and homelessness.
Below, learn more about each of our new staff members and what inspires them to come to work every day.
Jana-Lynn Louis, Community Investment Officer
Jana-Lynn is a clinical researcher and public health wonk who is passionate about community engagement, support, and capacity building. She describes community investment as something she “is completely drawn to,” which prompted her transition from HCM Strategists, a local health and education policy consulting firm.
She leads the Fund for Children, Youth, and Families portfolio, a grantmaking strategy that invests in organizations working for the betterment of underserved children, youth, and families in the region. Specific issue areas include housing-based service programs, foster care, and academic programming and career training.
While new to social services, she has experience as a grantmaker and community engagement partner at HCM Strategists, with the National Institutes of Health as her primary client. She has also worked at the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) and John Hopkin’s Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center.
“I enjoy supporting local nonprofits, which directly impacts the more vulnerable communities in this region,” she says. “Creating that connection between philanthropy and local giving is vital for our success.”
Jamie McCrary, Digital Marketing Manager
Jamie is a marketing manager and a writer who specializes in nonprofits, especially in education and the arts. She’s passionate about helping organizations tell their stories and raising awareness about their work.
She leads The Community Foundation’s digital strategy and storytelling, translating news about grantees, donors, staff, and events into compelling online narratives. This includes managing social media, the monthly email newsletter, website, and digital advertising. Most of all, Jamie is excited about growing The Community Foundation’s online community by engaging people around our issue areas.
Jamie is also a freelance arts writer and musician. As a professionally trained violist, she loves covering classical concerts for the Washington Classical Review, DCist, and Strathmore News. She is a member of the Premiere String quartet, where she performs at events and weddings throughout the DMV area.
For Jamie, it’s all about communication and connection. “That’s why I work in marketing, write and play music. I love building meaningful connections through stories that matter,” she said.
Jennifer Olney, Community Investment Officer
Jennifer Olney was drawn to The Community Foundation for its work around ending homelessness, an area where she has spent most of her career. “It felt like the perfect opportunity to continue the work I’ve done with philanthropy and with communities working to end homelessness across the country,” she said.
Jennifer leads the Partnership to End Homelessness portfolio, which brings together the public and private sectors to advance solutions that ensure homelessness is rare, brief, and non-recurring in Washington, DC. She works with local government and with the initiative’s partners to advance their work in the community.
Prior to The Community Foundation, she worked at Funders Together to End Homelessness and the National Alliance to End Homelessness, where she led national and issue-based networks and managed development activities, respectively.
She is excited to help advance The Community Foundation’s mission of Building Thriving Communities.
“To me, this embodies the role of The Community Foundation and the reason I was attracted to the organization,” she said. “We get to work with philanthropists to help them understand big issues, like homelessness, and connect them with organizations that are doing amazing work and solutions that have proven results.”
Finding Hope in Resilience
By Melen Hagos, Manager, Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships
re·sil·ience
noun
the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.
As a child of immigrant parents, I understand the difficult journey all too well. I have family members who have navigated the complex immigration system and subsequently went on to live the 'American Dream.'
In the mid-1980s, my parents came to the United States as refugees from Eritrea, a country in East Africa. At the time, they had three little girls; my other five siblings were born here in the US. My father, a teacher who always emphasized education, made sure all eight of us went to college.
My family, like many other immigrant families, came here to seek a better life. A life in which they can work, raise their children, and provide a path forward for future generations.
This is why I have been so disheartened to see immigration being used to divide our communities and alienate some of our most marginalized neighbors. This has made it more difficult for people, just like me and my family, to build a solid foundation in an already complex world.
You might be wondering what, if anything, can we do about it? It’s easy to feel helpless in times like these, but I choose to find hope in the resiliency of our community, especially when caring people come together to help each other out.
It was this vision for resiliency and neighbors helping neighbors that led to the launch of the Resilience Fund in 2017. The Resilience Fund was created by The Community Foundation in partnership with the Meyer Foundation and several donors who were concerned about how federal policy changes and the increasing climate of hate and intolerance would impact our local community.
Over the last three years, we’ve supported nonprofits on the front lines of responding to policy shifts that have had detrimental and, in some cases, long-lasting impact on our local community. Thanks to our dedicated Steering Committee of both individual and institutional donors, we have provided 38 organizations with nearly $1 million in emergency grants to respond to shifts in immigration policy, provided training on legal and civil rights, expanded access to citizenship and democracy, and lead efforts to build community cohesion.
To date, the Fund has raised over $1.3 million dollars and leveraged nearly $700,000 to support nonprofits in the region. And, has served as a mechanism to mobilize compassionate community members to get involved by providing support (gifts ranging in size from $10 to $50,000!) to help our neighbors facing hardship due to the 2019 partial government shutdown.
It wasn’t easy when my family arrived 33 years ago. My parents had to learn a new language and culture, and leave their old lives behind. I haven’t heard them talk about the kind of difficulties I see immigrants facing today, though. We weren’t turned away from communities in the same spirit I see happening today.
For me, this is one of the greatest goods the Resilience Fund offers. I do feel a culture of intolerance and hate directed towards immigrants and people of color, that has reached new depths. We are living in a time that has become so divisive, where dinnertime conversations or friendships can go awry due to differing political views, and where people choose not to vote because they feel like it won’t matter. The Fund can be an opportunity to educate ourselves, and others, on these challenges, and the work that needs to be done to overcome them.
To be most effective, though, we need to hear from you.
What are the most derisive issues impacting our community? Are there ways we can ease policy shifts that are adversely impacting immigrants? As a local nonprofit, you can help inform the conversation by posing ways to address these challenges.
If you have an idea or solution to help our neighbors build resilience or how we can affect change through the Resilience Fund, submit a proposal through our Call for Ideas, by 4 p.m. on March 9. Proposals will be reviewed by the Steering Committee in March and April 2020.
Going forward, we will continue to host open funding rounds, to empower our nonprofit partners to help us identify the most critical issues facing our community. We want to change the narrative by offering resources to affect real change.
Today, my family is settled in Arlington, Virginia. The journey of an immigrant isn’t an easy one—but, with dedication and community support, it doesn’t have to be so difficult. I hope you’ll join me in helping support other’s journeys.
_______________________________________________________________
The Resilience Fund welcomes new donors who are interested in serving on the Steering Committee which advises on grant decisions and future fund priorities. If you are interested in joining, please reach out to Melen Hagos at [email protected].
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
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.
#VoicesDMV | VoicesDMV.org
Inspiring Emerging Leaders In Prince George's County
Davion Percy (on the far left) poses with other emerging leaders from The Community Foundation’s Advisory Board in Prince George’s County.
Meet Davion Percy, the dynamic leader of The Community Foundation’s new effort to harness the energy of emerging leaders in Prince George’s County to grow and leverage local philanthropy for positive community impact. Members of the Emerging Leaders Impact Fund (ELIF) contribute to a pooled fund, learn about local needs and solutions, and collaborate to determine where to direct funding to high-impact nonprofits.
As Chair, Davion personifies the kind of young leader for whom ELIF was created. A 34-year-old resident of Suitland, Maryland, Davion currently serves as the Vice President of Government Relations at Alexander & Cleaver, PA, one of Maryland’s most highly regarded law firms. He first learned of The Community Foundation when working as Chief of Staff to former Council Member Karen R. Toles, and became more involved in 2019 when he served on the Planning Committee for the 2019 Civic Leadership Awards in Prince George’s County.
Davion’s vision for ELIF is clear.
“Often, residents grow up in Prince George’s County, go off to school, start careers, become successful, and invest their money in communities elsewhere. My hope is that ELIF will position young philanthropists to support community impact initiatives in Prince George’s County. The primary focus for this coming year is to recruit early and substantial investors. I plan to continue to raise awareness about ELIF, encourage emerging leaders to join, and position ELIF to be significantly impactful on our community. Most important, I am looking forward to not only having the conversation about significant needs in our community, but investing in, and implementing actual solutions to the challenges that our communities face.”
“Let’s put our money—and our brains—where our mouths are!”
Most exciting is the opportunity for inaugural members to build the framework of ELIF and help set its course. For a gift of $500, you receive charter member designation, and in partnership with the Executive Committee you can help shape the philanthropic direction of the ELIF. The contributions, financial and otherwise, of this year’s class of emerging leaders will lay the foundation for ELIF’s impact for generations to come.
Inspired to find out more?
To join ELIF, members contribute an annual membership fee — $500 for charter members, $240 for annual members, or students can join for $120 (just $10 a month!). All contributions are tax-deductible and 90% of every gift supports grants to be distributed by ELIF, while 10% of contributions go to the permanently endowed Fund for Prince George’s County to support a broad range of community needs, projects, and programs. As an ELIF member you will not only join an exclusive network of givers finding solutions to community problems, you will also be connected to organizations doing meaningful work in the County through site visits, member roundtables, nonprofit showcases, special events, and more.
Learn more and join now at https://www.thecommunityfoundation.org/elif.
New Leadership for Advisory Boards in Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties
We are excited to introduce Veronica Jeon and Karen Leder as the chairs of our Advisory Boards in Prince George’s and Montgomery counties respectively. They join The Community Foundation’s new leadership team including Katharine Weymouth, Chair of the Board of Trustees, and Tonia Wellons, our Interim President and CEO.
Advisory Board members demonstrate their passion for strengthening our community through the gift of their time, energy, and experience. They share knowledge of the challenges and opportunities specific to our local jurisdictions, advise on potential solutions to address community issues, and help grow the spirit of giving in our region.
Please join us in welcoming these dynamic leaders!
Veronica Jeon
Chair, Prince George’s County Advisory Board
Veronica Jeon credits her entrepreneurial parents with shaping her career path: She is president and CEO at V.SJ, Inc., a full-service consultancy specializing in strategic communications, public affairs, and crisis management. Branded as the “Executive Fixer”, Veronica intentionally helps businesses and organizations re-invent, re-emerge and re-position themselves to be more strategic and influential in the marketplace and in their respective industries.
Veronica says, “Community begins at home and what better place to start than where I live, work, and play? I am committed to advocate, lead initiatives and partner to elevate and engage in philanthropy on all levels in Prince George’s County.”
Committed to “paying it forward”, Veronica is dedicated to mentoring the next generation of entrepreneurs and leaders. She served as co-chair of the 2018 and 2019 Civic Leadership Awards to recognize, honor, and promote outstanding community leadership in Prince George’s County. She has also been involved in helping to develop and launch the Emerging Leaders Impact Fund to encourage collective giving and civic engagement among County residents under the age of 45. She sees great potential in Prince George’s County to expand the culture of philanthropy and connect nonprofits to more growth opportunities.
In addition to her new role as chair of the Advisory Board, Veronica is a member of the Prince George's Healthcare Alliance board, a former board member of the Northern Virginia Urban League, After School All Stars, and Hope Connection, and a former mentor for Ladies America and the After School All Stars.
Karen Leder
Chair, Montgomery County Advisory Board
For two decades, Karen Leder has partnered with The Community Foundation to positively impact the community where she was raised and in turn raised her family. Karen and her husband created a family fund to address their areas of concern including workforce development, healthcare, and education through the Whatever We Imagine scholarship fund. Karen founded Power of Pink to honor her sister, a two-time breast cancer survivor, which raises funds to help women in the Greater Washington region to receive breast cancer education, screenings, and treatment regardless of their ability to pay. This fund has raised over $800,000 for the cause.
“As a philanthropist,” says Karen, “I am impressed with how The Community Foundation listens to the community, specifically through VoicesDMV, to learn about the needs and supports organizations that address those specific needs to create thriving communities. The Community Foundation has helped shine a light on what our region needs to create equity and justice for all.”
As a lifelong resident of the Greater Washington region, Karen has witnessed changes in Montgomery County including an increase in poverty. Through her leadership of the Montgomery County Advisory Board she aims to educate, motivate, and inspire others about the needs in the county and encourage giving that can help level the playing field for all.
Sponsor the 2020 Celebration of Philanthropy
We are pleased to share the sponsorship opportunities for the 2020 Celebration of Philanthropy on Thursday, March 12, 2020 at the Andrew Mellon Auditorium! Join us for the largest annual celebration of local philanthropy in our region as we pay 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.
This year, we are proud to present the 2020 Civic Spirit Award to the A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation for its commitment to expanding opportunities for our neighbors and communities to thrive. 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, Courtney Clark Pastrick, the Foundation continues this philanthropic legacy by investing in building connections between effort and opportunity to help people achieve their greatest ambitions.
Your purchase of a ticket or sponsorship will support The Community Foundation’s ongoing work in the region. Your support is a critical investment in strengthening our region and creating a brighter future for our most marginalized neighbors.
With your contribution, we can Build Thriving Communities that are rife with opportunity for everyone! Please contact Angela Willingham, Associate Vice President of Development, at [email protected], if you have any questions.
Investments on a mission
By Shannon Scott, CFO, Greater Washington Community Foundation
The end of the year is a great time to take stock of our financial choices throughout the year and make changes that may set us up for success in the year ahead. Achieving your philanthropic goals requires informed, strategic, and thoughtful investment options. At the Community Foundation, we have expanded those options to provide you with more opportunities to sustain your fund and increase your capacity to invest in nonprofits now and in the future.
To optimize your philanthropic investment, you can choose from the following to allocate all or part of your fund’s investment.
Community Foundation Investment Options
Combined Investment Fund – This global balanced fund is the most common investment choice for our donors. We manage and minimize risk, diversify the portfolio with quality investments, monitor investments versus benchmarks, and provide diligent committee oversight to put you in position to support current and future programmatic work and grant making. Since inception (in 1998), the fund has earned an annualized return 5.58%, net of investment management fees.
Vanguard Index Funds – In response to our donors’ request for a low-cost indexed funds, The Community Foundation added four new index funds. An index fund is a passively managed fund, meaning that the intent is to match the risk and return of the broad market indexes. These mutual funds attempt to mimic the performance of an index, such as the S&P 500, by owning the same stocks as those in the S&P 500. Its best qualities are limited protections from market anomalies and lower costs due to lower trading volume and less hands-on research. Our existing index funds include an equity fund (Vanguard Institutional Index Fund Institutional Shares) and a fixed income (bond) fund (Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Institutional Shares); two Treasury funds (Treasury Money Market and Short-Term Treasury) became available October 1, 2019.
Impact Investment – Working with Enterprise Community Loan Fund, Inc., we offer a place-based mission investing opportunity for donors. You may allocate a portion of your fund at The Community Foundation to invest in the development of deeply affordable and supportive housing in the region. As part of our Partnership to End Homelessness impact initiative with Enterprise, allocating dollars to this initiative supports our efforts to respond to the homelessness crisis by developing deeply affordable housing for our most marginalized neighbors.
Cash – Keeping your fund 100% liquid in cash is also an option for donors. The average money market rate over the past 13 months is 2.24%, ranging from a high of 2.47% to a current low of 1.62%. This option offers the least amount of risk and the corresponding yield reflects that.
Separately Managed Fund – Finally, if you have over $500,000 in your fund, you may name an external investment advisor to manage your investments.
When making decisions about which of these options is right for you, we encourage you to consider your risk tolerance, grantmaking time horizon, and philanthropic intentions for your fund.
If you would like to learn more about any of these investment options or talk to us about reallocating all or part of your fund’s investment, please contact Shannon Scott or Juliana Mitrojorgji.
This is distributed for general informational and educational purposes only and is not intended to constitute legal, tax, accounting or investment advice. The information, opinions and views contained herein have not been tailored to the investment objectives of any one individual. Nothing contained herein should be construed as investment advice. Any reference to an investment’s past or potential performance is not and should not be construed as a recommendation or as a guarantee of any specific outcome or profit. Any ideas or strategies discussed herein should not be undertaken by any individual without prior consultation with a financial professional for the purpose of assessing whether the ideas or strategies that are discussed are suitable to you based on your own personal financial objectives, needs, and risk tolerance.
Meet our 2019 Montgomery County Philanthropists of the Year
Hope Gleicher and Andy Burness met when he was just starting his mission-driven communications firm. Andy had been tasked to visit Baltimore’s Health Care for the Homeless where Hope was the founding executive director. Since then, Hope has led many philanthropic and nonprofit organizations, including the Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers, Trellis Fund, and Nonprofit Montgomery. Meanwhile, Andy’s business grew into a global communications firm working with hundreds of nonprofit and government partners working on solutions to challenging problems related to health, social justice, poverty alleviation, and scientific discovery. While raising their kids and juggling busy careers, Hope and Andy always made sure that giving was part of the fabric of their everyday lives.
Their quiet approach to philanthropy is informed by people on the front lines of service to those who suffer from inequities and injustices. When supporting people and organizations that share their values, Hope and Andy draw on their extensive knowledge and experience from their professional careers. That combination of time, talent, and financial resources has helped many nonprofits achieve game-changing breakthroughs, from small and emerging start-ups to large, visionary organizations.
Here in Montgomery County, some of their favorite organizations include Identity, the Crossroads Community Food Network, Manna Food Center, Montgomery Coalition for Adult English Literacy, College Tracks, Interfaith Works, Rainbow Community Development Center, Montgomery College and the Universities at Shady Grove. They also invest in efforts working toward systemic change, such as Nonprofit Montgomery and Montgomery Moving Forward. Additionally, as a co-founder and driving force behind Business Leaders Fighting Hunger, Andy has helped galvanize support for smart interventions to help ensure more of our low-income neighbors won’t have to worry where their next meal will come from.
Doing good is also central to the culture at Burness, the company Andy leads. In addition to offering a matching gift program for employees, the company has an employee-driven corporate giving strategy and distributes more than $100,000 each year to causes in Montgomery County and beyond.
We deeply appreciate Hope and Andy’s thoughtful leadership and advocacy, as well as their strategic philanthropy which have touched the lives of so many throughout our community. Their story illustrates the positive difference each of us can make when we give where we live.
Charitable giving in D.C. is well below the national average
By Tonia Wellons for the Washington Post Local Opinions
Tonia Wellons is interim president and chief executive of the Greater Washington Community Foundation.
The District is a magnet for some of the nation’s wealthiest and most powerful people. It’s also home to world-class museums, top-flight thinkers and the national headquarters for many of our nation’s most prominent nonprofits.
But even with these tremendous resources, we are conspicuously behind the curve when it comes to one important measure: generosity.
Tips for Family Giving
By Anna Hargrave, Executive Director for Montgomery County
“How can we get our children involved in giving?” This is one of the questions we hear frequently from our donors, especially around this time of year. We hear it about children of all ages—because parents never stop thinking about how to pass on their values.
And we have plenty of ideas to offer from our many years of working with individuals and families to maximize the benefits and impact of their giving. Here’s a taste:
Donors with their children and friends at one of The Community Foundation’s family-friendly learning events.
TAKE YOUR CHILDREN WITH YOU when you volunteer or attend an event sponsored by an organization you care about, such as a site visit, presentation, or fundraiser. The rides to and from the event provide the perfect opportunity to prepare them for the experience and then to debrief. Be sure to tell them why you care, and ask about their reactions.
HOLIDAY GATHERINGS are the ideal setting for starting a conversation. With multiple generations represented at the table, it’s a fine time to introduce and discuss what each of you, and each generation, share in common and where you differ. Two simple ideas:
Storytelling - Many families tell treasured stories at each holiday. (If you need to jump-start the storytelling, check out these questions from StoryCorps.) Consider adding a new chapter to each story, telling how it makes you think about what you are most grateful for, and how you might express that through your giving.
Family giving circle - Invite everyone to join in giving together. For example, adults might all chip in an amount that the under-18 set are tasked with distributing. The kids can discuss and then report out to the whole family about their selection and what inspired them to choose that specific nonprofit. (Tip: The Catalogue for Philanthropy offers a browsable directory of local charities that are vetted by experts.)
Through a kid-to-kid giving circle, local middle school students got to experience the fun of discovering and making grants to great nonprofits.
ORGANIZE A FAMILY MEETING to deepen intergenerational ties and develop a plan that expresses your family’s core values. In our fast-paced culture it’s easy to skip straight to reviewing a list of potential organizations to support. But whether the next generation is six or sixty, it’s important to first carve out time for the kids and parents to uncover the values and life experiences that shape your giving priorities. Talking through a few key questions enables everyone to coalesce around a shared vision, help avoid conflict later and make it easier to get everyone to a resounding “yes” when you find the exact right causes to support.
The Community Foundation’s professional staff can design a meeting around your particular needs to write a family mission statement, identify goals and grantmaking priorities, and we can facilitate one-time or annual family meetings.
In working with hundreds of families, we’ve often seen most parents discover that giving helps them achieve more than one goal. Conversations about philanthropy provide a platform for passing on values and can spark a passion so that the next generation experiences the joy of making a difference. Philanthropy can also keep family members close even as the kids grow up, move away, and get busy with careers and starting their own families.
Best of all, when you see your children thoughtfully and joyfully engaged in giving, you’ll know that your family legacy is in good hands.
Ready to find out more? Contact us at [email protected].
Family Philanthropy: Siblings Working Together in Honor of their Parents
“I feel we’re continuing our parent’s legacy and reinforcing things that were important to them and enriched their lives.”
At The Community Foundation, we love to help families experience the joy of giving and share their legacy with family members. One example of the power of families engaging in philanthropy comes from Rose and Harold Kramer who moved to Silver Spring in the early 1940s, where they raised three daughters and a son. Harold, after leaving the government, owned and operated several business ventures while Rose taught school before turning her attention to civic activities. Over the years, she was active in the League of Women Voters; served on the Montgomery County School Board, where she led the fight for school desegregation; and was elected to the Montgomery County Council, where she pushed for affordable housing.
Looking back, Ellen Ross recalls, "My mother became aware through her work that there were a lot of people in our community in need and a lot of inequities. Even a cross burning on our lawn didn't deter her from doing what she believed in."
"Dad had paved the way by making good investments, but mom was the driving force," says Ellen.
At the end of their lives, Rose and Harold told their children of their plan to create a fund at the Greater Washington Community Foundation with a generous portion of their assets. When Rose passed away in 2006, the Rose and Harold Kramer Fund was established. Each year, one of their four children has the responsibility of making grants from the fund. Reflecting on their parents’ legacy, the siblings all make a point to give to issues that move them individually while also investing in causes that they know would have inspired their mom and dad.
Early in the process, Ellen met with Anna Hargrave, Executive Director of The Community Foundation in Montgomery County. "Anna reads your personality really well and saw right away what I reacted well to. My first year was wonderfully interesting."
A resident of Wheaton, Ellen expressed an interest in local groups that provide after-school activities and college preparation for teens living in this multicultural neighborhood. In turn, Anna presented Ellen with a list of a dozen highly effective groups working with middle and high school students. She then joined Anna in visiting several of the organizations to connect with the leaders, see their programs in action, and hear directly from students about how these programs support their success.
Reflecting on her experience, Ellen shared, “With the gaps between the economically secure and insecure growing wider every year, The Community Foundation has made me aware of programs that most effectively lessen the impact in Montgomery County. My husband and I have independently stepped up to do our share and always feel rewarded by knowing our diverse community has well designed programs to support a range of needs.”
Save the Date for the 2020 Celebration of Philanthropy
You’re invited to the 2020 Celebration of Philanthropy on March 12, 2020! Join us for the largest annual celebration of local philanthropy as we pay 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. Mix and mingle with our region’s top local philanthropists, nonprofits, business, government, and community leaders, while toasting to The Community Foundation’s impact and legacy of bringing people and resources together for community change.
Photo of Mr. and Mrs. Clark courtesy of the Clark Foundation.
At the Celebration, we are proud to present the 2020 Civic Spirit Award to the A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation for its commitment to expanding opportunities for our neighbors and communities to thrive. 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, Courtney Clark Pastrick, the Foundation continues this philanthropic legacy by investing in building connections between effort and opportunity to help people achieve their greatest ambitions.
You’ll also experience the region’s vibrant local arts community while enjoying delicious food, an open bar, and networking opportunities. You can choose from an incredible line up of pop up performances of live music, theater, poetry, and dance from some of the region's most exciting nonprofits and local artists supported by The Community Foundation and our community of givers. To learn more about performance opportunities, please click here.
When you purchase a ticket or sponsorship for this event, you are also giving back to your community by supporting our efforts to build thriving communities throughout the region. Proceeds benefit The Community Foundation's Fund for Greater Washington, enabling us to make grants to effective nonprofits, incubate new ideas, convene partners to address community issues, and conduct programmatic initiatives and advocacy. Through this Fund, The Community Foundation invests in effective solutions to help our marginalized neighbors find pathways out of poverty, create diverse and inclusive spaces to deepen human connection, and prepare workers to succeed in our region’s changing economy.
Sponsorship Packages
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.
WHEN
Thursday, March 12, 2020
6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
WHERE
New Location!
Andrew Mellon Auditorium
1301 Constitution Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20240
TICKETS
Ticket sales will open in January 2020
General Admission: $200
Nonprofit and Emerging Philanthropists: $125
Business Attire
Quarterly Update to Fundholders
Dear friends,
I hope this note finds you enjoying a happy and healthy start to your holiday season. In September, the Board of Trustees asked me to serve as Interim President and CEO, bridging Bruce McNamer’s departure and our search for a permanent successor. It is my pleasure to serve in this capacity and to continue the critical work of The Community Foundation. During this transition, I will continue to prioritize our efforts to Build Thriving Communities through local philanthropy, move full steam ahead on our impact initiatives across the region, and continue to cultivate and build strong partnerships with you, our fundholders.
I am also excited to share the news that our Board of Trustees has elected Katharine Weymouth as our new Board Chair. As Katharine takes on this mantle, she continues a family a legacy of giving and service to the Greater Washington region. Her grandmother (and namesake) Katharine Graham, who ran The Washington Post for more than two decades, also served on the board of The Community Foundation for nearly a decade. Katharine Weymouth previously served as Publisher and CEO of The Washington Post, and today she serves on the Board of Graham Holdings and is the COO at DineXpert.
Thanks to your continued support and partnership, last quarter our community of givers awarded more than $15.3 million in grants to organizations serving the most critical needs of our communities. This included $1.95 million in grants from the Fund for Children, Youth, and Families, managed by The Community Foundation, to support 46 nonprofits making a difference around some of our region’s biggest challenges in education, homelessness, and foster care. We were pleased to release a new online dashboard featuring the impact of the City Fund, detailing our five-year partnership with the District to invest $15 million in local nonprofits providing quality services to make DC a healthy, stable, and vibrant place to live for all residents. We also held donor education and engagement events across the region, including a discussion of lessons learned from our strategic emergency response efforts during the partial Federal Government shutdown earlier this year.
These are only a few examples of the ways in which we partner with you and our entire community of givers and doers to strengthen our communities. To support and sustain this vital work, we rely on generous gifts from our donors and on Community Foundation Support Fees charged to fundholders like you. These fees both support our critical community impact work and enable us to provide you with high-quality fund management and philanthropic advisory services throughout the year.
As we announced this summer, our Board of Trustees voted to increase our baseline Community Foundation Support Fees for the first time in 10 years — affecting most scholarship funds and non-endowed donor-advised, designated, field of interest, memorial, and disaster relief funds. The revised fees schedule took effect on October 1, 2019 and will be reflected on your February 2020 fund statement (for the quarter ending Dec. 31, 2019). Please contact us if you have any questions.
With 2019 coming to an end, The Community Foundation's staff can assist with carrying out your charitable giving to maximize both the impact and tax benefits of your gifts. Now is an ideal time to consider replenishing your fund at The Community Foundation. You can add to your fund now and make grants any time you wish. Please be mindful of our December 16 deadline for your year-end grantmaking activities to ensure your recommended grantees receive their funds by December 31.
Your continued partnership and support are crucial as we seek to build thriving communities today and for generations to come. We welcome the opportunity to discuss how The Community Foundation can support your charitable interests.
Sincerely,
Tonia Wellons
Interim President and CEO
P.S. You can find more information and stories of impact on our website or by following us on social media (@communityfndn on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram).
2019 Year End Gifts & Grantmaking
Please note: The Community Foundation is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. We will be closed on Dec. 24 and 25 and Jan. 1, and we will close early on Dec. 31 at 1 p.m.
As we near the end of the year, we would like to recognize our donors and their generosity throughout 2019. You’ve continued to demonstrate a strong philanthropic spirit by 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 FUND
Grant recommendations submitted by December 16 will be processed by December 31, provided the grantee organization meets The Community Foundation’s due diligence requirements. Due to increased volume, we cannot guarantee that grant recommendations submitted after December 16 will be processed and mailed in 2019.
PLEASE NOTE: Grants submitted prior to December 16, 2019 must also be approved (meeting The Community Foundation’s due diligence requirements) to be processed and mailed by December 31, 2019.
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 31 will be earmarked as a 2019 contribution. Please note: The gift must be in The Community Foundation’s account by this day to be eligible for a 2019 tax deduction.
Gifts made online:
Gifts can be made online at www.thecommunityfoundation.org/donate.
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 2019 contribution if postmarked by the US Postal Service on or before December 31.
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 2019 contribution.
Gifts made via transfer from mutual funds:
In order for gifts made from mutual funds submitted to The Community Foundation to be received by December 31 and earmarked as a 2019 contribution, the transfer must be initiated by December 6, 2019.