Phase Two of the DC CARES Program Will Provide Over $8M for Excluded Workers Relief

Critical Funding Represents Continuing Efforts to Support the DC Community and Invest in City’s Future

Washington, DC – January 25, 2021 – Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser and Events DC, Washington DC’s official convention and sports authority, announced the launch of Phase 2 of the DC CARES Program, which will provide over $8 million in relief funding to eligible excluded workers in the District of Columbia. They include people who have been omitted from federal stimulus efforts and are experiencing financial hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The additional aid comes from the District of Columbia’s budget and supplements the $5 million in relief for Phase 1 of the program provided by Events DC in June. 

“In funding this initiative for excluded workers, Mayor Bowser and her partners on the DC Council are proud to collaborate with Events DC to make this investment in our DC values of hope, love, diversity and inclusiveness,” said John Falcicchio, deputy mayor for planning and economic development. 

DC Cares is a continuing partnership among Events DC, the Executive Office of the Mayor, the Greater Washington Community Foundation and key partnering community-based organizations (CBO’s). To implement Phase 2 Events DC has provided the Greater Washington Community Foundation with $8.1 million to purchase pre-paid debit cards of $1,000 per card. In collaboration with the Executive Office of the Mayor, The Community Foundation will facilitate the outreach, processing and distribution of the pre-paid debit cards through the CBOs. 

“This program remains a core part of our mission to serve and give back to our communities which will help to continue to propel our city forward,” stated Greg A. O’Dell, president and chief executive officer of Events DC. “We thank Mayor Bowser and her executive team for their tireless efforts in supporting the excluded worker community and the DC Council for funding this important relief package.” 

The identified community-based organizations will issue the pre-paid debit cards to eligible workers based on certain criteria. The relief funding will be targeted to those families who live in the District, have experienced loss of income due to the public health emergency, and are ineligible for unemployment insurance or federal COVID-19 relief, to include returning citizens and cash economy workers.

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 to help implement the DC CARES program include the following:

• Bread for the City

• The Central American Resource Center (CARECEN)

• CentroNía

• Latin American Youth Center (LAYC)

• Mary’s Center

• Far Southeast Family Strengthening Collaborative

• DC Jobs with Justice

“We are proud of our continued partnership with Events DC, the Executive Office of the Mayor, and the following community-based organizations — Bread for the City, The Central American Resource Center (CARECEN), CentroNía, Latin American Youth Center (LAYC), Mary’s Center, Far Southeast Family Strengthening Collaborative, and DC Jobs with Justice — to provide over $8 million in relief funding to workers who have been excluded from federal stimulus efforts,” said Tonia Wellons, President and CEO of the Greater Washington Community Foundation.

“As the pandemic continues, so does the urgent need to support our excluded workers who are struggling financially. Building on our Phase I efforts, our goal is to provide this essential relief funding so these individuals may cover their food, rent, medical care, and other critical needs.”

Applicants who may be eligible for the program can access it through the centralized intake process at www.DCCARES2021.org or 202-332-1264. Any applicant who believes they may be eligible is encouraged to apply.

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About Events DC 
Events DC, the official convention and sports authority for the District of Columbia, delivers premier event services and flexible venues across the nation's capital. Leveraging the power of a world-class destination and creating amazing attendee experiences, Events DC generates economic and community benefits through the attraction and promotion of business, athletic, entertainment and cultural activities. Events DC oversees the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, an anchor of the District's hospitality and tourism economy that hosts more than 1.7 million visitors and generates more than $400 million annually in total economic impact, and the historic Carnegie Library at Mt. Vernon Square. Events DC manages the RFK Stadium-Armory Campus (RFK Campus), including Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, Festival Grounds at RFK Campus, The Fields at RFK Campus, the non-military functions of the DC Armory and the Skate Park at RFK Stadium. Stay current on the 190-acre RFK Campus Redevelopment Project at www.RFKCampus.com. Events DC also built and serves as landlord for Nationals Park, the first LEED-certified major professional sports stadium in the United States. Events DC manages Gateway DC, R.I.S.E. Demonstration Center and the Entertainment and Sports Arena (www.ESAontheRise.com), all conveniently located in the Congress Heights neighborhood of Washington, DC.

COVID-19 Partners Advance Food Security and Equity in Region

More than 15% of residents in our region struggle with food insecurity—and we anticipate this only getting worse as the cold winter months continue. In response to this emergency community need, we recently distributed an additional $2.04 million in phase 3 grants from our COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund, helping support local nonprofits that are providing food assistance, as well as childcare, eviction prevention, and unemployment support.

Our nonprofit partners have stepped up to feed our community, and we are excited to share a few of their stories. Read on for more.

Community Outreach and Development CDC

Community Outreach and Development CDC, a Prince George’s County-based nonprofit, works to provide quality services so residents can become self-sufficient, productive members of our community. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization has expanded their food assistance program to deliver to over 1,000 households who are homebound, including seniors and those who have been negatively impacted by COVID-19. 

“Elderly individuals called our agency thanking us for our delivery service, especially during a time when persons were anxious about being in the public and they had underlying medical conditions. One family called stating that they tested positive for COVID-19 and had no groceries. We were able to assist that family with two weeks' worth of food while going through isolation, and provided a tub of cleaning products to help with disinfecting their home.”  -Community Outreach and Development CDC staff member

 In the below, short impact video, Corae Young, Assistant Director of Community Outreach and Development, shares more of their story.

Dreaming Out Loud

Since the onset of COVID-19, Dreaming Out Loud (DOL) quickly pivoted their program model to include meal preparation for vulnerable populations, as well as supporting mutual aid programs for residents across Wards 1, 7, and 8. This directly supports this local nonprofit’s mission—creating economic opportunities for the DC metro region’s marginalized communities through building a healthy, equitable food system.

With support from The Community Foundation’s COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund, DOL provided logistics and coordination support to provide more than 200,000 meals. And, they procured produce from Black BIPOC farmers, and helped maintain community-based hires to pack and distribute food. In total, their direct COVID-19 food support has served an average of 2,000 people per week to DC residents.

“This grant allowed DOL to add capacity to support food aid to thousands of DC residents,” said Christopher Bradshaw, Executive Director. 

“It was very important the way that the food aid resources were deployed. They supported Black food makers and workers and farmers, hiring from within the community – while reaching vulnerable residents with healthy, delicious food. This is in line with our mission of creating economic opportunities within marginalized communities, while building a health equitable food system.” 

Institute for Public Health Innovation

The Institute for Public Health Innovation is focused on improving the public’s health and well-being, across Northern Virginia, Maryland, and DC. And with our region’s current food security crisis, that includes providing urgent food assistance to those in need. In response to COVID-19, the Institute has:

• Provided grant writing and development support for food assistance providers

• Developed an extensive COVID-19 resource hub for food access on their website

• Developed a partnership with La Clinica Del Pueblo that allows us to refer requests for food assistance support form Spanish speaking residents to support staff at the organization

• Acted as a liaison between donors, food providers, and Council members to help coordinate large donations

…among many others. In partnership with World Central Kitchen and National Philanthropies, the Institute was able to provide county partners with over 10,000 meals served weekly from April to June, and 8,000 weekly for the months of July and August.

“We were able to leverage our deep relationships with food and farm stakeholders, regional organizations, and county agencies to lead the County’s COVID-19 emergency food response. Support from the Greater Washington Community Foundation enabled us to quickly build staffing capacity and launch new initiatives,” said Sydney Daigle, Food Equity Council Director. 

“The programs we have launched during our grant period will support residents during the pandemic and during our County's recovery.” 

Food for Montgomery: A Community-Wide Response to the Rise in Hunger

By Anna Hargrave, Executive Director for Montgomery County

Can you picture yourself waiting in the cold for hours to get enough food for your family? Or taking multiple buses only to discover the food distribution event ran out long before you arrived? Worse, can you imagine being sick with COVID-19 but realizing that you must go to the food bank because otherwise your kids will go hungry?

This is the reality facing thousands of our neighbors. But, with a small twist of fate, it could be any of us.  

As our community’s need for food skyrocketed last spring, our Montgomery County leaders, community stakeholders, and the Greater Washington Community Foundation teamed up to create Food for Montgomery. This remarkable public-private partnership is marshalling the resources of county government, the knowledge and connections of food providers, the organizing power of our Montgomery County Food Council, and the donations of individuals, businesses, and foundations to prevent thousands of children, adults, and seniors from going to bed hungry.

Check out the video below to hear directly from leaders behind the Food for Montgomery initiative.

Thanks to the hundreds of people and businesses who gave early to Food for Montgomery, our partners have quickly scaled innovative solutions to address the staggering increase in food insecurity affecting 1 in 10 of our neighbors.

Here are a few inspiring examples.

Between March and November 2020, Manna Food Center provided more than 112,050 packages of food to people throughout Montgomery County, responding to a 64% increase in need, compared to the same period in 2019.

• The Manna Food Center, Capital Area Food Bank, local wholesalers, other nonprofit and faith-based distribution partners, and the County are working together to coordinate bulk purchases, maximizing every dollar devoted to addressing the urgent need. 

• Many organizations simply did not have the capacity to distribute more food. Thanks to grants from Food for Montgomery, our partners were able to buy or lease trucks, cold storage, technology, and other key resources which helped them increase the quantity and quality of food distributed.

Last April, Kingdom Fellowship AME Church hosted its first family food distribution, which helped 300 families. With support from Food for Montgomery, they are now leading the East County Consolidation Hub which brings together several organizations and county agencies to serve more than 1,000 families each week. 

• In the spring, restaurants were at risk of closing while local farmers were concerned their food would end up in the trash. Thanks to creative collaborations, their fresh local produce and prepared meals have been able to support people in need, particularly seniors and COVID-positive households that need to remain in quarantine. 

While we are proud of what this incredible partnership has accomplished, we know there is still much work to be done. Feeding America estimates that the number of people facing food insecurity could grow to 120,000-140,000 by the end of 2021. 

As Montgomery County Councilmember Will Jawando said:

“This is an all-in effort to build a stronger, resilient system and support Montgomery County. We want to take care of each other, and it starts with ensuring that everyone has food.”

 If you share our concern, join us.

Give. Make a gift to Food for Montgomery today!  The strength of this partnership will maximize your impact by helping thousands of people across our community. 

Learn More. You would be amazed by the creative problem-solving and tireless dedication of the partners behind this effort.  Contact us to sign up for opportunities to hear directly from the leaders on the ground and see their work in action.  

Get Involved. Many people still don’t realize how many of our neighbors are struggling to put food on the table.  If you want to be part of the solution, sign up to help educate others and inspire them to become part of the solution. 

Get Shift Done DMV Fuels Local Nonprofits’ Fight for Food Security

By Kate Daniel, Donor Services Associate

This past year tested the resilience of our community. Our region saw at least 77,800 of our neighbors in the leisure and hospitality industry lose jobs as of October.  At the same time, food insecurity rates climbed over 15% in the District, indicating over 100,000 residents were food insecure. We knew we needed to act—and, when we learned about Get Shift Done, we were inspired to address this mounting crisis in our community head-on.   

The Community Foundation recognized the Get Shift Done model as a bold approach to address both record levels of unemployment and the rise in hunger affecting our community. We launched Get Shift Done DMV in partnership with Washington Nationals Philanthropies, and seeded by The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation, Capital One, the A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation, the Bainum Family Foundation, Washington Gas, and Communities Foundation of Texas, to pair displaced hospitality and restaurant workers with nonprofit food providers. The initiative provides a living hourly wage to work shifts preparing food and meals for neighbors facing food insecurity. 

One local nonprofit that has benefited from this initiative is the Capital Area Food Bank (CAFB), the region’s largest hunger relief organization. CAFB, like many other food providers in the area, felt the pressure of the pandemic early on, but was able to call on their dedicated pool of volunteers in the initial months of the crisis.

By August, food insecurity rates were staggering, and Capital Area Food Bank had significantly increased its food distributions. At the same time, volunteer support fluctuated with long-term volunteers juggling how best to navigate stay-at-home orders, health concerns and, for some, returning to a new school year. 

“This could have caused a perfect storm and derailed our ability to meet the demand, but with the help of our community and Get Shift Done DMV, we’ve been able to pack and distribute more food than at any other time in our organization’s history,” said Radha Muthiah, President and CEO of the Capital Area Food Bank, a Get Shift Done DMV and Community Foundation nonprofit partner.  

Radha and her team at CAFB reached out to The Community Foundation to see how Get Shift Done DMV might be able to help. The Community Foundation sprang into action, raising additional resources so that Get Shift Done DMV could more than double its shift offerings to support the Capital Area Food Bank through the end of 2020.    

In the past six months, Get Shift Done DMV workers have worked over 22,000 hours with Capital Area Food Bank alone. With this support, CAFB has provided 338,770 emergency food boxes since March. Each box provides enough to feed a family of four for up to five days. Get Shift Done DMV workers have also supported the Curbside Groceries program, which brings affordable, nutritious groceries to those with transportation and accessibility barriers.

“Our work with Get Shift Done DMV is important because we’re [helping] get more food to people that need it. Being part of this program makes it possible to provide for our families, while making connections and building relationships with a diverse new group of people.” 
-Olukayode Yusuf, Get Shift Done DMV worker

As we enter a new year, much is still unknown about the sustained impact this health and economic crisis will have on our community and its recovery. Feeding America estimates 1 in 6 Americans could face hunger, many of whom will be seeking help from a local food bank for the first time in their lives. While our local food providers have weathered a very difficult year, there is still much work to be done to remove barriers to food access and provide sustainable, equitable, and healthy solutions to our neighbors in need.  

“Food insecurity is likely to remain at very high levels through 2021, and Get Shift Done will continue to be a critical partner this year,” said Muthiah. 

As we seek to better understand the crisis we face together, we are proud that our neighbors and nonprofit partners can depend on us to provide some aspect of certainty in this uncertain time. With Get Shift Done DMV continuing to play a crucial part, we look forward to creatively addressing our region’s most pressing needs together in the year ahead.

Interested in other ways you can help make an impact for families dealing with hunger or unemployment throughout our region?

Statement on Assault on our democracy

Statement from Tonia Wellons, President and CEO of the Greater Washington Community Foundation

Yesterday was a sad day in America.

Our democracy has never been perfect. In fact, a healthy democracy thrives on debate and the productive exchange of ideas in the public square – sometimes vigorously. However, what we just witnessed yesterday in our Nation’s Capital is far from the kind of democracy that our founders fought for and so many of us aspire to uphold.

I have spent the better part of my career working in developing and transitional countries where democracy was fledgling and tenuous at best, and never once witnessed the attempted overthrow of government that we experienced at the seat of our democracy yesterday. On behalf of the Greater Washington Community Foundation, I want to strongly condemn the violent attack on the U.S. Congress and Capitol complex, the beacon of our nation and its democratic systems.

The brazen actions of these rioters were a blatant attempt to reverse the results of a free and fair democratic election. Those who seek to wreak havoc in our city and to desecrate our democratic institutions cannot and will not prevail. It is no longer sufficient to say, ‘this isn’t our America.’ It is, unfortunately!

And yet, the chaos of the day in our Nation’s Capital offered a stark contradiction to the victories hard won in Georgia. Victories obtained through grassroots organizing and through participatory governance; a cornerstone of our democracy. This too, is our America.

Many are resigned to view Washington, DC as a federal city and the seat of our democracy, and too often forget that this area is also home to thousands of people who chose to live, work, and raise their families in a prosperous region. As the CEO of the Greater Washington Community Foundation, which serves DC and its surrounding suburban communities, I know the DC region to be a place with a strong sense of community and a passion for social justice and philanthropy.

In our local community, I have been heartened to see momentum building for an equitable recovery and a move toward a deeper experience of our humanity and the manifestation of justice. But as the civil unrest that unfolded earlier this summer and the racial inequities exposed and exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and economic crisis have shown us, we still have a long way to go until we truly realize the principles and ideals that “all men [and women] are created equal” and entitled to “certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

While we are concerned and abhorred by yesterday’s events, and all the circumstances leading up to it, the Greater Washington Community Foundation family will not be deterred from our work to ensure a future where we all have an equal opportunity to thrive. At The Community Foundation, we understand the needs and challenges facing our local community and will continue to focus our energy and resources on addressing inequities in housing, education, employment, medical care, and more. We are resolute in our commitment to creating an equitable, just, and thriving region, and will not fall prey to the distraction and disruption others would seek to create.

Those working to undermine our democracy want chaos. We choose community.

Partnership to End Homelessness Update: A Year in Review

This year, our work to end homelessness in DC has been more critical than ever, as our neighbors without housing were at greater risk of contracting COVID-19, on top of the risks people experiencing homelessness face every day. Throughout 2020, and always, our focus has been on working with our partners to look at the efforts happening across the city and to identify strategic opportunities for investment.

So, this holiday season, as we reflect on our first full calendar year of the Partnership to End Homelessness, we want to say thank you. Thank you to our donors who trusted us to stay informed and to make strategic investments that will result in fewer people experiencing homelessness and more people maintaining safe and affordable housing. Thank you to our nonprofit partners on the frontlines working to make sure our neighbors have food, shelter, medical care, and other basic necessities, in such a scary and uncertain time. And finally, thank you to our government partners who are working tirelessly to respond and direct resources where they are needed most.

Volunteers for Church of the Epiphany, a COVID-19 Response Fund partner, hand out food and supplies topeople experiencing homelessness

a year in review

With your help, this year we have provided over $1.25 million in grants to organizations supporting individuals and families experiencing homelessness and housing instability during the pandemic. These grants included COVID-19 response partners Mi Casa Inc., which provides long-term support and critical housing resources; the Church of the Epiphany, which provides food to people experiencing homelessness in the community; and Bethesda Cares, which provides case management and counseling services. You can learn more about these partners and others here.

In addition to our grantmaking, since 2019 we have supported the development and preservation of over 530 affordable homes through our partnership with Enterprise Community Loan Fund. These investments will create long-term housing options for our neighbors and help to preserve and increase the supply of deeply affordable housing in DC.

Together, we have continued to invest in the strength of our system and helped to provide our neighbors without housing access to healthy meals and medical care when they needed it most. Even in uncertain times, we remain committed to supporting the creation of processes and systems that will help people exit homelessness more quickly or avoid homelessness altogether.

As we head into the new year, we know that tens of thousands of our neighbors are behind on rent and at risk of eviction. We know we must continue our emergency response, while also investing in long-term solutions and systems change that will mean less people experiencing homelessness and a more equitable response for those that do.

COVID-19 Response Fund partner Mi Casa Inc. works with Girard House Co-op to preserve affordable housing

Ways to join us

Next year, keep an eye out as we ramp up our advocacy work and continue to coordinate with our public and private sector partners. As Congress appears to be moving forward on a new COVID-19 relief package, join us in sending a message to your Members of Congress to let them know that now, more than ever, we must make investments that ensure everyone has housing where they can isolate to stay healthy, continue their education, and work to address other needs.

We hope this year, in addition to supporting the amazing frontline providers in our community, we can count on you to support our work as we continue to identify strategic investments to ensure everyone has safe and stable housing.

So once again, thank you. Thank you for all you have done this year and for joining us in our efforts to make sure that no one in DC experiences homelessness and that everyone has housing they can afford.

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About the Partnership to End Homelessness

The Partnership to End Homelessness, led by the Greater Washington Community Foundation and the District Government’s Interagency Council on Homelessness (ICH), brings together the public and private sectors to ensure homelessness is rare, brief, and non-recurring in DC. We believe that all DC residents deserve a safe, stable, and affordable place to call home.

By joining together, we will increase the supply of deeply affordable housing, help everyone find a home they can afford, and help more people access housing and exit homelessness more quickly.

Get Involved

Every action, whether large or small, can make a difference in ending homelessness. Visit EndHomelessnessDC.org to learn more.

This blog post is from the Partnership to End Homelessness newsletter. Sign up here to receive these quarterly updates.

Celebrating Our Collective Impact

Dear Friends of the Community Foundation,

I believe the holidays are a time to give thanks and give back—and they’re also a time to celebrate. As we look towards the new year, I want to acknowledge and celebrate our collective impact. It has been a challenging year—and, with your partnership, we were able to respond to the needs of our community with urgency and with care.

Top 10 Impact Stories of 2020
To help us celebrate, we have put together a collection of our Top 10 Impact Stories of 2020. From our COVID-19 response work, to our community engagement through the VoicesDMV initiative, these stories offer a chance to reflect on our collective impact, and the difference we've made together.

Celebrating the Power of Our Community
Earlier this month, our community came together to reflect on and share powerful stories that encapsulate the spirit and heart of our community. The Power of Our Community virtual convenings featured local leaders from across sectors to explore the impact of our community’s COVID-19 response and examine what’s next as we rebuild from this crisis.

If you missed either event in this series, you can watch the recordings and read our recap of key take-aways from these discussions. And below, get a preview with our short impact video updates.

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This Local WDVM segment discusses the FFCYF awards and our partners.

New Investments in Children, Youth, and Families
We are proud to celebrate two new investments to support our community’s disadvantaged children, youth, and families. The Children’s Opportunity Fund (COF), through a participatory grantmaking process, invested up to $100,000 in 4 literacy-focused nonprofits in Montgomery County; and the Fund for Children, Youth, and Families (FFCYF) invested $1.99 million in 49 nonprofits helping people experiencing homelessness, youth in foster care, and to close the achievement gap. You can meet the COF awardees here and FFCYF awardees here.

Meet Our New Team Members
We have also invested in strengthening our organization to better serve this region. We are thrilled to welcome Ronnie Galvin as our new Managing Director for Community Investment, a leading voice in our region and country on issues of racial equity and reparative justice. You can “meet” Ronnie here, as well as get to know several other staff members who recently joined our team or were promoted into new roles.

An Incredible Recognition by the Washington Business Journal
I was proud to represent all of you, when accepting the Washington Business Journal’s 2020 Nonprofit Leader of the Year award. What an honor for our effort to be recognized alongside champions of the local business community and community heroes like Howard University President Dr. Wayne Frederick, and José Andrés!

This recognition would not have been possible without my hardworking staff, our nonprofit partners and donors, and my family for their unwavering support. Thank you for your commitment to deep community impact and partnership with us throughout 2020 and beyond.

Thank you. I wish you a safe and happy holiday season, and I look forward to seeing you in the new year.

With gratitude,

Tonia Wellons
President & CEO

A Year of Impact: Top 10 Stories of 2020

#1: Tonia Wellons Named Hero of the Crisis, Nonprofit Leader of the Year

It’s been a busy year for Community Foundation staff—especially for Tonia Wellons, who was named permanent President and CEO just weeks after the pandemic hit. Tonia was recently named Washington Business Journal’s 2020 Nonprofit Leader of the Year for her role and leadership in our region’s COVID-19 Response efforts; and “Hero of the Crisis” from Washingtonian Magazine. We are so proud of Tonia, and the incredible leadership she’s provided throughout this crisis. 

#2: COVID Impact Stories: Bringing Partner Voices to Life 

This special video highlights our COVID-19 nonprofit partners’ impact —and thanks donors for their incredible generosity and support throughout this crisis. 

Highlights are pulled from our individual, 2-minute COVID impact story videos, including local organizations like Black Swan, Generation Hope and Montgomery Hospice. Click here to access a full list of videos—and hear more of our nonprofit partner’s stories first-hand. 

 #3 Your Voices Matters: VoicesDMV On the Table Conversations

This WDVM segment highlights how VoicesDMV On the Table conversations brought together residents throughout the DMV area to talk about ideas for improving their communities.

On October 1, we hosted our inaugural VoicesDMV On the Table conversations, bringing together hundreds of residents from across the region for small-group conversations, remotely. Groups discussed and reimagined the future of our community, offering meaningful, action-oriented perspective on how to improve the lives of our neighbors in the DMV. Read more from Benton Murphy, Senior Advisor for Impact, who led the initiative.

#4: Arts Forward Fund Announces $1 Million in Grants to Local Arts Groups Impacted by COVID-19

This fall, together with the Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation and 16 other foundations and individual donors, we launched the Arts Forward Fund, an initiative to help local arts and culture organizations weather the impact of COVID-19. We were so excited to announce $1 million in grants from the fund, helping arts and culture nonprofits make essential shifts needed to sustain their work—and respond to the national movement for racial justice. 

 #5: Back to School Means Facing the Digital Divide

As remote learning continues, schools still don’t have enough devices for every student, and too many homes in DC lack access to high-speed internet. Together with the DC Public Education Fund and Education Forward DC, we established the DC Education Equity Fund, which has provided 4,000+ students with internet access. and 3,000+ students with personal devices. Read more in “Back to School Means Facing the Digital Divide,” by our partner Erin Sheehy of Education Forward DC. 

#6: #MakeADifference Mondays

This bi-weekly blog series features our COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund partners’ stories, grouped by funding priority: housing and homelessness, medical care and access, education and youth, domestic and community violence, and workforce and small business. Take our #MakeADifference Monday: Housing and Homelessness blog, for example, which includes a feature on Mi-Casa, Inc.:

Through its Emergency Rental Assistance and Tenant-Based Rental Assistance programs, [Mi Casa] helped more than 15 residents access critical housing resources. More than 400 households received virtual trainings around financial education, food banks, unemployment benefits, and the financial effects of the pandemic.

Read our blog for a full list of our #MakeADifference Monday posts, sharing the difference your support has made for our community.

#7: How to Reconstruct an Equitable Future for Our Region

In this opinion piece for the Washington Post, our President and CEO Tonia Wellons and Ursula Wright, Managing Director for FSG, explore a new framework for reconstructing a more equitable future for our region. In the article, they refer to our country’s current situation as a “trifecta of crises” that threatens our nation’s public health, economic security, and democracy. 

Though this pandemic is new, racism and economic injustice are not. The pandemic has served to further reveal preexisting inequities in housing, education, health care, food security, policing and criminal justice, income and employment.

 #8: Celebrating Three Leadership Legacies

Richard Bynum, board member and President of PNC in Greater Washington and Virginia, was honored by the Washington Business Journal with the Minority Business Leader Award—an honor that coincided with two other major board member milestones. Dr. Charlene Dukes, Secretary of our Board, retired as President of Prince George’s Community College after 13 years of service. And Artis Hampshire-Cowan, Vice Chair of our Board, was honored by Leadership Greater Washington as the 2020 Leader of the Year.

Read more about their achievements and success stories. 

#9: Legacy Fund Supports Small Businesses in Prince George’s County

This fall, we were proud to launch The Legacy Fund for Small Business Development, seeded with a $1 million gift directed by Sam Brin and support from Meridiam, to provide critically needed access to capital for small businesses in Prince George’s County—one of the hardest hit groups in the County. We have disseminated $1 million in relief funds to 173 small Prince George’s County small businesses, helping them minimize vulnerability to closure and enabling them to thrive. 

#10: Celebrating the Power of Our Community

It’s been challenging year, but our community stepped up in amazing, awe-inspiring ways. Our community recently came together to celebrate these efforts at the Power of Our Community, Montgomery County and Power of Our Community, Prince George’s County, two virtual convenings that applauded the cooperative spirit of these communities and the collective impact of our work.

Read our Power of Our Community recap to watch the event recordings and view our key-takeaways and impact video updates.

Celebrating the Power of Our Community

This has been a challenging year, but our community stepped up in amazing, awe-inspiring ways. Our community came together to celebrate these efforts at the Power of Our Community, Montgomery County and Power of Our Community, Prince George’s County, two virtual convenings that applauded the cooperative spirit of these communities and the collective impact of our work.

If you missed these inspiring events, read on to access each event recording, our key take-aways and our Montgomery County and Prince George’s County impact reports.

Recap: Power of Our Community, Montgomery County

On December 8, a panel of philanthropic leaders—known for thinking creatively and working in close partnership with the communities they serve—discussed giving and leading boldly, creating a culture of “yes,” and how to embed a framework of social justice in philanthropy to create deeper change.

For a preview of the event, check out our short Montgomery County impact video.

• “I think we have to be less afraid of failure,” said Mieka Wick, executive director of The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation. “There’s a lot of learning in failure. And if we’re not ever failing as funders, we aren’t being brave and bold enough.”

• Crystal Carr Townsend, president and CEO of Healthcare Initiative Foundation, encouraged donors to be humble and flexible while working with communities to change systemic inequities. “If we’re going to change the future, we need to get to the root causes and invest in innovative approaches that align with other sectors and other funders to ensure holistic approaches that engage the community.”

• Alise Marshall, director of strategy and new ventures at the Public Welfare Foundation stressed the importance of self-reflection for funders. “The call to action is work inside out. Really examine your internal practices, your hiring practices, the contractors you work with. Look within your organization and be super intentional about the work you’re doing.”

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Recap: Power of Our Community, Prince George’s County

Hosted on December 10, Power of Our Community, Prince George’s County welcomed a panel of government, education and philanthropic leaders who discussed the importance of eliminating silos and embracing partnerships, going beyond what’s required to what is expected to get the job done, and the need for restoration so we can bring our best selves to our work.

For a preview of the event, check out our short Prince George’s County impact video.

• Diana Léon-Brown, director of strategic partnerships for Prince George’s County, outlined the County's emergency response to the COVID-19 pandemic, providing food, medical care and supplies to frontline workers and raising $4 million from their partners. “This community has really come together. And I think crisis, as difficult as it can be, can also bring out the best in people. We had to really think about long-term impact and sustainability”

• Dr. Falecia Williams, president of Prince George’s Community College, encouraged us all to NOT “stay in our lanes.” “What I’ve seen in this community is a willingness to redefine the boundaries, as we think about how to build communities through partnership.”

• This event helped us focus not on the negative, but, rather, the power of our community. “It is moments like this where it’s often the case that, not only do we see the worst of what humanity can be, but we also see the best of it,” said Ronnie Galvin, The Community Foundation’s new managing director of community investment and moderator of the Prince George’s County panel.

Burness and Business Leaders Fighting Hunger Launch $100,000 Food for Montgomery Challenge Match

With 1 in 10 Montgomery County residents at risk of going to bed hungry, it’s not just governments and individuals who are stepping up to help feed our neighbors in need due to the pandemic. With a $100,000 challenge match grant focused on corporations, Burness and Business Leaders Fighting Hunger aim to inspire businesses to help meet the challenge of providing food to 114,000 food insecure residents in Montgomery County.

Andy Burness, a longtime Community Foundation donor said

“This innovative coalition of businesses is taking on hunger in the time of Covid to help raise $5 million, but we were dedicated to fighting hunger before the pandemic. Everyone has to step up – nonprofits do the work on ground, and government certainly has a large role to play, but businesses need to step up and make a real, significant contribution to help alleviate this unprecedented level of hunger.”

Volunteers prepare boxes of food to distribute in Montgomery County, Maryland.

Each contribution will be matched, dollar for dollar, for Food for Montgomery, a coordinated public-private partnership between the Greater Washington Community Foundation, Montgomery County government, and more than 125 nonprofits, faith communities, small businesses, and farmers working to address the rise in food insecurity.  The Food for Montgomery Fund is raising $5 million to meet the staggering increase in food insecure Montgomery County residents today and ensure the county’s food relief system is ready for the future. 

Already the Food for Montgomery fund has raised more than $1 million to meet the urgent need for food now, support our small businesses and farmers, and strengthen our hunger relief system to meet today’s challenges and tomorrow’s crises. Since the start of the pandemic, Food for Montgomery has:

• Supported local restaurants which prepared thousands of culturally-appropriate meals to deliver to home-bound seniors 

• Purchased produce from local farmers that food providers distributed 

• Stocked food providers’ shelves with nutritious food

• Built capacity with grants to food providers for refrigerators, trucks, and other essential items

• Helped more people sign up for food benefits like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) 

• Leveraged technology to efficiently scale services, intake, and food delivery 

• Expanded the number of food distribution sites and hubs to reach every part of the county

Yet because of COVID-19, the number of people wondering where their next meal will come from continues to grow; only with the support of the community will every Montgomery County resident have the nutritious food they need to work, learn, and live.

If you’d like to learn more about the Burness Challenge Match or Food for Montgomery, contact Anna Hargrave at [email protected].

about burness

Burness is a mission-driven communications firm based in Montgomery County, Maryland. For the past 35 years, Burness has helped promote ideas that inspire and drive social change worldwide.

about BUSINESS LEADERS FIGHTING HUNGER

Co-founded by Sodexo and Burness, Business Leaders Fighting Hunger is a coalition of Montgomery County employers committed to doing their part to reduce hunger. Its strategic giving and leadership have been essential to strengthening Montgomery County’s food security system in recent years. To learn more, check out the Business Leaders Fighting Hunger 2020 Progress Report to read about the businesses behind this effort and how their philanthropic investments enabled partners to respond quickly when the pandemic struck Montgomery County.

Community Foundation Welcomes ‘Community Builder’ to Leadership Team, Celebrates New Staff and Staff Promotions

We are thrilled to welcome Ronnie Galvin as our new Managing Director for Community Investment. Ronnie oversees The Community Foundation team responsible for community leadership and discretionary funding programs, leading with his experience in and passion for racial equity and reparative justice. Below, hear from Ronnie on his dedication to community building and inspiration for joining The Community Foundation.

I am a community builder. This is the case in my personal and professional life. This essential part of my identity emerges from growing up in a tightly knit, self-determined, mutually supportive and accountable Black community in Miami, Florida. It was a place where elders were revered; every child was cherished; there was no such thing as hunger or homelessness; and every Black life not only mattered, but was celebrated and exalted.

I was birthed and raised in a Black working class family. My father professionally served 22 years as an enlisted airman in the United States Air Force. My mother was a domestic worker—herself coming from a long line of Black women deemed as the 'helping class.' They are now in the realm of the ancestors among many who provide counsel, inspiration, and protection for me as I come to this work. 

I do this work in a space that has already been opened by my partner, soulmate, and collaborator—Dr. Yanique Redwood, President and CEO of the Consumer Health Foundation. She is the fiercest, most tenacious, and consistent freedom fighter, lover of our people and lover of me that I know. We co-parent two young-adult children, Alana and Darren, who are both finding their way in the world.  

This feeling and experience of community is what inspires me.  It has enriched my life beyond my wildest dreams and deepest longings. I am compelled to build and share this same experience with the Greater Washington Community Foundation Family, across the DMV region, and wherever our work takes us in this country and on the planet.

New Operations and Accounting Staff

Over the past few months, we’ve welcomed several new staff members to The Community Foundation family! We are excited to work with…  

• Marcus Braxton, Managing Director for Operations. Marcus joined the organization in December 2020, and leads The Community Foundation’s work to enhance its internal operations, systems, and processes to ensure the organization has the infrastructure needed to continue its success and impact. We’ll feature more on Marcus in the new year, so stay tuned!

• Akista Haywood, Staff Accountant. Akista is responsible for the payroll and supporting the Accounting staff. She has over 20 years of Accounting and Payroll experience, coming to The Community Foundation from JSI where she was Payroll Manager. 

Celebrating New Staff Roles

Several Community Foundation staff have also been promoted to new roles in the organization! Please join us in congratulating:

• Melen Hagos, Senior Manager for External Affairs. In her new role, Melen helps build partnerships in the community, leading a variety of initiatives, including programs and grantmaking initiatives, and identifying key community alliances that will move The Community Foundation's work forward. Melen joined The Community Foundation in 2017 as a Community Investment Associate where she coordinated all competitive and discretionary grantmaking across the region.

• Kathy Matthews, Director, Grants Management. In her new role as Director, she oversees all financial and administrative operations and functions of grant awards–and is responsible for financial reporting, budget oversight and grants compliance. She has held several prior positions within The Community Foundation that include Receptionist, Grants Management Associate, and Grants Manager.

• Benton Murphy, Senior Advisor for Impact. Previously as AVP for Community Investment, Benton led The Community Foundation’s VoicesDMV initiative and managed a set of endowed funds, including the Spring Creek Fund, Joshua Community Fund, Catalyst Fund and LGBTQ+ Fund for Philanthropy. With more than a dozen years of experience in the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors, he also provides advisory services to donors and staff on effective grantmaking practices.

•  Brittany Owens, Community Impact Associate. Brittany is the Technical Lead for grant applications, co-leads our racial equity and inclusion work, and provides support for fundraising with foundations. In previous roles, Brittany has gained experience lobbying and being a case manager with nonprofit organizations. 

• Danielle Yates, Managing Director of Marketing and Communications. Danielle joined The Community Foundation in 2017 and brings more than 15 years experience leading marketing and communications programs for nonprofit associations. She leads the strategic vision and oversees tactical implementation of all communications and marketing programs across the organization. 

Learn more about our staff and their backgrounds here.

In this Together—In Any Season

By Rebecca Rothey, Vice President of Development and Senior Philanthropic Advisor

Rebecca Rothey

At this time of year, I am particularly grateful for my job. Philanthropy is my passion, and helping others discover opportunities to be philanthropic is a great joy. The Greater Washington Community Foundation provides the perfect context for this work, thanks to the collective knowledge of our donors, volunteers, and staff. That is knowledge not only of effective giving practices, but also of the issues affecting our region. 

This year, the killing of George Floyd, among far too many other Black men and women, led to widespread civil unrest and calls for racial and social justice as urgent issues for our community and our nation to take action on. Many community members—especially our Black and brown neighbors—were struggling before this pandemic and now find themselves standing in line for boxes of food or eking out their savings to make the rent or mortgage payment. On top of that, nonprofit organizations across the region, many of whom endeavor to help our lowest-income neighbors, are facing sudden losses of expected revenue, and increased but unfunded operational costs. Many have already folded. 

The Community Foundation has closely tracked regional needs throughout this year of turmoil and served as our region’s philanthropic first responder. Since the start of this crisis, our COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund has addressed the public health and economic needs of our communities, with a particular focus on those disproportionately affected—typically low-income households and communities of color. 

Thanks to the generosity of hundreds of individuals, as well as corporate and foundation donors, we have been able to distribute over $10 million to meet the extraordinary needs of our community. And, with 50% of COVID-19 nonprofit partners led by people of color, we’ve continued to prioritize racial equity in our grantmaking.   

And the work is not over yet. 

Each year, particularly during this season, donors turn to The Community Foundation to help them identify where their philanthropy will have the greatest impact. In a year like 2020, this can be particularly crucial. We stand ready to listen to your particular interests and concerns—whether those be in environmental justice, human services, or elsewhere—and offer guidance or support. 

Rufus Lusk, III and Jessica Damen

Let me tell you about a couple who are very clear about their priorities and have partnered with The Community Foundation for over 15 years to maximize their impact. Social justice is at the core of Rufus Lusk, III. and Jessica Damen’s giving. “Everything has a social justice component to it. There’s not a single charity we contribute to that doesn’t have this factor,” said Rufus.

Through their donor-advised fund at The Community Foundation, Rufus and Jessica support a wide range of social justice-focused organizations, including The Sierra Club, American Friends Service Committee, Doctors Without Borders, Southern Poverty Law Center, and many others. 

They are committed to advancing equity—especially at the local level, in the Prince George’s County community. The couple credits The Community Foundation with connecting them to local organizations that are committed to social and racial justice, and advising them about giving  opportunities like the Legacy Fund, established by The Community Foundation to provide relief to small Prince George’s County businesses suffering as a result of COVID-19.  

“Giving to small businesses—especially minority-owned—is absolutely crucial,” said Jessica. “They’re the backbone of our economy.” Rufus agreed, and added, “To develop greater social equity, you need strong organizations. And you need local strong organizations. That’s what The Community Foundation is all about.”

I started this blog post by saying that philanthropy is my passion. I’m dedicated to working with donors to invest in organizations fostering real change in our society—and helping people discover their passions along the way. I’d be delighted to partner with you in this process and help to further develop your giving priorities.   

One easy place to start is this Washington Post piece, featuring giving tips from our Montgomery County office Executive Director Anna Hargrave. Some other resources I recommend include:

• Bethesda Magazine’s annual Guide To Giving, to which we contribute, with a vetted list of nonprofit partners in Montgomery County addressing a range of issues.

• The Catalogue for Philanthropy: Greater Washington, which we mail to all of our donors in November. This year, it features 80+ nonprofit partners focused on COVID-19 response work.

• Our own list of more than 200 nonprofits selected over the past six months to receive grants from our COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund—all worthy of consideration for additional gifts. 

• Become a Community Champion with a contribution to the Fund for Greater Washington, and help us provide vital resources to civic and community organizations, incubate new ideas, and remain flexible and vigilant in leading the response to today’s needs and tomorrow’s challenges. 

“We’re all in this together” is a familiar refrain in this pandemic. But it could be the motto of The Community Foundation in any year. We’re glad to have you with us.

The Children’s Opportunity Fund Awards up to $100,000 to Literacy-Focused Montgomery County Nonprofits

Nonprofits Selected Through A Participatory Grantmaking Process

The Children’s Opportunity Fund (COF), a community impact initiative of the Greater Washington Community Foundation, is pleased to announce up to $100,000 in grants to 4 nonprofit organizations working to improve educational outcomes for Montgomery County’s children, youth, and families.

Each organization will receive funding up to $25,000 for project/program support providing direct service, advocating for, or researching literacy skills for children ages birth to 8 and their families.

 The Community Foundation recognizes that now, more than ever, it is critical to engage with and empower community voices to advance more equitable solutions. In particular, those that often remain unheard are our Black, brown, and low-income neighbors—and they need a platform to share their views. 

 To that end, the Children’s Opportunity Fund used a participatory grantmaking framework for its grant review process. Participatory grantmaking drastically alters the traditional funding model by ceding decision-making power over funding to local community members. 

Our Participatory Grants Committee included Montgomery County community members, educators, students and parents. This offered a diverse mixture of perspectives and experience, which we hope will promote more equitable decision-making. The review process began with several group discussions on the importance of equity in education, and the opportunity and achievement gaps present in Montgomery County. Committee members then focused on these issues, and insights from their group discussions, when reviewing applications and making final funding recommendations.  

Below, meet our new COF grantees and learn how their projects will support and empower students and families in Montgomery County. 

Advancing Black Lives in Education 

Advancing Black Lives in Education (ABLE) will use this funding to address learning loss for Black students by providing tutoring services, family support, critical learning tools and educational supplies.

 “The philosophy behind this impact initiative matches our vision: to provide support to Black children who attend Montgomery County Public Schools in grades pre-K through 5. We’ve seen many parents in the Black community request academic support for their children, as well as assistance in understanding the recovery plan and making informed decisions about their children's return to school. 

It is widely known that Black families are disproportionately affected by the coronavirus, economically and with respect to education. This work is important because our children and families need additional support from the community to thrive in the virtual learning environment and after they return to school.” -Natalie Thomas, President

ABLE expects to see a positive impact on children's academic achievement and families' social-emotional stability. ABLE hopes that, by reaching Black parents and providing them with a voice, they will become more actively engaged with their childrens’ school and related activities, such as PTA and school reform. 

Story Tapestries 

This grant will help fund Story Tapestries’ Discover the Power of the Written Word (DPWW) program, which offers high-impact literacy programs to 1300+ economically disadvantaged youth, educators and caregivers in Montgomery County. This includes professional development for educators, family supports through interactive events, and monthly arts and literacy kits for families. 

“Young children in Montgomery County are struggling to adapt to health and safety measures required in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The hardest hit are those who were already experiencing economic hardship. Many of those children were already behind their peers in learning how to read and write. 

Story Tapestries has the tools and community connections to reach these children, their educators and their families - online - with a unique set of resources and services that boost their learning, overcoming barriers such as language, while also increasing an important ingredient in their daily lives - JOY!” -Arianna Ross, Executive Director

Story Tapestries will help bridge the learning gap for children who are behind their peers in learning targets, and generate a feeling of connectedness in 5 school communities, helping promote joy and hope. They will help reconnect educators with their passion for teaching by connect them with Teaching Artist mentors. And, they will help mentor parents on how to support their children more effectively from home.

GapBuster, Inc.

This grant will allow GapBuster, Inc., to offer a Cross-Tutorial Mentoring program to address the widening academic gap for students that have been impacted by COVID-19. It will also help students continue to move from in-person instruction to a virtual learning environment.

“Studies have reported that the digital divide disproportionately impacts students living in poverty and students of color--and COVID-19 has only magnified this problem. Right now communities are suffering, requiring innovative, creative, and aggressive programs that can lead to positive outcomes.” -Yvette Butler-Yeboah, MD, Executive Director 

GapBuster, Inc. hopes to positively impact students with our one-on-one and group Cross-Tutorial Mentoring program, resulting in at least 75% of participants improving at least one grade level in math and ELA by June 30, 2020; and, at least 75% of participants reporting reduced stress as it relates to COVID-19

Loud Voices Together 

Loud Voices Together will use this grant to fund the Harriet Tubman Scholars program, which supports Black and brown students in Montgomery County, MD, in the areas of literacy and math.

“Loud Voices Together was inspired to apply for this grant because of our commitment to equity and education for all students. We are particularly focused on Black and brown students with disabilities, due to the disparities and inequities experienced historically by this community. This funding opportunity will provide these students with the same opportunities as their economically advantaged peers who can secure literacy and numeracy direct services privately.” -Ronnetta Stanley, M.Ed., Executive Director

Loud Voices Together endeavors to help all students develop adequate reading and math skills, to support their long-term academic and professional success. The hope is that all students will make measurable growth in literacy and numeracy skills through this project. 

About the Children’s Opportunity Fund

The Children’s Opportunity Fund is a public-private partnership funded jointly by the Montgomery County Government and Public Schools to leverage public funds to attract private investment. COF champions, plans, and funds strategic investments that improve the lives of low-income children and families in the county. With a focus on innovative, evidence-informed efforts targeted at closing the opportunity gap, COF identifies priority areas for investment based on unmet need, aligns resources toward effective multi-sector collaborations serving the county’s most vulnerable youth and their families, and seeks new funding sources. COF has invested $2 million to expand opportunities for out of school time programs, internships and career prep programs, and early childhood care and education for low-income families. 

Fund for Children, Youth And Families Awards $1.99 Million to Greater Washington Region Nonprofits

The Fund for Children, Youth, and Families (FFCYF) at the Greater Washington Community Foundation is pleased to announce $1.99 million in grants to 49 nonprofit organizations serving disadvantaged children, youth, and families across the Greater Washington region. The organizations will receive grants of up to $50,000 for project/program support or general operating support.

These grants support organizations that are:

• Helping families experiencing homelessness, and those participating in housing-based service programs

• Closing the achievement gap for students from various racial and ethnic backgrounds

• Closing the achievement gap between low-income and high-income families by investing in early childhood education, academic achievement for school-aged children, and college preparation and career training

• Supporting children in the foster care system by promoting permanency and helping youth leaving the system achieve self-sufficiency

Watch coverage of our FFCYF grants in this Local WDVM segment

Take the Wesley Housing Development Corporation, for instance, awarded funding to help low-income households avoid eviction. The grant will help 139 households in DC to maintain their housing. Of these households, nearly 50 residents will participate in one-on-one career coaching to attain unemployment benefits or re-enter the workforce. And, they will receive material assistance, such as grocery store gift cards, hygiene items, and youth “Study & Snack Packs,” at no additional cost.

Or, CollegeTracks, a Montgomery County nonprofit that that helps prepare high school students for higher education. Our grant will help fund their College Access Program, focusing on college admissions and counseling. Of the 784 students who were enrolled in the program in Spring 2020, nearly 630 will enroll in college within a year of their high school graduation.

Our grant to Prince George’s Child Resource Center will provide child development and parent/child learning activities for 95 participants, with the goal of improved language and cognitive abilities. Within one year, we also anticipate participating parents to demonstrate an improved understanding of nurturing parenting techniques.

These are just a couple organizations and projects that we’re proud to support. Below, read on for a full list of our FFCYF grantees and their projects.

• Adoption Together
  To host informational meetings on foster care and adoption with 250 prospective families

• AHC, Inc.
  To support the development of literacy and social engagement skills for 112 students in its afterschool program

• Aspire Afterschool Learning
  To support 80 children in its LearningROCKS! afterschool program

• Center for Adoption Support and Education
  To provide therapy sessions for 33 children who are moving from the foster care system into permanent, loving families

• Central American Resource Center
  To provide housing counseling services to help 50 participants maintain stable housing

• Children’s Law Center
  To provide legal support and other service to help children grow up in permanent, stable, loving families

• Collaborative Solutions for Communities
  To help 12 families transition to permanent housing

• CollegeTracks
  To help almost 800 high school seniors enroll in college or vocational programs

• Community of Hope
  To help 14 families in remain stably housed or transition to another positive housing situation

• Cornerstones
  To help 25 families move into stable, permanent housing

• Court Appointed Special Advocate - Montgomery County, MD
  To recruit and train 100 additional CASA volunteers

• Court Appointed Special Advocate - Prince George's County, MD
  To increase capacity for its Transitioning Youth program

• Court Appointed Special Advocates – Fairfax County, VA
  To provide the services of a CASA volunteer to 292 children

• DC Bilingual Public Charter School
  To enroll 34 children in PK-3

• DC Volunteer Lawyers Project
  To train 38 volunteer lawyers to offer 140 victims legal and/or advocacy assistance

• District Alliance for Safe Housing
  To assist families through its Cornerstone Program, Empowerment Project and Survivor Resilience Fund

• District of Columbia Appleseed Center for Law and Justice
  To improve the capacity of the District's 2,300 early childhood educators to identify children at risk for developmental disabilities

• Doorways for Women & Families
  To provide safe housing, life skills and employment services to 30 households experiencing homelessness

• Edgewood Brookland Family Support Collaborative
  To help 80 families and individuals obtain or retain stable housing

• Family and Youth Initiative
  To match four teens with an adoptive family

• Friends of the National Arboretum
  To provide career awareness workshops to youth from low-income communities

• Generation Hope
  To offer college readiness workshops, application and enrollment services, and ongoing support throughout college for 170 teen parents

• Good Shepherd Housing & Family Services, Inc.
  To place 90 vulnerable and homeless participant families in affordable housing

• Healthy Babies Project
  To help pregnant/parenting youth find stable housing and create educational or job readiness plans

• Homeless Children's Playtime Project
  To increase the number of advocacy coalition partners and expand support services for children in families experiencing homelessness

• Homestretch
  To provide debt and financial services and help four homeless adults transition to stable housing

• Hope House
  To provide college preparation services to high school students and ongoing support to students while in college

• Housing Up
  To help 686 families obtain and/or maintain stable housing

• Identity, Inc.
  To help 50 students demonstrate improvement or achieve their grade-level target in key literacy skills

• International Rescue Committee
  To help 70 refugees increase their incomes through public benefits and securing entry-level jobs

• Legal Aid Justice Center
  To provide housing-related legal services to more than 300 households

• Main Street Child Development Center
  To help children achieve or make progress toward school readiness goals

• Mental Health Association of Frederick County
  To close 15 cases and place foster children in permanent homes

• Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless
  To help 126 families maintain stable, permanent housing through its Partnership for Permanent Housing (PPH) program

• Neighborhood Legal Services Program of The District of Columbia
  To provide low-income DC residents and homeless families with legal and housing services

• Northern Virginia Family Service
  To help 130 households transition from homelessness into temporary housing or from temporary into permanent housing

• Prince George's Child Resource Center
  To provide child development and parent/child learning activities that improve language and cognitive abilities for 95 participants

• Reach Education
  To help high school and elementary students develop and grow their literacy skills

• Rising for Justice
  To help 1,500 tenants and their families avoid eviction

• Sasha Bruce Youthwork
  To support homeless youth and runaways with housing and family strengthening services

• Stop Child Abuse Now of Northern Virginia
  To help 75 children served by the CASA program achieve permanency in their family placements

• Shelter House
  To help 19 families achieve housing, public benefits and income stability through its RISE program

• Stepping Stones Shelter
  To help 30 families move into stable housing and increase their income

• Survivors and Advocates for Empowerment (DC SAFE)
  To assist 300 participants in successfully moving to safe transitional or permanent housing

• The Arc Prince George's County
  To support more than 40 participants with training and employment services through its Project SEARCH and Ready@21 programs

• The Barker Adoption Foundation
  To provide clients with lifelong services and advocate for ethical, respectful and child-centered adoption practices

• The Platform of Hope
  To help 60 low-income families develop life goals, increase their resource networks and participate in programs that help achieve their goals

• Voices for Virginia's Children
  To collect and distribute data-driven information to policy makers and support 1,000 children in the foster care system

• Wesley Housing Development Corporation
  To help 139 low-income households avoid eviction and maintain housing

About the Fund for Children, Youth And Families

The Fund for Children, Youth and Families (FFCYF) was established to invest in the betterment of underserved children, youth, and families across the greater Washington region - specifically, to invest in organizations achieving significant impact providing services and programming across the following program areas: Stable Homes Stable Families, Foster Care and Adoption, and Academic and Career Success. Through its grantmaking, the fund supports effective organizations working to make the community healthy and stable. Please visit www.fund4cyf.org for more information.

Deciding which charity to support doesn’t have to be hard. These tips will help.

Giving Tuesday is a global movement that’s more important now than ever - and every act of generosity counts.

Not sure where to begin? In her interview with The Washington Post, Anna Hargrave, Executive Director for our Montgomery County office, offers giving tips to get you started - beginning with what moves you.

#MakeADifference Monday: Medical Care

These past several months, while exceptionally challenging at times, have also been inspiring. We’ve seen our community come together to care for our neighbors in need, springing into action to support those most adversely affected by the pandemic.

Through our COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund, were able to invest $10 million to support low-wage workers who have been laid off, expand access to medical care, provide shelter and services to people experiencing homelessness, increase food access, and so much more. This would not be possible without our compassionate donors – a diverse group of individuals and businesses who helped us mobilize $10 million for coordinated relief and recovery efforts. Thank you for standing with us to make a difference.

You can read about our impact here – and, below, learn more about how our nonprofit partners helped create this impact. Their stories of kindness and courage are truly inspiring.

Care for Your Health, Inc.

Care for Your Health believes that every single patient who receives adequate medical care is a win for the whole community.

As the pandemic grew and Care for Your Health staff began working remotely, the organization knew it was critical to support its staff with high-speed Internet, since most activities were pivoting to telemedicine. As a COVID-19 Response Fund grantee, they also received funding for office supplies, stamps and other essential items needed to serve the low-income and uninsured communities of Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties.

We have effectively taken care of our clients’ primary care medical problems, either via telemedicine or with visits from the nurse practitioner and the physician. In relation to the 80 new patients incorporated into our practice during the pandemic, we have tested them for COVID-19, attended to their medical problems, and referred them to other health providers and social workers when appropriate.

CCI Health & Wellness Services

Personal protective equipment (PPE) and COVID-19 test kits are a key component of fighting COVID-19—as well as software that allows telehealth visits. As CCI Health & Wellness pivoted to better serve its community during the early stages of the pandemic, our COVID-19 Response grant allowed them to focus on shoring up equipment, processes and guidelines. Notable milestones include:

• Establishing workflows and designating separate space for persons under investigation and those testing positive for COVID-19

• Installing sneeze safety guards that form a dividing wall to better separate symptomatic and non-symptomatic patients

• Implementing routine deep cleaning at all health centers on a weekly basis and on demand in response to virus outbreaks in staff areas

• Placing respiratory hygiene stations in all health center waiting rooms

• Purchasing PPE for health center personnel

• Testing for COVID-19 at three health center locations and securing all supplies necessary to stand up temporary testing sites at four health center locations

Montgomery Hospice, Inc.

Providing quality, compassionate end-of-life care is critical. Hundreds of individuals in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties are coping with terminal illnesses and require specialized care—and the COVID-19 pandemic presents many challenges in doing so.

Montgomery Hospice, Inc. used its Emergency Response Fund grant to provide quality care for terminally ill coronavirus-positive patients at Casey House, an inpatient facility.

During the grant period, patients received comprehensive, compassionate care, and they and their families were protected from infection. Furthermore, our services reduce patients’ use of other healthcare resources, especially hospitals, that are strained by the pandemic.

Total Family Care Coalition

Total Family Care Coalition aims to help keep families together for a better and safer community.

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted life as we know it, particularly when caring for loved ones. Families are experiencing stress and exacerbated mental health challenges as a result of unemployment and financial instability. Youth are experiencing increased exposure to poor parenting, domestic violence, and child abuse and neglect.

[The Community Foundation’s] funds made a huge difference to the community. Children could eat. Parents were able to reduce anxiety and increase self-care techniques such as mindfulness to increase positive parenting.

With funding from the COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund, Total Family Care Coalition:

• Served more than 275 individuals including 112 children, 85 adults and 80 families

• Kept its doors open and responded immediately to families’ needs

• Helped parents receive appropriate mental health medication they could help their small children

• Kept one single, young mom from taking her own life by consistently reaching out and letting her know that she and her baby are loved

Tonia Wellons Named Nonprofit Leader of the Year by Washington Business Journal

Dear Friends of The Community Foundation,

Photo by EMAN MOHAMMED/WBJ
Courtesy of Washington Business Journal

What a year it has been! In light of the ongoing crisis and continuing cycle of bad news, I wanted to share the exciting news that Tonia Wellons, our fearless CEO, has been named Nonprofit Leader of the Year by The Washington Business Journal.

Tonia could not have taken over as The Community Foundation's permanent President and CEO at a tougher time. Tonia has proven to be the exact right leader for this moment and for our community. Under Tonia’s leadership and with the tireless work of our amazing staff, together with the generosity of all of you and many others in our community, we have raised over $10 million to date for our COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund.

As we continue to respond to the ongoing crisis and move forward with other critical initiatives, I hope you will join me in congratulating Tonia by making a gift to support The Community Foundation's work.

Congratulations to Tonia for this well-deserved recognition of your hard work!

Yours,
Katharine Weymouth
Chair, Board of Trustees
Greater Washington Community Foundation

Community Foundation Awards $1 million in Relief Funds to Prince George’s County Small Businesses

The small business sector is a key economic driver in Prince George’s County; it makes up 95% of all businesses in the County. Unfortunately, Prince George’s County was hit hard by the pandemic.

50% of the jobs created over the past five years were lost in the first two weeks of COVID-19.

Many businesses have shuttered and far too many have closed for good, taking the jobs they’ve created with them. These losses have left individuals, families and communities struggling to survive and gain an economic foothold.

Helping residents improve their social and economic status is an important yet complex goal—and that’s exactly what the Greater Washington Community Foundation is doing as part of its new focus on equity and economic mobility in Prince George’s County.

The Legacy Fund, seeded with a $1 million gift directed by Sam Brin and a $10,000 gift from Meridiam, provides critically needed access to capital for small businesses in Prince George’s County. It provides direct relief to small businesses in Prince George’s County impacted by COVID-19 to help minimize vulnerability to closure and to enable small businesses thrive.

The Legacy Fund is helping blunt the impact of business closure and job loss with grants ranging from $2,000-$10,000 to 173 small businesses. These investments resulted in the retention of more than 650 full time jobs and provided the funding that businesses need for technology and other business enhancements. Additionally, through our partnership with FSC First, these companies can access technical assistance to help them better navigate new business and economic realities and ensure long-term development.

Grants were awarded to companies in all nine Councilmanic Districts in the County and across multiple industries including retail, IT, business services, restaurants, and health, beauty and fitness. While each of the companies we’ve invested in supply critical goods and services, they’re also community gathering spaces and are important institutions in the County.

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Below are a few examples of small businesses that received grants and how they play a critical role in our community.

Spiritual Essence Yoga, in Upper Marlboro, has supported the mental, physical, and emotional health of the Prince George's County community since 2008. While the stress of the pandemic has increased the community’s need for these services, the company was required to close for several months. This grant helped them reopen and begin offering virtual and in-person classes.

BLE Executive and Virtual Office Suites, in Largo, provides individual offices and virtual services to hundreds of entrepreneurs and small businesses in the County through a flexible office space business model. With more people working from home, and in-person meetings no longer an option, BLE has had to contend with reduced demand for its services. This grant will enable BLE to maintain critical staffing levels and continue to provide the high quality business to business services that are important for the growth and sustainability of small businesses and entrepreneurship.

Minimizing business closure and reducing job loss are important goals of the Legacy Fund, but we also recognize that in order to work families need childcare. The staff at Loving Hands Enrichment Center, a childcare facility in Clinton have cared for children in the community for 14 years. Like most companies, they’ve been forced to scale back due to the pandemic. Funding is helping the center retain staff and improve their operating systems. They are, once again, providing a strong educational and nurturing environment for child development in Prince George’s.

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2020 Legacy Fund Grant Awardees

21st Century Expo Group

4EVER 2012 Corporation

Acbles Adrian Wilcox Agency, Inc.

Adventure Tours Aga Group

Aggie Family Child Care

Airport Metro Connection Inc.

Angarai Management Services

Appreciation Moments

Around the Clark Trucking

Ayers Natural Aztlan, Inc.

BC Tours & Travel, Inc.

Bea's Hive Assisted Living

Behind The Scenes Production

Belmont Executives, Inc.

Beltway Trophy Co.

Best Sweet Frog

Biruk Chewaka

BizyBee Professional Staffing & Biz'Ness Solutions

BLE Executive & Virtual Office Suites

Bright Horizon Ventures

Bruce T. Blake Insurance Agency, Inc.

Cameau Enterpises dba Camp Space

Centered Support

Charlene Mitchell

Cheerful Speech Therapy

Choice Clinical Services

Chung & Oh

Cipher Logix, Inc.

Clearview Optics dba Sterling Optical

CN Accounting & Management Consulting

College Park Yoga dba Numi Yoga

Colors by Tangie

Corporate Wheels

C-Pup Pet Walks

Cursor Logistics

Custom Plumbing and HVAC

Cuts Unlimited, Inc.

Cybersoft Technologies Corporation

Cynthia Cephas Photography

DAPO Group

DC Vegan

DCG Construction

Deanna Robinson Fitness

Defined by Design Events

Dickey & Associates

DMV Healthy Insurance

DNA Fitness, Inc. dba Curves of Glenn Dale

DSSP Consulting, Inc.

DXT Therapeutic Services

DY Food Wholesalers

Dynamic 3, Inc.

Dynamic Technical Solutions One

Eby Health Services, Inc.

Elites Care

Emmanuel Management Enterprise, Inc.

Envisage Management Solutions

Eric Kruszewski

Essentially Everything Events

Exact Financial Services

Executive Electrolysis, Inc.

Expressions of Faith

Extra Mile Logistics

Felicia C. Everett Insurance Company, Inc.

Femsterimages Productions

First Lady

Fitness Martial Arts

Flavors Culinary Group

Forty Winks

Front Street Management

G&D Construction

Garcia's Investments

Goins Worldwide, Inc.

Goldleaf Academy

Green Ivy, Benefit

Greenbelt Barber and Beauty Shop

Greenbelt Foods

GS Consulting and Communications, Inc.

Hair + Space Blowdry and Beauty Company

Harbor Wines

Hawkeye Medical

Higher Ground Transportation Services, Inc.

Hutchinson Design Group

Innovations 2000

Intuitive Group

Iwynn Productions

J and A Transport

J.D Clark Professional Services

Jiivana-LIFE Yoga & Wellness LLC dba Spiritual Essence Yoga

K&W Plumbing

KBM Realtors

KC Enterprise

Kery's dba Christina O Salon & Spa

KIK, Inc.

Kimi Nails & Spa

Kinetic Solutions

Klub Kid

Lamaha Hospitality

Laugh House

Law Offices of Sharon Theodore-Lewis & Associates

Legacy Partners Distribution

LG Total Fitness/Triple Delight Aquatics

LLF Handyman Services

Lord & Mitchell, Inc.

Lovi Family Daycare, Inc.

Loving Hands Enrichment Daycare

Maryland Carpet Repair & Cleaning

Maryland Physical Therapy and Wellness Center

Melton Digital

MF Communications Trade, Inc.

Min Wireless, Inc.

Mixin' Mimi Mixology

My Wealth Store

Neshama, Inc.

NITDOT

N'Style Hair Grooming Barber and Salon

Old Town Hospitality

Oni Family Day Care

Own Your Own DMV

PG Family Dentistry

Physical and Sports Rahab, Inc.

Premier Eye Care Center

Prince of Peace Homes for Seniors, Inc.

Printing Express & Designs

Pro Spex, Inc.

Prominent Solutions, Inc.

Quality Time

QW, Inc.

R.A. Investments

Regina Robinson Enterprises

Rickenbacker's Preparation Services

Roman Mechanical

Salon 809

Seeram Enterprises

SELA Hair and Nails

Shan's Jumping Gymnasium

Sidnea Global Enterprises, Inc.

Silver Canady & Associates

Sky Nails

SLDB

SNR Holdings dba Misfit Winery

Something Vintage Rentals

SRC Eldercare Services

Sutter Design, Inc.

Tajick Dental Clinic PC

TCH Enterprize

Team Power Linx

TechOpps, Inc.

Temple Hills Swim Club, Inc.

The Face Paint Ladyn Inc.

The Groom Room

The Joseph Company

The Mercy Law Firm

The Mobile Experience

The SEMCAS Group

The WaterHole

Total Interior

Toth Distribution Service, Inc.

Transcend Solutions

Tucker Moor Law Group

Turning Point Solutions

University for Tots-Suitland Child Care Center, Inc.

viaJ Entertainment Services

Vino 301 Wine Concierge

VIP Financial Services

Visage Dermatology and Aesthetic Center

Way To Live Initiative

Wills Trucking & Excavating, Inc.

World View Early Learning Center, Inc.

Youth Avenue Solutions

About the Legacy Fund

The Legacy Fund made a big difference for 173 businesses on the brink of closure. It’s a key part of our effort to build thriving communities and help individuals and families in Prince George’s County build wealth and leave a legacy for generations to come.

For more information about our work in Prince George’s County, visit www.thecommunityfoundation.org/princegeorges.

Continue the Workforce Justice Conversation

Since the pandemic hit, Greater Washington’s unemployment rate has grown from 3.5% in to 8.5%. Our Black and brown neighbors have been amongst the hardest hit, especially immigrant workers and women of color. These populations are also disproportionately employed in low-wage, essential jobs, exposing them to COVID-19 at much higher rates than those working at home.

Throughout the pandemic, we’ve stayed in conversation with our community about how we can care for our region’s workforce in the short-term—and how we can create greater equity in the long-term.

Tune in below for several recent events we hosted or participated in, which examine urgent workforce justice issues in our region.

VoicesDMV Social Justice Town Hall

Ensuring Equity for Small Businesses and Entrepreneurs

In our recent VoicesDMV Community Insights survey, we found that more than 1 in 6 of our Black and African American neighbors rated the availability of good jobs in the area where they live as poor. As part of our VoicesDMV Social Justice Town Hall series, we invited local thought leaders to discuss how small business and entrepreneurship can be tools for addressing unemployment and ensuring economic equity.

The Urban Institute’s Evidence to Action Series

Responding to the COVID-19 Crisis: Providing Direct Cash Assistance to DC Residents

In this Urban Institute virtual event, our President and CEO Tonia Wellons joined a panel of Urban Institute and local nonprofit experts to discuss the THRIVE East of the River program. THRIVE provides direct cash and food assistance to help DC residents weather the pandemic.

This conversation explored what people living on low incomes in Ward 8 are experiencing amid the pandemic, and provided context for those experiences, especially the history of structural racism and segregation in Washington, DC.

WAMU’s Kojo Nnamdi Show

Low wage workers: the pandemic’s forgotten

Our local economy depends on thousands of low-wage workers, but many lost their job when the coronavirus pandemic shut the region down, and they were unable to pay their rent. Rent protection has expired in Virginia, and it is set to expire in D.C. and Maryland.

Are we at the cusp of seeing a massive increase in evictions and homelessness, and food insecurity for low-wage workers?

Join Kojo Nnamdi, along with our President and CEO Tonia Wellons; Radha Muthiah, President and CEO of Capital Area food Bank; Dipti Pidikiti-Smith, Deputy Director of Advocacy, Legal Services of Northern Virginia; and William “Sandy” Darity, Samuel DuBois Cook Distinguished Professor of Public Policy, Duke University to discuss.

Magnifying Our Power for Change

By Karla Bruce, Chief Equity Officer for Fairfax County

Nationally and locally, there has been a growing understanding of the role of federal, state, and local government in creating and maintaining inequity—specifically racial inequity—through policy and practice. While overtly discriminatory acts based on race are now illegal, the effects of policies from previous generations, often considered “race neutral,” that regulated features of communities, including who could live where and how wealth could be built, still linger. 

Reports from the Urban Institute, and the Northern Virginia Health Foundation have documented this variance in opportunity and vulnerability within Fairfax County and across the region. The Equitable Growth Profile, produced for Fairfax County by PolicyLink in 2015, established that people of color are driving Fairfax County’s population growth, and their ability to participate and thrive is central to the county’s continued economic success. 

Adopting an Equity Lens

Fairfax County, as a local government and a community of committed service providers, has exerted considerable effort and resources to meet the basic needs of our most vulnerable residents, yet our work has not produced improvements in life outcomes at the scale desired.  The efforts, while well-intended, have focused primarily on the delivery of programs and services to individuals and families, often missing the root causes of these differences in outcomes.  

Through an “equity lens” however, the focus is shifting from centering on addressing perceived "lack” in people, to tackling the situations and conditions that are driving the inequities people face.

One Fairfax

November 2020 marks three years since the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and School Board adopted the One Fairfax Policy, committing the county government and Fairfax County Public Schools to intentionally consider equity when making policies and delivering programs and services.

We are now gaining a better understanding of how opportunity varies, depending on who you are and where you live in the county. Our Countywide Strategic Plan is connecting our jurisdiction’s success to our ability to address the structural barriers to opportunity that exist—and build the productive capacities of all neighborhoods and residents. The plan is grounded in the concepts of Targeted Universalism and building Communities of Opportunity, which abandon a one-size-fits-all policy formula, in favor of an approach that is more place and population focused. 

Ultimately, inequities must be challenged and dismantled through the collective action of government and all aspects of community. The transformative institutional work happening inside government is informed, enhanced, and emboldened by the outside work happening with residents, nonprofits, faith-based organizations, business, and philanthropy.

Inclusive Prosperity  

The cornerstone of Fairfax County’s approach to advancing equity is addressing the wide gaps in income, employment, entrepreneurship, and other wealth-building opportunities by race and geography. With the Greater Washington Workforce Collaborative (an initiative of the Greater Washington Community Foundation) and support from Capital One, we are working with an expanding group of stakeholders, representing county agencies and nonprofits, to align efforts and fill gaps through the formation of an Inclusive Prosperity Network.  

This network will align, leverage, and develop strategies to create an ecosystem that will support the full integration of people of color into the economy, putting more residents on the path toward reaching their full potential. Initially focused on the Richmond Highway Corridor, but with a goal of applying successes and lessons learned to other lower opportunity areas across the county, the Inclusive Prosperity Network is positioned to inform the county’s future economic growth. And now, in the context of COVID-19, the Network is also positioned to foster sustained economic prosperity in Fairfax County in the county’s equitable recovery.

I appreciate having The Greater Washington Workforce Collaborative as a partner in the work of becoming One Fairfax.  

When we come together as institutions, government and philanthropy, and live into our unique roles, we are able to magnify our power to disrupt the status quo and dismantle the deeply rooted inequities that plague us and hinder our community’s progress.  Working together, we can bolster connections to the region’s assets and resources and facilitate full participation in and contribution to the region’s economic and social vitality and readiness for the future.

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About Karla Bruce

Karla Bruce has over 20 years of local government management experience and is known as a driver of innovation in public service delivery, bridging the efforts of local government with the collective action of residents and broad networks of partners to strategically address issues facing vulnerable populations and neighborhoods.  Karla currently serves as the Chief Equity Officer for Fairfax County, Virginia where she successfully championed the adoption of the One Fairfax Racial and Social Equity Resolution and Policy and provides overall management of the One Fairfax strategic framework, advising and supporting the Board of Supervisors and Executive Leadership in shaping and directing policy and practice to foster equitable opportunity for all Fairfax County residents.