Flex Funding Reshapes Fight Against Homelessness

By Jennifer Olney, Senior Program Officer, Partnership to End Homelessness

In late 2019, the Partnership announced its first round of grants for “flex funding” programs to support four local nonprofits that provide Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) for people experiencing chronic homelessness: Miriam’s Kitchen, Open Arms Housing, Pathways to Housing, and Friendship Place.

These two-year grants were intended to help expedite housing placement and increase stabilization for single adults experiencing homelessness by providing funds that could cover small but critical expenses, such as fees to obtain IDs, that are essential to obtaining housing.

Flex Fund Impact Story: John was living in one of the city’s Pandemic Emergency Program shelters before being assigned to the Pathways to Housing Permanent Supportive Housing program in early 2021. The Pathways team quickly jumped into action to help him find housing before his rental voucher was set to expire. The team used Partnership flex funding support to provide transportation so John could view available apartments. He found a unit he liked and was approved to move in several days after he submitted his application. John moved into his new apartment in July 2021, starting his new chapter in safe and stable housing.

Soon after these flex funding grants were awarded, the world changed. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, The Community Foundation quickly pivoted to provide emergency response support to the region, and the Partnership in turn moved to allow its grantees to use their flex funding grants even more flexibly to respond to new challenges.

This flexible approach , spurred in part by the pandemic, aligns with The Community Foundation’s shift toward implementing a trust-based philanthropy approach to our work. We believe it is important to support our grantees in allocating their resources to where they are most needed, making room for greater innovation, responsiveness, and impact.

Now, more than two years later, we are happy to see that this approach paid off. The grants not only demonstrated that flex funding could accomplish its original goals, but also served to respond to new needs that PSH clients faced due to the pandemic.

Our four top lessons learned:

• Flex funding can help reduce the time it takes to move people into housing. Flex funding was used by all the grantees to pay for critical expenses such as identification documents, apartment application fees, transportation to see available apartments, and movers. Open Arms Housing used some of the funding to help support a staff person dedicated to working directly with landlords to locate available units and lease up clients quickly. Three out of four grantees reported significant reductions in the time it took them to move clients into Permanent Supportive Housing.

• Flex funding can help increase equitable access to housing: Miriam’s Kitchen reported that some apartment buildings, generally in safer and more desirable neighborhoods, now charge additional “holding” or “amenities” fees (generally about $300). These additional fees create a significant barrier for people who have little or no income. The organization used some of the flex funding to pay these fees to secure more attractive apartments for clients – supporting clients’ mental and physical health by providing them with more choice in their selection of housing, and the ability to feel comfortable and secure in the housing and neighborhoods that they choose.

• Flex funding helped meet people’s COVID-related needs during the pandemic. The pandemic and resulting social distancing brought many new challenges for everyone – especially for PSH clients. Flex Funds allowed grantees the flexibility to meet some of those needs. For example, flex funds were used by grantees to cover the purchase of cell phones and cell phone plans for clients so they could stay in touch with their case managers when face to face meetings were not possible. These phones could also be used by clients to keep in touch with family, friends, and other members of their support networks and reduce their feelings of social isolation. Flex funding was also used to help provide clients with groceries, medicine, and PPE and COVID testing costs so they could stay safe and healthy.

• Flex funding can help make a house a home. All the grantees used flex funding to purchase home furnishings, groceries, cleaning supplies, holiday gift cards, and other household items for their clients. Open Arms Housing reported that although the donation of household items to their organization decreased during the pandemic, flex funding allowed them the ability to purchase items to ensure that their clients had what they needed for their new homes.

We are grateful for the commitment of our donors, who made these grants possible. The Partnership is committed to continuing our work to expedite housing placement and helping people remain stably housed. We hope you will join us.

Greater Washington Community Foundation Seeks Proposals For $10 Million Health Equity Fund Grants

Transformative Health Equity Fund is Largest in Foundation’s History

The Greater Washington Community Foundation today issued its first competitive Request for Proposals for grants funded by the historic Health Equity Fund. Mindful that health and wealth are inextricably connected, this first round of grants will boldly invest in economic mobility and wealth building in DC’s historically underinvested communities. Future funding will be devoted to policy advocacy, community and multi-sector anchor partnerships with hospitals and health systems, and behavioral health and trauma-informed systems of care. Over the next five years, the fund will support innovative systems-changing strategies as well as existing approaches that improve prospects for Black, Latinx, Indigenous, people of color, and other marginalized populations.

The $95 million fund was created to improve the health outcomes and health equity of DC residents. One of the largest funds of any kind focused on community-based nonprofits that serve District residents, the Health Equity Fund is also the largest in The Community Foundation’s nearly 50-year history.

“The past two years have reminded us that DC’s economic, social, and health systems favor people who already have access to wealth and good healthcare,” said Greater Washington Community Foundation President and CEO Tonia Wellons. “Given that 80 percent of DC’s health outcomes are driven by social, economic and other factors, and only 20 percent by clinical care, we plan to deploy the full resources of the Health Equity Fund to projects that disrupt more traditional approaches to social change with the goal of addressing our city’s persistent health inequities and helping to close the glaring and intolerable racial health and wealth gap.”

“Improving health outcomes and health equity in our communities is critical,” said DC Mayor Muriel Bowser. “Health Equity Fund grants represent significant investments in the well-being of our residents, and continues to promote DC HOPE—health, opportunity, prosperity, and equity. This is an important next step in providing necessary resources and addressing residents’ whole health.”

The Health Equity Fund was established last year as a result of the resolution of litigation among the District of Columbia Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking (DISB); Group Hospitalization and Medical Services, Inc. (GHMSI) – a CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield (CareFirst) affiliate – and DC Appleseed Center for Law & Justice. In establishing the fund, the parties created an innovative and impactful way of addressing DC’s racial health gap.

“The Health Equity Fund builds upon CareFirst’s longstanding mission to improve health outcomes through affordable, accessible, and equitable care,” said Stacia Cohen, CareFirst’s Executive Vice President of Health Services. “Under the leadership of the Greater Washington Community Foundation and the jointly appointed Health Equity Committee, the funds will be distributed to organizations that share our commitment to transforming healthcare and impacting DC community health.”

Request for Proposals

Two-year general operating grants totaling $10 million will be awarded to 40 organizations implementing economic mobility models that increase income and build wealth or that are implementing innovative enterprise development and ownership models. Applications are due by 4 p.m. on July 25. Awardees will be notified in September. A webinar for potential applicants will be held on June 21. Organizations with operating budgets of $750,000 and below are eligible for grants ranging from $50,000 to $100,000 per year and organizations with operating budgets above $750,000 are eligible for grants ranging from $150,000 to $200,000 per year. Click here to view the RFP or see here for additional information or to read Frequently Asked Questions

Fund Oversight

The Community Foundation was independently selected to manage the Health Equity Fund because of its track record of working with individual donors, businesses, and local government to manage effective community investments and create tangible, lasting change in the region. Health Equity Fund goals align with The Community Foundation’s ongoing work and 10-year strategic vision to close the racial wealth gap by eliminating the historic, racialized disparities in our region. The Community Foundation believes that changing the prospects for how Black and Brown people generate, share, and sustain wealth will ultimately improve the quality of life for all of our neighbors.

The Community Foundation is working in partnership with a Health Equity Committee mandated by the Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the District of Columbia and GHMSI. The seven-member committee includes Shirley Marcus Allen; Nnemdi Kamanu Elias, MD, MPH; Dr. Tollie Elliott; Jeffrey Franco; Lori Kaplan; Dr. Djinge Lindsay, MD, MPH; and Courtney R. Snowden. Together, The Community Foundation and Health Equity Committee are ensuring the Health Equity Fund is managed according to guidelines outlined in the Memorandum.  

Scholarships for DC Students Now Available!

UPDATE 11/2/2022 — The OST Youth Scholarship Program is not accepting new applications at this time.

Looking for fun activities for your child to do this summer? Activity Scholarships for DC Students are now available through Learn24’s OST Youth Scholarship Program.

Learn24 is the name for the network that supports equitable access to high-quality, Out-of-School-Time (“OST”) programs for the District’s students. The OST Youth Scholarship Program is a new program, managed by the Greater Washington Community Foundation, with the goal of increasing access to OST programs for students with specific needs. Specifically, the program will support students who may be identified as at-risk.

Examples of programs that the scholarship may support include, but are not limited to, programs designed specifically for students with disabilities, advanced learners, and English Language Learners. Individuals not considered at-risk may also be eligible to receive a scholarship based on need and availability of funding.

Scholarships of up to $10,000 are available for individual students for use in approved OST activities in calendar year 2022, including both current summer activities and those expected to begin with the start of the new school year. The minimum scholarship award is $1,000. Scholarship funds can be used for any OST activities that have a cost association up to the total scholarship amount.

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and must be submitted online, using the link provided. No hard copy, email or faxed proposals will be accepted. Applications are reviewed monthly by The Community Foundation and approved by Learn24. Applicants will be notified of funding decisions within 4 weeks of application submission.

For those seeking additional information, click here to read the full RFP.

If you have questions, please contact Benton Murphy at [email protected]

Coming Out Strong: DC’s LGBTQ+ Budget Coalition Builds Community That Goes Beyond Pride Month

By Jesse Steinberg, SMYAL Communications and Development Youth Fellow

At its inception three years ago, the DC LGBTQ+ Budget Coalition was a way for local LGBTQ+ organizations to collectively petition the DC Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs and City Council for funding where it mattered most.

Organizations like SMYAL, the DC Center for the LGBT Community, Whitman-Walker Health, the Wanda Alston Foundation, HIPS, Planned Parenthood of Metro Washington, DC, and many more have joined forces in this coalition to ensure that our local government is investing in the future of the LGBTQ+ community, especially our low-income residents and trans people of color–not just during Pride month, but year-round.

In practice, though, the Budget Coalition has become much more than that- it’s a space to build community, coordinate efforts, and strategize how to move our local LGBTQ+ movement forward.

“Thanks to the support of the Greater Washington Community Foundation’s LGBTQ+ Fund and Partnership to End Homelessness, 25 LGBTQ+ community-focused organizations have been empowered to advocate for the people they serve as well as one another, and ensure the District allocates specific funding to meet needs identified by organizations on the ground,” adds SMYAL Deputy Executive Director Jorge Membreño, MSW, LICSW. “SMYAL is proud to be a leader in this effort in partnership with many other community organizations.”

In its weekly meetings, the LGBTQ+ Budget Coalition brings together leadership from across the city to identify our community’s most pressing needs, develop programmatic solutions, and advocate for funding of these programs to local government officials. The Budget Coalition has secured over $4.7 million in funding for 2022, and continues to engage members of the Mayor’s office and DC Council to identify areas for improvement.

The Community Foundation is unique in its commitment to local advocacy, as one of the very few grants that allows community organizations to directly advocate for what they need. The LGBTQ+ Fund and Partnership to End Homelessness has allowed SMYAL, a DC based nonprofit that serves LGBTQ youth ages 6-24, to deepen meaningful engagement with other LGBTQ+ organizations in the District, offer a broad range of additional resources to SMYAL youth, and expand its network of referral sources through implementation of new programs.

SMYAL has referred youth to multiple programs funded by the coalition’s advocacy, including the city’s trans and gender non-conforming (TGNC) low-barrier shelter and TGNC youth workforce program. Other new programs, such as the LGBTQ+ Domestic Survival Housing, meet specific needs of young people in crisis and provide another avenue for SMYAL youth to access critical resources. By growing the network of support that exists for LGBTQ+ people in DC, SMYAL can continue to expand its offerings through a city budget that prioritizes the needs of our community.

The LGBTQ+ Budget Coalition’s number one priority is addressing housing insecurity for queer and trans people in DC. We’re immensely proud of the LGBTQ+ Budget Coalition’s work in securing almost $1.5 million in recurring funding for designated LGBTQ+ housing programs in 2021, including vouchers for LGBTQ+ seniors, extended transitional funding for LGBTQ youth, and more.

Our work won’t stop here. DC can do more to protect vulnerable populations of LGBTQ+ residents, and the LGBTQ+ Budget Coalition will continue to use The Community Foundation’s support to petition the local government for additional funding. In the three short years since the DC LGBTQ+ Budget Coalition began its work, we’ve successfully secured almost $5 million in additional funding for the coming year.

It’s clear that our voices have been heard, and with the support of The Community Foundation and the other organizations involved in the Budget Coalition, SMYAL intends to continue speaking truth to power.

Writer Bio: Jesse (they/them/theirs pronouns) is a writer, photographer, embroidery artist, and SMYAL Youth Fellow from Manassas, Virginia. As a recent graduate of Northeastern University’s MA Media Advocacy program and alumni of American University’s Justice and Law program, Jesse is passionate about supporting and uplifting LGBTQ+ youth nationwide. They can usually be found at the Old Town Alexandria waterfront with an iced chai. Jesse’s current Spotify top artist is Orville Peck.

The Community Foundation Reacts to Rising National Gun Violence

The Greater Washington Community Foundation is heartbroken and grieves along with the community of Uvalde, Texas after the mass shooting that claimed the lives of 19 children and 2 teachers at Robb Elementary school last week. Our hearts go out to the victims, their families, and the close-knit community of Uvalde.

This heinous shooting – coming not two weeks after an equally disturbing and deadly attack in Buffalo and one month after a sniper opened fire on the Edmund Burke School in DC, reminds us of the urgent need to be vigilant and proactive in our stand against gun violence and its underlying causes including access to firearms, racism, classism, and the nation’s broken healthcare and political systems.

No one should have to grow up in the shadow of gun violence – in their homes, in their neighborhoods, in their places of worship, or in their schools. Freedom from gun violence is a basic human right.  We must recognize there can be no racial or economic justice until we take the proper steps to end this history and culture of violence in our community and in our nation.

To that end, The Community Foundation made a contribution to the Buffalo Together Community Response Fund and will be making a contribution to the San Antonio Area Foundation, which has set up two separate funds to support the victims of this tragedy, their families and the broader Uvalde community. We encourage all those who are interested to read how you can help and consider contributing.

We also encourage you to learn more about local work to prevent gun violence in our community, including two donor funds housed at The Community Foundation that share our vision for safe and vibrant communities. Peace for DC -- dedicated to preventing and reducing gun violence in DC -- and the 2LT Richard W. Collins III Foundation, dedicated to investing in the education and empowerment of youth while working toward a hate-free, more just society for all.

For additional information about local or national advocacy efforts and how you can contribute or get involved, please contact us. 

Building a Coalition of the Willing - Our Path to Closing the Racial Wealth Gap

Based on remarks from Tonia Wellons, President and CEO, at the 2022 Celebration of Philanthropy on May 4.

As a community foundation, our organization sits at the intersection of racialized wealth and racialized poverty.

From this vantage point, we recognize that our region’s seemingly intractable challenges stem from generations of racial and economic apartheid — a phrase that I don’t use lightly, having worked and lived in South Africa during the immediate post-apartheid era.  

This divide — known as the racial wealth gap — manifests itself as segregated housing and neighborhoods, disparities in life expectancy, low wages, unemployment, and high incarceration rates. It presents as over-policing, under-resourced schools, and disinvested neighborhoods.

To be very clear, the systems that should help create opportunities for Black, Latinx, and people of color, instead are fundamentally designed to produce racial and economic disparities. In other words, the problem is not with the people; rather, it is with systems and structures that operate with both implicit and explicit biases — ones that are often reinforced by legislation, policy, and practices. 

All of this points to this overarching fact — one that persists in our society: Race Matters.

By almost every measure — education, income, housing, health, and wealth — our community’s Black and Latinx neighbors are lagging behind their White neighbors. Again, this is not the result of individual failure, but rather systemic design.

Our region isn’t unique in facing this challenge. Yet, what sets us apart are the stark inequities, which have led to some of the nation’s wealthiest zip codes being just a short drive from some of its poorest. 

As home to the nation’s capital — and all the prestige, influence, wealth, and power it provides — we can and must do better.

We believe that by changing the prospects for how our Black and Brown neighbors generate, sustain, and share wealth, we will ultimately improve the quality of life for everyone who lives, works, and raises a family in this region.  

So, when people ask us: What will it take to close the racial wealth gap in our region? Well, our response is this…

Our community needs a vision, strong leadership, and a coalition of the willing who will invest the time in understanding what got us here in the first place; and what it will take to get us out.

This coalition recognizes that quick fixes or simple solutions will only get us but so far; and are willing to do the essential work to mobilize resources and build critical partnerships with community and across public and private sectors to shore up basic needs; and invest in strategies that increase economic mobility — like good jobs, homeownership, and entrepreneurship to name a few.

What are some ways that you can get involved right now? Well, I’m glad that you asked:

Invest in The Community Foundation

Start by becoming an investor in The Community Foundation and our vision for this region. We invite you to make a gift and connect to our work so that we can lean in together on a shared vision for a more just local economy. Align your philanthropy with our vision of closing our community’s racial wealth gap, so that our collective impact is experienced, exponentially.

Embark on a Learning Journey with Us

Become a member of the coalition of the willing by deepening your understanding of the racial wealth gap and what it will take to close it.

Embark on a learning journey with us through a new series we are developing on the racial wealth gap in our region. Join our quarterly book group, as together we discuss and grow together, as a community. We’ll also be launching an exciting new podcast series later this year.

Commit to Racial Equity

Finally, we invite you to take a look at your personal and professional approach to racial equity. What are your company’s requirements for entry-level roles, your vendors, and partners? Who are your contractors, your co-workers, and your talent pipeline? Consider if these things reflect the diversity of this region. If they don’t, these are immediate steps you can take to help achieve a more just economy in our region.

By widening the pool of economic development opportunities to a more diverse set of participants, you can begin to take steps towards closing the racial wealth gap.

Next year, we will come together to celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Community Foundation. For 50 years, we have blazed a trail for philanthropy, partnership, and community impact. I am excited for what the next 50 years might mean for The Community Foundation and the community that we serve.

As we embark on this exciting journey, I invite all of you to see yourselves in our framework for the future of our region. Together, we will continue to build more equitable, just, and thriving communities where everyone prospers.

A Night of Music, Vision, and Celebration of Philanthropy at The Warner Theatre

Over 200 of Greater Washington Community Foundation supporters, community partners, and friends joined us on May 4 at Warner Theatre for an intimate 2022 Celebration of Philanthropy. The energy in the room and the commitment to this region was truly inspiring!

A huge thank you to the speakers, staff, performers, and everyone who contributed to making this Celebration possible – especially our Community Champions who contributed over $728,000 to support The Community Foundation’s work to advance equity and economic justice by closing our region’s racial wealth gap.

The Celebration was a wonderful opportunity for our community of changemakers to reconnect, enjoy incredible performances from local nonprofit arts organizations, and join an important conversation about economic justice.

During the program, The Community Foundation CEO Tonia Wellons shared a preview of The Community Foundation’s new strategic vision and path to pursue economic justice, with a neighborhood-centered approach. She shared that as The Community Foundation embarks on this journey, it will require a clear vision, strong leadership, and a coalition of the willing that understands the compounding impact of the racial wealth gap. The Community Foundation is ready to step up to that challenge and Tonia invited our community of givers and changemakers to be part of the coalition of the willing, as together we deepen our collective understanding of the racial wealth gap and what it will take to close it.

The program also included a special conversation with two of the country’s leading experts on racial inequality -- Dr. Rashawn Ray, a Senior Fellow at The Brookings Institution and Professor of Sociology at the University of Maryland, and Dr. Thomas Shapiro, award-winning author and Professor of Law and Social Policy at Brandeis University –- to reflect on the causes and consequences of the racial wealth gap, and how can we pursue economic justice for the Greater Washington region. The conversation, which was moderated by Tonia, touched on systemic policies and historical practices that have extracted wealth from Black families and communities –- from redlining, to home loans and appraisals, tax policy, over-policing of Black communities, and beyond –- what this costs all of us, and ways that individuals and organizations can take steps to shift resources, policies, and practices to create a more equitable and just future.

The celebration was also headlined by talented local artists representing nonprofit arts organizations across the region -- including a lively musical performance from the East of the River Steelband, a program that incorporates the history and culture of traditional steelpan music of Trinidad and Tobago with a high-quality arts experience for youth in Wards 7 and 8. The performance, which kicked off the evening, had guests dancing in the aisles to a steelpan rendition of “This is How We Do it” by Montell Jordan.

The program also featured a moving spoken word performance from Fella Morgan-Bey, a writer, spoken word performer, and published author. Presented by BlackRock Center for the Arts, Fella regaled the crowd with an original piece called “Who Done It”.

Following the program, Words, Beats & Life presented a slam poetry performance by Elana Ernst, Kashvi Ramani, and Sarina Patel, three youth poet laureates from DC, Arlington County, and Montgomery County. 

As participants enjoyed cocktails, delicious food from Spilled Milk Catering, they also grooved to a "canvas" of African rhythms from Sahel, a band representing the African diaspora.

Sahel was immediately followed by Gerson Lanza and Friends — a duo composed of Ana Tomioshi and Gerson Lanza, two leading tap dance artists — who led participants on a journey of dance, music, and song. These final two performances were presented by EducArte, Inc, a Prince George’s County-based arts education nonprofit dedicated to fostering diversity and cultural vibrancy in the arts.

Throughout the night, guests participated in a Together, We Prosper polaroid photo wall activation and experienced Life Pieces To Masterpieces’ art gallery displaying its students' artistic masterpieces that tell profound and inspiring stories.

The Community Foundation’s hope is that the Celebration serves not just as a reminder of what our region has already achieved — but also as an exciting preamble to the unlimited potential that we can unlock by working together. As we prepare to celebrate The Community Foundation’s 50th anniversary next year, we are excited about what we can accomplish together for our community over the next 50 years.

Thank you for your continued support of The Community Foundation! Together, we will build more equitable, just, and thriving communities where everyone prospers. 

Quarterly Community Update

Dear Friends of the Community Foundation,

I hope this note finds you doing well and enjoying some nice spring weather.

We are grateful to be your trusted philanthropic partner and proud of what we have accomplished together for our community. Last fiscal year, our community of givers collectively awarded more than $92 million in grants to nonprofits addressing the most pressing needs of this region. This was also a record year of growth for The Community Foundation, as we welcomed 54 new funds and surpassed over $517 million in assets due to your generosity and investment in our new strategic vision and broader community impact.

Last quarter, our ongoing work to support and strengthen this community included:

• Reactivating Equity Hubs in Montgomery County, a proven program to support virtual learning for children and their families that was launched during the pandemic by our Children’s Opportunity Fund, County government, and several partners.

• Launching a new cohort of the Emerging Leaders Impact Fund, a giving circle that involves and inspires young professionals to create positive impact in Prince George’s County through philanthropy.

• Releasing a second round of Housing Justice grants in honor of Waldon Adams from our Partnership to End Homelessness to support seven organizations and coalitions leading systems change efforts to increase the supply of affordable housing in DC.

• Welcoming the historic $95 million Health Equity Fund to our philanthropic family. The purpose of this transformative fund is to improve the health outcomes and health equity of DC residents.

Over the last year, we’ve taken additional steps to align our core business with our vision for a just and equitable region, while also enhancing our investment management services to help meet your objectives. In partnership with SEI, a leading global investment management firm that serves as our Outsourced Chief Investment Officer, we have broadened the asset allocation for endowed funds that were invested in our Combined Investment Fund to expand return potential while managing risk across a variety of market environments. 

With the start of a new fiscal year, we have also adjusted our support fees structure for endowed funds to help more of our donors support this community now and for generations to come. And we recently updated our Investment Policy Statement to outline our approach to exercising socially responsible stewardship in managing financial resources, including a “Do No Harm” policy that prohibits funding to organizations designated as hate groups.

Thanks to your generosity and the inspiring service of our community partners, I am hopeful about what we can accomplish together in the year ahead.

Sincerely,
Tonia Wellons
President and CEO
Greater Washington Community Foundation

Basic-Income Pilot Helps Hospitality Workers Affected by COVID

The Greater Washington Community Foundation is excited to share the launch of Let’s GO DMV! – a guaranteed income pilot in the Washington, DC region that intends to give $1,000 a month–no strings attached– to 75 hospitality workers who lost their jobs during COVID. All but one of the workers are individuals of colors. The pilot, which recently began its first cash distributions, is planned to last five years.

“This initiative addresses a glaring reality as it relates to the racial wealth gap: that Black people and other people of color in our region were disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 dual health and economic crises, further widening pre-existing disparities,” said Tonia Wellons, President and CEO of the Greater Washington Community Foundation.

“Let’s GO DMV! is designed to get cash in people’s hands now – giving them increased flexibility and financial freedom to overcome the systemic barriers they face. Our hope is that this initiative can be used as a case for future government-supported programs and policies that are needed to advance economic justice.”

The launch was funded by a number of regional partners including Greater Washington Community Foundation, Amalgamated Foundation, Meyer Foundation, if, and several others. The Greater Washington Community Foundation is proud to serve as the designated fiscal agent for philanthropic grants and other financial contributions to Let’s Go DMV!.

For more information, visit www.letsgodmv.org

Faces of Sharing – Getting to Know Sharing Prince George's Committee Member, Rufus Lusk III

Sharing Prince George’s Committee Member Rufus Lusk III with Carl Cooper, Manager of the Port Towns Burger King.

Strengthening Community Connections

Rev. Rufus Lusk III has been involved with the Greater Washington Community Foundation for quite some time. A retired pastor and fourth generation Washingtonian, Rufus has been finding ways to give back to his community through The Community Foundation since the mid-90s.

Rufus is a natural connector, something that he uses on a regular basis in his ongoing role as managing partner with Lusk Family, LLC – a real estate firm with strong ties to Prince George’s County.

Unlike some landlords, Rufus loves to interact regularly with his tenants – driving down from his home in Baltimore to Port Towns Shopping Center frequently to visit, hear concerns, and take interest in his tenants’ lives.

 You can often find him enjoying pancakes at the Port Towns IHOP or chatting with the cashier at a nearby CVS. These interactions, he says form the foundation for his philanthropic giving.

“I've always felt that any philanthropy that we do needs to come around to producing a better society. That means creating greater prosperity for everybody.”

So when he was invited to join the Sharing Prince George’s Committee, Rufus was excited to get involved.

“What I really enjoyed about Sharing Prince George’s was getting to actually speak with the people on the front lines,” Rufus shares. “We were able to understand something of the background of the nonprofit staff -- as well as the specific needs that they are addressing.”

Like when Hillside Youth Services, a nonprofit supporting youth in Prince George’s County, came to Sharing Montgomery seeking support for their Work Scholarship Connection program.

Upon doing some research, Rufus realized that Hillside’s sister organization in Syracuse, New York was closely connected to one of his tenants – Carrol’s Restaurant Group, the largest Burger King franchisee in the world, with over 1,000 locations. The relationship allows Hillside to partner with local businesses to place and mentor high school youth in entry-level jobs in Upstate New York.

“I asked the Hillside team if they had a similar relationship, here in Prince George’s County,” Rufus says. “They told me they were hoping to develop something like that, but they hadn’t gotten the right introduction. I thought to myself ‘I guess that’s why God sent me to this meeting’.”

As fate would have it, Rufus had just connected with the new District Manager earlier that week. Thanks to Rufus’ introduction, Hillside is now in conversations to implement a new program which could help place dozens of teens in entry-level jobs.

The Sharing Community Funds bring together donors who share our passion for building more equitable, just, and thriving communities.  With expert facilitation by Community Foundation staff, donors join together to learn first-hand about the challenges facing our community. Thanks to the generosity of this growing community of givers, together we discover and invest in visionary nonprofits working on the frontlines of our region’s most pressing needs.

Want to get involved? The Sharing Prince George’s Fund Committee welcomes new members. Contact Desmirra Quinnonez ([email protected])  to find out more about how you can be a part of this impactful fund!

Faces of Sharing – Getting to Know Sharing DC Committee Member, Renee Licht

Sharing DC Committee Chair Renee Licht

Expanding Your Philanthropic Horizons

“I enjoy participating in Sharing DC because I’m continually learning – which I love!”

Renee Licht is a long-time DC resident and Chair of the Sharing DC Fund Committee. However, she wasn’t always super involved in philanthropy.

“Before I retired, my husband and I would write out checks to our favorite charities at the end of each year, and that was pretty much it. We didn’t think about what kind of impact we were making.”

It wasn’t until she was invited to join a local women’s giving circle, Giving Together, that Renee started to learn about the power of collective giving.

At the time, Giving Together was a relatively young group, made up of community members volunteering their time and resources to support a handful of local nonprofits. Within months, Renee was asked to co-chair the group’s grantmaking committee.

“In the giving circle, we learned as we went – especially when it came to the grantmaking process. There was no professional staff; we were all volunteers.”

Meanwhile, Renee and her husband decided to seek support for their personal philanthropy by opening a donor-advised fund at The Community Foundation. While chatting with their Donor Services Officer, Renee learned about Sharing DC and decided to become involved.

“I found it appealing that there were experts at The Community Foundation who could help inform our charitable giving and expand our thinking about philanthropy,” Renee explains.

While balancing involvement in two different philanthropic groups may seem like a daunting task, Renee says she quickly discovered there were benefits to it.

“I found I was able to bring my Giving Together experience in grant evaluating to the Sharing DC Committee. At the same time, I was able to bring the knowledge I gained from Sharing DC about local nonprofits, trust-based philanthropy, and advancing racial equity to the work we were doing at Giving Together.”

In particular, Renee says she has particularly enjoyed The Community Foundation’s new strategic vision of closing Washington’s racial wealth gap.

“It’s a fresh approach to philanthropy,” Renee says. “One that I find personally meaningful. It’s exciting to look at our grants (both in Sharing DC and Giving Together) with specific goals and objectives in mind.”

Currently, Renee is the Vice President and Co-Chair of the Grants Committee at Giving Together. She also serves as the Chair of the Sharing DC Fund Committee.

“It’s very important for anyone who is philanthropically minded to share the satisfaction of collaborative grantmaking,” Renee says. “If you care about the local community, being a member of Sharing DC will give you a window into the problems the community faces and connect you directly with the nonprofits that are doing the work to address those issues. And you will do so with a collegial group of like-minded people.”

“I really can’t say enough good things about being involved in Sharing DC.”

The Sharing Community Funds bring together donors who share our passion for building more equitable, just, and thriving communities.  With expert facilitation by Community Foundation staff, donors join together to learn first-hand about the challenges facing our community. Thanks to the generosity of this growing community of givers, together we discover and invest in visionary nonprofits working on the frontlines of our region’s most pressing needs.

Want to get involved? The Sharing DC Fund Committee welcomes new members. Contact Gisela Shanfeld ([email protected]) to find out more about how you can be a part of this impactful fund!

Faces of Sharing – Getting to Know Sharing Montgomery Committee Member, Pam Saussy

Pam & Gordon Saussy

Making an Impact from Both Sides of the Table

At the start of 2020, Sharing Montgomery Committee member Pam Saussy and her husband Gordon decided to take their financial giving to the next level. The couple opened a donor-advised fund with the Greater Washington Community Foundation. There was only one problem.

“My husband and I had a particular cause in mind that we wanted to fund, but I needed to get more familiar with which organizations were operating in that area, in Montgomery County.”

Pam is no stranger to the Greater Washington Community Foundation – or the grantmaking process, for that matter.

For ten years, Pam served as the Executive Director of the Literacy Council of Montgomery County – a nonprofit providing literacy and workforce development training to under-served adults. During that time, she applied for – and received – multiple grants from The Community Foundation, including several from the Sharing Montgomery Fund.

So you can imagine her excitement when she was invited to join a Sharing Montgomery Fund Committee – only this time she’d be helping to evaluate and approve grants, instead of requesting one.

“It was exciting to be on the other side of things,” Pam shares. “It gave me a way to dive in and be more purposeful about my giving, while learning about other nonprofits at the same time.”

Because she joined at the height of the pandemic, Pam was able to attend almost all of the virtual site visits. Thanks to the grantmaking process, she was then able to identify two nonprofits that aligned with the cause that she and her husband had chosen.

“Being part of Sharing Montgomery gave me a clearer sense of what my options were in terms of where we could make the biggest difference. We’re excited to support these nonprofits through our Donor-Advised Fund – and are grateful for Sharing Montgomery for helping us make this connection.”

However, Pam told me that one of the most impactful parts of her Sharing Montgomery experience was gaining a new perspective on grantmaking.

“Applying for grants can be a little daunting,” Pam told me. “I think a lot of times as a nonprofit, you feel like you never want to show your vulnerability to a potential funder; which can sometimes prevent you from having candid conversations about the challenges you’re facing, with people who really just want to help you achieve your goals.”

“Being a part of Sharing Montgomery helped me see that the grantmaking process is really supposed to be more of a two-way street.”

The Sharing Community Funds bring together donors who share our passion for building more equitable, just, and thriving communities.  With expert facilitation by Community Foundation staff, donors join together to learn first-hand about the challenges facing our community. Thanks to the generosity of this growing community of givers, together we discover and invest in visionary nonprofits working on the frontlines of our region’s most pressing needs.

Want to get involved? The Sharing Montgomery Fund Committee welcomes new members. Contact Kate Daniels ([email protected])  to find out more about how you can be a part of this impactful fund!

Local Nonprofit Leaders Explain Impact of Sharing Community Funds

The Greater Washington Community Foundation recently announced close to $1.1 million in grants awarded through it’s Sharing Community Funds this past cycle.

Sharing Community Funds are designed bring donors together to invest in the issues and organizations that make the most impact in their neighborhood. We facilitate education and civic engagement around local issues – allowing donors to learn, first-hand, about the challenges facing the most marginalized residents in their communities. Donors then have the opportunity to join other donors and Community Foundation staff for a grant review process, as together we identify and fund the organizations working to resolve those challenges.

We reached out to Sharing Community Fund Nonprofit Partners to ask them what impact this funding will have on their organization. Here are quotes from a few of those organizations. Click here for the complete list of Sharing Community Fund Nonprofit Partners.

Sharing DC

“Sharing DC will allow Dreaming Out Loud to continue building capacity towards transforming the regional food system and food economy to benefit communities that have traditionally been excluded from both access and economic opportunity. With new staff, including a Sales Manager and Wholesale Manager, we’ll be able to procure more produce and products from Black farmers and sold into our Black Farm Community Supported Agriculture Program, DC school food, and other channels that reach communities where they live, work, and play — meanwhile creating living wage jobs within the community. 

This next year we look forward to growing our capacity to better communicate our impact in bringing good food jobs to communities that regularly face double-digit unemployment. Our impact will contribute to modeling an equitable recovery that forces a conversation and deeply needed, radical policy initiatives to repair communities — like holistic and comprehensive reparations.”

— Christopher Bradshaw, Founder & Executive Director, Dreaming Out Loud, Inc.

“Support from Sharing DC allows Empower DC to build on recent successes in the areas of equitable development, environmental justice and racial equity. Policy victories are hard fought and deserve to be celebrated - but the often less visible work to fund, implement and enforce new policies is just as critical.

Over the next year Empower DC will be organizing to ensure that Ivy City's long awaited Crummell School Community Center and the community's first ever Small Area Plan reflect the needs and priorities of longtime residents to secure affordable housing and address environmental issues. We'll also be working to ensure meaningful implementation of the new policies we secured in the city's Comprehensive Plan requiring racial equity analysis in planning and zoning.

This work, and our ongoing grassroots organizing efforts to improve public housing and advance environmental justice, is not possible without the support we are receiving from Sharing DC and other likeminded funding initiatives.”

— Parisa Norouzi, Executive Director, Empower DC

Sharing Prince George’s

“Community Crisis Services Inc. (CCSI) would like to thank The Greater Washington Community Foundation and the Sharing Prince George’s County Fund for their continued support of CCSI programming.

Funding from the Sharing Prince George’s Fund has allowed CCSI the ability to support those in crisis through rental assistance; meals, clothing, transportation and personal needs for the guests at our Warm Nights Homeless and Safe Passages Domestic Violence Safe House shelter programs; the expansion of our domestic violence and suicide prevention ‘Chat’ services and our ability to launch the CrisisMInd Mobile Crisis Unit in Prince George’s County.

CCSI could not continue the life-changing programming we offer without funding from organizations such as The Greater Washington Community Foundation, and grants such as Sharing Prince George’s. We understand what a privilege and honor it is to receive funding, and work diligently to create an empathetic, compassionate experience for our shelter guests, callers and ‘Chat’ responders.”

-– Bill Leary, Development Director, Community Crisis Services, Inc.

“The objectives of the Sharing Prince George's Fund align directly with the strategic vision and work of CASA as we jointly endeavor to address the racial wealth gap and ensure an equitable recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. The essential support CASA will receive through the Fund will provide critical employment, legal and educational services to BIPOC communities within Prince George's County that have long experienced structural barriers that impeded their full potential to thrive. Working together and thanks to these resources, we expect to significantly contribute to strengthening the resiliency of this community.”

–-George Escobar, Chief of Programs and Services, CASA

Sharing Montgomery

“Sharing Montgomery and The Community Foundation in Montgomery County have been incredibly powerful and generous partners for CollegeTracks as we have grown and thrived.  Their support has given us a strong, local partner who understands the communities we are serving and shares our vision of a more just and equitable future for our County.  Not only have our Sharing Montgomery grants been a great asset in our work, but their grants process puts us in touch with stakeholders across our community who have become supporters, partners, and transformative Board members for CollegeTracks as well.  We would not be in the strong position we are in without Sharing Montgomery and The Community Foundation in Montgomery County, and we are deeply grateful to the Community Foundation's team and community!”

-- Mecha Inman | Chief Executive Officer, CollegeTracks

“The Greater Washington Community Foundation’s Sharing Montgomery and other COVID-related relief grants were the catalysts to CareerCatcher’s ability to offer expanded services to more clients at the start of the pandemic. In 2020, with their support, we added staff to help Montgomery County residents address their immediate and critical needs, assisting residents with receiving cash payments through the County’s Emergency Assistance Relief Payment program; filing for expanded Unemployment Benefits; improving their skills through training; increasing our outreach; and serving 50% more people than the year before. This initial and ongoing support from GWCF allows CareerCatchers to continue to offer expanded services to more residents as COVID-19 economic restrictions are eased and to help clients get back into the workforce.”

-- Mariana A. McNeill, Executive Director, The CareerCatchers, Inc.

Community Foundation's Sharing Community Funds Announce $1.1 Million in Funding for Regional Nonprofits

The Greater Washington Community Foundation is excited to announce close to $1.1 million in grants awarded through it’s Sharing Community Funds this past cycle.

The Sharing Community Funds bring together donors who share our passion for building more equitable, just, and thriving communities.  With expert facilitation by Community Foundation staff, donors join together to learn first-hand about the challenges facing our community. Thanks to the generosity of this growing community of givers, together we discover and invest in visionary nonprofits working on the frontlines of our region’s most pressing needs.   

See below for a complete list of our nonprofit partners for 2022.

2022 Sharing DC Nonprofit Partners

• 2022 Multi-year grant recipients (DC)

  Dreaming Out Loud to create economic opportunity for DC’s marginalized communities through creating a healthy, equitable food system by driving a new framework for sustainable economic development for Black and Brown DC residents, food entrepreneurs, and farmers in our region.

  Empower DC to enhance, improve and promote the self-advocacy of low- and moderate-income DC residents through grassroots organizing, popular education style training, leadership development, and member-led campaigns strategically designed to influence pressing social issues impacting our constituency.

• 2022 Grant recipients (DC)

  Ayuda to advocate for low-income immigrants through direct legal, social and language services, training, and outreach in the Washington DC metropolitan area.

  Bread for the City to help Washington, DC residents living with low income to develop their power to determine the future of their own communities by providing food, clothing, medical care, and legal and social services, to reduce the burden of poverty, in addition to community organizing and public advocacy.

  First Shift to help working parents in low wage jobs assert their workplace rights to prevent job loss by focusing on legal issues including paid sick time; family medical leave; D.C. paid family leave benefits; workplace discrimination based on pregnancy, family responsibilities, or domestic violence.

  SMYAL to support and empower lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) youth in the Washington, DC metropolitan region. SMYAL’s goal is to create opportunities for LGBTQ youth to build self-confidence, develop critical life skills, and engage their peers through service and advocacy.

2022 Sharing Prince George’s Nonprofit Partners

• 2022 Multi-year grant recipients (Prince George's County)

  Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Prince George’s County to partner with the juvenile court to improve the lives of children living in foster care who have suffered from abuse and neglect. With a strong commitment to diversity, CASA/ Prince George’s County trains and supervises volunteers from the community who advocate for the best interest of children, recognizing and respecting each child’s individual needs. By providing a voice to children in the foster care system, it’s goal is to help children and promote the timely placement of those they serve in safe, permanent homes.

  CASA de Maryland, Inc. to create a more just society by building power and improving the quality of life in working class and immigrant communities. Their vision is for a future in which immigrants stand in their own power, their families live free from discrimination and fear, and diverse communities thrive as they work with partners to achieve full human rights for all.

  Community Crisis Services Inc. to provide compassionate crisis support through its hotline, safe-shelter programs and information and referral services.

  Hillside Work Scholarship Connection to provide compassionate crisis support through its hotline, safe-shelter programs and information and referral services.

  Community and Family Youth Services (CAFY) to guide child crime victims in Prince George’s County through the process of testifying in court. CAFY empowers victims and their families to gain the confidence to help hold offenders accountable, restore families and educate the community. They are the designated victim services provider for the four largest law enforcement departments in Prince George’s County. Their mission is “to embrace, educate, and empower those impacted, affected or harmed by crime or trauma on their journey to justice and healing”. All victims are embraced – irrespective of age, gender, religion, ethnic background or sexual orientation.

2022 Sharing Montgomery Nonprofit Partners

• 2022 Multi-Year Grant Recipients (Montgomery County)

  Black and Brown Coalition to engage underserved families to advocate for federal, state, and local supports of intensive and research-based academic interventions targeted toward students with the greatest need.

  Montgomery County Food Council to build a more resilient, sustainable, and equitable local food system. Its leadership helps the many county food providers strategically work together to better serve the 100,000+ residents who do not know where their next meal will come from.

• 2022 grant recipients (Montgomery County)

  Asian American LEAD for academic support and enrichment for children of low‐income Asian American families.

  BlackRock Center for the Arts to support arts access celebrating diversity, along with COVID-19 response to address community need for food and other essentials through the new Consolidation Hub.

  Care for Your Health for culturally sensitive in-home health care for seniors.

  Career Catchers to provide personalized employment and job skills counseling for low-income and chronically under-employed residents.

  Community Health and Empowerment through Education and Research (CHEER) to fund healthy food delivery and other health supports to people with diabetes and those severely hit by COVID-19.

  CollegeTracks to improve college access and retention rates for students at risk of not attending college, primarily first-generation, low-income, minority, and immigrant youth.

  Community Bridges, Inc to empower girls in elementary, middle and high schools through leadership development, college and career readiness, and family support and mentoring.

  Crittenton Services Greater Washington to help teenage girls achieve academic and personal success through virtual and school-based cohort programs.

  EveryMind to provide community-based mental health and social services, life-saving crisis prevention and intervention work, service coordination for veterans, and community education and advocacy.

  Future Link to provide career counseling, mentoring, tutoring, academic advising, scholarships and internships to help connect disadvantaged youth to post-secondary educational opportunities.

  Generation Hope to mentor and provide scholarships for teen parents pursuing college degrees. It also delivers early childhood resources, so scholars children begin kindergarten with a strong academic foundation.

  Horizons Greater Washington supports students from low-income families with academic, artistic and athletic activities for nine years, from kindergarten through eighth grade. 

  Identity, Inc to serve Latino and other historically underserved youths and their families. Identity helps youths develop social and emotional skills, excel in school, and get ready to enter the workforce.

  IMPACT Silver Spring to fund community-building work for a racially and economically equitable community in which people can take collaborative action to enact lasting change.

  Interfaith Works to provide emergency assistance and counseling, vocational services, food distributions, clothing, and shelter for those experiencing homelessness.

  Latino Student Fund to provide year-round, out-of-school programs to ensure a strong academic foundation for underserved pre-K through 12th grade students.

  Mary's Center for health care, education, social services, and ongoing COVID-19 response that builds a healthier and stronger community.

  Mobile Medical Care, Inc to support health care, medications, and ongoing COVID-19 supports for low-income, homeless, uninsured, and underinsured individuals including those with chronic health conditions.

  Montgomery Housing Partnership, Inc to develop affordable rental housing and offer Community Life programs that support young children and their families at home, ultimately strengthening neighborhoods.

  Montgomery Moving Forward to convene leaders from government, business, philanthropy, education, and nonprofits to solve complex problems facing the county.  Through capacity building programs, MMF’s leaders advocate around pressing issues of economic opportunity and early childhood education. 

  National Alliance on Mental Illness of Montgomery County (NAMI MC) to provide comprehensive support, education, advocacy and public awareness to promote recovery for those affected by mental illness.

  Nonprofit Montgomery to support local organizations with government relations, advocacy, strategic communications, financial management, metrics tracking, and cross-sector problem solving. With this support, grantees of Sharing Montgomery can access personalized support and connections to help deepen their impact.

  Nonprofit Village to provide low-cost shared office space plus capacity building resources that help organizations launch and grow. With this support, grantees of Sharing Montgomery can connect with peers and gain supports to advance their work.

  Rainbow Community Development Corporation to fund food security relief and other services including eviction and utility cutoff prevention, and temporary shelter, job search and resume assistance.

  Red Wiggler Community Farm to support on-farm training and education for adults with developmental disabilities. Half of its organic produce is donated to low-income households throughout the county.

  Shepherd's Table to provide breakfast, lunch and dinner to people experiencing food insecurity and provide free eye exams, eyeglasses, and eye treatment to those otherwise unable to access care.

  Sheppard Pratt (formerly Family Services) for clinical health services, rehabilitation services, services to children youth and families, and community and family services such as Linkages to Learning and domestic violence supports. 

Apply Today For The 2022 LEARN Scholarship

The Landover Educational Athletic Recreational Nonprofit (LEARN) was established in 1996 to support education programs for Prince George's County youth residing in the vicinity of FedEx Field stadium. Since its inception, the LEARN Foundation has awarded close to $1 million in scholarships and grants to Prince George’s County students and community organizations.  Embedded in the foundation’s mission is the belief that the future is now, and that through partnerships and collaboration young people residing in the targeted areas can benefit through post-secondary education opportunities. 

In 2002, the LEARN Foundation became a component fund of the Greater Washington Community Foundation. Since that time, hundreds of students have benefited from scholarship awards toward college and other career preparation opportunities. The fund is now accepting applications for 2022 awards. Interested high school seniors must apply by Wednesday, May 25, 2022.

For more information please contact The LEARN Foundation at [email protected].

On National Service Recognition Day, AmeriCorps VISTA Member Shares Her Passion for Service

We are excited to celebrate National Service Recognition Day at The Community Foundation!

This annual day recognizes thousands of AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers across the country, issuing official proclamations and taking to social media in a nationwide show of appreciation. AmeriCorps, a US civil society program, pairs individuals in volunteer service positions at organizations throughout the country. 

This year, The Community Foundation is proud to host Grace Kim, an AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) member. Below, meet Grace and learn what national service means to her.

 ‘Building a Community of Learning’ 

Grace Kim started her AmeriCorps service at the Children's Opportunity Fund, an initiative of the Community Foundation, in August 2021. After she graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park, she taught English to university students in Mexico as a Peace Corps Volunteer. Due to the pandemic, she returned stateside and continued her work in the nonprofit sector.

 Prior to working with the Community Foundation, Grace worked with non-governmental organizations in Guatemala, Haiti, and the United States. She believes that community development is a means to expand more opportunities and level the playing field. Her passion is to encourage others in becoming the best versions of themselves so that they can thrive - and hope they do the same for the people in their lives.

“Since I grew up in Montgomery County, it has been especially meaningful to serve as an AmeriCorps member at the Children's Opportunity Fund, an initiative of The Greater Washington Community Foundation. Working here has been a learning experience that I'll always look back on. I now have a better understanding of the power that comes from the collaboration of public and private partners in figuring out solutions that can lead to social impact. 

Though I've enjoyed my service overall, my favorite part has been talking to community members who are passionate about children and their education. Their insight on the achievement and opportunity gaps highlighted the role we all play in shaping the lives of children - our future is figuratively in their hands. Encouraging children to read early expands their understanding of the world and boosts their imagination. For that reason, I decided to focus on cultural relevance while planning Read Across America Day. By drawing from different cultural backgrounds that children may have, they become more open to reading, which in turn, facilitates their learning. I believe that it's important to be mindful when coming together as a community to support another generation of lifelong learners.”

Emerging Leaders Impact Fund Brings Philanthropy to Life for Young Professionals

Current and Incoming ELIF Members at the 2022 ELIF Kickoff Event

“Excellence in Truth and Service”

The motto of Howard University. It’s also what Virgil Parker, a returning alumni of the Emerging Leaders Impact Fund (ELIF) told me when I asked him what philanthropy means to him.

“We all have a responsibility to create solutions to help people around you,” Virgil says. “We need to strive to be a man for others.”

His vision comes, in part, thanks to an act of individual philanthropy that changed the course of Virgil’s life.

Six and a half years ago, Virgil arrived in the DC area to study at Howard University. Raised primarily by his mother and maternal grandmother near Rochester, New York, Virgil balanced two jobs while studying so he could continue his education – but it still wasn’t enough to meet mounting financial costs. After just two years, Virgil was forced to drop out.

Virgil Parker was a member
of the inaugural 2020-2021 ELIF cohort

Determined to work his way back into school, Virgil picked up a third job – but he quickly realized that even with the added income, it would take months – maybe even years – before he had enough money to restart his academic career.

Then one day, his boss (a fellow HU alum) learned of Virgil’s financial struggles. In an act of unsolicited generosity, she made a payment of nearly $5,000 to the University on his behalf, no strings attached – just enough money for him to register for classes.

“She did not have to do that,” Virgil said. “But I’m glad she did. Because of her gift, I made a commitment with God that I was going to do all that I could to give back and do my best.”

Virgil returned to Howard University and was quickly drawn to the social impact space. He applied to an internship with the Aspen Institute’s Program of Philanthropy and Social Innovation. There he was introduced not only to the full breadth and scale of philanthropy – but also to a brand-new opportunity for young professionals in Prince George’s County.

“The Emerging Leaders Impact Fund is about the future,” ELIF Chair Davion Percy shares. “Not only the future of our community – here in Prince George’s County -- but it’s also about the future leaders of that community.”

Launched in 2020, ELIF’s goal is to help young professionals realize the positive impact that they can have in Prince George’s County, through a medium that many of their age group may not be super familiar with -- philanthropy.

ELIF Chair Davion Percy speaks to ELIF members at the 2022 ELIF Kick-off Event.

“A lot of young people don’t realize that philanthropy is one of the most sustainable ways to make a difference in your community,” Davion explains. “We can all do things like mentor or volunteer – but few things have as long-lasting an impact – or as much personal and professional fulfillment – as strategically investing through philanthropy.”

“ELIF is basically a behind-the-scenes course of philanthropy in action in Prince George’s County,” says Darcelle Wilson with the Greater Washington Community Foundation. “We take our members behind the scenes and guide them through every step of the philanthropic cycle.”

Over the course of the year, ELIF members learn about Prince George’s County and the challenges that community members face. Based on what they’ve learned, members collectively decide on a cause to invest in and get the unique opportunity to participate in each step of the grantmaking process – from requesting proposals to allocating funding.

“I’m excited to learn more about this world of philanthropy,” incoming ELIF member Kate Spanos shares.

Kate learned about ELIF through her Nonprofit Management & Leadership course at the University of Maryland in College Park. Like several of her classmates, Kate is eager to see how she can apply the principles she’s learning in the classroom to the work she does every day.

“My partner and I started EducArte (a nonprofit in Prince George’s County) at the outset of the pandemic,” Kate explains. “Being new to the nonprofit and philanthropy space, we’re still learning how things work. My hope is that through ELIF we can not only give back, but also better understand what the needs of the community are so we can align ourselves to meet them, as an organization.”

Current and Incoming ELIF Members at the 2022 ELIF Kickoff Event

Last year, the inaugural ELIF cohort -- which totaled 40 young professionals including Virgil-- chose to focus on addressing chronic absenteeism in Prince George’s County schools. The group awarded $11,500 in micro-grants to five different Prince George’s County nonprofits supporting youth and children’s learning.

“The idea of philanthropy is that it doesn’t take a whole lot to do a lot of good,” Virgil adds. “Anyone can participate; anyone can make a difference in their community. All they need to do is find the right avenue to use their given assets to help advance somebody else. For me, ELIF is one of those avenues.”

The Emerging Leaders Impact Fund (ELIF) is now enrolling members for the 2022 cohort. If you would like to give back to your community by becoming an ELIF member, visit www.thecommunityfoundation.org/elif

Community Foundation to Manage Historic Health Equity Fund in Partnership with Committee appointed by Mayor Bowser and CareFirst

The Greater Washington Community Foundation is pleased to welcome the historic $95 million Health Equity Fund (HEF) to our philanthropic family. The purpose of this transformative fund is to improve the health outcomes and health equity of DC residents. One of the largest funds of any kind focused on community-based nonprofits that serve District residents, the HEF also is the largest in The Community Foundation’s nearly 50-year history.

“The unprecedented $95 million reinvestment in DC neighborhoods and nonprofits is a game changing opportunity,” said Greater Washington Community Foundation President and CEO Tonia Wellons. “As we all know, the COVID-19 pandemic further widened and amplified pre-existing health inequities. The Health Equity Fund offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to catalyze systemic, lasting change to improve health outcomes and social social determinants of health.”

The funds will be dedicated not only to closing gaps in healthcare but addressing social determinants of health including education, employment, income, housing, transportation, food, environment, medical care, outdoor environment, and community safety issues that have a positive impact on healthcare outcomes.

The HEF was established last year as a result of the resolution of litigation among the District of Columbia Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking (DISB); Group Hospitalization and Medical Services, Inc. (GHMSI) – a CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield (CareFirst) affiliate – and DC Appleseed Center for Law & Justice. In establishing the HEF, the parties created an innovative and impactful way of addressing DC’s racial health gap.

The Community Foundation will oversee the administration of all aspects of the giving program including providing fund administration, financial management, investment oversight, data management, human resources administration, and compliance oversight, among other responsibilities.

Health Equity Committee

The Community Foundation looks forward to working with the newly created Health Equity Committee, which will oversee the HEF, as stipulated by the Memorandum of Understanding Between the Government of the District of Columbia and GHMSI. The seven-member committee consists of three members appointed by the Mayor (Lori Kaplan, Dr. Tollie Elliott, and Courtney R. Snowden); three appointed by GHMSI (Dr. Djinge Lindsay, MD, MPH; Shirley Marcus Allen; and Jeffrey Franco); and one selected jointly by GHMSI and the Mayor (Nnemdi Kamanu Elias, MD, MPH). For bios of the seven committee members, click here.

The Health Equity Committee, in partnership with The Community Foundation, will develop a grantmaking strategy, approve a slate of proposed grant recipients, monitor the HEF's investments, ensure compliance with HEF's governing policies, and review all financial and program evaluation reports.

Community Foundation’s Strategic Vision

The Community Foundation was independently selected to manage the fund because of our track record of working with individual donors, businesses, and local government to manage effective community investments and create tangible, lasting change in our community. HEF goals align with our strategic vision of advancing racial equity and economic justice, especially in our region’s historically underinvested neighborhoods. Racial equity is central to our ongoing work and 10-year strategic vision to close the racial wealth gap by eliminating the historic, racialized disparities in our community.

Grantmaking

In the coming months, the Health Equity Committee in partnership with The Community Foundation will gather community and stakeholder input, identify goals and priorities, develop a grantmaking strategy based on input and an analysis of available data on the nonprofit landscape, and prepare the first competitive RFP. According to the Memorandum of Understanding, all funds are to be disbursed within five years.

If you are interested in receiving more information about funding opportunities, please sign up for our newsletter.

We offer a warm welcome to the Health Equity Fund and Health Equity Committee members and look forward to working together to address disparities in health outcomes so that all DC residents can thrive.

Partnership to End Homelessness Awards Housing Justice Grants in Honor of Waldon Adams

The Partnership to End Homelessness (The Partnership) is pleased to announce $350,000 in grants awarded to seven organizations and coalitions leading systems change efforts in DC. Selected nonprofits receive $50,000 in funding to support work to end homelessness and increase the supply of deeply affordable housing.

Systems change is the intentional process of working to make population level change for whole groups of people by disrupting and dismantling the structures of cultural, social, and economic systems that perpetuate inequities. There are many ways to transform and disrupt systems. We know that in order to end homelessness, we must create systems that center people experiencing housing instability and homelessness and that prevent homelessness in the first place. To do that, we focus on efforts developed and led by people most directly impacted by homelessness and housing instability.

Our second round of Housing Justice Grants are made in memory of our Leadership Council member, Waldon Adams, a fierce advocate for ending homelessness who was tragically killed in 2021.

This grant opportunity provides flexible funding to the seven organizations below to support their advocacy, organizing, and other systems change efforts. This funding can be used for local and federal advocacy efforts, community organizing and education, or even infrastructure to increase the capacity of these organizations and coalitions. It can be used for staffing, messaging and communications, research, or meetings and events. We know these grantees share our goal of ending homelessness and increasing the supply of deeply affordable housing and it is important to us that we support them, as the experts in how to make that happen.

SYSTEMS CHANGE Community Partners

• DC Jobs with Justice

• DC Fiscal Policy Institute

• Empower DC

• Fair Budget Coalition

• Miriam's Kitchen

• ONE DC: Organizing Neighborhood Equity

• The Washington Legal Clinic For The Homeless Inc

Last year, the Partnership awarded our first grants to advance housing justice. Together with tenants and people with lived experience, our community partners led efforts to secure:

• historic budget investments resulting in Permanent Supportive Housing for over 2,300 households;

• $50 million for public housing maintenance and repairs;

• protections for neighbors experiencing homelessness during the pandemic;

• investments in rental assistance to ensure housing instability during the pandemic; and

• more just and equitable housing policies.

These grants were made possible thanks to generous partners and donors to the Partnership’s Grantmaking Fund.

Read on to learn more about a few of our partners, their work, and strategic priorities to transform and disrupt systems and advance housing justice. 

WORKING WITH TENANTS TO BRING ABOUT SYSTEMIC CHANGE

Empower DC’s work emphasizes the housing needs of DC’s lowest income residents, those earning 30% of the Area Median Income or below, including people with disabilities, the retired, low wage earners and people coming home from incarceration or experiencing homelessness. Empower DC received $50,000 to engage in community-led planning to expand deeply affordable housing and to preserve existing affordable rental housing, including public housing.  

“While DC has affordable housing laws that other cities envy – like Inclusionary Zoning (IZ), and the Housing Production Trust Fund – in reality, these programs have not stemmed the tide of displacement or addressed the need for low- income housing. DC’s existing policies and practices systemically fail to address the need for housing at this lowest income level, targeting instead incomes at 60 or 80% of the Area Median Income when units are built with public subsidy from the Housing Trust Fund or set aside by developers through IZ.

Empower DC addresses this inequity by organizing with people who need deeply affordable housing, including public housing residents, to push for greater investment in and protections for low-income tenants. Using policy, budget, planning and even legal strategies, Empower DC centers the expertise of low- income Black and Brown DC residents with lived experience of housing instability, elevating their voices as visionaries and champions for their communities. For more information or to get involved in Empower DC’s work, go to www.empowerdc.org.”

-          Parisa Norouzi, Executive Director, Empower DC

WORKING TOGETHER TO SECURE LIFE-SAVING HOUSING INVESTMENTS

Driven by the truth that housing ends homelessness, Miriam’s Kitchen and The Way Home Campaign community worked together to secure historic investments to end chronic homelessness in last year's budget. Now, Miriam’s Kitchen is working hard to ensure that this funding translates into life-saving housing for our neighbors experiencing homelessness. Miriam’s Kitchen received $50,000 to build capacity to push for resources, policies, and implementation that prevents and ends homelessness, and to enhance and expand The Way Home Campaign, a citywide movement to end chronic homelessness.

“Through our leadership of The Way Home Campaign, we continue to convene various stakeholders, including people with lived experience of homelessness, service providers, and advocates, to identify and advocate for policy solutions needed to quickly and effectively implement the over 2,300 new Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) vouchers available this year. Additionally, we, along with local and national partners, have spent much of the past year pushing back against Mayor Bowser’s harmful approach to homeless encampments and ensuring that our neighbors living outside are treated with respect and dignity.  

Mayor Bowser releases her budget proposal on March 16. This is a critical time to ensure that she hears from community members like you! Click here to urge Mayor Bowser to fully fund the recommendations laid out in Homeward DC 2.0, her strategic plan to end homelessness. To read our full budget recommendations and to join the over 7,000 individuals and 110 organizations pushing DC to end chronic homelessness, please visit www.thewayhomedc.org.”

-          Lara Pukatch, Chief Advocacy Officer, Miriam’s Kitchen

Historic Opportunities in the Fight to End Homelessness in DC

By Jennifer Olney, Community Investment Officer, Partnership to End Homelessness

As the Mayor and City Council are considering the FY2023 budget for DC, we face a historic opportunity to end chronic homelessness in DC. Last year, the DC Budget made significant investments in Permanent Supportive Housing, a proven solution to end housing instability for individuals who have experienced homelessness for an extended period of time and who struggle with complex health challenges such as mental illness, addiction, physical disabilities, or other chronic conditions.

This year, the Partnership to End Homelessness is working with our nonprofit, government, and public sector partners to build on this progress and leverage both federal and local resources available to end homelessness and make even more investments in long-term solutions.

We know that our investments alone will never end homelessness and that public sector resources must be targeted to support our neighbors who are struggling with homelessness and housing instability. That is why we created the Partnership to End Homelessness – to bring together public and private sector around a shared strategy to ensure all our neighbors have a safe, stable, and affordable place to call home.

We hope you will consider joining us in this critical work. There are three immediate and exciting opportunities to help advance the work of the Partnership in 2022:

1. Securing Public Sector Investments for housing and ending homelessness
   Last week, we sent a letter to Mayor Bowser asking her to use the revised 2022 budget and 2023 budget to continue to address housing challenges — specifically by expanding Permanent Supportive Housing, as well as Rental Assistance and Eviction Prevention.

   In addition to our own advocacy, we’re making our second round of housing justice grants to support our nonprofit partners leading budget advocacy and other essential systems change efforts. Last year their work secured historic investments, including almost 2,300 new vouchers for Permanent Supportive Housing. You can read more about those grants and how to get involved here.

   If you live or work in DC, we encourage you to get involved! Our elected officials need to hear from you. Tell them that increasing access to affordable housing and ending homelessness are a priority and that our future will be stronger if we do these things. Our partners at The Way Home Campaign have made it easy, click hear to send a letter now .
   

2. Investing in our nonprofits to leverage federal resources to end homelessness
   DC has an opportunity to leverage up to $20+ million in annual federal resources for Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) services in DC. This year, DC will launch a new Medicaid Benefit that will provide higher reimbursement rates for nonprofit providers and new and ongoing federal resources for ending homelessness in DC.

   In order to successfully leverage these resources, nonprofits will need to adopt new practices, quality control checks, and new or updated internal systems related to human resources, accounting, and compliance functions. We are working with our partners to raise critical funds to invest across the system to ensure all nonprofit partners, including smaller Black and Brown-led organizations, are ready to make this transition and leverage these new resources.

   Learn more in our recent blog post or support this work now by contributing to our Grantmaking Fund.

3. Ensuring housing stability through rental assistance and eviction prevention

   One of the key roles that we, as philanthropy, can play is that of convener. In response to the devastating effects of the pandemic and economic crisis, for over a year now, The Partnership has been working with Urban Institute and The DC Bar Foundation to convene key partners – including local government, philanthropy, legal services, landlords, and housing counseling organizations – to prevent evictions and connect tenants to available rental assistance.

   We know that our Black and Brown neighbors have faced higher rates of unemployment and eviction during the pandemic With 21,000 DC residents currently unemployed, we cannot stop working to ensure tenants can stay in their homes. We will continue to advocate for additional resources for tenants and to work with our partners to develop new systems that support tenants and their landlords to increase housing stability.

We know that increasing housing stability and ending homelessness will pay off, in stronger families, stronger communities, and a stronger future for this region. Research confirms that housing instability harms a child’s development and an adult’s ability to get and retain employment, and that providing housing stability creates better health and better futures for children, their families, and single adults.

This year presents an opportunity for DC. How will we respond? Ending homelessness will take everyone working together and doing their part. We hope you will join us.

The Partnership to End Homelessness works to ensure homelessness is rare, brief, and nonrecurring in Washington, DC. By joining together, we can increase the supply of deeply affordable housing, bolster our response system to help more people obtain and maintain stable housing, and ultimately end homelessness in DC