Housing Justice Grants: Building Power to End Homelessness

Photo Cred: Miriam’s Kitchen

The Partnership to End Homelessness (The Partnership) is pleased to announce $395,000 in grants awarded to eight organizations and coalitions leading systems change efforts in DC. Selected nonprofits receive up to $50,000 in funding to support work to end homelessness and increase the supply of deeply affordable housing.

When we launched the Partnership to End Homelessness, we knew that to end homelessness we needed to focus on systems change. While philanthropic resources are limited, they can have an exponential impact when invested in the right places – specifically in efforts to transform structures, systems, policies and power dynamics that perpetuate racial inequities.

These investments in the infrastrucutre of advocacy and systems change organizations across the city have led to historic public sector investments in deeply affordable housing and ending homelessness. This wouldn’t have been possible without the work our grantees and partners do to build power in communities who have been disproportionately impacted by homelessness and housing instability.

Each year our grants prioritize funding for efforts that are developed and led by people with lived experience. These are people who are or have been directly impacted by homelessness and housing instability. Here’s what some of our grantees have shared about their work to build leadership and power in these communities.

Photo Cred: Miriam’s Kitchen

Miriam’s Kitchen

At Miriam’s Kitchen, we are committed to seeking input from our guests – the true experts on what it will take to end homelessness in our city. We believe that in order to truly create real change, we must move beyond simply gathering advice and feedback from our community. We need to create opportunities for leaders to raise their voices and to be heard. We must create space for our community members to learn, and grow, and feel supported. And, most importantly, we must allow leaders to lead. Community members deserve – and we know our work will improve when – they have true opportunities for leadership and decision making throughout our organization and across DC.

Last month, we launched the Guest Advisory Board, our newest (but certainly not our only) initiative to elevate guest decision making across Miriam’s Kitchen’s advocacy and programmatic work. We’re thrilled that this phenomenal group will meaningfully participate in Miriam’s Kitchen’s Strategic Planning process. With guest leaders comprising roughly half of our Strategic Planning Committee, we’re thrilled to see what comes of this powerful collaboration!

DC Fiscal Policy Institute

DCFPI leverages its analytic, legislative, and strategic capacities for systems change, building collaborative campaigns in partnership with grassroots groups, school leaders, service providers, and movement partners to amplify community voices and build community leadership in impacted communities. We elevate the lived experience of those unhoused, experiencing homelessness, and most harmed by unjust policies, centering them in our research, policy development, and advocacy. We do this to both enrich our work and ensure more unified and powerful voices advocating for collective goals that are reflective of and responsive to the experiences of residents facing racial and economic oppression.

DCFPI has an ambitious vision for the District—one of shared abundance and collective liberation, where Black and brown residents are able to live to their fullest. With our new strategic direction, we’re prioritizing our time and resources for partners rooted in Black, brown, and immigrant communities that have direct experience with the policy issues we work on – like those unhoused or experiencing homelessness – taking the time to deepen those relationships with an eye to longer-term, collaborative campaigns that can power more transformational change.

Housing Justice Grantees

• DC Jobs with Justice

• DC Fiscal Policy Institute

• Empower DC

• Fair Budget Coalition

• Miriam's Kitchen

• ONE DC: Organizing Neighborhood Equity

• People for Fairness Coalition in partnership with Serve Your City

• The Washington Legal Clinic For The Homeless Inc

Helping Nonprofits Navigate the Guaranteed Income Movement

Last month, the Greater Washington Community Foundation’s Health Equity Fund hosted its first Lunch & Learn Event with nonprofit partners from its inaugural $9.2 million grant round, and other organizations interested in launching and sustaining guaranteed income pilots. The event was hosted at the offices of Capital Area Asset Builders (CAAB) and featured a virtual panel of national experts who shared insights about executing successful and sustainable pilots.

“The Health Equity Fund team believes in the inextricable link between health and wealth,” Dr. Marla M. Dean, Senior Director of the Health Equity Fund explained. “That is why we are using an economic mobility frame to address the social determinants of health – in alignment with The Community Foundation’s broader vision to closing the racial health and wealth gap.”

“We believe that guaranteed income pilots are one of the best ways to achieve that.”

Launched in 2017, the Guaranteed Income Movement was designed to provide unrestricted cash transfers to help individuals and families improve their economic stability. Deemed a “quiet revolution in social policymaking”, the Guaranteed Income Movement has quickly taken center-stage in the economic mobility arena. As of September 2022, there were 100 such pilots announced across the United States – including several in the Greater Washington region.

That figure has increased since October, when several Health Equity Fund partners from the inaugural grant round announced they were using their funding to launch their own Guaranteed Income Pilots (also known as Cash Transfer Programs).

“We are delighted to watch the incredible work you all are doing in DC,” Natalie Foster, President and Co-Founder of the Economic Security Project shared with the group. “You all are pioneers in how we think about the social contract in America – one that centers dignity and humanity and freedom and agency for people.”

As part of the event, nonprofit partners had a chance to share their questions with the virtual panel – which included some of the founding funders and organizers of the movement. Questions ranged from how to build the right narrative to how to ensure the financial sustainability of the work.

“We believe that our families know better than anybody else what they need,” Sarah Stripp, Managing Director of Springboard to Opportunities shared in response to a question about program design. Sarah Stripp was the manager behind The Magnolia Mother’s Trust – one of the first Guaranteed Income Pilots founded in Mississippi in 2018.

“We’ve found that the most successful ideas come from an intentional design process where we’re creating something with individuals, instead of just for them; a process where, we’re proactive in engaging those we serve to figure out what works.”

“How we frame our initiatives – the narrative we use – is really key to helping them become sustainable,” shared Halah Ahmad, a Vice President at Jain Family Institute (JFI) shared. In addition to funding some of the Guaranteed Income Pilots, JFI has also conducted research about public perceptions of cash transfer programs.

“We’ve seen a direct correlation between the way a cash transfer program is framed and the amount of support they receive. Is it framed as a poverty-fighting program? Is it framed as a community empowerment mechanism? The language you use to frame your initiative really matters.”

Nick Salazar of the Fund for Guaranteed Income and Katherine Cagat of Mayors for Guaranteed Income added that it’s important to engage and empower the individuals they serve in creating the narrative, rather than building a narrative around them.

“When you have people speak about their own experiences, rather than being presented, you allow them to tell their story in their own way,” Katherine explained. “This is critical to preserving their dignity and humanity, while at the same time giving them a platform to tear down negative stigmas that our society has about people in their situation.”

Panelists also talked about the importance of being purposeful in identifying and connecting with their target audience.

“Beliefs about poverty and those living in poverty run deep in this country,” Nick added. “We can’t fully wait for everybody to change their mind before we begin.”

“We need be bold and intentional in this work, staying focused and being true to the communities we’ve committed to serve; the people we’re striving to serve.”

“As long as you’re doing that, I don’t think you can go wrong.”

The Community Foundation is committed to promoting economic justice throughout the Greater Washington region through strategies like Guaranteed Income Pilots, Children’s Trust Accounts, and Community Wealth Building. For more information, visit https://www.thecommunityfoundation.org/strategic-plan

Join the Partnership to End Homelessness Leadership Council!

Do you know a private sector leader in DC who is passionate about ending homelessness?

The Partnership to End Homelessness is recruiting for the next cohort of our Leadership Council. The Partnership was created with a goal of leveraging and aligning private sector resoruces (financial and otherwise) to increase the supply of deeply affordable housing and to end homelessness in DC.

Over the past three years, the Leadership Council has been instrumental in our work to align over $14 million in private sector resources and joined our partners in advocating for historic public sector investments.

As we look forward, we know we have more work to do. We also know the private sector must be at the table and coordinated in order to build the system we need to ensure everyone has safe and stable housing.

The Leadership Council has three primary objectives:

• Engage private-sector stakeholders and networks in work to end homelessness and increase housing stability in DC.

• Provide financial investment and other resources to support the strategic priorities of the Partnership to End Homelessness.

• Participate in budget advocacy, policy advocacy, and public narrative change efforts using personal and professional networks.

To learn more about our Leadership Council, please review this document.

If you know someone who is passionate about ending homelessness and can help advance this work, complete this brief form by February 28, 2023.

2023 Montgomery County Philanthropist of the Year Award Nominations Now Open!

Left to Right: Anna Hargrave (Executive Director, Montgomery County), Mimi Brodsky Kress (2022 Montgomery County Philanthropist of the Year) and Tonia Wellons (President/CEO) at the Celebration of Giving.

Nomination Guidelines

Purpose: To honor an individual who has made a positive impact in our community through giving, and whose philanthropic leadership sets an inspiring example for us all. 

Nomination Process

Complete the official nomination form and submit a letter (2 pages max) explaining why your nominee should be selected as the Montgomery County Philanthropist of the Year. 

Please note: The cover form must be completed in its entirety. The 2-page letter must convey that the nominee meets all the eligibility criteria. Nominators are welcome to submit attachments that will help convey the impact of the nominee’s giving and philanthropic leadership. However, the Awards Committee will not accept nominations which rely solely on resumes, newspaper articles, annual reports, or the like in substitution for concise responses to the criteria outlined above.  

When feasible, nominators are welcome to team up with other organizations to submit a joint nomination that will more fully articulate the nominee’s philanthropic leadership and impact. 

Pending review by the Philanthropist of the Year Selection Committee, The Community Foundation staff may contact you for additional information. 

For inspiration, look no further than our past Philanthropist of the Year honorees.

Eligibility Criteria

All nominees must:

• Be a resident of Montgomery County

• Have a demonstrated track record of charitable giving to one or more nonprofit organizations based in and working in Montgomery County*

• Have made a positive impact in the lives of county residents through their giving*

• Encourage/motivate others to become philanthropic

Please note: We encourage nominators to give special emphasis to any extraordinary giving and/or leadership over the past few years which helped your organization adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic and/or advance work related to racial equity and inclusion. Please know, the level of charitable dollars given is secondary to its impact and potential to inspire others to follow suit. Creative approaches to philanthropy are welcome! Nominees may be of any age.

In exceptional circumstances, the Selection Committee may consider a former resident, a family unit, or a philanthropist who is deceased. 

Deadline: Thursday, March 2, 2023

The nomination form, letter, and any additional attachments must be submitted via email by close of business on Thursday, March 2, 2023 to:

Olivia Hsu
Development Associate, Montgomery County
[email protected]

All nominators will receive confirmation that the nomination has been submitted within 24 hours of receipt. The Community Foundation will contact the selected awardee(s) and their nominator by June. All other nominations will remain confidential.

Questions: Contact Olivia Hsu at [email protected].

New Year, New Faces at The Community Foundation

We’re excited to welcome two new faces to The Community Foundation family to kick off 2023! We are thrilled — not only by the vast array experience that they bring to the organization, but also by their dedication and drive to help us close the racial wealth gap. If you haven’t already, please join us in welcoming them to The Community Foundation!

GENERAL COUNSEL & SENIOR PHILANTHROPIC ADVISOR

Tiffanie Purvis

Tiffanie Purvis joined the Greater Washington Community Foundation in January 2023 as its General Counsel and Senior Philanthropic Advisor. In this role, she will handle general legal matters for the organization and work with advisors and donors to achieve philanthropic solutions.

Before joining The Community Foundation, Tiffanie held positions as Planned Giving Officer for the Southern Poverty Law Center, Assistant Director of Gift Planning and Director of Gift Planning at the University of Maryland, College Park. As a front-line fundraiser with nine years of experience, Tiffanie has raised millions for her perspective organizations by leveraging blended gift strategies and working collaboratively with advisors and donors.  

In 2017, Tiffanie won the inaugural Rising Star Award in charitable gift planning from the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners. She is a member of the National Capital Gift Planning Council (NCGPC), which serves the Greater Washington, D.C. region. She serves on the NCGPC Board as Secretary, Ethics Committee Chair, and program committee.

Prior to her career in fundraising, Tiffanie was a solo practitioner in the field of Estate Planning and Landlord Tenant Law in Georgia. She is licensed in Georgia and Washington, D.C. She received her bachelor's degree from North Carolina A&T State University and her Law Degree from Thurgood Marshall School of Law, Texas Southern University, where she graduated with honors from both institutions. She is currently enrolled at the University of Maryland College Park, working towards a master's degree in Public Management with a specialization in Nonprofit Management and Leadership. Her expected graduation is May 2023.

Tiffanie enjoys traveling to new and interesting places with her family and friends in her free time. If you know of a new adventure she should experience, let her know.

Ring in the New Year with New Charitable Giving Tax Laws

If you’ve been tracking federal legislation, you may have seen that on December 29, 2022, President Biden signed a $1.65 trillion-dollar omnibus spending bill known as the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 (“CAA”). 

A component of this legislation, known as “SECURE 2.0,” includes many provisions that make it easier for people to build retirement savings, ranging from required enrollment in employer-sponsored 401(k) plans to larger “catch up” contributions to enable workers nearing retirement to add more to their retirement accounts each year.

Three of the new law’s provisions are particularly interesting to Community Foundation donors, especially related to a planning tool called the Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD). Many donors who are 70½ or older have already been taking advantage of the QCD. This technique allows a taxpayer to make an annual transfer of up to $100,000 from an IRA to a qualifying public charity such as a field-of-interest fund, scholarship fund, or unrestricted fund at The Community Foundation. The taxpayer does not need to pay income tax on the distribution and, for taxpayers who must take RMDs from their retirement plans, the QCD counts toward that year’s RMD.

Here’s what’s new, thanks to SECURE 2.0:

More time to accumulate retirement assets

Under the new law, the required minimum distribution (RMD) age (previously 72) increased to 73 on January 1, 2023. RMDs are the IRS-mandated distributions from qualified retirement plans. The RMD age will further increase to 75 beginning on January 1, 2033. This provision is a boost to retirees’ financial plans and may mean more dollars available for charitable giving, especially in the form of a tax-savvy beneficiary designation of retirement plans to charity.

Note that the age for QCD eligibility is still 70½, and, still, donor-advised funds are not eligible recipients of a QCD.

“Legacy IRA” opportunity

SECURE 2.0 makes QCDs even more attractive because taxpayers may now make a one-time $50,000 QCD transfer to a newly established charitable remainder trust (CRT) or charitable gift annuity (CGA). These components of the new law are called the “Legacy IRA” provisions. 

Bigger QCDs

The annual per-taxpayer $100,000 QCD cap is now slated to be indexed for inflation, which will allow taxpayers to give even more from their IRAs directly to charity.

The team at The Community Foundation would be happy to talk with you about how the new laws can enhance your charitable giving plans. Reach out to us anytime! 

A Video Message from Tonia Wellons, President & CEO

Dear Friends,

Happy New Year! I am so excited for all that awaits us in 2023!

This past holiday season, I took a moment to reflect on just how impactful 2022 was for us, and for our broader community.

Last year alone, we received over $100 Million in gifts to and through The Community Foundation from generous donors and partners. We also granted more than $85 Million to nonprofit organizations and community organizations and completed the first year of our 10-year strategic vision to increase economic mobility with a north star of closing our region's racial wealth gap.

As we enter 2023, we look forward to celebrating 50 years of shared impact and history with all of you who have made The Community Foundation what it is today -- and what it will become in the next 50 years!

We look forward to sharing with you an exciting calendar of events that will be included in your monthly newsletter next week. I hope you will join us in celebrating this incredible milestone for our organization.

On behalf of all of us at The Community Foundation, we thank you for your commitment to this community and to this region. We look forward to continuing to partner and ensure that we create a place where everyone prospers.

Sincerely,

Tonia Wellons
President and CEO
Greater Washington Community Foundation

A Year in Review: Looking Back at the Top Milestones from 2022

Now that 2022 has come to a close, we’re reflecting on and celebrating our most impactful stories from the past year – from launching the $95 million Health Equity Fund, to the creation of the Children’s Opportunity Alliance, to appointing a new Chair of the Board of Trustees. Here are some of our most meaningful milestones from 2022.

Outlining a Vision for Change at the Celebration of Philanthropy

At the 2022 Celebration of Philanthropy, President & CEO Tonia Wellons outlined The Community Foundation’s strategic vision and path to pursue economic justice, with a neighborhood-centered approach to over 200 supporters, community partners, and friends gathered at the Warner Theatre.

The evening 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.

Let’s GO DMV! Guaranteed Income Pilot launches in DC

In April, The Community Foundation joined if, a Foundation for Radical Possibility, Meyer Foundation, and other partners to announce the launch of Let’s GO DMV! – a 5-year guaranteed income pilot that provides $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 color.

Let’s GO DMV! is designed to get cash in people’s hands – 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.

Historic Health Equity Fund Announces Inaugural Grant Round Targeting Economic Mobility

In October, The Community Foundation announced $9.2 million in grants during the inaugural round of funding from the Health Equity Fund. The grants focused on boldly investing in economic mobility and wealth-building in DC’s historically underinvested communities – recognizing that 80 percent of DC’s health outcomes are driven by social, economic, and other factors, compared to just 20 percent by clinical care

The historic $95 million fund was welcomed to The Community Foundation’s philanthropic family earlier this year. The fund is governed by a seven-member Health Equity Committee, in partnership with the Greater Washington Community Foundation and is dedicated to supporting innovative systems-changing strategies as well as existing approaches that improve prospects for Black, Latinx, Indigenous, people of color, and other marginalized populations.

Partnership To End Homelessness Invests in the Future of Homeless Services

This year, the Partnership to End Homelessness provided grants to enroll 26 nonprofit partners in The Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH)’s Supportive Housing Medicaid Academy.

The six-week series provided invaluable trainings and one-on-one technical assistance to nonprofits in the permanent supportive housing (PSH) space – including smaller, BIPOC-led organizations. As a result, these organizations will be better prepared to leverage an estimated $20+ million in new, annual federal resources made available through Medicaid this past summer.

The new Medicaid funding could be a breakthrough in our region’s fight against homelessness; specifically for our PSH programs -- one of the leading nationally-recognized solutions to chronic homelessness.

Children’s Opportunity Alliance Named Montgomery County Coordinating Entity for Ages 0-5

In July, Montgomery County leaders announced the launch of the Montgomery County Children’s Opportunity Alliance, a nonprofit entity that will connect partners in support of equitable outcomes for children from birth through age 5. 

The Children’s Opportunity Alliance is a new independent nonprofit organization that transitioned from the Children’s Opportunity Fund, a public-private impact initiative created by the Greater Washington Community Foundation, Montgomery County Government and Montgomery County Public Schools in 2014.

Bringing Faith & Philanthropy Together in Prince George’s County

In June, The Community Foundation convened faith, nonprofit, and philanthropic leaders from across Prince George’s County to recognize the important role that the faith community has historically played in the fight for social and economic justice and will continue to play, as we partner together to close the racial wealth gap.

Greater Washington Community Foundation Welcomes Richard Bynum as New Board Chair

In September, The Community Foundation announced the appointment of Richard K. Bynum, Chief Corporate Responsibility Officer for The PNC Financial Services Group, as the new Chair of its Board of Trustees.

Bynum is an accomplished executive with nearly 20 years of executive leadership experience. As chief corporate responsibility officer for The PNC Financial Services Group and a member of its Executive Committee, Bynum leads the PNC Foundation, Community Affairs, ESG practice, Community Development Banking, and Diversity and Inclusion.

Bynum succeeded Katharine Weymouth who served as Board Chair since September 2020. During her tenure as Chair, Weymouth oversaw the hiring of Tonia Wellons as permanent President and CEO in 2020 and she played a key role during the development of The Community Foundation’s new 10-year strategic vision.

Celebrating $1.5 Billion in Giving & Looking to the Future at the 2022 Annual Meeting

In October, The Community Foundation hosted its 2022 Annual Meeting at The National Press Club and via livestream. The event capped off a record-breaking year of growth and community impact for The Community Foundation and its donors and partners – which recently surpassed $1.5 billion in grantmaking (with approximately $93 million given in FY22, alone).

The event also included a panel discussion with two nationally recognized experts on economic mobility – a major focus of The Community Foundation’s strategic vision, outlined by President & CEO, Tonia Wellons. The panel included Nisha Patel, co-author of the study Restoring the American Dream, and Gary Cunningham, President & CEO of Prosperity Now, and touched on a wide range of topics, including entrepreneurship, the need for more investment in social safety nets, shifting policies and practices to advance economic mobility, and the need to center these policies around lived experiences.

Continuing our Learning Journey at the DMV Community Book Group

Our quarterly DMV Community Book Group hosted several riveting discussions this past year that created invaluable space for conversation around economic and social justice.

In September, we hosted Anne Price for a conversation about her article “What We Get Wrong About Closing the Racial Wealth Gap”. Price outlined how there is no “one-size fits all” solution to closing the racial wealth gap, and outlined the importance of redefining racial wealth.

In December, we invited Dr. Manuel Pastor to discuss his book Solidarity Economics: Why Mutuality and Movements Matter. We learned about the vital role that social movements play in creating a society and economy that work for everyone.

The Community Foundation Closes out COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund with Investment in Mutual Aid Groups

Recognizing the critical role of mutual aid networks in responding to current and future crises, the Greater Washington Community Foundation awarded $250,000 in grants to support mutual aid groups in their work to help neighbors meet basic needs, support vaccine education and access, strengthen political education and organizing, and more.

These investments marked an important milestone as they represent the final grants issued from the COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund established at the onset of the pandemic.

The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation Recognized with 2022 Arts Champions Award

In December, The Community Foundation was proud to recognize The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation with the 2022 Arts Champion Award, in recognition of its outstanding commitment to helping arts organizations adapt and respond to the pandemic.

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, the Cafritz Foundation was among the first to recognize the devastating impact that it would have on the region. Within weeks, the foundation approved a $1 million grant to The Community Foundation’s COVID-19 Response Fund – one of the largest single contributions to the fund -- at a time when uncertainty surrounding the pandemic was at its height.

A month later, the Cafritz Foundation made a lead grant of $500,000 to launch Arts Forward Fund – a collaborative partnership with The Community Foundation and more than a dozen other individual and institutional contributors, and followed up with a second grant of $400,000 in 2021. Since October 2020, the fund has distributed more than $2.7 million in grants to 100+ organizations, providing essential resources to help them continue their work during the pandemic.

Advocates Hold 10th Annual Vigil for Dozens who have Died without Housing

On a night when temperatures were expected to drop below freezing, friends and advocates for DC’s Homeless Community huddled around an empty coffin at Luther Memorial Church, honoring of the 70+ DC Residents who have died without housing in 2022.

“Today we say goodbye to over 70 people – 70 people that are no longer with us, but whose memories we will always carry,” Donald Whitehead, Executive Director of the National Coalition for the Homeless shared prior to the procession in what could only be described as an impassioned eulogy.

Donald Whitehead, Executive Director of the National Coalition for the Homeless addresses friends and advocates at Luther Memorial Church.

“These were unnecessary deaths,” he continued. “Most of them preventable and would not have happened in a safe, decent affordable home. For most of them, there was no funeral; no headstone; no accolades read out – regardless of their accomplishments in life. Because they were forced into homelessness, it is up to us – to this congregation of the willing to say, one last time “we’re glad you were here”.

“It is in their memory – and in memory of thousands of others across the US – that we must change the conditions of this country – and we must do it today! We must end homelessness – and we must end it now!”

On each pew, sat a list of names of those who have died without housing in 2022 (thus far). While many of their stories and pasts remain untold, the data that is available reveals a grim narrative. The average age of the deceased was 55 – with the oldest being nearly 80 years old.

Perhaps most concerning to housing advocates is the number of deaths that were nearly prevented. More than 60% of those on the list had received a housing voucher but died before they could be housed – a troubling statistic that underscores one of the most glaring pitfalls of the current housing system.

“Of the 70 people who died without housing, 81 percent were Black,” explained Jesse Rabinowitz, the Senior Manager of Policy & Advocacy who helped compile the list as part of Miriam’s Kitchen’s The Way Home Campaign.

“As a city, we paint ‘Black Lives Matter’ on the sidewalk – clearly, we need to do more to ensure that Black Lives are not dying on the sidewalk.”

Following the service, the participants filed out onto 14th Street where they followed the empty coffin on a mile-long march towards Freedom Plaza.

For some in the procession of fifty or so participants, this was their first time at the annual vigil – which has become something of a somber holiday tradition in the homeless community.

For those at the front of the procession; the pallbearers – especially those with ‘lived experience’ of homelessness, this was their 10th time – a decade milestone that represents far too many cold sleepless nights and far too many friends needlessly lost.

“I know the feeling of the hard concrete before the cold,” Andrew Anderson, Outreach Director with the People for Fairness Coalition shared. “It’s part of why I do what I do – getting out on the streets and giving hope to those that need it the most. ‘Cuz I know how hard it can be.”

“We’re all outreach directors in our own right,” he added. “Any time you go the extra mile to give hope to the homeless in any way you know how. While many – especially those out in the cold tonight – want to give up hope, we know that housing is a human right. As long as there is a collective of the willing to fight for that right, there is hope.”

People for Fairness Coalition (PFFC) hosts this annual vigil each year and is a partner of The Community Foundation through our Partnership to End Homelessness.

To learn more about our work and how you can get involved visit www.endhomelessnessdc.org. To learn more about PFFC and how to support their work visit pffcdc.org.

Mutual Aid Groups: Preparing for Tomorrow’s Crises by Investing in Today’s Problem Solvers

Ever since early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has sparked a tremendous mobilization in the social services sector. Within weeks, nonprofit organizations across the country scrambled to shift their operations to meet community needs – organizing new programs, experimenting with new technologies, and seeking new ways to connect and collaborate with community members.

Yet perhaps the most impressive mobilization has come from a different source – Mutual Aid Networks -- a growing movement of neighbors helping neighbors on a grassroots level.

“Mutual aid is a critical part of our region’s social safety net,” said Tonia Wellons, President and CEO of the Greater Washington Community Foundation. “When neighbors help neighbors meet their basic needs, it strengthens the whole community’s ability to address current crises – and weather future ones, as they continue along the path to economic progress.”

While the concept of mutual aid has been around for a long time, the pandemic saw a dramatic increase in the organization and mobilization of networks throughout the Greater Washington region. Neighbors mobilized to help each other with issues that ranged from food and transportation needs to utilities assistance.

“The heart of our work is to redistribute wealth and resources to Black communities in DC who are facing rapid displacement,” one organizer with Serve Your City, Ward 6 Mutual Aid shared. “When a community can care for itself from within, leaders are developed, and new power models are created.”

In addition to greatly increasing the efficiency and reach of ongoing relief efforts, these power models can provide vital infrastructure and partnership opportunities for future community-wealth building initiatives.

“Our dream is to create sustainability within Black neighborhoods so that the city's most long-standing residents can maintain homes within thriving communities,” another organizer added. “We are all best served when our community is safe and healthy, and when communities have agency over decision-making.”

Recognizing the critical role of mutual aid networks in responding to current and future crises, the Greater Washington Community Foundation recently awarded $250,000 in grants to help meet the basic needs of low-income residents, bridge diverse communities, support vaccine education/access, strengthen political education and organizing, and more.

These investments also marked a milestone for The Community Foundation as they represent the final grants issued from the organization’s COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund established at the onset of the pandemic.

“We are grateful for the donors and nonprofit partners who have stood by us and our community during one of the most trying and transformative periods in its history,” Wellons said.

“Though this concludes our immediate crisis response work, we will continue working together with our partners to prepare for future crises and to support pathways to economic mobility so more people can overcome everyday crises that prevent them from thriving in our region.”

Grant Recipients include:

East of the River Mutual Aid (EORMA/Grassroots DC)

To support the work of East of the River Mutual Aid in Wards 7 and 8 to provide residents with basic needs such as groceries, hot meals, hygiene items, cleaning supplies, school supplies, transportation, emergency housing, clothing, baby formula, diapers and more. EORMA will also provide support related to grief/loss, elderly resident support, political education/organizing, and operates a COVID-19 hotline to help neighbors with vaccine education/access.

Serve Your City/Ward 6 Mutual Aid (SYC/W6MA)

To support the work of Serve Your City/ Ward 6 Mutual Aid Network in Wards 5,6, 7 and 8, including food and supply distribution, providing critical supplies and advocating alongside unhoused neighbors for access to resources, youth education and workforce programs, digital divide program, and political organizing and advocacy.

Silver Spring & Takoma Park Mutual Aid (SSTPMA)

To support mutual aid efforts in the Silver Spring, Takoma Park, and Kensington areas of Montgomery County that includes grocery store gift cards and financial assistance for utility bills. Funding will help expand the capacity of ongoing work as well as assist with the backlog of requests for assistance.

Ward 3 Mutual Aid (W3MA)

To support food assistance programs including buying /delivering groceries to neighbors, grocery gift cards, Ward 3 Food Pantry and household cleaning supplies, and financial assistance to other mutual aid groups in the city. W3MA has an ongoing commitment to providing support to East of The River Mutual Aid and to supporting a hot meal program for low-income people in other wards.

Ward 5 Mutual Aid (W5MA)

To support mutual aid efforts in Ward 5 and help neighbors with basic needs including groceries, personal and household items. W5MA operates a grocery delivery system and supply hub which is staffed by volunteers and has a storehouse of canned/dry food items, some fresh produce, diapers, and clothing. Funding will help meet the consistent inflow of grocery requests, and growing backlog.

The Hope Collective

To support a group of nonprofit organizations in Prince George’s County that utilize their resources collaboratively to provide school-based and community wraparound services in areas where violent crime is an issue. The Hope Collective will support up to 5 nonprofit organizations that will provide youth and their families with mental health, workforce development, after-school programming, and re-entry services specifically to address rising crime and the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Book Group Recap: Solidarity Economics with Dr. Manuel Pastor

Our quarterly DMV Community Book Group closed out the year with a lively discussion with Dr. Manuel Pastor, Professor of Sociology and American Studies & Ethnicity at University of Southern California and co-author of Solidarity Economics: Why Mutuality and Movements Matter.

“For 250 years now, our major economic and political institutions have rewarded those who act in self-interest over those who act out of mutuality,” Dr. Pastor explained.

“But we know that that’s not how most people operate – we know that in our own lives, communities do better when everyone feels connected.”

“This book is an attempt to move the middle – to present a common-sense perspective of why systemic change benefits everyone.”

Dr. Pastor kicked off the webinar with a reminder about language usage.

“We have been brainwashed into thinking that equity is bad for the economy,” Dr. Pastor explained. “But the reality is that it’s not ‘the economy’; it’s ‘our economy’.”

“When we talk about ‘the economy’, we make it sound like it’s an extraterrestrial force that can’t be impacted. Our economy is something that we are constantly involved with.”

“This simple language shift is incredibly important because it changes how we look at issues in our society – especially those that impact African-Americans, Latinos, and other groups that have been systematically marginalized and disenfranchised.”

Dr. Pastor quoted one of the DMV Book Club’s past reads, Heather McGhee’s book The Sum of Us, challenging participants to consider “the sum of us” instead of just “some of us” when it comes to combating racism and its consequences.

“Equity is not a ‘special-interest’ issue,” Dr. Pastor continued. “It’s not something that is only beneficial for communities of color. It’s something that can grow our economy in ways that benefit most, if not all of us.”

However, he was also realistic about the need for systemic change.

“There are still those who benefit from the current state of affairs,” Dr. Pastor explained. “Because of this, we need more social movements that can change the constellation of power.”

“These movements are critical,” he added. “Just as markets reward and teach us to pursue self-interest, movements reward and teach us to act mutually. When you become part of a movement for social change, you build bridges to other communities and help find the uncommon common ground between those groups.”

When asked how to build those bridges, Dr. Pastor highlighted the need to have real conversations with community members about what they are actually feeling.

Citing another book of his, South Central Dreams, Dr. Pastor highlighted community organizing efforts in South Los Angeles – a community which has transformed from a historically Black neighborhood into a predominantly Latinx one. The book outlines how organizers helped community members to develop a sense of place or spatial identity – as well as racial identity.

“It’s not just expressing commonality,” he said. “It’s about exploring the ways that we are ignorant of one another. It’s about creating a conversation where people can say what they are thinking – including the myths or misconceptions they have – and having a dialogue so we can work to dispel them.”

“We need to help people understand the history of their communities,” he continued. “We need them to realize that the terrain of inequalities and deprivation that they face today has been set by centuries of anti-Black racism.”

Dr. Pastor concluded the discussion responding to a question about the role that philanthropy can play in advancing the concept of Solidarity Economics.

“We need to invest in more fundamental power-building – at a community and movement level,” Dr. Pastor explained.

“Foundations often look at their work across three progressive dimensions -- projects, policy, and power. Projects demonstrate what’s possible. Policies canonize projects and establish standard operating procedures – but it’s power that actually moves policy.”

“Movement [power] efforts aren’t just instrumental to policy change – they are fundamental to community change,” he added. “When you invest in organizing and movements, you are empowering community members to take actions in their own lives. Rather than enlisting them in a cause, you empower them to choose and advocate for the issues that make the most difference in their lives, allowing them to pivot from issue to issue in ways that make sense. THAT is what sparks lasting change.”

Click here to watch a full recording of the December 2022 DMV Community Book Club.

Our next DMV Community Book Club will be in early 2023, when we will discuss Collective Courage: A History of African American Cooperative Economic Thought and Practice by Jessica Gordan Nembhard.

Three Tips to Maximize Your Year-End Giving for 2022

As the end of the year approaches, The Community Foundation’s Senior Advisor Rebecca Rothey provides three tips to help you meet your personal giving goals while maximizing tax benefits in an uncertain economy.

Gifts of appreciated stock still shine

Giving in a roller coaster market may continue to be a real concern for many, but remember, not all stocks are down. Donating an appreciated gift of stock is a fantastic tax-advantaged way to make gifts to charities. When donated directly into a donor advised fund at the Greater Washington Community Foundation or directly to the charity, you can avoid capital gains tax on the appreciation. 

Ashley Hall, Director at Chevy Chase Trust and a member of our Professional Advisor Council, shared the following experience:

“A client came to us this year looking to make a larger gift to a cause important to them through their fund at the Greater Washington Community Foundation. Despite being in a down market, we still had highly appreciated positions in their portfolio that were prudent to reduce from a portfolio management perspective but would be costly to sell. Donating parts of this appreciated stock allowed us to reduce this position and saved the client almost $10,000 in Federal and local taxes.” 

Donor-advised funds help both you and your favorite nonprofits

Even during economic uncertainty, grantmaking from donor-advised funds (DAFs) continues to rise, as donors pay increasing attention to the ways a donor-advised fund can help with tax planning. We encourage you to reach out to our team to learn more about how “bundling” at year end can maximize your tax benefits, and at the same time ensure that your favorite nonprofits receive the support they need.

Plan ahead to meet your goals!

As we approach the end of the year and look forward to 2023, I encourage you to make time to sit down and plan ahead so you can meet your personal philanthropic goals. Be aware of year-end giving deadlines to ensure you can receive the appropriate tax benefits.

Remember that checks to a fund at The Community Foundation must be postmarked no later than December 31 or hand-delivered no later than Friday, December 30 at 1 p.m. Gifts of marketable securities also need to be fully transferred by December 30, so be sure to contact us in plenty of time so our team can process and receive the transfer.

A reminder that the deadline for you to recommend grants through your fund at The Community Foundation is Friday, December 16. Any grant recommendations received after this date run the risk of not being processed in 2022 due to increased volume.

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We are grateful that you have chosen to partner with The Community Foundation on your philanthropic journey. We are proud to partner with you in making a difference for the Greater Washington region – and look forward to continuing our work together in 2023!

Wishing you and your family a safe and connected holiday season!

Heading “Up-County”: Community Foundation Visits Focus Neighborhoods in Montgomery County

Members of The Community Foundation’s Montgomery County Advisory Board, staff, and Sharing Montgomery donors recently visited with key community partners in Germantown, Maryland -- one of the “Priority Neighborhoods” identified by The Community Foundation as part of its new 10-year strategic plan.

The day began at Captain James E. Daly Elementary School, where the group met with school administrators and leaders of the Thriving Germantown coalition – a collaboration launched by the Healthcare Initiative Foundation, Shepperd Pratt (locally known as Family Services), and other nonprofits to holistically connect students and their families to vital supports.

Principal Pedro Cedeño explained, “We have 618 students here at Captain James E. Daly Elementary. More than 77 percent of them are enrolled in the Free and Reduced-price Meal Program. Partnerships like Thriving Germantown have been critical to helping us meet the needs of our students and their families during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Daly Elementary School’s student population is 56% Latinx, 28% Black, 6% Asian, and 6% White. School and nonprofit staff both noted the importance of providing linguistically and culturally appropriate support to fully engage the families and foster a sense of community.

“In the years prior to COVID, most nonprofits didn’t provide services north of Gaithersburg,” Sharon Settlemyer, a Community School Liaison at the school added. “As a result, many of our families spent hours on public transportation just to get food.”

To combat this challenge, the school staff worked with Thriving Germantown’s network of community partners to set up a food pantry on the school’s campus and began connecting parents to other resources for clothing, training, job opportunities, and more.  

While acknowledging these efforts have made great strides in helping families address their basic needs, both school staff and nonprofits were acutely aware of systemic breakdowns which hinder economic mobility that would led to greater stability.  They especially flagged the numerous barriers families face in securing affordable, accessible childcare which is necessary to get and keep a job. 

The group then moved to the Up-County Wellness Center where they met with representatives from local nonprofits providing a continuum of supports from basic needs through economic mobility: Care For Your Health, Up-County Hub, Identity, Inc., CareerCatchers, and Shepperd Pratt. While reflecting on both accomplishments, lessons learned, and the work ahead, the nonprofit leaders emphasized the importance of leveraging and cultivating relationships with community members.

“This isn’t charity,” Anna Maria Izquierdo-Porrera with Care 4 Your Health explained. “These are vital members of the community, all of whom have talents and gifts to share. Investing in them is key to the recovery of our community.”

She went on to point out how this is especially true in immigrant communities, where trust is often as great a barrier as language or culture.

“These folks are used to nonprofits showing up for a short time and then disappearing,” Grace Rivera-Oven with Up-County Hub added. She added that to truly make a lasting difference, “you need to be willing to stick with the community; to listen to them and be willing to invest in them.”

Representatives pointed to the recent COVID vaccination initiative as an example. At the height of the pandemic, Latinos made up 77 percent of COVID cases in Montgomery County. Working in collaboration with Up-County, Care 4 Your Health and others, the County government launched the Salud & Bienestar (Health & Wellbeing) initiative – which was so successful that Montgomery County’s Latinx population become one of the most vaccinated in the country; even going so far as to surpass the County’s more affluent White population.

However, like many efforts launched during the pandemic, the initiative’s outreach efforts have scaled back as the county’s federal relief dollars dwindled.

“The problems that our community is facing won’t just go away overnight,” Rivera-Oven continued. “We need the government to keep showing up.”

The group ended the day at the Middlebrook Mobile Home Park, where they spoke with resident leaders to hear about their priorities for their community and ways they are they have been empowered to help drive change.   One of the neighborhood’s elders spoke of how she became the leader of a collective effort to address concerns the residents are being overcharged for some of their basic utilities.  We also heard from a young man who, even though he moved out of the trailer park, comes back every week to help with food distributions and other outreach efforts.  Nicknamed “El Comandante,” he recalled how he used his background in IT to provide tech support for the neighborhood’s children when school were operating remotely. 

Rivera-Oven and Izquierdo-Porrera noted that partnering with residents has been the key to their organizations’ ability to not only provide services, but also build lasting community relationships with other entities such as the Police Department and the Fire Department which have contributed greatly to the well-being of the community.

“Before COVID, the crime rate in this community was very high,” El Comandante shared. “Now that they come to help with the food distribution, it’s much safer.”

Following the tour, Anna Hargrave, Executive Director for Montgomery County for the Greater Washington Community Foundation, reflected on two key takeaways:

• It was gratifying to see the incredible outcomes achieved by grantees of our covid-response efforts.  Their achievements prove that investments in organizations which center racial equity ultimately make our entire community healthier.

• The pandemic forced government and nonprofits to cut red tape and innovate at lightning speed.  Moving forward, it will be important that we continue to test out new ideas, “fail forward” by learning and improving, and then scaling solutions that work—all while meeting the urgent demands of the day.

On behalf of The Community Foundation, we must give special thanks all the resident leaders, Daly elementary school staff, our nonprofit guest speakers for sharing their wisdom, and to our funding peer, the Healthcare Initiative Foundation, who led a similar community tour seven years ago which sparked the creation of the Thriving Germantown coalition and helped “plant seeds” for other partnerships that ultimately launched during the pandemic.

To learn more about upcoming in-person and virtual visits plus other learning opportunities, contact Olivia Hsu at [email protected].

Recognizing The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation for Outstanding Contributions to the Arts

Tonia Wellons, President & CEO of The Community Foundation, presents the 2022 Arts Champion Award to Mardell Moffett, Executive Director of the Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation

The Greater Washington Community Foundation is proud to recognize The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation with the 2022 Arts Champion Award, in recognition of its outstanding commitment to helping arts organizations adapt and respond to the pandemic.

The Foundation, which is celebrating 75 years of supporting organizations in the Greater Washington area, has long been a bedrock for the arts, making major contributions and annual general operating support grants that have transformed and sustained many of the region’s leading institutions – large and small – including The Washington Ballet, the National Museum of African-American History and Culture, Levine Music, The Kennedy Center, Signature Theatre, Woolly Mammoth Theatre, Dance Place, Dance Institute of Washington, Imagination Stage, Wolf Trap, Sitar Arts Center, Young Playwrights’ Theater, Washington Performing Arts, and hundreds of others.  The Foundation has provided consistent support for the region's arts and culture organizations for decades.  Since 2000 alone, it has provided more than $110 million in support to 218 arts and culture organizations across the region.

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, the Cafritz Foundation was among the first to recognize the devastating impact that it would have on the region. Within weeks, they approved a $1 million grant to The Community Foundation’s COVID-19 Response Fund – one of the largest single contributions to the fund -- at a time when uncertainty surrounding the pandemic was at its height.

Not content to stop there, in May 2020, The Cafritz Foundation commissioned a study to measure the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on small local arts and culture organizations.

The results were sobering. More than a third of study participants had already laid off staff – and most were considering making additional cuts. With infrastructure and resources already scarce, small arts organizations were struggling to make the transition to online and digital programming.

A month later, the Cafritz Foundation made a lead grant of $500,000 to launch Arts Forward Fund – a collaborative partnership with The Community Foundation and more than a dozen other individual and institutional contributors, and followed up with a second grant of $400,000 in 2021. Since October 2020, the fund has distributed more than $2.7 million in grants to 100+ organizations, providing essential resources to help them continue their work during the pandemic.

The Fund also provided support for organizations responding to the national movement for racial justice, sparked by the murder of George Floyd in July 2020. More than 60 percent of grant recipients were BIPOC-led or predominantly BIPOC-serving organizations.

Thanks to this equity emphasis, Arts Forward Fund received recognition from prominent organizations and philanthropists – including MacKenzie Scott, who made a $1 million grant to the fund in June 2021.

“The contributions of The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation gave life to the arts in Greater Washington, at a time when it was most desperately needed,” President & CEO Tonia Wellons said. “We are proud to acknowledge them as a Champion of the Arts.”

The Community Foundation presented The 2022 Arts Champion Award at a private event at the Warner Theatre on November 30, 2022.

Nonprofit Partners Outline Key Factors in the Fight to End Homelessness in DC

As the Partnership to End Homelessness celebrates its three-year anniversary, the Partnership’s staff and Leadership Council are taking time to reflect on the Partnership’s accomplishments and to begin planning for our work ahead.

In order to better understand what has changed since the Partnership launched and where we go from here, the Partnership invited several partners and experts to join our most recent convening. These experts shared their perspectives on the changing landscape of homelessness in DC and emerging challenges that require the support of private sector leaders.

Here are the top three takeaways from the conversation with Marisol Bello, Executive Director of the Housing Narrative Lab, Lara Pukatch, Chief Advocacy Officer at Miriam’s Kitchen, Theresa Silla, Executive Director of the DC Interagency Council on Homelessness, and Robert Warren, Director of the People for Fairness Coalition.

1. The stories we tell about the causes of homelessness drive the solutions we create and the policies we make. Since the end of the critical phase of the pandemic, there has been an increasing focus in local and national media on homelessness being a result of bad choices made by individuals. This unfortunately has led to more calls for punitive actions against people who are experiencing homelessness, such as criminalization of camping.
   This growing narrative ignores the fact that the primary causes of homelessness are failures in systems like housing, healthcare, and criminal justice. Research demonstrates that by telling this true story, we can focus our collective efforts on supporting proven solutions by addressing the root causes of homelessness. We can all become storytellers and make change by speaking out and influencing our families, friends, and organizations.

2. Advocacy drives change, and we can all be advocates. In the past two years, the District has invested a record number of resources in ending homelessness in our city. This is in part thanks to the advocacy of those with lived experience of homelessness and our advocacy partners – together with members of the private sector -- who have tirelessly lobbied policymakers to make these historic investments. Making a meaningful impact can be as simple as sending an email or making a phone call. We all have a role to play as advocates.

3. We can end homelessness for everyone in the District if we “hold fast and stay true.” The fight against homelessness has made many exciting strides in recent years. Since 2015, family homelessness is down by 80 percent. Veteran homelessness has also fallen – down by 50 percent since 2017. But we cannot become complacent – we need to continue our work to end family and veteran homelessness through tested, proven practices.
   
   At the same time, we need to take what we’ve learned in the family and veteran systems and apply that knowledge and intensity to addressing homelessness among single adults and youth.  

The Partnership to End Homelessness will be continuing the conversation over the coming months.

If you’re interested in learning more about the Partnership’s plans, and how you can support this work, please contact Jennifer Olney at [email protected].

Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?

By Tonia Wellons, President & CEO of the Greater Washington Community Foundation

As the year comes to a close, I have been reflecting on our work at The Community Foundation to promote a more just and equitable region.

Recent events have compelled me to stop and think about what it means for a community to be equitable, just, and thriving. I am reminded of a refrain instigated by Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1967 just before his assassination, “Where do we go from here: Chaos or Community?”

During times of immense community crisis, pain, divisiveness, unfathomable violence, hate, and bigotry, do we choose to come together as a community or do we let chaos reign over us? Over the last several years, I have seen our neighbors choose community and engage deeply in word and deed as we reacted to the “Muslim bans” in 2017; following the Tree of Life shooting in 2018; and as we spoke out against the rise in police killings of unarmed Black Americans, including George Floyd.

What is happening both in our community and across the country right now requires that we ponder this question again, as we raise awareness and concern about the uptick in antisemitic incidences nationally, and especially in our local community.

In line with the Greater Washington Community Foundation’s commitment to racial equity and inclusion and our dedication to justice and belonging, we answer the question by standing in solidarity with the Jewish community, especially in Greater Washington. We unequivocally condemn all acts of hate, religious bigotry, and intimidation in any form.

We believe that racism and antisemitism are part of a parallel narrative and harmful actions that work against our core values. These dueling systems rip apart shared ambitions for justice and for community.

I invite you to join us and choose community over chaos. To choose belonging over bigotry, antisemitism, racism, and other hateful ideologies that have no place in the Greater Washington region.

In the period ahead, we look forward to interrogating our shared ambitions, values, commitments, and actions toward building an equitable region for all.

Honoring Philanthropy in Prince George’s and Montgomery County

This past month, the Greater Washington Community Foundation gathered with donors and partners from across the region to celebrate philanthropy in Prince George’s County and Montgomery County at the 2022 Civic Leadership Awards and the Celebration of Giving. Here are a few highlights from the events:

Igniting the Power of Philanthropy in Prince George’s County
The party started early at the MGM at National Harbor, as friends and supporters of The Community Foundation’s local office in Prince George’s County gathered for the 2022 Civic Leadership Awards. Tracee Wilkins, Prince George’s County Bureau Chief with NBC4, served as master of ceremonies for Prince George’s County’s first major event since before the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are so excited to be reunited with so many of you in person, after so long,” President and CEO Tonia Wellons shared. “We look forward to sharing a memorable evening with all of you.”

The evening proved to be both memorable and emotionally moving. The program started off with a moving tribute to the first Civic Leadership Award recipient, The Sardelis Family of Sardi’s Pollo A La Brasa. Founded in Prince George’s County, Sardi’s has quickly become a cornerstone of the community – both for the quality of its food, as well as its commitment to give back during the pandemic. The award was accepted by Phil E. Sardelis, whose cousin and co-founder, Phil G. Sardelis tragically passed away last year due to COVID complications.

Mr. Sardelis was followed by the presentation of the second Civic Leadership Award to Rosie Allen-Herring, President & CEO of the United Way of the National Capital Area – a champion for progress in Prince George’s County. Long-time friend Steve Proctor of G.S. Proctor & Associates presented the award via prerecorded message, extolling Rosie’s commitment to family and the region as a whole.

Rosie was followed by the presentation of Nonprofit Leader of the Year Award to Rick & Dawn Collins of the 2nd Lieutenant Richard W. Collins III Foundation. There was scarcely a dry eye in the room, as Dawn Collins tearfully shared how much this recognition meant for their family’s ongoing work against hate crimes – a mission they have undertaken since their son was brutally murdered by a White Nationalist in 2017.

Rick and Dawn were one of four nonprofit leaders nominated for the award. The other three nominees – who were also recognized -- included Lupi Quinteros-Grady of Latin American Youth Center, Deborah Martinez of Mission of Love Charities, and Rob Malone of The Arc Prince George’s County.

After Rick & Dawn, the Corporate Philanthropist of the Year Award was presented to IKEA College Park – in recognition of its investment in the region during the pandemic, when the Swedish-based company invested $1 million to support The Community Foundation’s pandemic response, as a way to “pay it forward” in acknowledgment of the unemployment benefits collected by furloughed employees from Maryland, including the College Park store. The award was accepted by IKEA College Park Market Manager for the DC area, Tony Giacona.

He was followed by the presentation of the Wayne K. Curry Award for Leadership & Public Service to The Honorable Kris Valderrama of Maryland’s 26th District. Named after the first African American to serve as Prince George's County Executive, the Wayne K. Curry Award acknowledges outstanding elected officials who advocate for and champion change in Prince George's County. Kris has served as Maryland's 26th District Delegate since 2006, where she has championed legislation advocating for the rights and needs of Prince George's County's residents in the state of Maryland.

After Kris, Veronica Jeon presented the Chairman’s Award to Prince George’s County Advisory Board Member and Host Committee co-chair Chris Borgal, in recognition of his contributions to The Community Foundation’s efforts in Prince George’s County.

The final award of the evening, the Emerging Leader of the Year Award was presented to John Edward, General Manager of Bond 45. Born in Egypt, John moved to the US to pursue his American Dream in the hospitality industry and provide a better life for his family. His charisma and commitment to quality service has captured the hearts of many in Prince George’s County.

John was one of four Emerging Leaders nominated for the award. The other nominees included Altmann Pannell of Coca-Cola Consolidated, The Honorable Mahasin El Amin, Clerk of Circuit Court for Prince George’s County, and Husein Sharaf of Cloudforce.

Additional information on our honorees – including personalized tribute videos – are available on our website.

Celebrating Giving in Montgomery County

On November 16th, donors and community partners in Montgomery County gathered for the Celebration of Giving, honoring the 2022 Montgomery County Philanthropist of the Year, Mimi Brodsky Kress.

A third generation Washingtonian, Mimi Brodsky Kress maintains a deep commitment to her home community of Montgomery County through both her personal philanthropy and as the co-owner of Sandy Spring Builders, where she is one of only a few women builders in the area.

During the program, Mimi joined Bethesda Magazine President Sumindi Peiris onstage for an “Oprah Winfrey”-style interview, where she shared the motivation that compels her to get deeply involved in her community.

“If there’s one thing my parents taught me,” Kress shared, “it was the importance of the Jewish principle of ‘Tikkun Olam’ – that we need to actively engage in action to repair the world.”

Those closest to Mimi know that being actively engaged is something she is very good at. In addition to running a small business, Mimi is volunteers extensively with Habitat for Humanity, leading a group of women called “the Hammer Chicks” who get out into the field and help build affordable homes. Her leadership on the boards of several local charities – including (but not limited to) the National Alliance on Mental Illness in Montgomery County, Jewish Women International, and the Jewish National Fund — has been game-changing, leading to organizational growth and expansion of services to meet increasing demand.

We are grateful to Mimi for allowing us to shine a spotlight on her, knowing her example will inspire many others to give and get involved in our local community.

Additional information about our 2022 Philanthropist of the Year is available in this Bethesda Magazine Article and on our website. You can also view this special tribute video that was debuted at the event.

Moving the Needle in the Fight Against Food Insecurity

By Anna Hargrave

In 2019, a study by the USDA estimated 1 in 8 Americans were “food insecure”. In Montgomery County, one of the wealthiest counties in the country, that number was closer to 1 in 12 (about 8%).

Within six month, both of those numbers nearly doubled, as thousands of families found themselves struggling with the social and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In response, donors across Montgomery County sprang into action, pouring their time and resources into Food for Montgomery – a strategic public-private response effort spearheaded by The Community Foundation, County Government, and the Montgomery County Food Council to address urgent needs within our food security system.

To date, Food for Montgomery has deployed over $2.6 million to support nonprofits in our food system. This work is increasingly vital – as studies suggest that food insecurity may have more to do with an already broken food system than the impact of a global pandemic. 

Even as COVID infection rates continue to decline, food insecurity rates remain high -- the latest report by the Capital Area Food Bank says that 46% of households with children in Montgomery County have experienced food insecurity at some point in 2022.

As we continue work with our amazing nonprofit grantees to lower these rates and build a more just and equitable food system, here are three key lessons that we have learned:

Go for the “Triple Win”

The pandemic forced nonprofits and government to collaborate more strategically and efficiently to meet ever-changing needs. In time, many found ways to innovate a single creative solution/partnership to solve multiple problems facing the community. By seeking a “triple win” they were able to leverage both philanthropic and public dollars to make a deeper impact.

For example, the leaders of the Mid-County Hub, led by Hughes United Methodist Church, realized they needed to provide hot meals for frail seniors, people with disabilities, and other vulnerable residents facing food insecurity.  Food for Montgomery’s grant enabled Mid-County Hub to team up with So What Else which provided donated and recovered food. They then partnered with IMPACT Silver Spring, which led a culinary class to teach residents new skills while they prepared the weekly meals for their neighbors.  Ultimately, this effort rescued perfectly good food that might have ended up in a landfill, turned it into delicious meals, and empowered people with meaningful skills that helped them get jobs in local restaurants.

Community Members take notes during a Culinary Class offered by IMPACT Silver Spring

To make a deep impact, racial equity must be top of mind (not an afterthought)

The tragedy of food insecurity is inevitably tied to racial inequity. According to the USDA and Feeding America, nearly 1 in 5 Black people and 1 in 6 Latinx people live in households facing food insecurity due to a wide range of social, economic, and environmental challenges. That’s 2-3 times higher than the rate of food insecurity experienced by white individuals.

In order to create lasting, meaningful change in our food system, we need to lead with racial equity at the forefront. This means not just serving people with dignity, but also creating space so that low-income residents can lead the change they want to see for their communities.

For example:

Early on, leaders at the Manna Food Center realized that many families – especially in immigrant communities -- were fearful of asking for help from unfamiliar organizations. In addition, given the incredible diversity of our community, it was difficult to provide all the culturally specific foods that our many immigrant communities need to prepare traditional meals at home.

Community Member poses with produce grown at an AfriThrive Community Garden. AfriThrive partnered with the local immigrant community to grow culturally appropriate produce for residents.

To address both issues, Manna teamed up with several grassroots nonprofits that employed resident leaders who already had established relationships within their communities. Thanks to this partnership, those neighborhood leaders were able to enroll more than 4,000 households to receive food through Manna and provide 1,500 households with vouchers to purchase supplemental food from ethnic grocery stores. 

Systems either amplify or undermine your philanthropy—there is no in between!

Policy decisions at the federal, state, and local levels have a major impact on what we all eat—and how much it costs us.  Those decisions can also undermine our philanthropy by making it harder and costlier for nonprofits to help people.  That is why it is vital we invest in strategic partners advocating for a healthier, more equitable food system. 

One fantastic example is the Montgomery County Food Council which created a food security response plan in partnership with over 100 nonprofits, local businesses, and government partners. Working closely with Montgomery County Government and The Community Foundation, the Food Council’s leadership was vital to maximizing public and private resources to meet community needs. Building on that important work, the Food Council is now galvanizing partners and gathering insights from families who are experiencing food insecurity right now.  Together, they are identifying barriers and developing strategies to reduce food insecurity across all childhood age groups in Montgomery County.

As we continue our efforts to fight hunger and build a more just and equitable food system, we would like to thank our donors and partners for their consistent and ongoing support.  Creating meaningful, lasting systems change requires an incredible amount of time, resources, and patience. We have witnessed all of this, and more from our incredibly generous community.

With your support, we continue to move this work forward and build a Montgomery County where food is plentiful for all.

For more information about Food for Montgomery and it’s incredible impact, visit https://www.thecommunityfoundation.org/food-for-montgomery-fund

Investing in the Future of Homeless Services: How Medicaid is Driving Systemic Change in DC’s Fight to End Homelessness

This year, the Partnership has been working to support nonprofit PSH providers as they transition to Medicaid billing. Our partnership with nonprofit providers, advocates, and government agencies makes us uniquely positioned to identify and support projects like this. In addition to support for individual organizations, investing in the system as a whole is an essential piece of our work to end homelessness. To learn more about the project, check out our previous blog post Investing in Nonprofit Capacity to Leverage Federal Funds to End Homelessness.

This year, DC launched a new Medicaid benefit that will fund permanent supportive housing (PSH) services for people experiencing homelessness -- allowing the city to leverage an estimated $20+ million in new, annual federal resources through Medicaid. The move also frees up local funding to be reinvested towards other human services programs in DC.

The new funding could be a breakthrough in our region’s fight against homelessness; specifically for our PSH programs -- one of the leading nationally-recognized solutions to chronic homelessness.  

However, this exciting funding unfortunately does come with a slight catch. In order to access it, DC’s nonprofit PSH providers must first make significant changes to the ways they’ve traditionally worked, adopting new policies and practices to ensure they can successfully bill and provide services under the new Medicaid model. Providers also need to improve their infrastructure to support the expanded human resources, accounting, evaluation, and compliance functions that come with this funding.

“It was scary at the start,” said Chandra Dawson, the Chief Permanent Supportive Housing Officer of Friendship Place. “As the person responsible for PSH at Friendship Place, I asked myself can I do this? How do I help my team do this?”

Recognizing the challenges that nonprofits – particularly smaller, BIPOC-led organizations – might face in making this transition, the Partnership to End Homelessness made a grant to provide technical assistance for twenty-six PSH providers through The Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH), a national leader in supportive housing.

PSH providers were enrolled in CSH’s Supportive Housing Medicaid Academy, a six-week series of two-hour trainings where they learned how to enroll themselves as Medicaid providers. Topics included the how to enroll clients, how to supervise, budget, and bill under the Medicaid model, and how to comply with Medicaid regulations. In addition to group sessions, CSH also provided individual, one-on-one technical assistance to each organization.

Chandra Dawson, Chief Permanent Supportive Housing Officer of Friendship Place participated in CSH’s Supportive Housing Medicaid Academy.

Another benefit of the Medicaid Academy was that it allowed providers to meet and learn from each other. “Before this project, we had few opportunities for interaction and conversation with each other,” Dawson added. “It was great to have a dedicated space to exchange ideas, ask questions, and collaborate. I have experienced increased opportunities to meet and strengthen my relationship with other providers”

CSH also conducted individual assessments to assess providers’ readiness, identify remaining organizational capacity gaps, and make recommendations for improving organizational capacity. Even after completing the Academy, graduates continue to receive one-on-one technical assistance from CSH as they begin the process.

“CSH continues to give us feedback on our performance as we work on completing this transition,” Dawson added. “They are also really good about soliciting feedback from us to pass on to DHS; which is important while DHS develops policies at the agency-level that will impact us and other providers on the front lines.”

However, Dawson says the Medicaid transition isn’t just about changing billing procedures. It’s about changing the way that service providers operate.

“Our clients can often feel overwhelmed by all the systems they have to interact with,” Dawson explains. “They can feel invisible or unable to advocate effectively for themselves. As their service provider, we have a responsibility to lift that burden.”

“As a result of this Medicaid transition, there are additional “eyes” both within and outside of Friendship Place looking at our performance. Moving forward, we’re increasing our expectations for our case managers, as well as for our supervisory staff and program leaders. We hope this higher level of accountability will translate into a higher standard for service delivery, which should correlate with better housing and well-being outcomes for the people we serve.”

The process has also inspired Friendship Place to look at ways to improve all their programs, not just PSH: “In the past, program design has been primarily led by our program staff. However, Medicaid requires us to work collaboratively with team members from finance, evaluation, compliance, and human resources to develop strong quality assurance practices.”

“As we’ve documented workflows and updated policies and procedures in preparation for this transition, we’ve identified ways that we can work more efficiently across the organization.”

As a Partnership, we’re excited to share that many of the city’s PSH providers have already successfully enrolled in the Medicaid benefit and most providers should be billing Medicaid by early 2023.

The Community Foundation Applauds Housing Investments in DC Budget; Urges Continued Action

Dear Councilmembers, 

As we begin the new fiscal year, the Greater Washington Community Foundation and its Partnership to End Homelessness Leadership Council thank you for the substantial progress made toward ending homelessness through the FY 2023 DC budget. Thanks to your efforts, hundreds of individuals and families facing chronic homelessness will have the dignity and security of a permanent home, putting DC on a path to ending chronic homelessness. That is a truly amazing accomplishment that should be celebrated.  

The Partnership to End Homelessness (PTEH) is a collective effort of private sector business leaders, philanthropists, and national and local nonprofits working to ensure homelessness is rare, brief, and non-recurring. The Partnership members engage directly to end homelessness in DC, but we know that public-sector investment, aligned with private sector resources, is the only way to ensure that everyone in our community has the stability that housing provides.

The progress made in the FY 2023 budget is laudable. We thank you for adopting a budget that provides permanent supportive housing to 500 individuals and 260 families, funding to help 400 families facing expiring Rapid Rehousing subsidies, and $51 million for badly needed repairs to public housing.  We also applaud the provision of $444 million for the Housing Production Trust Fund, with a commitment to meeting the target that 50 percent is used to serve households with incomes below 30 percent of Median Family Income.

The budget is the necessary first step of the process toward ending homelessness, but not the end. It will be critically important to take steps to ensure that funds are put to use effectively, with assertive steps to implement them and with active Council oversight. In particular, we urge you to work with the DC Housing Authority to ensure that new vouchers are made available quickly and that public housing repair funds are used well. We appreciate the legislation adopted by the Council, that allows voucher holders to self-certify their identity, and other efforts to remove barriers to leasing up a unit. We urge you to do even more to ensure that residents can use their voucher quickly and easily to get into a home of their choice.  And we fervently ask you to meet the HPTF requirement to target households with extremely low incomes, which has not been met for years.

Beyond that, maintaining the progress in the FY 2023 budget is critically important and will require greater future investments in deeply affordable housing and eviction prevention, places where the FY 2023 budget fell short.  As we start looking toward the FY 2024 budget – it is never too early – we are concerned that the District’s budget did not provide enough funding for all families with expiring Rapid Rehousing subsidies, and did not create a plan for fixing that program’s serious problems. We urge the Council to pass pending Rapid ReHousing reforms, and for the mayor and Council to fund them in the next budget cycle. The 2023 budget also seriously underfunded emergency rental assistance and provided a very small number of LRSP vouchers compared with the need. These must be priorities as we continue to work toward our shared goal of ending homelessness in DC.

Thank you again for your leadership and commitment to ending homelessness in our city. We look forward to continuing to work with you to ensure everyone in DC has a safe and stable place to call home.

Sincerely,

Tonia Wellons

President & CEO
Greater Washington Community Foundation

Co-Chair Partnership to End Homelessness Leadership Council