A Year in Review: Looking Back at the Top Milestones from 2025
2025 was a year full of big milestones for The Community Foundation and our community of changemakers – from celebrating the anniversary of Thrive Prince George’s and Brilliant Futures, to relaunching our Community Resilience Initiative and other investments to meet growing community needs across DC, Maryland, and Virginia. Here are some of our most meaningful milestones from 2025.
DCA Together Relief Fund
When tragedy struck near DCA airport on January 29, 2025, the Capital Region Community Foundation’s responded by mobilizing generosity, collaboration, and care.
Thanks to the extraordinary generosity of over 560 donors from across the country, and with matching funds from our partners at the Wichita Foundation, the DCA Together Relief Fund distributed $754,456 in direct financial assistance to families who lost loved ones to help them navigate their long-term and immediate needs. We also awarded $45,000 in grants to support first responders and provide mental health services for impacted families and communities.
We are deeply grateful to our corporate partners, including Monumental Sports & Entertainment, Truist, Forvis Mazars, and Legum & Norman/Associa Cares, Inc., whose generous support was instrumental to this effort.
Meeting This Moment Through Community Resilience Initiative
In 2025, federal actions and their destabilizing effect on the nonprofit sector and the Greater Washington region prompted The Community Foundation to relaunch its Community Resilience Initiative.
Designed to strengthen the capacity and resilience of our region’s nonprofit sector and community institutions, the Community Resilience Initiative has combined deep collaboration, coordination, and targeted resources to convene, support, and advocate for the sector and the communities we serve. Some of these ways have included:
Convening Spaces to Foster Trust & Collaboration
Starting in November 2024, we began convening with funders on a bi-weekly basis to share information and spark collective action to support the sector. We also co-convened nonprofits to foster collaboration and communication among partners.
Supporting Community Partners Through Grantmaking, Technical Assistance, Resources, and Continued Investment in Economic Mobility
In 2025, The Community Foundation deployed more than $14.3 million in grants and technical assistance to organizations across the sector including:
More than $1 million in Bridge Grants to 21 organizations navigating funding losses or planning for their future during uncertain times.
More than $5 million to support collaborations between nonprofits that are meeting the moment for the communities they serve including FQHCs and coalitions for unhoused residents
Providing strategic communications and crisis management tools and training to help organizations enhance messages, adapt to challenges and maintain public trust.
Supporting grassroots and mutual aid groups that provide legal aid, community organizing and advocacy, and youth empowerment work.
Throughout this process, The Community Foundation sought out ways to streamline our application and reporting processes to reduce the burden on our nonprofit partners – recognizing that every hour spent on grant narratives is an hour not spent serving communities.
Advocating on Behalf of the Nonprofit Sector and Responding to Policies and Actions that Jeopardize Regional Stability
Public policy decisions in 2025 have had direct impact on the communities and organizations we serve.
In response, The Community Foundation joined funders from across the region and country to raise awareness of issues impacting our donors, our community partners, and our region including DC’s right to self-governance and the right for individuals and institutions to express themselves through their philanthropy. We also spoke out on the impact of Medicaid cuts – particularly for those experiencing homelessness.
Partnership to End Homelessness Announces Critical Investments in PSH Innovation Pilots
In April, The Partnership to End Homelessness announced two 12-month pilots intended to support innovations in Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH). The grants were made possible by the generous support of The Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation and leveraged innovative tools including AI and wrap-around services to improve outcomes and build stronger relationships with those experiencing homelessness.
In October, donors and supporters of the Partnership got out their hard hats for a tour of Edgewood V – an affordable housing development in Northeast DC that is currently under construction.
Through the Greater Washington Community Foundation's Partnership to End Homelessness we have teamed up with Enterprise Community Loan Fund to leverage donor investments into more than $40 million in financing for affordable housing projects across the region – including Edgewood Commons.
Celebrating Anniversary of Thrive Prince George’s and Brilliant Futures
In 2025, The Community Foundation and our partners celebrated one-year of Thrive Prince George’s and Brilliant Futures – a pair of powerful economic mobility pilots launched in Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties.
The Community Foundation also launched a new partnership with TrustPlus and the Latino Economic Development Center (LEDC) which will provide financial coaching services to families enrolled in The Community Foundation’s economic mobility initiatives.
Partnering to Support Federal Workers and Impacted Communities
Recognizing the economic impact that federal workforce cuts would have on our region, The Community Foundation helped co-convene Greater Washington Together – a first-of-its kind, regional effort uniting a growing group of government, employer, education, and nonprofit leaders across Greater Washington to strengthen economic resilience for our region.
The collaboration, along with seed funding from The Community Foundation, led to the creation of cutting edge tools such as Talent Capital AI, which leverages the power of AI to help connect federal workers with new opportunities in the private sector, and the DMV Monitor, a comprehensive data dashboard to track the economic impact of federal workforce changes across the DMV.
The Community Foundation also welcomed several new funds set up by former federal workers, including The Solidarity Fund which is a relief fund that provides emergency cash assistance for former USAID workers suffering financial hardships. We also worked with donors and philanthropic partners across the region to support nonprofits fighting food insecurity during the government shutdown in October.
Mobilizing the Faith Community to Meet the Moment for Those Experiencing Homelessness
“In this moment, I believe the calling of faith communities can be an actual tipping point for our city,” Rev. Linda Kaufman explained. “As we engage and work with our unhoused neighbors, we can magnify our ministry and make sure everyone has what they need: a home, enough to eat, community, and purpose.”
Following federal actions in the summer that saw the deployment of law enforcement and the National Guard to clear encampments, The Community Foundation’s Partnership to End Homelessness launched an initiative to mobilize DC’s faith community to help those experiencing homelessness in DC.
Led by Rev. Linda Kaufman, a longtime housing advocate and ordained minister at St. Stephen and the Incarnation Episcopal Church in NW DC, the initiative seeks to connect faith-based leaders and nonprofit providers in partnering in new and innovative ways to increase the number of resources and volunteer opportunities available to support DC’s unhoused population.
Sharing Community Funds invest $945K in regional nonprofits
In April, The Community Foundation announced nearly $1 million in grants awarded through the Sharing Community Funds.
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.
Meet some of the Faces of Sharing in DC, Montgomery County, or Prince George’s County.
Celebrating Together, We Prosper Campaign for Economic Justice at National Museum of Women in the Arts
The Community Foundation's 2025 Celebration of Philanthropy marked a historic milestone, celebrating the triumphant conclusion of our Together, We Prosper Campaign for Economic Justice. The evening brought together passionate community leaders, generous donors, and dedicated partners who have made transformational change possible across our region.
Built on two central pillars—investing in strategies to close the racial wealth gap and endowing Greater Washington—the campaign raised $78 million from more than 1,200 donors from across the region. Some of the capital raised is already having an immediate impact including through guaranteed income pilots like Thrive Prince George’s and MoCo Boost, the Brilliant Futures children’s savings pilot, and the Prince George’s County Small Business Support Program.
Exploring the Role of Media & Philanthropy at the 2025 Annual Meeting
In September, The Community Foundation gathered with staff, Trustees, partners, and supporters for the 2025 Annual Meeting. The event celebrated a number of major milestones from the 2025 fiscal year including the launch of Brilliant Futures, the successful mobilization of the DCA Together Relief Fund, and the conclusion of the Together, We Prosper Campaign for Economic Justice.
The event also included a panel discussion moderated by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Mary Jordan, with Goli Sheikholeslami, CEO of POLITICO. The conversation explored the roles of media and philanthropy in today’s world, and the importance of protecting free expression in today’s society.
Celebrating Philanthropy & Community at the 2025 Prince George’s HONORS
On October 30, the Greater Washington Community Foundation gathered with over 200 friends and supporters at MGM National Harbor in Prince George’s County for the 2025 Prince George’s HONORS – a celebration of philanthropy and community changemakers.
“It is an honor for us to recognize the often-unsung heroes and leaders in this room,” Tonia Wellons, President & CEO of The Community Foundation shared. “Together, we are working together to build stronger, more connected communities.”
The 2025 Nonprofit Leaders of the Year included A. Toni Lewis, Founder & CEO of Foundation for the Advancement of Music & Education (FAME); Shaunda Bellamy, Executive Director of Pickett Fences Senior Services, Inc.; Abel Olivo, Co-founder and Executive Director of Defensores de la Cuenca (Watershed Defenders); and Joe Fisher, CEO & Founder of First Generation College Bound.
Other honorees included Howard Burnett & Gloria Brown Burnett (2025 Civic Leadership Award), Wanda Durant (2025 Philanthropist of the Year), Rev. Dr. Henry P. Davis (Faith Leader of the Year), The Honorable Dereck E. Davis (Wayne K. Curry Award), Russell Shipley (Lifetime Achievement Award), and Ashley Sharp (Emerging Leader of the Year).
2025 Celebration of Giving – Honoring Cathy Bernard, 2025 Montgomery County Philanthropist of the Year
On November 20, over 300 friends, partners, and supporters from across Montgomery County gathered at Imagination Stage for the annual Celebration of Giving honoring Cathy Bernard, President & Founder of HCM Corp, as the 2025 Montgomery County Philanthropist of the Year.
“Philanthropy isn’t just about the money,” Cathy shared during a fireside chat with friend and long-time Community Foundation Montgomery County Advisory Board Chair Emerita, Catherine Leggett. “Philanthropy is about giving of yourself; your time and effort. It’s about making other people happy and finding ways to enlighten those around you who come from different walks of life.”
New Shared Cold-Storage Facility Opens in East County to Combat Food Waste and Expand Hunger Relief
On Friday, December 5, Montgomery County leaders celebrated a significant achievement in the fight against food insecurity with the ribbon-cutting of the East County Cold Storage facility in Silver Spring.
This critical infrastructure investment was made possible by the ingenuity of local nonprofits combined with collaborative partnerships with local government leaders, plus seed funding from the Food for Montgomery Fund at the Greater Washington Community Foundation.
“This facility represents what's possible when our community comes together to solve problems,” said Tonia Wellons, President & CEO of the Greater Washington Community Foundation. “This facility exists today because of thousands of people who refused to allow their neighbors to go hungry, and because of the dedicated nonprofit partners who had the vision to turn that generosity into lasting change. We're not just addressing hunger today—we're building infrastructure that will strengthen our food system for years to come.”