A Year in Review: Looking Back at the Top Milestones from 2023

2023 was a year full of milestones for The Community Foundation and our community of changemakers – from celebrating our 50th Anniversary at the National Museum of African American History & Culture, to launching the first guaranteed income program in Prince George’s County, to kick-starting a capital campaign for economic justice. Here are some of our most meaningful milestones from 2023.

Celebrating History, Hope & Healing at our 50th Anniversary Celebration of Philanthropy at the National Museum of African American History and Culture

On May 3rd, The Community Foundation hosted the 50th Anniversary Celebration of Philanthropy – celebrating 50 Years of History, Hope, and Healing in the Greater Washington region. Leading up to the celebration, The Community Foundation spotlighted the work of outstanding philanthropic leaders and donors over the course of our organization’s history – past, present, and future – including leaders like Peggy Cooper Cafritz, Vicki & Roger Sant, Bob Linowes, The Honorable Wayne Curry, and others.

Chief among these was our 2023 Spirit of Philanthropy Honoree, Terri Lee Freeman – the longest-serving and first Black female President and CEO of The Community Foundation from 1996-2014. We were delighted to celebrate her legacy during an unforgettable evening at the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Convening Faith & Philanthropy to foster belonging and strengthen our region

In February, The Community Foundation expanded our dialogue with faith leaders by partnering with The Jewish Community Foundation and other faith leaders to discuss ways in which our region’s Black and Jewish communities can operate with greater alignment, solidarity, and allyship to address antisemitism, anti-Black racism, Islamophobia, and bigotry more broadly.

In June, The Community Foundation hosted the second annual Faith & Philanthropy Summit, which included a dialogue between Christian & Jewish faith leaders from across the region to help set a baseline understanding of reparative justice through the lens of faith traditions.

Looking to 2024, The Community Foundation remains committed to strengthening ties across our region’s vibrant and diverse faith community to foster belonging and build a stronger and more equitable region.

Together, We Prosper: Making a Stand for Economic Justice

In May 2023, The Community Foundation launched Together, We Prosper, a three-year campaign to jump-start our vision of economic justice and build permanent resources to ensure The Community Foundation’s ability to respond to today’s needs and tomorrow’s challenges.

In conjunction with the campaign, The Community Foundation hosted a series of webinars titled "In Pursuit of Economic Justice” – designed to bring together experts to explore innovative approaches to closing the racial wealth gap. The series featured national leaders in the guaranteed income movement and advocates for wealth building programs such as Children’s Saving’s Accounts.

Celebrating Tonia Wellons’ leadership in the greater washington region

In October, we were thrilled to celebrate our President & CEO, Tonia Wellons as she was named to the Washington Business Journal’s 2023 list of “Women Who Mean Business” and Washingtonian Magazine’s 2023 “Most Powerful Women in Washington” in recognition of her outstanding leadership and commitment to racial and economic justice. In honor of her achievements, members of our Board of Directors helped create a special tribute video to celebrate.

Health Equity Fund Celebrates One Year of Transformative Grantmaking

In October, The Community Foundation’s Health Equity Fund celebrated an exciting milestone – awarding more than $21 million in grants to 46 organizations in just 12 months. The fund recently announced a new grant round which aims to award at least twice that amount over the next 3 years – making it one of the most transformative impact funds in The Community Foundation’s history.

Announced in March 2022, The $95 Million Health Equity Fund is dedicated to closing gaps in healthcare as well as addressing social determinants of health (SDOH) that impact health outcomes including education, employment, income, housing, transportation, nutrition, environmental safety, medical care, culture and recreation, and more.

Celebrating Four Years of the Partnership to End Homelessness in DC

This year also marked the fourth anniversary of the Partnership to End Homelessness in DC. Since its launch, the Partnership has leveraged and aligned over $18 million in private sector resources. At the same time, advocacy efforts have resulted in over 4,000 permanent supportive housing vouchers to end homelessness for 3,106 individuals and 1,217 families.

In October, The Partnership hosted friends and supporters at the Festival Center in Northwest DC to discuss the initiative’s progress and hear from advocates and service providers. They also participated in a walking tour of the neighborhood, including several stops at affordable housing projects under development.

championing Philanthropy and economic justice in Prince George’s County

While The Community Foundation celebrated 50 years of impact in the Greater Washington region, it also celebrated the 25th anniversary of its local office in Prince George’s County. Since 1998, The Community Foundation and our fundholders are proud to have invested more than $65 million in Prince George’s County. In October, The Community Foundation gathered with outstanding nonprofit and civic leaders from across the county to celebrate at the 2023 Civic Leadership Awards at MGM National Harbor.

Three weeks later, The Community Foundation gathered again in Largo at the Wayne K. Curry Building to announce the launch of Thrive Prince George’s – the first-ever guaranteed income pilot in Prince George’s County.

The two-year, $4 million initiative will provide monthly payments of $800 to 50 youth (age 18-24) who have aged out of foster care and 125+ seniors (age 60+) for a 24-month period with no strings attached and no requirements tied to employment. Thrive Prince George’s is a public-private partnership that will leverage both public and private philanthropic resources from the Greater Washington Community Foundation, Prince George’s County Executive and Council, and the Meyer Foundation.

Celebrating a Legacy of Philanthropy in Montgomery County

On November 16th, donors and community partners across Montgomery County gathered for the annual Celebration of Giving.  The event included a moving memorial tribute to the Founding Executive Director of The Community Foundation in Montgomery County, Sally Rudney who passed away this year – as well as a report on the more than $9.5 million that The Community Foundation’s network of donors gave to nonprofits this past year.

The event also honored Mary Pat Alcus – the 2023 Montgomery County Philanthropist of the Year – for her outstanding contributions to philanthropy in Montgomery County.

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 conversations with community partners and fundholders around economic and social justice.

In March, we dove into the world of cooperative economics with Dr. Jessica Gordon-Nembhard, Professor at City University of New York and author of the book Collective Courage: The History of African American Economic Thought and Practice.

That was followed by a discussion of Rob Hopkins’ From What Is to What If: Unleashing the Power of Imagination to Create the Future We Want.

We closed out the year in December with Jennifer Vanica, author of Courageous Philanthropy: Going Public in a Closely Held World, as together we explored how to promote sustainable, community-driven wealth building.

Building Community, Fostering Belonging & Sharing Prosperity at the 2023 Annual Meeting

In October, The Community Foundation hosted its 2023 Annual Meeting at the National Press Club. The event capped off another exciting year of growth and community impact for The Community Foundation and its donors and partners – which surpassed $1.7 billion in grantmaking.

The event included a panel discussion around fostering belonging and building community –an important topic that ties into The Community Foundation’s strategic vision and Together, We Prosper Campaign. The panel included Cat Goughnour Racial Equity Fellow at Prosperity Now and Bobby Milstein, Director of System Strategy for the Rippel Foundation.

Ceding Power and Seeding Community Wealth Building in DC Ward 7 & 8

This past year, The Community Foundation, JP Morgan Chase, and our nonprofit partners collaborated to invest in community wealth building in DC Ward 7 & 8.

In August, Martha’s Table announced the second round of grants through the Community Impact Fund, which provided $10,000 grants to high-impact organizations based in Ward 8. The Community Foundation and JP Morgan Chase partnered to match these initial grants through the Equitable Development Fund.

In October, The Community Foundation and JP Morgan Chase convened funders and nonprofit partners at the Marshall Heights Community Development Organization in Ward 7 to hear directly from community partners about the best ways to promote community wealth building and equitable development in DC Wards 7 & 8.

Building Community, Fostering Belonging, and Sharing Prosperity at the 2023 Annual Meeting

On Wednesday, October 25, the Greater Washington Community Foundation hosted its 2023 Annual Meeting at the MLK Library. The event celebrated what has been an extremely busy year for The Community Foundation, so far, including the launch of the Together, We Prosper Campaign, the announcement of several groundbreaking community investments, and surpassing $1.7 billion in grantmaking (with $95 million awarded in FY23, alone).

“Today, we gather to celebrate and reflect on all we’ve accomplished together,” President & CEO Tonia Wellons shared. “But we also come together so we can be reenergized for the work ahead of us – the work of building community, fostering belonging, and sharing prosperity.”

Wellons began the program by acknowledging the outstanding contributions of our Community Champions and other fundholders who continue to partner with The Community Foundation to impact our community, as well as the efforts of the more than 2,700 nonprofit and community partners who are doing the work on the ground to make our region a stronger, more vibrant, and inclusive place to live, work, and thrive.

“It takes all of us working together to ensure that our community is operating at its best,” Wellons shared. “At The Community Foundation, we look forward to bringing people together to create meaningful impact in our region.”

Wellons then welcomed Alex Orfinger and Diane Tipton to present the 2023 David Bradt Nonprofit Leadership Awards. Named for a long-time fundholder and former Trustee of The Community Foundation, the David Bradt Nonprofit Education Fund is a charitable fund that supports the development of senior-level nonprofit leaders in advancing their careers and leadership skills. Click here to learn more about the David Bradt Nonprofit Leadership Awardees.

“We are so grateful for the leadership of our incredible nonprofit partners,” Wellons shared. “We truly could not do this work without them.”

The David Bradt Nonprofit Leadership Award is just one of more 700 charitable funds that The Community Foundation manages on behalf of generous individuals, families, businesses, and local government partners. Over the past year, The Community Foundation has welcomed 28 new charitable giving funds to our community of givers, including the Developing Families Maternal Health Fund – a $5 million investment that will support life-saving efforts focused on women of color in DC’s Wards 5, 7, & 8.

In addition to partnering with donors and partners to make direct investments in the community, this year, The Community Foundation also continued its role as a key convener and facilitator by convening faith and philanthropy leaders for interfaith conversations around addressing antisemitism, anti-Black racism, islamophobia, and other forms of hate and bigotry. It also celebrated four years steering the Partnership to End Homelessness, which is working towards investing in housing justice for our region.

“As the region’s largest local funder, we have both the opportunity and the responsibility to mobilize our community to address pressing needs,” Wellons acknowledged.

At this point, Wellons provided an important update on one of The Community Foundation’s most active mobilizations – the Together, We Prosper campaign for economic justice.

Publicly launched in May, the Together, We Prosper campaign for economic justice seeks to mobilize philanthropy to close the racial wealth gap in our region and to grow endowments to ensure The Community Foundation can continue to respond to future community needs. The campaign will also sustain the launch of innovative economic pilot programs such as the first guaranteed income program in Prince George’s County and Brilliant Futures – a children’s saving program in partnership with Montgomery County Public Schools and Prince George’s County Public Schools.

“I have been completely blown away by the resounding response from our community,” Bill Taylor, member of the Board of Trustees and Co-Chair of the Together, We Prosper campaign shared. “It is gratifying to know that our community is responding to the call to eliminate the disparities which prevent all of us from living in a just society.”

“We know it will take all of us to ensure that our community is operating at its best,” Wellons shared. “This is the role of philanthropy – to connect all of us to our shared values, our shared stewardship, and to inclusion.”

“When we begin with the core, unifying values that many people share, we realize that it’s in everyone’s best interest to build a system where no one is left behind.””

— Bobby Milstein

Wellons was then joined by Cat Goughnour, Racial Wealth Equity Fellow at Prosperity Now, and Bobby Milstein, Director of System Strategy for the Rippel Foundation, for a panel discussion around race, belonging, and how we can create an inclusive and diverse community for all. Click here to watch the full discussion.

“Polls show that vast majorities of people have strong unifying values,” Milstein shared. “But many are unable to convert those values into actions in the moment. We hyper-focus on our differences or we get disillusioned by the myth of scarcity.”

“But when we begin with those core, unifying values that many people still share, we can overcome these obstacles and come to the realization that it’s in everyone’s best interest to build a system where no one is left behind.”

“Exclusion – particularly exclusion caused by the racial wealth gap- is costing all of us,” Goughnour shared, citing a recent CitiBank study that estimated the cost of racial inequality to the US economy over the past two decades to be roughly $16 trillion in lost GDP.

“The racial wealth gap is not just a problem for those on the lower end of the gap,” Milstein concurred.

Milstein then shared a model for inclusion called “Bridge, Block, Build”. The model is to put forth bridges and solutions to help bring people together, block the negative forces that are preventing growth, and continue to build and reinforce the relationships that strengthen community.

“What is most important for a sense of belonging is the table design for the people who’ve been excluded,” Goughnour added. She explained the need to exercise and prioritize efforts to build a more inclusive economy –going out of the way to include those who have been historically excluded or marginalized.

“How do we value the power of the community so that actions are not done ‘to’ them, but ‘with’ them? How do we help people to recognize their lived experience as power, as expertise – where we pay them for their participation as consultants, and not just with gift cards?”

“A lot of the innovation and creativity we yearn for is genius that has been left on the table for decades,” Goughnour said. “It’s time we were more intentional in valuing those voices. It’s time we recognized that we can go further, together, faster.”

“Belonging is one of the most powerful and fragile things that exist in social movements,” Milstein added. “We have to be able to see the future, see ourselves in it, and believe that we can navigate there.”

“Once it becomes visible and valued, we need to make it investable – we need to back it up with capital.”

“I’ve been heartened by philanthropy’s role around closing the racial wealth gap,” Goughnour added. Quoting Arundhati Roy, Goughnour shared that “Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.”

“May we continue to put our resources where our values are.”

Click here for photos from the Annual Meeting event or to watch a recording of the panel discussion. For more information about the Together, We Prosper Campaign or how you can get involved in creating a community of belonging, contact Mary Robinson, Interim Managing Director of Development at [email protected]

Oh, What a Night! The Community Foundation Hosts 50th Anniversary Celebration of Philanthropy

Terri Lee Freeman is presented with the 2023 Spirit of Philanthropy Award. The award was presented by Charito Kruvant and Kenny Emson, who served as 50th Anniversary Co-Chairs for the event.

On May 3rd, The Community Foundation hosted the 50th Anniversary Celebration of Philanthropy — celebrating 50 Years of History, Hope, and Healing in the Greater Washington region.

The evening began with a special VIP reception, where representatives from the Prince George’s County Government and Montgomery County Government presented The Community Foundation with proclamations, honoring the organization’s legacy and commitment to the region. The Community Foundation was also honored by the recognition of elected officials from DC, Virginia and Maryland — including a special video message from MD-Rep. Jamie Raskin.

After the VIP reception, guests were lead down into the theater by the Eastern Senior High School Blue & White Marching Machine, where they were greeted by the evening’s emcee, NBC4’s Shawn Yancy.

Richard Bynum, Chair of The Community Foundation’s Board of Trustees kicked off the program and introduced Tonia Wellons, President & CEO of The Community Foundation, who delivered some brief remarks.

“Some say the racial wealth gap is too big to be solved, but we believe it’s too urgent to be ignored.”

— Tonia Wellons

In her remarks, Tonia paid homage to the incredible men and women over The Community Foundation’s 50 year legacy — including the late Bob Linowes and the Honorable Wayne Curry. She also expressed her gratitude for how far The Community Foundation has come — and the future it is working towards — closing the racial wealth gap in the Greater Washington region.

Following Tonia’s remarks, the 50th Anniversary Host Committee Co-Chairs, Charito Kruvant and Kenny Emson presented the 2023 Spirit of Philanthropy Award to Terri Lee Freeman.

Terri was the longest-serving and first Black female President and CEO of The Community Foundation from 1996-2014. During her tenure, Terri was recognized by the Washington Business Journal as one of its “Women Who Mean Business” and by Washingtonian Magazine as a “Washingtonian of the Year” and “100 Most Powerful Women of Washington”.

Since leaving The Community Foundation, she has pursued her passion for civil rights and social justice as the former President of the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee, and now as the Executive Director of the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture in Baltimore.

Following a special tribute video, Terri sat down with Shawn Yancy for a brief fireside chat, where they discussed aspects of Terri’s legacy and her aspirations for the future.

Following the fireside chat, guests enjoyed an evening of food, fun, dance and entertainment provided by artists and nonprofit partners from across the region.

A special thank you to Eastern Senior High School, Levine Music, Baila4Life, Sole Defined, Metrostage, Christylez Bacon, and DJ Face for sharing their time and talents with us. It was truly an unforgettable evening!

Click here for a complete recording of the Evening Program. Additional photos from the evening can also be found on our SmugMug Album.

Book Group Recap: Collective Courage with Dr. Jessica Gordon-Nembhard

Dr. Gordon-Nembhard defines a Cooperative for the DMV Community Book Group

Our quarterly DMV Community Book Group dove into the world of Cooperative Economics with Dr. Jessica Gordon-Nembhard, Professor at City University of New York and author of the book Collective Courage: The History of African American Economic Thought and Practice. The discussion was attended by a wide range of community partners including representatives from cooperatives across DC, Maryland, and Virginia.

“Cooperative economics is the origin of our economic system,” Dr. Gordon-Nembhard explained. “It’s a concept has played a vital role in nearly every population in human history – especially amongst African Americans and other people of color.”

Cooperatives have long played a significant role in African American communities within the Greater Washington region – one which Dr. Gordon-Nembhard is intimately familiar with. A long-time DC resident, Dr. Gordon-Nembhard is an active member of Organizing Neighborhood Equity (ONE) DC and is active in campaigns to establish cooperative housing in DC.

Dr. Gordon-Nembhard spent years researching the history and impact of African American economic cooperatives across the region and the country – documenting more than 160 legally incorporated African American-owned cooperatives from mid-1800s to 2013.

“As African Americans, we started using coops for survival – but overtime we were able to position them to control our own communities, both politically and economically.”

Dr. Gordon-Nembhard outlines the four different types of Economic Cooperatives.

Dr. Gordon-Nembhard explained how the Black Cooperative movement helped African American communities overcome challenging times including economic recessions in the 1880s and 1930s, as well as ongoing economic racial discrimination. She pointed out that the Black Cooperative Movement paralleled – and at times overlapped with the Long Civil Rights Movement, involving Civil Rights icons from across the spectrum such as Ella Jo Baker, W.E.B. DuBois, and the Black Panthers.

“Some people think that to close the racial wealth gap, we just need more wealthy people of color, so the wealth gap will close, based on numbers alone,” Dr. Gordon-Nembhard shared. “I’m more interested in ending poverty – creating stable, lasting systems that enable us to all be prosperous.”

“That’s what cooperative economics are about – creating collective enterprises that not only impact individual lives, but that systematically change how we think about getting out of poverty.”

When asked about the future of the cooperative movement, Dr. Gordon-Nembhard pointed to the growing number of cooperatives over the past few years. For example, the DC region has one of the highest concentrations of housing coops in the US (second only to New York).

“Figure out what’s the need that a cooperative could solve and then take time to study out what kind of cooperative could work for your community.”

“Start where the people are,” she said. “Rather than scaling something big from the top down, start small with something people can get behind – a community playground or food coop and build from there.”

“Once you get people working together – maximizing the skills that each individual has and brings to the table – then you can move onto something bigger.”

Click here to watch a full recording of the March 2023 DMV Community Book Group!

In Pursuit of Economic Justice Recap: National Leaders Discuss Guaranteed Income Movement

Last week, The Community Foundation hosted a panel of national leaders in the guaranteed income movement for a discussion about how philanthropy is working to increase economic mobility by launching and investing in guaranteed income programs. The event was the first of the “In Pursuit of Economic Justice” Webinar Series – designed to bring together experts to explore innovative approaches to closing the racial wealth gap.

“Part of our 10-year strategic vision to close the racial wealth gap is to invest in innovative solutions that can move beyond providing economic stability to promoting economic mobility and eventual prosperity for communities of color,” President & CEO Tonia Wellons shared. “The guaranteed income movement is one of those.”

“Guaranteed income is designed to allow those who are economically disadvantaged to be the arbiters of their own financial lives,” Natalie Foster, President & Founder of the Economic Security Project shared. “It’s based on the premise that as we provide people with regular cash payments – with no strings attached – that they can live with dignity and make the choices they need to prosper.”

Foster has been with the guaranteed income movement since one of the first pilot programs launched in Stockton, CA in 2017. Six years later, the movement has grown to encompass more than 100 pilots across the country – including four in the Greater Washington region: Let’s Go DMV! (DC), MoCo Boost (Montgomery County), Arlington’s Guarantee (Arlington), and ARISE (Alexandria).

The Community Foundation is a proud partner for several of these initiatives and plans to help launch a similar program in Prince George’s County in the coming months.

““The problem is not that these people aren’t working – the problem is that the economy is not working for them.””

— Natalie Foster

Foster explained that one of the biggest challenges facing the growing movement lies in narrative building – specifically in addressing common misconceptions surrounding guaranteed income and the social safety net.

“Many in our society have a very harmful ideology that poverty is an individual failing,” Foster continued. “We know that is not true. For communities of color, we know it is a structural and systemic failure.”

“The problem is not that these people aren’t working – the problem is that the economy is not working for them.”

“For those of us with wealth, there are multitude of public subsidies – like tax deductions – that we can access with ‘no strings attached’,” added Geeta Pradhan, President of the Cambridge Community Foundation. “Yet for our low-income populations, we ask them to explain themselves, fill out forms, jump through hoops, and waste time that they don’t have – just to get the help they need.”

“The time has come for us to put aside these systemic inequities when it comes to our social safety net.”

Pradhan and the Cambridge Community Foundation joined the guaranteed income movement in 2021, when they partnered with Mayor’s for Guaranteed Income to launch Cambridge RISE. The project has been so successful that the Mayor’s Office of Cambridge, Massachusetts announced an additional $22 million in federal funding for the project last year – making it one of the largest programs in the country. The investment highlights what Foster says is an important step towards one of the long-term goals of the movement.

 “The vision of the guaranteed income movement is not simply to launch pilots in certain parts of the country,” Foster explained. “The vision is that philanthropic dollars will serve as the R&D (Research & Development) and power building muscle to influence and enact policy.”

Foster highlighted the Child Tax Credit (CTC) and Expanded Income Tax Credit (EITC) as examples of existing policies that could be expanded upon – a measure that the DC Council chose to take this past year to establish a new monthly basic income program.

“I think you have a real opportunity,” Pradhan said, speaking directly to The Community Foundation’s donors. “Your community is already doing an amazing job in the guaranteed income space – and through those initiatives, we continue to learn more and more about how we can make our community stronger. As donors, your generosity is what helps us create change in our communities.”

“It’s not often you get the opportunity to have such a return on your investment,” Foster added. “Not only from a policy standpoint in the long-term – enacting long-awaited systemic change – but also in the short-term – providing tangible support that truly makes a difference for people in your community.”

Click here to view the full recording of In Pursuit of Economic Justice: A Primer on Guaranteed Income Programs. This event is the first of a series of conversations exploring innovative approaches to closing the racial gap.

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.

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.

Exploring Economic Mobility at the 2022 Annual Meeting

On Tuesday, October 11, the Greater Washington 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).

“It is an exciting time to be a part of The Community Foundation,” President & CEO Tonia Wellons shared. “We are so glad to have you as a member of our philanthropic family during this important milestone in our history.”

Tonia kicked off the meeting by outlining some of The Community Foundation’s and our donors biggest achievements over the past year – including the incubation of the Children’s Opportunity Alliance, the creation of a Faith & Philanthropy forum, and the launch of the historic $95 million Health Equity Fund.

She also reiterated The Community Foundation’s commitment to closing our region’s racial wealth gap – with a particular focus on community wealth-building within Black and Brown neighborhoods.

“For nearly 50 years, our fundholders have responded to the everyday needs of people in our region,” Tonia stated. “We invite you to envision a region where the families we support during times of crisis are able to manage their daily emergencies with more agency – because their basic needs are met.”

“Our history has shown that we must move beyond simply addressing the symptoms of generational poverty,” Tonia concluded. “We must double down on investments in people in communities who are struggling to most and set up conditions for them and their families to flourish.”

Tonia outlined several projects that The Community Foundation has supported to promote economic mobility including guaranteed income projects such as Let’s Go DMV! and Arlington’s Guarantee – part of a growing movement of more than 100 Guaranteed Income pilots happening across the country.

She also discussed our intent to invest in and launch Children’s Savings Accounts pilots in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties – another growing economic mobility initiative that was lauded by our expert panel as having the potential to close the racial wealth gap. Researchers with the Annie E. Casey Foundation found that children’s savings accounts could close the racial wealth gap in a community by as much as 28 percent.

The program then transitioned to a panel discussion with two nationally recognized experts on economic mobility - Nisha Patel, co-author of the study Restoring the American Dream, and Gary Cunningham, President & CEO of Prosperity Now.

The panel touched 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 on lived-in experiences.

“Here’s the thing about poverty,” Nisha shared, quoting a fellow expert, John Powell. “It’s not just about a lack of money; it’s also about a lack of power.”

“What you do is important; but how you go about it is perhaps even more important. Your programs need to promote a sense of agency, a sense of belonging, and a sense of community.”

Gary concurred, sharing a number of studies about the impact of trust amongst Black-owned businesses and the positive impact of entrepreneurship among women of color. He also emphasized the importance of continuing to push the momentum of economic mobility work.

“The work that we do is a continuation of the Civil Rights movement in this country,” Gary shared “Towards the end of [Dr. King’s] life, he spent most of his energies fighting for economic justice in this country.

“The work that each of you are doing to make this country a better place through your investments in the community matter. We need to take it to the next level so that everyone – no matter what their race, no matter what their color -- can actually thrive in this country of plenty.”

Click here for a complete recording of our annual meeting! You can click here to see more photos of the event!

Book Group Recap: Redefining Racial Wealth with Anne Price

Our quarterly DMV Community Book Group met in August for a deep dive into the insightful article “What We Get Wrong About Closing the Racial Wealth Gap.”

“Nothing tells us about economic well-being more than the racial wealth gap,” Anne Price, the first female President of the Insight Center for Community Economic Development and co-author of the article, shared to a group of thirty friends and partners of The Community Foundation.

“But before we tackle the racial wealth gap, we have to come to terms with just how little we understand it and the conflicting narratives that surround it.”

In the article, Price and her co-authors address ten commonly held myths about the racial wealth gap – conventional ideas including “greater educational attainment, harder work, better financial decisions, and other changes in habits and practices on the part of Blacks.”

The article goes on to explain that “while these steps are not necessarily undesirable, they are wholly inadequate to bridge the racial chasm in wealth.”

Price explained that one of the reasons these ideas often fall short is because they follow a narrow, individualistic approach rather than recognizing the necessity of the need for broader systemic change.

“We have taken a deeply structural problem that is hundreds of years in the making and overlaid it with very small individual solutions, based on flawed and often false narratives.”

Some of those attending the discussion were surprised by some of the narratives that Price addressed – including widely accepted narratives such as the ideas that access to higher education or homeownership can close the racial wealth gap.

“The data clearly shows that wealth creates equalized educational outcomes and opportunities for homeownership – not the other way around,” Price explained.

While tackling higher education and homeownership may help close the gap somewhat, they are not “one-size fits all” solutions. In addition, Price pointed out that both approaches are riddled with systemic obstacles – such as student debt, predatory lending and racial bias-- that policymakers and changemakers alike often overlook.

“When we talk about building Black wealth, too often we get stuck behind these blinders that limit our perspective to just four areas – education, entrepreneurship, financial literacy, & homeownership,” Price explains. “There is so much more to wealth than that.”

Ronnie Galvin, Managing Director of Community Investment for The Community Foundation, echoed Price’s assertion:  “Black people will not be able to build wealth in the same ways that White people have built wealth.  If we are serious about doing this work, we need to be willing to expand our horizons and work with Black communities to identify and adopt more innovative and systemic approaches.”

One of the approaches that Price suggested was to seek to eliminate wealth extraction. She shared several simple, short-term solutions such as advocating for the end of garnishment policies and forgiving criminal legal debt.

“We need to seek for solutions that not only put more money in people’s pockets, but also give them piece of mind,” Price added. “Because wealth is more than just financial outcomes. We need to consider the social, mental, and emotional aspects as well.”

Rather than seeking a programmatic “silver bullet” to close the racial wealth gap, Price suggested taking a step back and re-examining what wealth means. She described wealth as “allowing us to live and retire with greater dignity, freedom and peace of mind” and providing “future generations with the freedom to dream big and become all they truly can be” with a focus on being “healthy, spiritually whole and contributing.”

Price explained that wealth (and wealth building solutions) are far more complex and distinct than most people realize.

“I’m so thankful that we have this space to expand our horizons and our imagination, as a foundation,” President and CEO Tonia Wellons shared. “We do not know everything – we’ve said that from the beginning – which is why we continue to build this ‘coalition of the willing’ – people who are willing to join us on this learning journey.”

“Together we will continue to learn, discover, and refine new ways to think about the work that we get to do in philanthropy, as we center our efforts around closing the racial wealth gap.”

Click here to watch a full recording of the August 2022 DMV Community Book Club. Our next DMV Community Book Club will be in December 2022 when we will discuss ‘Solidarity Economics: Why Mutuality and Movements Matter’ by Chris Benner & Manuel Pastor.

If you would like to join our discussion, please subscribe to our monthly newsletter to receive information on how to register!