Kelly Lynch: Transforming Philanthropic Legacy Into Learning, Leadership, and Housing Justice
In 2025, The Community Foundation continues to highlight 'Leaders of the Future' - individuals and organizations who inspire us to look towards a brighter future for Greater Washington.
This month, we are excited to highlight Kelly Lynch, Executive Director of the Diane & Norman Bernstein Foundation and member of the Partnership to End Homelessness Leadership Council.
Kelly Lynch, Executive Director of the Diane & Norman Bernstein Foundation and member of the Partnership to End Homelessness Leadership Council, didn't set out to become a leader in local philanthropy. Her path started, as many good stories do, somewhere unexpected: as a CPA at an accounting firm in Washington, DC.
“I started my career in public accounting,” Kelly shares. “Bernstein Management Corporation was one of my bigger clients. Soon after Josh Bernstein took over the management of Norman Bernstein’s real estate portfolio, he asked me to join their firm.”
Although Kelly enjoyed her job at the accounting firm, eventually she accepted the offer and joined Bernstein Management Corporation as their Controller.
Diane & Norman Bernstein – A Legacy of Putting People First
Diane & Norman Bernstein
Norman Bernstein (1921 – 2021) was a DC native who began his career in real estate after World War II. Driven by a ‘People First’ mentality, Norman was well-known for his kind demeanor and for genuinely caring about those around him. He was also known as a “partner for social progress”, as one of the first DC real estate developers to publicly advocate for the end of housing discrimination in the decade before the Civil Rights Act of 1968.
“Norman was an incredible friend and mentor,” Kelly recalls. “He didn't need to have his name in the limelight. He provided decent housing and decent office space and valued the people living and working in his properties. His legacy is the foundation of Bernstein Management’s tag line of ‘people first’"
His wife, Diane was also deeply involved in community work – particularly when it came to advocating for children’s health and development. She founded the Patient Representative Office at Children’s National Medical Center and later went on to co-found DC Action for Children (now DC Action). She would also later serve as a long-time supporter and beloved member of The Community Foundation’s Board of Trustees.
Together, the Bernsteins founded the Diane & Norman Bernstein Foundation in 1965 – as a way to give back to the community and continue their philanthropic legacy.
“Diane & Norman really loved DC,” Kelly shared. “They were passionate and intentional about investing in things like supporting children & families, the arts, and the Jewish community.”
Kelly recalls that Norman would often come into the office and start conversations with her about the organizations he wanted to support through the Family Foundation.
“He would come in with his list of places he and Diane wanted to give money to and say “what do you think about this? – and then we’d talk about it – the things that he cared about and what was important to him. It wasn’t a huge part of my job, but I really enjoyed it.”
Leading the Diane & Norman Bernstein Family Foundation
Kelly Lynch and other members of the Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers (WRAG) at the Historic 16th St Baptist Church in Birmingham, AL - part of the 'Putting Racism on the Table' Civil Rights Learning Bus Tour taken by funders in 2018
That familiarity would play a key role in 2015, when the Bernsteins asked Kelly to run their family foundation.
As the Executive Director of the Diane & Norman Bernstein Family Foundation, Kelly wasted no time in strengthening her relationships with the philanthropic community including The Greater Washington Community Foundation.
In the summer of 2021, the Diane & Norman Bernstein Family Foundation developed a new strategic plan with housing as one of its four pillars.
While the Diane & Norman Bernstein Foundation were certainly no strangers to the housing space, Kelly & Josh knew that there was a lot more that they could do.
Kelly reached out to Jennifer Olney, Program Director for the Partnership to End Homelessness at the Greater Washington Community Foundation and soon became a regular on monthly funder calls to learn more about what was happening in the housing space. Before long, Kelly was invited to join the Partnership to End Homelessness Leadership Council.
Kelly with Bernstein Family Foundation Trustee, Liz Norton.
“In order to be effective in philanthropy, you need proximity,” Kelly reflects. “I appreciate the closeness that the Partnership affords me, as a funder. As a collective group, the Partnership is closer to the people who have lived experience and those who are on the ground serving them.”
In addition to informing her organizational grantmaking, Kelly values the learning opportunities that the Partnership provides – thanks to the diverse table of stakeholders. The Leadership Council includes developers, advocates, government officials, healthcare representatives, and philanthropists—people who might not always agree on tactics but share a common goal.
Together, Leadership Council members identified two priorities where private sector investment can drive significant social change. By focusing on better coordination between healthcare and homeless service systems and the Permanent Supportive Housing program members are advancing work that aligns with their organization’s mission and the needs of the community.
Meeting the Moment for Affordable Housing
When asked about this moment in housing and homelessness, Kelly doesn't mince words.
"When we are suffering as a country, as a world, and as a community—who pays the price? That suffering is not equal. The biggest price is borne by those who are living on the margins," she says. “That’s why we need to act quickly to move our resources so we can help people get to the other side of this.”
“If not now, when?”
The Diane & Norman Bernstein Foundation recently made a $100,000 challenge donation to the Partnership to End Homelessness to support its work. They hope this investment will inspire other Leadership Council members and funders to join them in making an investment to enable it to respond to urgent needs and support systems change for DC’s housing and homelessness systems.
“As funders, we have an obligation to step up, put our money where our mouth is, and stand up for those who can’t advocate for themselves in this moment.”
The Community Foundation is grateful to Kelly Lynch and the Diane & Norman Bernstein Foundation for their incredible leadership and commitment to ending homelessness in DC.
If you would like to support the work of the Partnership to End Homelessness, visit our website.
For more information about the Partnership to End Homelessness and how to get involved, visit EndHomelessnessDC.org or contact Jennifer Olney, Program Director of the Partnership to Homelessness at [email protected]