New grant opportunities from the Greater Washington Workforce Development Collaborative

We are excited to share a new grant opportunity offered through the Greater Washington Workforce Development Collaborative, a partnership comprised of local foundations, philanthropists, and businesses. Our workforce investments help workers acquire the skills and credentials they need to launch successful, family-sustaining careers, and help businesses attract, retain, and advance the skilled workforce they need to provide critical services to our community and remain globally competitive. Our work is focused on low-income, underemployed, and unemployed residents of the Metropolitan Washington region.

The Workforce Collaborative seeks qualified nonprofits to provide workforce development services to residents of the area within a one-mile radius of 965 Florida Avenue, NW. This area encompasses most of ANCs 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 2B, 2F, 2C, and 5C. Proposals from invited nonprofit organizations to support the following activities will be considered:

Education, Training, and Employment programs that help older youth (16-24) and adults who are residents of the targeted neighborhoods improve their basic skills, employment prospects, and earnings. Eligible programming includes:

·     Work Readiness Programs

·     Adult Basic Education and Literacy Instruction

·     English for Speakers of Other Languages

·     Job Training and Placement Programs

One-year grant awards of up to $50,000 are available through this opportunity. To apply, and to learn more about eligibility criteria, please follow the link below.

Please contact Benton Murphy with questions at [email protected].

2018 Montgomery County Philanthropist of the Year Nominations Now Open!

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 a letter explaining why your nominee should be selected as the Montgomery County Philanthropist of the Year. 

Please note that the cover form must be completed in its entirety in order for the nomination to be eligible. 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 below. 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 honorees.

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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

Note: 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 Award Committee may consider a former resident, a family unit, or a philanthropist who is deceased. 

Deadline: March 23, 2018

The nomination form and letter must be postmarked or emailed by close of business on Friday, March 23, 2018 to:

The Community Foundation in Montgomery County

Attn: Bridget Hanagan

8720 Georgia Avenue, Suite 202

Silver Spring, MD 20910

[email protected]

The Community Foundation in Montgomery County will contact the selected awardee and her/his nominator by the end of May. All other nominations will remain confidential.

Questions: Contact Bridget Hanagan at [email protected] or 301-495-3036 x169.

Reflecting on the Significance of MLK Day in 2018

The arrival of Martin Luther King Jr. Day this year seems particularly urgent.  We have come so far as a country since Dr. King lived and died. Yet here we are, in 2018, in a society still so beset and with new permission for intolerance, divisiveness, and racism. Overt acts of injustice and discriminatory policies chip away at the highest ideals that our country was founded on and at the very fabric – the people – who make it great. But the daily negative images, narratives, and rhetoric that allow us to rationalize inequity and injustice are particularly oppressive to people of color and to our national conscience.

On this MLK Day, as we acknowledge these challenges, we must also reflect on and commit anew to Dr. King’s vision and belief that while "the arc of the moral universe is long, it bends towards justice." We must not forget the important role we play, along with you our community of givers, to every day be the “benders”.  

Today, we once again affirm our unwavering commitment to this community and to all who call the Greater Washington region home, including our most vulnerable neighbors. We aim to remove barriers and facilitate access so that children and families can live in a safe environment, earn a living wage, and build assets for a secure future. For a region that is free of discrimination and preordained disadvantage based on race, income, gender, or zip code. In order to accomplish this vision, we will be even more deliberate and intentional about creating effective partnerships that work to disrupt generational poverty that is rooted in historical inequity; to foster solutions alongside those most impacted; and to adjust our proposed interventions responsively, based on current context, need, and opportunities. 

In our work, and particularly on this day, we are inspired by the courage, commitment, and indomitability of Dr. King. Working alongside donors, nonprofits, and community members, we see the promise and potential to realize Dr. King's dream for what a great America could really mean.

We invite you to learn more about our community investment work and initiatives which inspire neighbors – donors, community organizations, government, and the private sector – to work together to improve the economic conditions and social well-being of our entire community. Through them we invest directly in people, nonprofit organizations, communities, and changing systems to solve social problems and improve lives. 

Thank you for your continued support of our work to strengthen the Greater Washington region.

Sincerely,
Bruce McNamer
President and CEO

Journey to Security: An Immigrant Woman's Path to Launching a Career in IT

When Betty Gebremariam, an Ethiopian immigrant, sought a new position in the US to support her family, she knew a few challenges lay ahead. Most of her work experience was in Ethiopia, and English was her second language. And, though educated at Admas College in Ethiopia, Betty had no United States based training or education. Her husband was employed, but with two children, the family still struggled financially.

Motivated and determined, Betty decided to focus her energy not only on getting a job, but on launching a career with longevity and financial security for her family. She knew that the IT industry was in-demand and saw many opportunities in the field, so Betty set her sights on a position as a help desk technician.

In February 2016, Betty turned to the Skillsource Group, a nonprofit organization that offers employment and training services to Northern Virginia area employers, job seekers and youth. The Northern Virginia IT Employment (NVITE) Partnership, led by Skillsource, was one of three grantees selected by The Community Foundation’s Workforce Collaborative to provide unemployed and underemployed low-income job seekers with intensive case management, employment coaching and skills training to launch or advance them into entry-level Information Technology living wage careers as Computer User Support Specialists.

That May, Betty started training at Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) and earned a JAVA programming certification. Intellectual Point, a technology company in Reston, had an open position for a help desk technician. Betty’s case manager submitted her resume, now equipped with a new skillset, for the On-the-Job Training (OJT) opportunity, and Betty was hired after interviewing with the owner. She excelled and retained employment with Intellectual Point, earning $15 an hour.

“I am so grateful to Skillsource Group for assisting me in training and job placement. I am now starting my dream job path,” Betty says. “I have been energized to traverse the road ahead in success.” Betty adds her financial distress is gone, and remarks how patient and helpful Skillsource Group and her new employer Intellectual Point were in her journey.

The Workforce Collaborative congratulates Betty on her new career — Betty is the very first job candidate to graduate and achieve a job placement through the Collaborative’s Greater Washington Works initiative.

The Workforce Collaborative is a coalition of local workforce investors who share a common commitment to addressing poverty and income inequality by helping workers advance their skills and credentials so they can earn family-sustaining wages. Current Collaborative partners include The Community Foundation, the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, Capital One, JPMorgan Chase & Co., the Consumer Health Foundation, Kaiser Permanente, the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation, the Moriah Fund, Northern Virginia Health Foundation, the Weiss Fagen Fund, the Marian Osterweis Fund, United Way of the National Capital Area, and the Washington Area Women’s Foundation.

Greater Washington Works is a $1 million grantmaking initiative of the Collaborative designed to address local employer hiring challenges by meeting the talent needs of local IT and Healthcare employers. Greater Washington Works will support at least 250 local workers to launch living-wage careers in the IT and Healthcare sectors.

To learn more about The Workforce Collaborative, visit www.gwwdc.org.

A Season to Give Thanks to Our Valued Friends and Partners

As 2017 comes to a close, we are so thankful for the generosity of The Community Foundation's donors and for the commitment of our nonprofit partners who make our community development work possible. Together, we are contributing to a more vibrant, equitable, and inclusive community for all who call the Greater Washington region home.

For going on 45 years, The Community Foundation has brought together people and resources to tackle critical community issues. We want to acknowledge and extend our deepest thanks this holiday season to the amazing nonprofit partners that work tirelessly to help strengthen the Greater Washington region.

We are excited to share with you the robust list of organizations who were rigorously vetted and selected to receive one of the nearly 200 grant awards issued through our competitive and discretionary grant rounds during our current fiscal year to date! These grants, totaling in excess of $6 million, include investments across the region focused on a diverse set of issues from education and workforce development, support for immigrant communities, strengthening the safety net, and preserving the natural environment.

On behalf of everyone here at The Community Foundation, we look forward to continuing to work with you in the new year to strengthen the Greater Washington region.

Sincerely,
Tonia Wellons,
VP Community Investment

The Resilience Fund Announces New Grants Targeting the Climate of Hate and Intolerance in the Greater Washington Region

The Resilience Fund, a component fund of the Greater Washington Community Foundation, today announced $135,000 in new grants to organizations working to address the recent increase in hate, intolerance and incivility in the Greater Washington region. With this new round of grants, the Resilience Fund is supporting several local grassroots organizations working to build community cohesion through powerful conversations and neighbor-to-neighbor engagement. This round also invests in national organizations offering local anti-bullying/anti-bigotry interventions and techniques for teaching young people how to identify “fake news.” 

• $50,000 grant to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) to expand the number of schools in the region benefitting from the No Place for Hate program, which provides an organizing framework for combating bias, bullying, and bigotry, leading to long-term solutions for creating and maintaining a positive school climate.

• $25,000 grant to the News Literacy Project to expand the reach of its checkology® virtual classroom – an online platform for teaching middle and high school students how to sort fact from falsehood in the digital age – and to co-sponsor a NewsLitCamp that places educators in a local newsroom for training and workshops with journalists.

• $20,000 grant to IMPACT Silver Spring to strengthen social cohesion and bridge racial and socio-economic divides in diverse communities by hosting a series of events and community conversations to raise individual awareness and understanding of the connection between historical and structural racism and today’s challenges.

• $15,000 grant to Progressive Maryland to expand staffing capacity to train and mobilize a newly-expanded volunteer base of Maryland residents who are ready to build community cohesion by acting to ensure fair elections, increase the minimum wage, and improve access to healthcare.

• $15,000 grant to Many Languages, One Voice (MLOV) to support monthly "Community Center Sundays" as part of the DC Immigrant Organizing Center, providing cultural celebration, healing, and information and education sessions for community members.

• $10,000 grant to the Prince George’s County Social Innovation Fund to support its Seat at the Table program, an effort to strengthen community and a path to progress by creating space to discuss issues that matter most to Prince George’s County residents.

The Resilience Fund was created in early 2017 as a collaborative partnership of the Greater Washington Community Foundation, the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation, and other foundation and individual contributors. It seeks to address the critical needs of nonprofits responding to changes in federal policy and budget priorities, as well as the climate of intolerance and hate, both of which are disproportionately impacting people of color, and immigrant and refugee communities.

Over the summer, the Resilience Fund awarded its first grants — three grants totaling $110,000 — to community organizations working throughout the region to support residents and families affected by changes in international travel, immigration, and deportation policies. The grants supported the region’s networks of immigrant-serving organizations to expand their collaborative work to ensure that community members understand their legal and civil rights, take precautions to stabilize their families in the event they are detained, and receive legal representation.

In early September, following the President’s decision to phase out the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, the Fund announced a $25,000 emergency response grant to Ayuda. The grant helped Ayuda address the urgent and immediate need for emergency clinics to prepare and file DACA renewal applications in DC, Northern Virginia, and Maryland before the October 5 filing deadline. Ayuda also provided legal services and consultations to advise DACA recipients regarding possible avenues of relief that may be available to them.

“A recent study from the Greater Washington Community Foundation and Urban Institute found that although our region is diverse and generally more accepting of people from different backgrounds, discrimination remains a very real concern for many residents,” said Tonia Wellons, VP of Community Investment for The Community Foundation. “The Resilience Fund is responding to community needs to ensure our neighborhoods remain resilient, thriving, and more equitable and inclusive places to live despite the implications of policy shifts and ‘anti-other’ sentiments that impact us locally. We invite those who are concerned about what is happening in our communities to stand with us against hate and intolerance by contributing to this Fund today.”

The current round of grants reflects the Resilience Fund’s interest in supporting broader efforts across the region to address the climate of hate and intolerance, and the uptick in violent incidents linked to race, religion, national origin, and other differences. Grantee organizations were identified through an open call for ideas conducted by the Fund’s Steering Committee to identify community-based solutions that work to limit intolerance and build community cohesion.

The Fund has raised more than $500,000 to date, and has expanded its goal to reach $1 million by March 2018. More information is available online at www.thecommunityfoundation.org/resiliencefund. 

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The Resilience Fund Steering Committee

Greater Washington Community Foundation
Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation
Harman Family Foundation
The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation
June Linowitz
Elaine Reuben
Rob and Sheri Rosenfeld
Mauri Ziff and Jeff Hamond

DMV Residents Reveal a Tale of Two Regions in New Report

The Greater Washington Community Foundation is pleased to release the findings from Voices of the Community: DC, Maryland, Virginia (VoicesDMV). This new community engagement initiative, conducted in partnership with the Urban Institute, is lifting up residents’ stories and perceptions of the quality of life in the Greater Washington region to accelerate effective community-driven improvement.

The Community Foundation created VoicesDMV to serve as a catalyst for community investments that will ensure a more equitable, just, and thriving region for all residents. The initiative specifically seeks to shed light on the region’s challenges and opportunities related to housing, transportation, safety, economic security, race relations and community well-being. 

While the Greater Washington region is undeniably prosperous, the VoicesDMV findings show that the region’s economic growth and prosperity are not evenly distributed:

• The survey found that 18 percent of respondents did not have enough money for either food or housing at some point in the past 12 months. Even further, 29 percent of respondents said they knew someone in the region who was forced to leave their jurisdiction in the past two years for a reason other than their own choice. High housing costs (58 percent) and job loss (23 percent) were the most common reasons for moving.
• Despite the sense that the DMV is more inclusive than other places, one in four people surveyed said they had felt discriminated against in the region in the past year, and 82 percent of these individuals felt discriminated against because of their race or ethnicity.
• Residents have clear priorities for their local governments, such as protecting people from crime, making sure children get a quality education and maintaining local infrastructure; and the majority of residents trust their elected leaders. But 79 percent of respondents felt they had “little” or “no” influence over local government decisionmaking.

To capture the experiences and sentiments of community members from all walks of life, The Community Foundation and the Urban Institute conducted an extensive survey of more than 3,000 residents; held focus groups with Spanish-speaking immigrants, disconnected youth (youth not connected to either school or work), middle-class individuals, Muslims, Asian and Pacific Islanders, and members of the LGBTQ community; and engaged residents through community conversations in Prince George’s County, Northern Virginia, Montgomery County, and DC.

The result is a collection of rich, local data that provide a roadmap to inform and inspire local government, philanthropy, businesses, and community-based organizations to develop responsive strategies and make more strategic investments that better serve the needs of our communities.

The full report is available at https://www.thecommunityfoundation.org/voicesdmv, along with interactive data tables and jurisdiction-focused two-pagers that allow for deeper engagement with the data.

Sasha Bruce Youthwork: Helping Youth Transition Successfully to Adulthood

For the past 43 years, Sasha Bruce has helped homeless youth find safe shelter, strengthened family ties and prepared youth for post-secondary education and careers. These services are available to the 1,500 youth and 5,000 family members who reside in Sasha Bruce’s transitional living facility or receive services via their Homeless Youth Drop-In Center each year.

Our Sharing DC Advisory Committee members and The Community Foundation donors and staff visited the Teen Drop-In Center to learn more about the work of Sasha Bruce, including its 18-year-old workforce development program. The program includes mentoring services that are geared toward the development of post-secondary plans for homeless youth and helping them access skills training certifications which can lead to immediate career tracks.

On the day of our visit, the drop-in center, which opens from 8:00 am-6:00 pm daily, was in full swing. The lounge, kitchen, and computer lab were all filled with teens. Some were studying for their GED exam or fixing lunch and others were applying for jobs or just taking a break from the chaos of life on the streets.

Executive Director, Deborah Shore, graciously escorted our group through the facility while sharing how the organization has evolved and expanded over the years. We paused periodically to meet with key staff and chat with clients. Most of the teens who participate in Sasha Bruce’s programs are grappling with very difficult circumstances. Despite their challenges, case managers shared numerous success stories of students obtaining jobs in construction or retail, entering transitional housing, or attending college.

With so much of their lives in flux, achieving any of these milestones is a major victory. Sasha Bruce often serves as a stabilizing force for youth. It provides ongoing support and a mentoring relationship that often extends for years. Its presence helps to ensure the successful transition to adulthood for DC area youth.
 

Sharing DC

Sharing DC, a donor led grantmaking initiative of The Community Foundation, focused on youth access to and success in post-secondary education this year. By 2018, 71% of all jobs in DC will require a post-secondary degree or certificate. However, only 72% of DC Public and Charter School students will graduate high school, and of those, just 19% will earn post-secondary degrees.

To learn more about Sharing DC or join us for future visits, please contact Gisela Shanfeld at [email protected]

Year-End Grantmaking and Giving

The Greater Washington Community Foundation would like to acknowledge the generosity exhibited by our donors in 2017.  Throughout the year you’ve continued to demonstrate a strong philanthropic spirit - maintaining and establishing new funds, and recommending thousands of grants to local and national nonprofit organizations.

In an effort to assist you with carrying out your end-of-year philanthropic goals, please see below for The Community Foundation’s deadlines regarding year-end giving and grantmaking activities:

RECOMMENDING GRANTS FROM YOUR DONOR-ADVISED FUND

Grant recommendations submitted by December 15 will be processed by December 31, provided the organization meets The Community Foundation’s due diligence requirements. Due to increased volume, grant recommendations submitted after December 15 may not be processed and mailed in 2017.

PLEASE NOTE: Grants submitted prior to December 15, 2017 must also be approved (meeting The Community Foundation’s due diligence requirements) to be processed and mailed by December 31, 2017.

Grant recommendations should be submitted through your Donor Central account.  Questions regarding Donor Central can be forwarded to Emily Davis (202-973-2501, [email protected]).

MAKING GIFTS TO THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION

Stock and cash gifts (check, wire, online) submitted to The Community Foundation by December 31st will be earmarked as a 2017 contribution. 

Gifts made via check can be sent to:          

Attn: Finance Department
Greater Washington Community Foundation
1325 G Street NW
Suite 480
Washington, DC 20005

*Please include the name of the fund in the memo line of the check. 

**Checks sent by US Postal Service mail can be earmarked as a 2017 contribution if postmarked by the US Postal Service for December 31.

Gifts made online:

Gifts can be made online at www.thecommunityfoundation.org. 

Gifts of cash or securities made via wire transfer:

Please see the instructions for making gifts of cash or securities by wire transfer.  Please contact the Finance Department at 202-955-5890 if there are any questions. Monies must be in The Community Foundation’s account by December 31, to be earmarked as a 2017 contribution.

Save the Date for our 2018 Celebration of Philanthropy!

In 1973, a group of now legendary Washington-area leaders – Katharine Graham, Robert Linowes, and Hank Strong among them – formed the Greater Washington Community Foundation to mobilize the generosity of individuals and organizations wanting to make a difference in their communities around the causes that matter most to them. Today, The Community Foundation continues this legacy by providing critical leadership on issues affecting our community and encouraging and supporting effective giving. We are now the largest funder of nonprofit organizations in the region and continue to manage hundreds of charitable funds for individuals and families, corporations, and civic leaders.

You’re invited to celebrate the 45th anniversary of The Community Foundation and our community of givers! In the spirit of our founders, we will mark this special occasion with a true celebration of our community – the nonprofits, donors, and community members that work tirelessly to make our region a more vibrant and inclusive place to live. This is also an opportunity to celebrate our region’s unique history and cultural heritage, and reflect on our legacy of bringing people and resources together for community change.

There is no better way to celebrate the history and resilience of our region than to honor Carol Thompson Cole with our 2018 Civic Spirit Award. This award recognizes her exceptional contributions to the region throughout her long career in local government, the private sector, and now as President and CEO of Venture Philanthropy Partners (VPP). Under Cole’s leadership for the past 10 years, VPP is making the future brighter for young people living in Greater Washington by helping them succeed in school and gain the skills and confidence to attend college or start their career.

Attending the Celebration of Philanthropy is an experience unlike any other! You’ll take part in a community festival featuring live music, theatre, poetry, and dance performances from some of the region's most exciting nonprofits and local artists. These showcases are staggered throughout the evening and across the venue, allowing you to choose from a line-up of incredible acts while enjoying delicious food, an open bar, and networking with friends and colleagues. 

When you purchase your ticket or sponsorship for this event, you are also giving back to your community by supporting our efforts to strengthen the region. Proceeds benefit The Community Foundation's Fund for Greater Washington, enabling us to make grants to effective nonprofits, to incubate new ideas, and to support our programmatic initiatives, operations, and advocacy. Through this Fund, The Community Foundation invests in effective safety net, education, and workforce development programs to help our most vulnerable neighbors achieve economic security.

We hope you will join us on March 12! This is truly a special celebration that you will not want to miss!

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WHEN

Monday, March 12, 2018
6:00pm to 9:00pm

WHERE

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater
1101 Sixth Street SW | Washington, DC 20024

TICKETS

$90 - Emerging Philanthropist (Nonprofit Affiliation/Young Professional)
$150 – Friend/General Admission

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We have a variety of sponsorship opportunities for organizations of all sizes and for individuals who want to celebrate with us and share their great work with an audience of 700+ community, philanthropic, local government, and business leaders – contact Emily Davis for more details.

Local Youth Team Up with Law Enforcement & Build Bonds Through Athletics

““Building big league people, not just big league athletes.””

— Cal Ripken, Sr.

The Site Visit

The Community Foundation in Prince George’s County witnessed the great work that both the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation and the Police Athletic League are doing for some of our most vulnerable youth.  Students, donors and other participants had a great time getting to know each other through fun introductions, team building exercises and trainings! The PAL Program uses mentoring, education, recreation and athletic activities to build bonds between youth and law enforcement. They have went from serving 15 to over 400 students in just 5 years.

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Getting to Know the Team

Randy Acosta (far right), Senior Director of Development & National Corporate Partnerships, Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation. “I grew up going to the Boys and Girls Club. The opportunity to serve and give back to these same types of organizations is my greatest accomplishment.”

Joe Rossow (far left), Executive Vice President of Operations, Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation. “We are always looking to learn from the work of other foundations and in the process, form lasting partnerships.”

Corporal Kurt Schnitzenbaumer (middle), Executive Director, Prince George’s County Police Athletic League (PAL). “PAL wants to create a space for kids to call home. We want our kids to feel a sense of ownership and connectivity.”

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Meet Taylor!

Taylor is a student participant from Fairmont Heights High School. “Here, we have so many different ways to express ourselves… Fairmont Heights is the hidden secret of Prince Georges. There is so much talent at my school. I’m glad that when the police came to our building, it wasn’t bad. They recognized our talent and gave us resources to achieve our goals. I have really seen the police force and my peers changing for the better.”

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Meet our 2017 Montgomery County Philanthropist of the Year

Cliff White was a founding partner of N.E.W. Customer Service Companies Inc., the nation’s leading provider of extended service plans and buyer protection programs for consumer products. Wanting to focus on philanthropy after leaving N.E.W., Cliff and his wife, Debbie, opened their family fund at the Greater Washington Community Foundation. Right away, Cliff joined the foundation’s Sharing Montgomery Grants committee to learn more about the needs of his home community and explore how he could make a difference.

In 2008, Cliff was especially concerned about Montgomery County’s most vulnerable residents who were being hit hardest by the economic downturn. “I was at a grants committee meeting in the fall of 2008 when someone mentioned that Manna Food Center in Rockville was experiencing a 40% increase in requests for food,” he recalls. “That was at the beginning of the economic downturn. It was clear then that things were going to get worse. I’m not sure any of us knew how much worse.” By the end of that year, people who previously had been donors to Manna’s food pantry had become clients.

It was then that he realized how those of us who are in a position to give have a tremendous responsibility to make a difference. “Many of us have a financial cushion and are able to weather an economic storm of this magnitude. And for those of us who are, we need to give more than ever.”

Believing that people would step up if they were aware of the growing needs, Cliff helped lead the creation of our Neighbors in Need Montgomery Fund to bolster support for the county’s safety-net providers. To date, Neighbors in Need Montgomery has galvanized over $1.5 million to support our lowest income neighbors. According to Cliff, "Giving to The Neighbors in Need Fund ensures your money will be spent wisely and efficiently and will go to a select list of worthy organizations.”

“My parents taught us to look out for our neighbors,” White adds. “That’s something that’s always been important to me.”

— Cliff White

Hope for the Girl in the Twirling Skirt

By Andrea Powell, Founder and Executive Director, FAIR Girls

Chloe* isn’t even 12 yet, but she has run away from home more than 13 times.  She likes to draw with glitter pens and is obsessed with my pink cell phone cover. She’s a child.  Lost in her own world, she twirled around in circles in her floral skirt through the halls of the “J level” DC Superior Court, while a judge eventually ruled to have her removed from her parent’s custody. 

At 23, I founded FAIR Girls to help provide long-term therapeutic interventions, including safe housing, for exploited and trafficked young women and girls. After working with more than 1,000 girls, I have learned that many sex trafficking situations of American girls like Chloe start within 48 hours of being on the streets. In the past year, with the support of the City Fund administered by the Greater Washington Community Foundation, FAIR Girls has hired a youth case manager whose full-time job is to serve trafficked and exploited children in the nation’s capital.

Chloe continued to run away several times after I first met her that day at court. Fortunately, I was able to connect her with a dedicated FAIR Girls case manager and our partners at Sasha Bruce, a homeless shelter and safe haven for disconnected youth who are unable to return home.

Drawing by 13 year old survivor of sex trafficking in a FAIR Girls workshop

In March, a media outcry over the thousands of missing girls of color in DC put the District under the national spotlight. Town hall meetings were filled with the heated questions of women of color demanding to know why their daughters are not being referred to as “critical missing” but rather being labeled as “runaways,” a stigmatizing term that could result in some minors over the age of 12 not being actively searched for as aggressively by law enforcement.   

Six months later, direct service providers like FAIR Girls are working alongside city agencies including the Child and Family Services and DC Courts to implement a citywide strategy that is part of the outcome of Mayor Muriel Bowser’s Task Force on Missing and Runaway Youth. This includes the implementation of the District’s citywide plan to pull missing girls and boys back into their homes and communities, including the newly opened STEP shelter managed by Sasha Bruce.

To understand what has been done and where we go from here, we need to be willing to ensure solutions are rooted in the lived experiences of girls like Chloe, whose support systems are shattered with unforeseen and unpredictable acts of life. Chloe’s father died months earlier, she was in a schoolyard fight that led to months of out-of-school suspensions, and her mother was overwhelmed with grief and loss. While on the streets, she met an older boy who gave her expensive gifts. She was flattered with the attention but still too young to understand the price of accepting these gifts. When I met her, I was determined to make sure she didn’t have to learn.

As heartbreaking as her story is, many missing girls are not as lucky as Chloe. In looking at the photos of missing girls in DC, I see the familiar faces of girls who have since been confirmed as child victims of sex trafficking.

Many people believe that sex trafficking happens in faraway countries, but more than 90% of the girls we serve are American girls of color. On average, they are 14 to 15 years old when first sold into sex trafficking and their abuse continues for four years before they receive help. Approximately 60% of the 125 to 150 young girls we serve annually are from the D.C. metropolitan area. As a repeat “runaway,” Chloe was at risk of being one of them.

Since the media storm, FAIR Girls receives an average of one to two new referrals a week of exploited and trafficked girls. While the numbers here are alarming, this is progress. Law enforcement’s focus on missing and exploited youth has resulted in girls who have been missing anywhere from two days to two years being found and connected to the care they need to recover. 

Drawing of what human trafficking looks like, as drawn by teen girl in DC schools

However, there is more to be done before we can say that we are meeting needs of sexually trafficked and exploited teens in DC. A critical gap remains that there is no secure therapeutic housing program specifically for child survivors of human trafficking in the nation’s capital. This must be our next step in truly creating a safe haven for missing and exploited youth in the nation’s capital.

Chloe’s story is one of a child being pushed away by adults and institutions, time and time again. To refer to her as a “runaway” is to miss the point. In fact, the very term, “runaway,” implies blame and stigma that does not belong to Chloe or any child who finds themselves on the streets. Chloe’s leaving home was the attempt of a scared and disconnected child at regaining control of her life. Chloe wasn’t a “runaway.” She was “pushed away.”   

Our conversation must shift from “why are they running away?” to “how is our community pushing these vulnerable young girls out into the margins of society and into the hands of pimps?”

Pulling in Chloe and the thousands of other “pushed away” girls and boys of color is a critical mission for FAIR Girls and the District of Columbia.

Andrea Powell is the founder and Executive Director of FAIR Girls. To learn more, visit www.fairgirls.org, email [email protected], or follow @FAIR_Girls.

*Names of youth in this post have been changed to protect their identity.  All facts are accurately portrayed.

What I Learned about Social Justice Philanthropy from the Diverse City Fund

By Nancy Withbroe

“Diverse City Fund is a grassroots activist grant maker we can count on to support the work of justice. There is nothing like it in our capital city. As a donor, I am more committed than ever to keeping the funds flowing to and through D.C. Fund.”

— Donald Temple

One warm evening this summer, several colleagues and I had the joy of attending a reception for the Diverse City Fund, a component fund of the Greater Washington Community Foundation, at the home of Andy and Marjan Shallal. The event raised more than $25,000 in fresh commitments, which doubles to $50,000 based on a match from a major donor.

The fund works to nurture community leaders of color and grassroots projects that are acting to transform the District of Columbia into a more just, vibrant place to live. One of the event co-hosts, Medea Benjamin, celebrated these efforts: “In these times, I am most energized by joining hearts, minds, and resources for racial justice. Bringing people together to contribute to the Diverse City Fund is one way I know that my giving is relevant and powerful." The small projects supported by the fund — often volunteer-powered — have few options for funding, but it is often these very projects that work to build institutions by and for communities with the least access to resources. Those were boosted considerably by the success of this event.

Attending the reception gave me the opportunity to learn more about the innovative social justice-oriented philanthropic model practiced by the volunteers involved with the Diverse City Fund. The Fund is led by a group of volunteers who call themselves the “Board of Instigators.” Because they want to center social changemakers of color in their grantmaking process, they recruit a separate Grantmaking Team composed of activists of color who are rooted in D.C. and its social justice work.

I encourage other donors who want to empower and build the capacity of community-led social change leaders to consider what they might learn from them.

The recent resurgence of hate crimes and racist acts like the violent march in Charlottesville remind us all that, now more than ever, it’s imperative that the people of color who are building innovative programs to support community-building and resist displacement have a say in how philanthropic resources are deployed in the District. This fund has organized itself to fulfill that mission through its resident-led decision-making and micro-grants, which recently grew to total $150,000 for 2017.

The event hosted by the Shallals helped to foster community among grantees, donors, and supporters of the Fund, and put a spotlight on less visible community-level projects. An attendee, Laurie Emrich, declared, “Justice won't wait. It is the work of a lifetime and it takes all of us. I was thrilled to invite new donors to the Diverse City Fund to be a part of resourcing movements here where local, national and global arenas all intersect. I look forward to more activists and allies joining this important work."

The Greater Washington Community Foundation is proud to house the Diverse City Fund and many other initiatives that donors create to realize their philanthropic and social change dreams. If you would like to learn more about ways to leverage your philanthropy strategically, please reach out to me at [email protected].

The Resilience Fund Announces New Grants and Commitments

Ayuda to receive $25k emergency grant for community clinics;
Cafritz pledges $20k matching grant

The Resilience Fund, a collaborative partnership among the Greater Washington Community Foundation, the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation, and other foundation and individual contributors, today announced an emergency rapid response grant of $25,000 to Ayuda. The grant will support Ayuda to address the urgent and immediate need for emergency clinics to prepare and file Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) renewal applications in DC, Northern Virginia and Maryland before the October 5 filing deadline. Ayuda will also provide legal services and consultations to advise DACA recipients regarding possible avenues of relief that may be available to them.

The Resilience Fund launched in February to respond to the critical needs of nonprofits working to support our region’s most vulnerable communities. The Fund is focused on addressing federal policy and budget changes that are disproportionately impacting people of color, immigrant and refugee communities. The DC metropolitan area is home to 1.3 million foreign-born residents, including an estimated 400,000 unauthorized immigrants — many of whom are long-term residents with deep community ties, including spouses and children who are U.S. citizens.

The Fund’s first round of grants were awarded last month to help the region’s networks of community organizations working to support immigrants affected by changes in international travel, immigration, and deportation policies. These grants will help expand collaborative work to ensure that community members understand their legal and civil rights, take precautions to stabilize their families in the event they are detained, and receive legal representation.

At a stakeholders meeting today, the Steering Committee was proud to announce the Fund has surpassed its initial $500,000 fundraising goal. The goal has been extended and the Fund is now on its way to raising $1 million total thanks to the generosity of local foundations and individuals across the region.

One such commitment is a new challenge matching grant from the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, the largest private foundation focused exclusively on the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. The Cafritz Foundation has pledged to match every dollar donated to the Resilience Fund, up to $20,000.

“The Community Foundation is proud to partner with the Resilience Fund Steering Committee and other generous donors who want to ensure our community is a vibrant and inclusive place for all residents and families in the region,” said Tonia Wellons, VP of Community Investment for the Greater Washington Community Foundation. “The Resilience Fund’s efforts going forward seek to address the growing climate of intolerance and hate, including the uptick in violent incidents linked to race, religion, national origin, and other differences. We invite those who are concerned about what is happening in our region to stand with us against intolerance by making a contribution to this Fund today.”

“With rapid response grant funding from the Resilience Fund, Ayuda is taking immediate steps to serve the urgent needs of DACA recipients,” said Paula S. Fitzgerald, Executive Director of Ayuda. “We are providing multiple DACA renewal clinics and open walk-in days in September to serve those who are eligible to renew their DACA status within the short window of time. We are also providing consultations to those Dreamers who stand to lose DACA in the near future to evaluate them for other forms of relief and inform them of their rights.”

Members of the Resilience Fund Steering Committee include:
Greater Washington Community Foundation
Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation
Harman Family Foundation
The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation
Rob and Sheri Rosenfeld
Mauri Ziff and Jeff Hamond

Mobilizing Community Support When Disaster Strikes

By Nancy Withbroe, Vice President, Philanthropic Engagement and Chief of Staff

On this 16th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks, I am heartbroken by the suffering of people in the devastating paths of recent natural disasters, as well as the horrific violence of war and terrorism. Yet, when disaster strikes we can count on the country’s network of community foundations to step in to help, as we are seeing in response to the current season of horrific hurricanes.

The Greater Washington Community Foundation has a longstanding track record of mobilizing philanthropic giving from individuals and organizations when disaster strikes. Following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, The Community Foundation administered the $25 million Survivors’ Fund, which used over 12,000 gifts to make grants to 1,051 people impacted by the attack on the Pentagon. More recently, we have helped our donors provide help to neighbors facing such local disasters as the Flower Branch Apartments Silver Spring gas explosion that killed seven low-income residents in August 2016 and displaced 100 others, or the emergency housing situation at the Lynnhill Condominiums in Temple Hills that left 77 families without power.

We’re keenly aware that those who struggle the most in natural disasters like Hurricanes Harvey and Irma are residents of low-income communities – and often communities of color. This recent opinion piece in The Washington Post summarizes painfully the compounding negative effect that poverty, housing, racism and other issues have in the immediate and longer-term wake of natural disasters.

As someone who has devoted her career to philanthropy, I take solace in moments like these by the opportunity – and the responsibility – we have to relieve the suffering of our most vulnerable neighbors and to address the systemic inequities and injustices that disproportionately exacerbate the suffering of people of color.

At the Greater Washington Community Foundation, we have been busy advising our donors and fundholders as they direct their contributions to nonprofits supporting those impacted by the hurricanes. We’re also collaborating with our corporate fundholders to raise money for their disaster relief funds held here – to date, processing more than a thousand gifts into their funds – and, most importantly, quickly mobilizing to make grants to help nonprofits and individuals in need. We are working with Capital One, Fannie Mae and Marriott International to disburse grants to over 3,000 employees of those companies, collectively, in the greater Houston area, and stand ready to assist for other disasters.

Somehow the scale of these events can distance us from the experiences of individual people and families whose homes are lost and lives disrupted. The following note, which accompanied an $8 contribution to one of the corporate funds held at The Community Foundation, moved me deeply and reminded me that any of us can take action through giving: “I am a Night Auditor at [a corporate site in Illinois].  I want to contribute to this fund because [my employer] has a 'Spirit to Serve' and I want to be a part of that.  God bless all the people who have been affected by Hurricane Harvey in the Houston area.”

While small in amount, this $8 contribution represented enormous heart, character and selflessness – giving what you can to those most in need. I’m grateful to all our donors, fundholders, nonprofit grantees, and colleagues who partner with us to create opportunities for others to help their colleagues, to feel connected to an employer in a meaningful way, and to make a difference, one dollar at a time.

Please reach out to me or any other staff member if you’d like guidance on how you can make a difference during these times.

Reflections on Intolerance

By Bruce McNamer, President and CEO

While on vacation in Europe last month, I spent the day touring the Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp in Poland.  For me it was such a powerful, if still inadequate, reminder of the scale and brutally systematic nature of the crime perpetrated there by the Nazis – and of their unapologetic, explicit, even prideful buy-in to hatred and cruelty and dehumanization on an epic scale.  Pure, unmitigated, unequivocal, racist evil.

The very next day, I was shocked, saddened and angered to learn of the violent march of self-proclaimed neo-Nazis and white supremacists in Charlottesville.  By the end of the day, one of their own had killed one woman and injured many others. Pure, unmitigated, unequivocal, racist evil lives. 

I expect the horror of Charlottesville was brought home to each of us in different ways.  I didn’t need to go to Poland to be outraged.  But being there sure brought home the stakes to me.

Every day I am thankful to live in a country that was founded on the principles of freedom of assembly, speech, religion, and the press. Unfortunately, as of late, we are too often reminded that this freedom also extends to hate speech and even the most evil ideas.  But allowing such expression must be the extent of our accommodation.  To “see both sides,” to tolerate violent intolerance, to morally equivocate, to be silent in the face of evil … is to side with evil.  

I am heartened and inspired by the millions of people from across our country and around the world who have spoken out to condemn this display of evil, as well as the hate and intolerance that seem to have found new license in recent months. I believe our country is resilient, most of its people decent, and that our founding ideals of liberty, justice, and equality will sustain us in spite of these assaults upon them.   

But that will be the case only so long as we don’t stand passively by.  That has been tried before, in places like Germany. If you are concerned, and wondering what you can do, there are ways that you can help make a difference for our most vulnerable neighbors.

Here at the Greater Washington Community Foundation we serve as a bridge, connecting donors who want to make our community stronger and more vibrant with nonprofits that are serving the most critical needs throughout the region. In February, we partnered with the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation to launch the Resilience Fund to ensure our region’s communities are resilient and supported in the face of federal policy and budget shifts. Through this Fund we are responding to the critical needs of nonprofits working to address changes that are disproportionately impacting people of color, immigrant and refugee communities. Our first round of grants was awarded last month to help the region’s networks of community organizations working to support immigrant communities affected by changes in international travel, immigration, and deportation policies. For our next round of grants, we seek to address intolerance, incivility, and the uptick in violent incidents linked to race, religion, national origin, and other differences.

How can you join this effort?

Stand with Us Against Intolerance on Sept. 12  

The Resilience Fund Steering Committee invites you to join a Stakeholders Briefing on September 12 from 10-11:30 am at the Meyer Foundation. Learn how our neighbors are being affected by policy recommendations and increases in incidents of bias and bigotry. Explore what steps we can take as a community to stand together against intolerance.

Guest panelists will include: Nicole Cozier, director of diversity and inclusion at the Human Rights Campaign; Doron Ezickson, D.C. regional director of the Anti-Defamation League; Hurunnessa Fariad, interfaith/outreach/communications coordinator for the ADAMS Center; and Dr. Rashawn Ray, sociology professor at the University of Maryland. Please  RSVP here to receive more event details.

Join Us by Making a Donation

Contribute to the Fund and join with others who seek to advance community-based solutions that support community cohesion, work to limit intolerance, and address federal policy changes that are adversely affecting residents and families in the Greater Washington region. We initially set a goal of raising $500,000 for this effort — a goal which we have already surpassed thanks to the generosity and compassion of our community of givers. We now aim to raise $1 million with your help. You may give directly to the Fund through an online donation form available here, or as a fund-to-fund transfer in Donor Central if you are an existing donor to The Community Foundation.  

This is just the beginning of our efforts. It is more important now than ever that we stand together to fight intolerance and build community cohesion for lasting change.

Thank you for being part of our community of givers and for your own commitment to our neighbors.

Sincerely,

Bruce McNamer
President & CEO

How You Can Help with Hurricane Relief Efforts

This post was created on August 29 to aid Hurricane Harvey recovery and relief efforts. It was modified on September 11, 2017 to include information for anyone seeking to support nonprofits in Florida involved in the recovery efforts following Hurricane Irma, and again on October 2 for Hurricane Maria recovery in Puerto Rico.

Rescue operations are currently underway in Houston and surrounding areas as the unrelenting rain and rising floodwaters continue to threaten residents and communities across Southeast Texas and parts of Louisiana. Many of you have asked how we can aid these relief efforts and help the victims affected by the devastating floods.

When disaster strikes, it is a good idea to seek out information from the local community foundation regarding how you can best help with recovery efforts. Community foundations have deep community knowledge and a lasting commitment to community improvement.

In response to the overwhelming interest in supporting Houston's recovery efforts, Houston Mayor Turner established the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund with the Greater Houston Community Foundation to accept tax-deductible flood relief donations. If you would like to support the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund, please  click here for details.

As Harvey now heads towards Louisiana, the Mayor of New Orleans has activated the NOLA Pay It Forward Fund: Hurricane Harvey in partnership with the Greater New Orleans Foundation. The fund will provide resources for the early relief and rebuilding efforts of those communities impacted by Hurricane Harvey.

If you are looking for additional ways to help, here is a list of other local and national organizations that are accepting donations to aid victims and recovery efforts:

National Organizations

• The American Red Cross is accepting donations on its website, by phone at 1-800-RED-CROSS, or you can text HARVEY to 90999 to donate $10.
• Donations to the Salvation Army can be made online, by calling 1-800-SAL-ARMY (1-800-725-2769) or  texting STORM to 51555.
• Council on Foundations Disaster Giving Resources, including a recording of an August 29 webinar hosted with the Center for Disaster Philanthropy.
• One America Appeal is the effort of former Presidents to help our fellow citizens in Texas, Florida and the Caribbean as they recover and rebuild.

Local Organizations in Texas

• Houston Food Bank and the Food Bank of Corpus Christi are asking for donations.
• To help animals suffering from the disaster, visit the Houston Humane Society.
• The Texas Diaper Bank is asking for donations of cash and items such as diapers and wipes. A list of much needed items is available here and donations can be made online here.
• Additional information about local community response efforts around Texas and resources can be found here.

Local Organizations in Florida

• Miami Foundation
• Community Foundation of Tampa Bay
• Community Foundation of Sarasota County
• Hurricane Irma Community Recovery Fund to support grassroots organizing for recovery in the most vulnerable communities.

Organizations helping in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

• Hispanics in Philanthropy,  Puerto Rico Community Foundation, and La Red de Fundaciones de Puerto Rico have set up a Hurricane Relief Fund for Puerto Rico, Cuba and Florida.
• United For Puerto Rico is providing aid and support to those affected in Puerto Rico by Hurricane Irma and Hurricane María.
• The Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands is collecting donations to the Fund for the Virgin Islands to aid Hurricane Irma relief and recovery.

You may request a grant from your fund with The Community Foundation to support many of the organizations mentioned in this message, or to other qualifying nonprofits and public charities. Please log into your Donor Central account to submit your grant recommendations. If there are ways that you would like to offer support beyond what we have suggested, feel free to contact your donor services representative or any of our staff with your questions.

Bridging Community Divides

By Jayne Park, Executive Director, IMPACT Silver Spring

Between income and wealth, culture and language, the newly arrived versus life-long residents, the divisions that separate people within Montgomery County’s diverse community are wide.  So when the Greater Washington Community Foundation reached out to IMPACT Silver Spring for support in organizing their Community Conversation in Montgomery County, we welcomed it as a positive step towards closing this divide.

We were admittedly a little unsure how many residents from IMPACT’s grassroots network would choose to come to this one-time event, with an organization they did not know.  We decided to do targeted invitations to people we thought might be inclined to participate, and did our best to explain who the Community Foundation is, and their goals. To our surprise, nearly all the 30 residents we spoke with showed up, to the point that we could barely fit everyone in the room.  The time and care IMPACT takes to nurture relationships of trust with members of our network are in large measure what led to the high community turn-out. 

Most certainly, our network’s participation in the event will help to infuse the foundation’s learning process with the voices, perspectives, and lived experiences of grassroots residents, and not only the voices of the professionals serving the poor and low-income.  Our hope is that philanthropy will continue to press forward in figuring out ways to cultivate its own trusting relationships with grassroots residents through a long-term community engagement process.  Only then can foundations be assured that their giving priorities will be informed and shaped by the lived realities of the very residents they are trying to support, through a constant flow of mutual learning that comes when strong connections and relationships are in place. 

We witnessed the start of this relationship-building process at the event, when the foundation’s President and CEO Bruce McNamer pulled up a seat to join one of the tables reserved for IMPACT’s Spanish-speaking network members.  Bruce stayed with this group for the entirety of the 3-hour evening, and listened and spoke to the group in Spanish.  This simple yet powerful gesture was a first step towards overcoming the divide that often exists between philanthropy and the grassroots.  Imagine if it was more common practice for foundation CEO’s to take the time to meet with grassroots residents as equals, speaking in their language!  This could go a long way for establishing a more meaningful relationship-building process. 

The Resilience Fund Awards First Grants to Organizations that Support Immigrant Communities

The Resilience Fund, a collaborative partnership among the Greater Washington Community Foundation, the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation, and other foundation and individual contributors, awarded its first grants last week — three grants totaling $110,000 to community organizations working throughout the region to support immigrant communities. Grants were awarded to:

• Capital Area Immigrants’ Rights (CAIR) Coalition — $30,000 to support community education and legal services, and the organization’s role as convener of the DMV Immigration Alliance

• Casa de Maryland — $30,000 to support community education, legal services, and policy advocacy

• Legal Aid Justice Center — $50,000 to support community education and legal services through the members of the Northern Virginia Immigrant Legal Services Providers Coalition

The Resilience Fund was created by The Community Foundation and the Meyer Foundation in early 2017 to address critical needs of nonprofits working to support our region’s vulnerable communities during a period of rapid federal policy change.

The three initial grants reflect the Resilience Fund’s early focus on changes in international travel, immigration, and deportation policies that are affecting residents and families in the Greater Washington region. The DC metropolitan area has 1.3 million foreign-born residents, including an estimated 400,000 unauthorized immigrants — many of whom are long-term residents with deep community ties, including spouses and children who are U.S. citizens.

These grants will help the region’s networks of immigrant-serving organizations expand their collaborative work to ensure that community members understand their legal and civil rights, take precautions to stabilize their families in the event they are detained, and receive legal representation.

Share Your Ideas

As the Fund’s steering committee considers further work in this area, as well as future areas of focus, members welcome input from a wide range of stakeholders about how federal policy shifts are currently affecting our region. The committee has created this form so that representatives of nonprofit organizations, businesses, government, and community residents can provide input on current and future areas of focus. The steering committee will review all comment submitted, and is especially interested in hearing about efforts to fight intolerance and build community cohesion. Please use this form to share your ideas and thoughts with us.

Join us!

The Resilience Fund was launched in early 2017 with an initial goal of $500,000, and has so far raised nearly $400,000 in gifts and commitments from foundations and individual donors — although the breadth of policy changes affecting the region may lead us to increase our goal. Join with us and others who seek to ensure that our region’s communities are resilient and supported in spite of federal policy shifts by contributing to The Resilience Fund. More information is available here.