The Greater Washington Community Foundation is a

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

dedicated to

charity Charity may refer to: Common meanings * Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons * Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sha ...

donations in the

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

area.

History

In 1973 The Community Foundation was established by

Katharine Graham Katharine Meyer Graham (June 16, 1917 – July 17, 2001) was an American newspaper publisher. She led her family's newspaper, ''The Washington Post'', from 1963 to 1991. Graham presided over the paper as it reported on the Watergate scandal, wh ...

, Robert Linowes, Hank Strong and other Washington leaders. In 2017 the Foundation created the ''Resilience Fund'' in collaboration with the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation and other contributors. The Resilience Fund make grants to organizations supporting people, who are affected by changes in

immigration Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not usual residents or where they do not possess nationality in order to settle as Permanent residency, permanent residents. Commuting, Commuter ...

and

deportation Deportation is the expulsion of a person or group of people by a state from its sovereign territory. The actual definition changes depending on the place and context, and it also changes over time. A person who has been deported or is under sen ...

policies. The Fund also supports organizations, which effort to build community cohesion and combat anti-other sentiment. In 2018, together with Mayor

Muriel Bowser Muriel Elizabeth Bowser (born August 2, 1972) is an American politician who has served as the current mayor of the District of Columbia since 2015. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, she previously represented th ...

and the

Interagency Council on Homelessness The United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) is an independent federal agency within the U.S. executive branch that leads the implementation of the federal strategic plan to prevent and end homelessness. USICH is advised by a Co ...

, the Foundation helped launch a partnership to end

homelessness Homelessness, also known as houselessness or being unhoused or unsheltered, is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and functional housing. It includes living on the streets, moving between temporary accommodation with family or friends, liv ...

. It aims to create a platform for grants, policy and investment, which is focused on curbing homelessness by aligning public and

private sector The private sector is the part of the economy which is owned by private groups, usually as a means of establishment for profit or non profit, rather than being owned by the government. Employment The private sector employs most of the workfo ...

resources and strategies to increase supply of

affordable housing Affordable housing is housing which is deemed affordable to those with a household income at or below the median, as rated by the national government or a local government by a recognized housing affordability index. Most of the literature on ...

. In 2018 the Foundation granted more than $64 million to health and human services, neighborhood revitalization, arts and culture, education, reducing

income inequality In economics, income distribution covers how a country's total GDP is distributed amongst its population. Economic theory and economic policy have long seen income and its distribution as a central concern. Unequal distribution of income causes ...

workforce development Workforce development, an American approach to economic development, attempts to enhance a region's economic stability and prosperity by focusing on people rather than businesses. It essentially develops a human-resources strategy. Work-force dev ...

programs and other causes. In the same year the organization reported $96.7 million revenue during its fiscal year (which ended in March 2018). Till 2019 the Foundation was led by Neal Simon, chairman of the board, and Bruce McNamer, President and CEO. On September 27, 2019,

Katharine Weymouth Katharine Bouchage Weymouth (born May 28, 1966) is an American lawyer and businesswoman who from 2008 to 2014 was publisher of ''The Washington Post'' and chief executive officer of Washington Post Media. Early life and education Weymouth is the ...

stepped into the role of board chair. Weymouth is the granddaughter of

, who served on the foundation's board. Tonia Wellons was named as Interim President and CEO of the Foundation.

Engagement

In 2008 the Foundation founded the Neighbors in Need Fund. The fund had more than $4.7 million in grants and helped over 100,000 people in need. In July 2017 The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region changed its name to the Greater Washington Community Foundation. . In June 2019 the Community Foundation announced a partnership with the

District of Columbia Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

in an effort to end homelessness in Washington D.C. To launch an

impact investment Impact investing refers to investments "made into companies, organizations, and funds with the intention to generate a measurable, beneficial social or environmental impact alongside a financial return". At its core, impact investing is about an a ...

option, the foundation committed $5 million in a combined investment fund.

References

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External links

Official website
Organizations established in 1973 Community foundations based in the United States Foundations based in Washington, D.C.