In 1973 The Community Foundation was established by a group of Washington-area leaders. Among the founders were Katharine Graham, Robert Linowes, and Hank Strong. In 2017 the Resilience Fund was created by the Community Foundation and the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation in a collaborative partnership, and other foundation and individual contributors. The Resilience Fund make grants to organizations supporting people, who are affected by changes in immigration and deportation policies. The Fund also supports organizations, which effort to build community cohesion and combat anti-other sentiment. Together with Mayor Muriel Bowser and the District's Interagency Council on Homelessness, the Community Foundation helped to launch a partnership to end homelessness in 2018. It aims to create a platform for grants, policy and investment, which is focused on curbing homelessness by aligning public and private sector resources and strategies to increase supply of affordable housing. In 2018 the Community Foundation granted more than $64 million to health and human services, neighborhood revitalization, arts and culture, education, reducing income inequality, workforce development programs and other causes. In the same year the organization reported $96.7 million revenue during its fiscal year. Till 2019 the Community Foundation was led by Neal Simon, Chairman of the Board, and Bruce McNamer, President and CEO. On September 27, 2019 Katharine Weymouth stepped into the role of board chair. Weymouth is the grand-daughter of Katharine Graham, who served on the foundations board and ran The Washington Post for more than two decades. Tonia Wellons was named as Interim President and CEO of the Greater Washington Community Foundation.
Mission
The Greater Washington Community Foundations consists of donors who support a stronger Washington. To do this, the Foundation takes leadership roles, addresses critical issues, and brings people and resources together to ensure lasting change. The Foundation make charitable donations in the community easy, tax-smart, efficient and personal. The Community Foundation, which serves the District of Columbia, Montgomery County and Prince George's County in Maryland, and Northern Virginia – is part of a network of some 700 community foundations nationwide, each a tax-exempt, public charity made up of charitable giving funds established by individuals, families, corporations, and other organizations. The Community Foundation manages hundreds of donor funds, with assets totaling more than $350 million. It is the largest funder of nonprofit organizations in the metropolitan Washington region – having granted over $1 billion to over 8,000 nonprofits in its 43-year history.
Engagement
In 2008 the Community 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. The Community Foundation works to strengthen the Washington metropolitan region by encouraging and supporting effective giving and by providing leadership on critical issues in our community. The Community Foundation is a community of givers, dedicated to inspiring and creating change across greater Washington and beyond. In June 2019 the Community Foundation announced a partnership with the District of Columbia in an effort to end homelessness in Washington D.C. To launch an impact investment option, the foundation committed $5 million in a combined investment fund.
