The WTOP Charity of the Month is 

The WTOP Charity of the Month is the Greater Washington Community Foundation.

For over 50 years, the Greater Washington Community Foundation has mobilized and ignited the transformational power of philanthropy to address critical community needs and build a thriving region where every person prospers. We serve as a vital link between caring donors, committed nonprofits, and local communities where potential too often exceeds resources.

Donors in Montgomery County learned about efforts to promote economic mobility in East County

We strive to ensure that our work is guided and informed by the people who live and work in the region. Every three years, we conduct a community-wide survey to better understand how residents are experiencing key quality of life indicators across a wide range of topics, including economic opportunity, well-being, and general perceptions about livability in the region. The findings are published in a report that is designed to help us and our partners in philanthropy, policymakers, and community leaders to better target investments to meet community needs.

The latest VoicesDMV Community Insights Survey, conducted in partnership with Gallup, found that residents are significantly less optimistic about the future of the region than they were in 2020 as worries about meeting basic needs have continued to soar. In the aftermath of the pandemic:

• Nearly half of residents say they are struggling or suffering in their well-being.
• Nearly one in five residents have struggled to buy food or medicine; among Black and Hispanic residents, the rate is one in three.
• Half of residents are worried about whether they will be able to pay their rent or mortgage.

These findings help underscore the need for programs and services that help people catch up and keep up financially, so they can move up the economic ladder, and ultimately build wealth.

In response to these needs, we have launched the Together, We Prosper Campaign for Economic Justice to mobilize a united coalition of donors and doers to pilot powerful economic mobility strategies in the parts of our community experiencing the deepest disparities to help close our region’s racial wealth gap. Together we’re advancing a bold vision grounded in equity and economic justice that will grow opportunity and secure prosperity for all who call this region home.

The Community Foundation partnered with the Prince George’s County Executive, County Council, and the Meyer Foundation to launch the County’s First-Ever Guaranteed Income Pilot Program.

This includes launching and investing in guaranteed income pilots to equip working families to build for their future, as well as developing an innovative children’s savings pilot program to help set up our youngest neighbors for future success.

Join us as we build a brighter future for our region where every person prospers.

Learn more at thecommunityfoundation.org.