The Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation

This year, we awarded 460 grants totaling $22.8 million and, of that number, 41 were new programs.

This year, the major challenge to the Washington region — as with the country and the world — has been the declining economy. The housing market took a downturn, foreclosures increased dramatically, the stock market plummeted, and unemployment numbers rose. Investors suffered on many fronts. For many, the problem was compounded when credit dried up and banks across the country refused to make loans. With growing financial losses in multiple sectors, state and local government revenues were negatively affected. In short, just as demands for nonprofit services were sky-rocketing, private dollars and government funds were dwindling. Adding to the uncertainty in the metropolitan region, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which historically have been major funders in the DC area, were taken over by the federal government and scaled back their charitable giving.

With resources tight, collaboration among funders and nonprofits became even more important. Responding to the economic crisis in metropolitan Washington, the Community Foundation for the National Capital Region launched the Neighbors in Need Fund (NiN). Our Foundation was pleased to contribute to this effort with a $2 million grant over two years. The NiN Fund awards go directly to community-based organizations providing emergency services — such as food, clothing and shelter — and also support strategic initiatives to help DC-area nonprofits deal more effectively with the challenges they face.

In addition to the Neighbors in Need Fund, other new or expanded initiatives were developed to help nonprofits cope with the economic downturn. Service organizations, such as Cafritz grantees, Nonprofit Roundtable and the Center for Nonprofit Advancement (CNA), offered programs and technical assistance to encourage nonprofits to create greater efficiencies and partner more deeply. The Foundation’s increased operating grant to CNA, for example, helped support Benefits and Group Buying Programs, through which participating organizations can save substantially on administrative costs. Nonprofit Village Center, a new collaboration funded by the Foundation, is a multicultural, multi-tenant space that supports community-based organizations in Montgomery County. When it opens, the offices of 15 to 20 nonprofits will be located in the new center, reducing administrative costs and providing access to additional resources.

Among other capacity-building programs, the Foundation renewed its support to Fair Chance, which helps nonprofits serving youth in Southeast and Northeast DC. Similarly, a grant was awarded to Maryland Association of Nonprofit Organizations for its work to strengthen mid-sized organizations in Prince George’s County. The Foundation also contributed general operating funds to the recently launched local office of Taproot Foundation, a national program to connect business professionals with nonprofits that need their talents and experience.

While dedicated to preserving safety-net services, the Foundation also maintained its commitment to cultural organizations. During tough economic times, the arts may be particularly vulnerable. Often, the general public is not fully aware of the significant impact that the arts and related enterprises have on communities. For example, Americans for the Arts notes that, nationally, arts organizations and their audiences generate $166.2 billion in annual economic activity, as well as $29.6 billion in federal, state and local tax revenues. According to a recent assessment by the DC Office of Planning and Washington DC Economic Partnership, jobs in the city’s creative industries — which include arts, design, media, communications, museum management, culinary arts, and performing and visual arts — generated $5 billion in earnings in 2007. The Foundation was pleased, in the past year, to continue supporting arts and humanities nonprofits that contribute to the cultural life of the Washington area and to its economic vitality: offering excellent performing and creative arts programs, catalyzing neighborhood revitalization, creating bridges among diverse populations, and providing arts education for youth and others.

As with other nonprofit sectors, innovative programs have helped to sustain arts organizations and artists during this challenging environment. Cultural Development Corporation (Cafritz grantee) expanded its incubator program for emerging arts organizations to the Source. This former theatre on the 14th Street corridor was transformed into a multi-user performing arts center and opened, in summer 2008, with the Source Festival, which featured interdisciplinary performances and ten-minute and one-act plays. In addition to its main-stage productions and education programs, Round House Theatre (Cafritz grantee) served DC-area actors, directors, designers and playwrights through The Kitchen, an ongoing program at its Silver Spring venue that enables artists to create and show new work.

Among the grantees that have helped bring new participants to the arts is Provisions Learning Project’s BrushFire DC initiative. Through this program, a used taco truck was refitted as a floating museum. A teaching artist travelled into low-income and immigrant neighborhoods, where community members created visual and performing art around the theme of social change and then displayed their works in the floating museum. Signature Theatre — which was nominated for the 2009 Regional Theatre Tony Award for its contribution to the development of the art form outside of New York — has continued to offer free community programs that encourage interactive sessions with artists and behind-the-scenes activities.

Post-Classical Ensemble (Cafritz grantee) also created new audiences for the arts. This ensemble produced multicultural programs that foster greater understanding of the featured classical works by including folk music, film, or poetry, as appropriate. Likewise, National Philharmonic again cultivated young audiences for classical programs with its “All Kids All Free All the Time” initiative. Approximately 4,500 people participated in the Dance Is the Answer initiative during National Dance Week in April 2009. This effort, which was coordinated and promoted by Dance/Metro DC (Cafritz grantee), brought together dozens of dance organizations in offering free classes, performances, lectures and films to DC-area residents.

Due to cuts in government funding, arts organizations played an increasingly vital role in providing arts programs to youth. The year-round DC Youth Orchestra Program (Cafritz grantee) gave students — regardless of age, income or ability level — the chance to play an instrument and to advance as their skills grow. The after-school and summer programs of Dance Place (Cafritz grantee) have expanded to nearby public and charter schools. Every year, the DC Arts and Humanities Education Collaborative, which is funded by the Foundation, has produced a catalogue of the artistic programs available from area cultural organizations, including many Cafritz grantees. The Collaborative provided educational materials to teachers and also organized field trips or in-class programs, serving more than 33,000 students in early care or in DC schools.

Along with other support for education initiatives this year, the Cafritz Foundation continued to emphasize strategic reform and increased services. With other funders, we were again pleased to participate in the Early Care and Education Collaborative, which is housed at Washington Area Women’s Foundation and is devoted to helping DC-area children enter school ready to learn. Higher Achievement received support to extend its after-school academic and enrichment programs for under-served elementary and middle-school students to Ward 8. The Foundation also awarded major grants to Teach for America – DC Region, which is training and mentoring outstanding new teachers in the District and Prince George’s County, and to KIPP DC for the expansion and creation of several new schools.

Among other capital projects benefitting youth, we assisted Bright Beginnings. The free, full-day child development center, which is dedicated to homeless children, will be opening a new facility east of the Anacostia River in 2010. In addition, the Foundation awarded capacity-building and capital funds for Safe Shores – The DC Children’s Advocacy Center. In a partnership with the DC government, Safe Shores will occupy a state-of-the art facility in Northwest. The nonprofit will co-locate with professionals in law enforcement, medical and mental health, and social services — providing a coordinated and child-friendly approach to child abuse prevention, intervention and prosecution.

Another funded program notable for its effective coordination of services was the Reentry Center Project of Unity Health Care. The organization provided healthcare to the medically underserved, including programs for inmates at three DC Department of Corrections facilities. The new Reentry Center Project helped ex-offenders stay connected to medical and support services as they transition back into the community. By taking the lead with a two-year grant, the Foundation helped to secure matching funds from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for this model program.

Recent trends in healthcare focus more and more on the environment in which we live. Foundation grants during the past year have once again reinforced the importance of preserving land and water resources. The C & O Canal Trust helped protect and restore the C & O National Historical Park, one of America’s most popular parks. Foundation dollars assisted in the development of educational programs and the repair of the Canal’s historic towpath. In April 2009, the PBS Frontline series aired Poisoned Waters, a documentary about the dire effects of pollution on Chesapeake Bay and Puget Sound. The primetime documentary, which was produced by Hedrick Smith Productions, Inc., was funded in part by the Foundation and featured Cafritz grantee Coalition for Smarter Growth in a segment on land use.

As always, I would like to offer my appreciation to our Board of Directors and Advisory Board for their valued advice and support throughout the year. I would also like to thank our staff members whose excellent work reflects their high standards and strong commitment to the Foundation.

Calvin Cafritz
Chairman