Community Services
Community Development
The Foundation’s Community Development grant-making includes affordable housing production and preservation, homeless services, transitional and permanent supportive housing, foreclosure and eviction prevention, community economic development and wealth building, and civic engagement. Our giving in those areas is focused on increasing the availability of housing that is affordable to low- and moderate-income residents, helping homeless individuals and families attain self-sufficiency and housing stability, improving the economic status and viability of low- and moderate-income residents and communities, and preventing the adverse impact on neighborhoods that commonly results from foreclosures and vacancies.
Children, Youth and Families
The Foundation’s Children, Youth and Families portfolio includes out-of-school time programs, youth development and academic enrichment in schools, as well as programs for homeless youth or those in the foster care and juvenile justice systems. Our giving focuses on nonprofits that help young people improve their academic performance, develop relationships with trusted adults and make connections to the larger community. We support programs that also provide safe spaces for children, regardless of income, race, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation.
We look for collaboration between nonprofits and schools, so that services are coordinated and the best outcomes for youth are ensured. We expect that programs operating within schools will also align with academic standards.
For older youth, the Foundation invests in programs that enable them to learn new skills, access employment opportunities, make healthy choices and advocate for change within their schools and communities. In addition, we support programs that create more permanent placements for older youth in foster care and offer training and support for foster and adoptive families.
Justice: Access, Violence Prevention, Reentry
The Foundation invests in organizations and programs that help increase access to justice for low-income individuals. Such nonprofits may provide direct legal representation, education about legal rights and responsibilities, and advocacy.
We also support nonprofits that provide assistance to victims of violence, to help them achieve safety and self-sufficiency. This may include direct services, as well as advocacy.
Our grant-making also aims to reduce the recidivism rate of incarcerated youth and adults. Support includes direct services to help facilitate returning citizens’ reentry into the community and related advocacy.
At our Fall Board of Directors’ Meeting in October 2020, The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation awarded 117 grants for a total of $6,665,000. Below is a list of our recent grantees who applied for a grant between March 2, 2020 and July 1, 2020. Please visit our Annual Report Page for a full list of Cafritz grantees. Below is a list of our recent grantees in this program area.
Organization Amount
| Abraham and Laura Lisner Home | $25,000 |
| Amara Legal Center Inc. | $30,000 |
| Bethesda Cares | $20,000 |
| Building Bridges Across the River | $45,000 |
| Center for Alexandria's Children | $30,000 |
| Center for Nonprofit Advancement | $60,000 |
| Children's Law Center, Inc. | $60,000 |
| Community Bridges | $30,000 |
| DC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy | $60,000 |
| DC Volunteer Lawyers Project | $25,000 |
| EveryMind | $50,000 |
| First Shift Justice Project | $20,000 |
| Goodwill of Greater Washington (Goodwill) | $50,000 |
| Habitat for Humanity Metro Maryland | $25,000 |
| Habitat for Humanity of Northern Virginia | $30,000 |
| Homeless Children's Playtime Project | $55,000 |
| Homeless Persons Representation Project Inc. | $25,000 |
| Housing Up (formerly Transitional Housing Corporation) | $50,000 |
| Impact Silver Spring | $55,000 |
| Iona Senior Services | $95,000 |
| La Cocina VA | $35,000 |
| Latin American Youth Center | $120,000 |
| LISC | $150,000 |
| Manna, Inc. | $55,000 |
| Men Can Stop Rape | $45,000 |
| Mikva Challenge Grant Foundation, Inc. | $25,000 |
| Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless | $55,000 |
| New Endeavors by Women | $35,000 |
| Northern Virginia Family Service | $30,000 |
| Open City Advocates | $45,000 |
| PRS | $40,000 |
| Rising for Justice, Inc. (Formerly DC Law Students in Court Program) | $30,000 |
| Seabury Resources for Aging | $80,000 |
| So Others Might Eat | $50,000 |
| Stop Child Abuse Now of Northern Virginia, Inc. | $25,000 |
| Sunflower Bakery | $35,000 |
| Tahirih Justice Center | $60,000 |
| Tech Impact | $45,000 |
| The Arc of Northern Virginia | $20,000 |
| The Greater Washington Community Foundation | $25,000 |
| The House of Ruth | $25,000 |
| The Korean Community Service Center of Greater Washington, Inc. | $40,000 |
| Thrive DC | $40,000 |
| Together We Bake | $35,000 |
| Torture Abolition and Survivors Support Coalition International | $25,000 |
| University of Maryland SAFE Center | $35,000 |
| Upwardly Global | $35,000 |
| Washington Area Women's Foundation | $500,000 |
| Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs | $70,000 |
| Washington Nationals Youth Baseball Academy | $25,000 |
| Words, Beats and Life | $30,000 |