The Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation’s program staff participate at the executive level on committees of regional funding collaboratives, as well as issue-specific working groups.

Funding Collaboratives

Composed of foundations, corporations and local government agencies, funding collaboratives provide an opportunity to leverage grants and invest in specific areas. The Foundation supports and participates in the following funding collaboratives:

Community Development Support Collaborative (CDSC) - Revitalizes and stabilizes low-income neighborhoods in the District of Columbia. A project of Washington Grantmakers, the CDSC is the first major private community development funding effort of its kind in DC.

Collaborative for Education Organizing (CEO) - Advances the Community Foundation's long-term goal of dramatically increasing opportunities for low-income children, youth, and adults to contribute to and benefit from our region's prosperity. Working with the District of Columbia Public School Systems and District of Columbia Charter School students, our goal is to double the current college-ready graduation rate by 2011.

Early Care and Education Funders Collaborative - Designed to increase the capacity and institutional stability of the early care and education field in the DC area through grantmaking, training, and technical assistance. This collaborative is based at the Washington Area Women’s Foundation.

Greater Washington Workforce Development Collaborative - Helps low-income workers throughout the region obtain and retain jobs that provide good wages benefits and opportunities for advancement. The Collaborative has a three-pronged approach: 1) supporting initiatives that connect low-income workers with training for in-demand skills; 2) conducting and disseminating research and reports to that promote effective workforce policies; and 3)making capacity-building investments to nonprofits who provide workforce development services.

Neighbors in Need Fund - Supports nonprofits across the region that provide food, clothing, shelter, and other basic services to those most affected by the recession. The Fund, including its sister fund, Neighbors in Need Montgomery, is the only region-wide effort of its kind in the Washington metropolitan area. Neighbors in Need is housed at The Community Foundation.

Nonprofit Advancement Fund - Launched in 2006 to help develop a healthy, coordinated nonprofit sector in Montgomery County, with an emphasis on small, emerging organizations. The NPAF assists nonprofits through board development, leadership training, and other capacity-building activities, and by creating and sustaining new partnerships among nonprofits, local governments, and philanthropies. NPAF is based at the Community Foundation for Montgomery Community, an affiliate of The Community Foundation.

Partnership for Prince George's County - Connects the people who live, work, learn, and play in Prince George’s County to one another and the region. The Partnership for Prince George’s is a project of the Community Foundation for Prince George’s County, an affiliate of The Community Foundation.

Washington AIDS Partnership - Addresses the growing need for HIV/AIDS education. The Partnership is involved with national funders, local service providers, and all levels of government to give grantmakers the ability to impact the HIV/AIDS crisis in our area. The Partnership is a project of Washington Grantmakers.

Working Groups

Washington Grantmakers coordinates six Working Groups that connect funders who study and act on issues of concern to the region. The Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation’s program staff participates with each of these working groups listed below.

The Arts & Humanities Working Group convenes around the theme of "art as a vehicle for community building." The focus is on arts stabilization, technology and its impact on the arts, regional cultural planning, and the connection between youth, the arts and community development.

The Children, Youth & Families Working Group unites grantmakers wanting to make a difference in the lives of children, youth and families in our area. The group promotes awareness and action, strengthens the knowledge and use of available resources, and serves as a point of contact for those seeking collegial and collaborative relationships with other grantmakers.

The Health Working Group brings funders together with nonprofits, government officials and consumers to educate each other about key issues affecting reform of the safety net health care system in the National Capital Region and to work on building partnerships to push a common health agenda.

The Partnership for Prince George's County seeks to connect the people who live, work, learn and play in Prince George’s County to one another and the region.

The Public Education Working Group promotes awareness of public education, and positions grantmakers to play a role in influencing educational policy. It focuses on issues such as charter schools, standards of learning, school reform, teacher and leadership training and out-of-school time programs.

The Working Group on Aging's mission is to improve the health and quality of life of older adults, especially low-income seniors, in the greater DC region, by increasing public and private investments in creative and innovative strategies.