The Children Fleeing Violence Fund, a collaborative grantmaking effort established by the Meyer Foundation, has awarded a first round of four grants totaling $130,000 to organizations that serve young people living in the DC region after fleeing violence in Central America.
At its May 7 meeting, the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation board of directors approved 82 grants totaling $3.4 million in the Foundation’s four program areas of Education, Healthy Communities, Economic Security, and a Strong Nonprofit Sector.
The board of directors of the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation has elected Dr. Charlene M. Dukes, president of Prince George’s Community College, to a three-year term on the Foundation’s board, beginning in March 2015.
The board of directors of the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation has elected Michael N. Harreld, regional president of PNC Bank for the Greater Washington Area, to a three-year term on the Foundation’s board, beginning in January 2015.
It’s hard for me to fathom that six months have already passed since I joined the Meyer Foundation. During that time, I’ve been committed to listening and learning as much as I could—about Meyer and the team here, about all of you and your work, about the issues and challenges facing low-income people in our region, and about the opportunities to work collectively to have an even greater positive impact on their lives and well-being.
Earlier this year, tens of thousands of children from Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador crossed the border from Mexico to Texas and turned themselves in to U.S. immigration authorities. This dramatic increase in the number of unaccompanied children crossing the border overwhelmed the immigration and court systems and received heavy media coverage.
One of the most inspiring aspects of working in philanthropy is the opportunity to hear powerful stories from so many different organizations—stories of transformed lives, revitalized neighborhoods, and game-changing partnerships with business and government.
One of my high school English teachers introduced a unit on poetry with a drawing on the blackboard: a large carton of orange juice, standing tall next to a small can of frozen orange juice concentrate.
This week, Nicky Goren and I had the privilege of attending the ribbon-cutting for Dance Place’s new 9,500-square-foot dance education and performance space on 8th Street NE in DC.
As I begin my third week at the Meyer Foundation, I wanted to share how truly honored I am to be leading this institution, and to underscore the enormous sense of responsibility I feel as I assume this role.