The board of directors of the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation, a private foundation in Washington, DC, elected two new members at its June 1 board meeting: Winell Belfonte, CPA and partner at CohnReznick, and Tori O’Neal-McElrath, vice president of external affairs at Demos.
On June 1, the Meyer Foundation’s board approved 75 grants totaling nearly $3 million to support work that advances racial equity in the Greater Washington region, including grants to support new collective action efforts in Arlington, Virginia and Germantown, Maryland; and cross-sector community organizing efforts around affordable housing in DC.
At last Thursday’s Meyer Foundation board meeting, I informed the board that I’ve decided to step down from my role as vice president for programs and communications effective July 14.
Last week Rick Moyers, the Meyer Foundation’s vice president for programs and communications, informed me and our board that, after 14 years of tremendous service, he will be stepping down from his position in mid-July.
In the second year of implementing our strategic plan, and in the early stages of integrating racial equity into all aspects of our work, the Meyer Foundation is looking forward to supporting new work that addresses shared community goals in housing, education and employment, and financial security.
With mixed emotions, I’ve made the decision to transition from the Meyer Foundation to accept a position with another organization.
Capacity-building grant programs are intended to boost a nonprofit’s effectiveness, and with 77 percent of staffed grantmakers funding such efforts, many in philanthropy must believe that investments produce positive outcomes for grantees.
I started my career in youth development in an AmeriCorps program, working in-school and afterschool in Boston’s public education system. I worked in settings almost exclusively with young people of color from communities whose range of economic profiles could be described as low-income to extreme poverty.
When I was about 8 years old, my family accidentally visited a black church. I say “accidentally” not because we wouldn’t have gone if we’d known, but because our visit was unintentional.
My mother was born in Egypt in the 1940s and was part of a vibrant Jewish community there until persecution, intolerance, and eventually expulsion of Jews began taking place. Her family fled Egypt as refugees to await acceptance by countries around the world.