Our News
Explore our press releases, organizational updates, and news coverage over the years.
February 26, 2024
Welcoming our newest board members: Lisa Woll and George A. Jones
The Meyer Foundation is excited to share the appointment of the newest members of the Foundation’s board of directors: nonprofit advisor and consultant Lisa Woll (she/her), and Bread for the City CEO George A. Jones (he/him). Below, learn more about our newest board members and the expertise they bring to our board: Lisa Woll (she/her) Lisa Woll is …
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February 1, 2024
Meyer Foundation 2024 Strategic Refresh
The Meyer Foundation has launched a Strategic Refresh that will take place through August of 2024. Over the past several years, the Foundation has dedicated itself to the pursuit of a Greater Washington where systemic racism and its consequences no longer exist. The Foundation supports organizations that are building power and transforming systems to achieve …
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November 29, 2023
Meyer welcomes Leni Dworkis and Sapna Pandya, MPH to its Community Partnerships & Strategy team!
In a message to our community and grantee partners earlier this year, Meyer President and CEO Dr. George L. Askew (he/him) shared the Foundation’s aim to grow and strengthen the team to better support our grantee partners and their critical work. Today, we’re thrilled to announce the hiring of our two newest staff members joining …
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June 13, 2023
Announcing Jaqueline Tucker, Esq. as Vice President for Community Partnerships & Strategy at the Meyer Foundation
The Meyer Foundation is delighted to announce the appointment of Jaqueline Tucker, Esq. as its new Vice President for Community Partnerships and Strategy following a nationwide search led by nonprofit executive search firm LeaderFit, effective August 1. In this role, Jaqueline will lead the Foundation’s approach to pursuing community-driven priorities in its grantmaking through the …
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January 27, 2023
Remembering Calvin Cafritz
The Meyer Foundation is sad to learn of the passing of Calvin Cafritz, a Washington-area developer and one of the region’s leading philanthropists. Cafritz was a native and longtime resident of Washington, DC. His father, Morris, established one of the Washington region’s leading philanthropic entities, the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation. For Calvin, philanthropy demanded …
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December 19, 2022
Meyer Foundation Welcomes New Board Members, Announces Executive Committee
The Meyer Foundation is excited to announce the appointment of the newest members to the Foundation’s board of directors, as well as the newly elected executive committee, effective January 1: Angie Reese-Hawkins, CEO of YMCA of Metropolitan Washington; Harold Pettigrew, Jr., CEO of Wacif; Jeff Capizzano, founder and president of The Policy Equity Group; and Layli Miller-Muro, principal at Miller-Muro Consulting and founder of the Tahirih Justice Center. Read on to learn more about our newest board members and executive committee updates.
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May 19, 2022
Meyer awards $635,000 to eight organizations in March
The work of these organizations spans policy advocacy in housing and education, organizing workers to push for living wages and safe working conditions, and assisting immigrants who are creating worker-owned cooperative businesses.
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March 1, 2022
Announcing Edgar Aranda-Yanoc as Virginia Partnerships & Strategy Director
As we’ve deepened our work at the Meyer Foundation to advance racial and economic justice over the past six years — and especially since we began to organize our grantmaking around geography rather than issue areas — we’ve come to understand that immigrant communities and their experiences are central to our partners’ work in Virginia. …
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February 3, 2022
Meyer Foundation Appoints George L. Askew, M.D. as President and Chief Executive Officer
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Meyer Foundation announced that George L. Askew, M.D. will serve as the Foundation’s next president and chief executive officer, effective April 1. Dr. Askew brings decades of experience as a former pediatrician and leader in federal policy, local government agencies, and nonprofit management spaces. The appointment follows an eight-month executive search …
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January 12, 2022
Julian Haynes to take on new opportunities following six years at the Meyer Foundation
When Julian joined the Meyer Foundation in January 2016, we’d just begun our journey to center racial equity in our work. At the time, I don’t know that we fully realized how much the organization and we as Meyer staff would be transformed by this process. But, as Julian notes in his farewell message, Meyer …
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October 26, 2021
Montgomery County: Councilmember Jawando, Council Vice President Albornoz and County Executive Elrich Announce New Guaranteed Income Pilot Program
Councilmember Jawando, Council Vice President Albornoz and County Executive Elrich Announce New Guaranteed Income Pilot Program at Press Conference on Oct. 26 at 12:30 p.m. Special appropriation of nearly $2 million will be introduced at the Council to fund the program with additional financial support from the Meyer Foundation.
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October 20, 2021
(Re-)Introducing Janice Thomas as our Interim CEO
Meet Janice Thomas (she/her), our interim chief executive officer at the Meyer Foundation! As our interim CEO, Janice works with the board and staff in setting and leading the strategic direction of the Foundation. Prior to stepping into the role of interim CEO, Janice served as the Foundation’s vice president for finance and operations, where she was …
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July 27, 2021
Meyer awards $3,015,000 to 26 organizations in May
To bring about a just and equitable COVID-19 recovery, the focus of Meyer’s grantmaking in 2021, the Foundation awarded $3,015,000 to 26 organizations in May 2021.
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May 20, 2021
Meyer Foundation welcomes Stephanie Sneed as Director for the Fund for Black-led Change
The Meyer Foundation board and staff are thrilled to announce our newest addition to the team: Stephanie Sneed will join Meyer in the newly created role of Director for the Fund for Black-led Change, effective June 1.
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May 20, 2021
Announcing the inaugural cohort of the Fund for Black-led Change
The Fund for Black-led Change at the Meyer Foundation Following our November announcement of the Fund for Black-led Change, a multi-million-dollar, multi-year commitment of core support to Black-led and Black-centered organizations in the Greater Washington region, we’re thrilled to formally share the announcement of the Fund’s director, Stephanie Sneed, and the inaugural cohort of partners …
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March 22, 2021
Sonia Quiñónez to take on new role at Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, effective April 2
Since 2018, the team at the Meyer Foundation and I have had the pleasure of learning from and with Virginia Partnerships and Strategy Director Sonia Quiñónez. To say it has been a pleasure to work with Sonia doesn’t quite capture what a wonderful colleague she has been over the past three years. In everything she …
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March 17, 2021
A Message from our President & CEO Nicky Goren
In January, I initiated conversations with the Meyer Board about stepping back from my role as President & CEO. My last day as President will be May 31.
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February 24, 2021
Meyer Foundation staff and board updates
We’re excited to share news about recent staff promotions and to announce the appointment of Faith P. Leach and Diego Uriburu to our board!
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December 21, 2020
Meyer awards $740,000 in project grants to 19 organizations
To promote an equitable and just path forward, the Meyer Foundation awarded $740,000 in project grants to 19 organizations working to create a racially just post-COVID region.
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November 19, 2020
Announcing the Fund for Black-led Change
Today, we are announcing the Fund for Black-led Change, a $20 million commitment of core support to Black-led organizations in the Greater Washington region that are building power, advancing permanently organized communities, and transforming systems toward liberty, justice, and the pursuit of happiness for all.
Read MoreJuly 30, 2020
Meyer awards $1.18M in general operating grants to 28 grantee partners
Earlier this summer Meyer awarded $1.18 million in general operating grants to 28 grantee partners whose work strongly aligns with our goal to change systems by building movements to advance racial equity and justice.
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April 17, 2020
The COVID-19 crisis is a racial justice issue…
The COVID-19 virus does not discriminate — it can infect anyone. However, when an indiscriminate virus is unleashed in a country where racially unjust systems have long decided who lives, who dies, who thrives and who just gets by, the impact is anything but equal.
Read MoreApril 10, 2020
COVID-19: How we’re supporting our communities and partners in a time of crisis
In the midst of this unprecedented public health and economic crisis, I want to share the Meyer Foundation’s response and how we are supporting our communities at this time.
Read MoreMarch 26, 2020
Grantee Partners: You have our support
As we navigate the uncertainties and anxiety of where we are and what lies ahead, we want you to know that you have our support.
Read MoreJanuary 16, 2020
Aligning Practice with Values: Introducing Meyer’s new grants process
Just about one year ago, I was given the opportunity to lead an effort to redesign Meyer’s grants process to be more equitable and inclusive. Our CEO Nicky Goren, urged us to get out of our comfort zones toward “blue sky” thinking, framing our work around this question: What would grantmaking look like that embedded …
Read MoreJanuary 16, 2020
Kicking off a new year with Meyer Foundation staff and board updates
As we launch into 2020, I would like to share news about a few exciting changes to leadership and titles at the Meyer Foundation.
Read MoreAugust 19, 2019
Meyer Foundation Awards $3.6M in General Grantmaking and Capacity-Building Grants
At their June 4 board meeting, the board of directors of the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation approved 66 grants totaling $3,292,500 in general grantmaking to support a growing number of organizations working to further racial equity in the Greater Washington community within our four goals of housing, education, employment, and asset building; and four grants totaling $340,000 in capacity building to organizations seeking to support other Meyer grantee and community partners in strengthening their capacity to build movements that impact systems and advance racial equity.
Read MoreJuly 29, 2019
Opinion: Identify. Describe. Dismantle. Repeat.
We are long past any question about whether the president and many of the people around him and supporting him are racist. His actions and his words by any objective standard make it so. What is more important is to understand how our systems of government and white culture actively enable racism to continue to play out in our election processes, our governance processes, in virtually every aspect of our day-to-day existence in this country.
Read MoreJune 28, 2019
Reflection. Unlearning. Adjusting.
In May, Meyer Foundation staff and several grantee partners gathered for Latino Challenges Toward Racial Justice, a two-day workshop by c-Integral designed for people who live in or work with Latino communities, and who seek to end racial disparities in our institutions and end racism in our society.
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June 18, 2019
Meyer Foundation Board Elects New Executive Committee
The board of directors of the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation is pleased to announce its new executive committee, effective June 4: Dr. Charlene M. Dukes takes the helm as chair; Obiora “Bo” Menkiti as vice chair; Tori O’Neal-McElrath as secretary; and Tram Nguyen as treasurer.
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June 18, 2019
Karen Wawrzaszek Joins Meyer Foundation Board of Directors
The board of directors of the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation elected Karen Wawrzaszek, senior director of financial planning at Sullivan Bruyette Speros & Blayney, to the board at its June 4 meeting.
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May 21, 2019
Meyer Foundation Testimony on Racial Equity Achieves Results (REAR) Act of 2019
On April 25, our President and CEO Nicky Goren was invited, along with several of our grantee and philanthropic partners, to provide testimony before the DC Council’s Committee on Government Operations on the Racial Equity Achieves Results (REAR) Act of 2019 that would require the Office of Human Rights and the Department of Human Resources to develop and provide racial equity training for District employees, and the Office of Budget and Planning to design and implement a racial equity tool aimed at eliminating disparities based on race.
Read MoreApril 18, 2019
Meyer’s Racial Equity in Education Initiative
Maryland Program Director Julian Haynes shares an emerging area of work the Meyer Foundation has chosen to test the effectiveness of its systems change efforts.
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April 18, 2019
“Non-Racism” Is Not Enough
Senior Director for Strategy and Equity Aisha Alexander-Young reintroduces her role at the Meyer Foundation and explains why the concept of non-racism falls short of what is really needed to bring about systems change: anti-racism.
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January 9, 2019
Bringing Truth to Light
Recently, CityBridge Education and the Meyer Foundation co-hosted a dinner conversation with former Mayor of New Orleans Mitch Landrieu, where he shared insights from his book, “In the Shadow of Statues: A White Southerner Confronts History.”
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December 3, 2018
Announcing the 2018 Julie L. Rogers Sabbatical Grant Recipients
The Julie L. Rogers Sabbatical Program launched in 2014 to celebrate the legacy of the Meyer Foundation’s outgoing president and her 28 years of leadership.
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November 20, 2018
Diving Deeper: October 2018 Grantmaking
On October 25, the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation’s board of directors approved 77 grants totaling $3,110,000 in general grantmaking, and four capacity-building grants totaling $103,450.
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November 5, 2018
Wringing Good Out of Evil
I never thought that in 2018, I would experience fear on the basis of being Jewish in the United States.
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July 11, 2018
Celebrating the Leadership and Legacy of Lori Kaplan
Earlier this summer, president and CEO of Latin American Youth Center (LAYC), Lori Kaplan, stepped down from the role in which she has served for 30 years. In Lori’s total 38 years with the organization, her leadership has solidified LAYC as a nationally-recognized, award-winning youth organization.
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June 25, 2018
Meyer Foundation Board Elects James J. Sandman as Chair, Dr. Charlene M. Dukes as Vice Chair
The board of the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation, a private foundation in Washington, DC, elected James J. Sandman as chair and Charlene M. Dukes as vice-chair of the board at its June 5 meeting.
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June 25, 2018
Leaning Into New Work: Our June 2018 Grantmaking
We recently completed our first round of grantmaking for 2018 at the Meyer Foundation! On June 5, our board of directors approved 73 grants totaling $3,205,000.
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June 21, 2018
A Statement on the Detention and Separation of Migrant Children and Families
The Greater Washington region is a diverse community where immigrants, many coming from across our country’s southern border, have made their homes and are woven into the fabric of our identity. We at the Meyer Foundation are deeply troubled by the separation of migrant children from their families.
Read MoreJune 7, 2018
Introducing Advancing Equity
If you’ve been following the Meyer Foundation over the last few years, you probably know that we’ve been on a journey to gather input and greater context as we reframed the Foundation’s role in creating positive social change in the Greater Washington region.
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May 16, 2018
Aisha Alexander Joins Meyer as Senior Director, Strategy and Equity
In recent updates, I’ve shared how board and staff at the Meyer Foundation have continued working toward full implementation of our strategic plan. To advance that plan, we’ve hired talented individuals over the last few months.
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May 8, 2018
Welcoming Sonia Quiñónez as Northern Virginia Program Director
I’m excited to announce that Sonia Quiñónez will join the Meyer Foundation as the Northern Virginia program director, effective June 18.
Read MoreApril 17, 2018
A Reflection: Working Toward Our Shared Vision
As I reflect on my first two months at the Meyer Foundation, I am overcome with immense gratitude; gratitude because, as vice president for program and community, I have the opportunity to lead talented and dedicated colleagues into advancing a critical vision for the Washington, DC region.
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April 3, 2018
Welcoming Nadine Duplessy Kearns as DC Program Director
As I enter my seventh week as the Meyer Foundation’s vice president for program and community, I am delighted to share that things are off to a strong start and our program team continues to grow: Nadine Duplessy Kearns will join us as the DC program director as of April 9.
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February 16, 2018
Welcoming Terri Wright as Vice President for Program and Community
Following a multi-phased, nationwide search, I’m thrilled to announce that Terri D. Wright, Ph.D., MPH, will join us as vice president for program and community. Her first day will be February 16.
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January 8, 2018
New Year, Renewed Focus
As we enter 2018, we wish all of you a happy new year. 2018 is a pivotal and important moment in our evolution as a country, a region, and for the Meyer Foundation as an organization.
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December 18, 2017
Fulfilling Our Commitment
As we approach the end of 2017, we reflect on what a pivotal year it has been, not only for the Meyer Foundation, but also for our region and our nation.
Read MoreNovember 14, 2017
A New Adventure
With so many emotions, I’m writing to let you know that I am stepping down from my role at the Meyer Foundation.
Read MoreNovember 9, 2017
Meyer Foundation Awards $1,855,000 in Grants
On October 17, the Meyer Foundation’s board of directors approved $1,855,000 in grants toward efforts to build a more equitable Greater Washington community.
Read MoreNovember 9, 2017
Meyer Foundation Announces 2017 Julie L. Rogers Sabbatical Program Grant Recipients
The Meyer Foundation board of directors has selected two chief executives and their local nonprofit organizations for the second round of Julie L. Rogers Sabbatical Program grants.
Read MoreOctober 13, 2017
We’re Hiring: A Period of Growth for the Meyer Foundation Team
In an update this past June, I shared how the Meyer Foundation is moving toward fully implementing our strategic plan and further deepening our commitment to addressing structural and systemic racism.
Read MoreSeptember 13, 2017
David Harrington and Tram Nguyen Join Meyer Foundation Board
The board of directors of the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation, a private foundation in Washington, DC, has elected two new members for initial three-year terms: David Harrington, president & CEO of the Prince George’s County Chamber of Commerce, and Tram Nguyen, co-executive director of New Virginia Majority.
Read MoreAugust 23, 2017
The Magic Eye of Data
In the early 1990s “Magic Eye” books swept the country and kept people’s noses glued to the page as they attempted to view the three-dimensional images that emerged from complex two-dimensional patterns.
Read MoreAugust 17, 2017
It’s Well Past Time to Condemn. It’s Time to Confront.
This past weekend, we woke up to images from a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, and later in the day, we saw images of a driver intentionally driving his car into a crowd of counter-protestors, killing Heather Heyer.
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August 14, 2017
Maegan Scott to Step Down from the Meyer Foundation
Several weeks ago, Maegan informed me that she had received an offer that she could not refuse, one that will allow her to build on her recent master’s degree in organization development and delve deeper into the field of OD, both locally and nationally.
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June 13, 2017
Winell Belfonte and Tori O’Neal-McElrath Join Meyer Foundation Board
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.
Read MoreJune 12, 2017
Moving From Words to Action
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.
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June 7, 2017
My Next Chapter
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.
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June 7, 2017
Rick Moyers to Step Down from the Meyer Foundation
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.
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May 31, 2017
An Update on Meyer’s 2017 Grantmaking and Application Process
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.
Read MoreMay 13, 2017
A Meyer Staff Update: Amy Nakamoto
With mixed emotions, I’ve made the decision to transition from the Meyer Foundation to accept a position with another organization.
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March 17, 2017
Groundbreaking study shows positive impact of Meyer’s capacity-building grants on nonprofit financial growth
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.
Read MoreMarch 1, 2017
Growing Together
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.
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February 24, 2017
Black History is Our History
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.
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February 14, 2017
In Search of Silver Linings
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.
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December 20, 2016
Share Your Thoughts: Addressing our Region’s Affordable Housing Crisis
Chances are you already know that there’s not nearly enough housing in the region that is affordable to all the of the low- and even moderate-income people who need it. Research backs this claim, so I won’t use any of my remaining space here to describe the dilemma.
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December 14, 2016
Putting philanthrophy on the map
One of the things I like most about Greater Washington’s funding community is the degree to which everyone is open to working collaboratively. Whenever I’m in touch with colleagues to better understand their funding strategies or to discuss ideas for new work, I’m always impressed by their willingness to share information and to consider working together in new ways.
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December 14, 2016
Thanks for the Feedback: A Look at Meyer’s Grantee Perception Report
The power dynamic in philanthropy can make candid feedback a rare commodity for foundations. That’s why earlier this year we invited our grantee partners to share their opinions on our work and their experience with Meyer by participating anonymously in the Center for Effective Philanthropy’s Grantee Perception Survey.
Read MoreDecember 7, 2016
A Vision for an Equitable DC | Meyer partners with Consumer Health Foundation on new equity report and community initiative
Last week, the Meyer Foundation and the Consumer Health Foundation (CHF) convened community members, advocates, and policymakers in the District to unpack the findings of the new Urban Institute digital feature, A Vision for an Equitable DC.
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October 24, 2016
Meyer Foundation makes $1M impact investment to support affordable housing
On October 18, the board of directors of the Meyer Foundation approved an unprecedented investment of $1 million to support the production and preservation of affordable housing in the Greater Washington region.
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October 6, 2016
Meyer Foundation Announces Inaugural Recipients of Julie L. Rogers Sabbatical Program Grants
The Meyer Foundation board of directors has selected four chief executives of local nonprofit organizations for the Julie L. Rogers Sabbatical Program.
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October 4, 2016
When Words Fail
I recently attended a meeting at my temple that focused on Ta-Nehisi Coates’s bestselling book, Between the World and Me—a personal exploration of racial history in the U.S. Members were interested in engaging in a conversation about our role as allies in moving racial equity forward in our community.
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July 20, 2016
Forest City Washington President Deborah Ratner Salzberg Elected Chair of Meyer Board
The board of the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation, a private foundation in Washington, DC, elected Deborah Ratner Salzberg as chair of the board at its June 2, 2016 meeting.
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June 23, 2016
Meyer Foundation Awards $3.25 Million in New Grants
The Meyer Foundation’s board of directors approved the first round of grants under the Foundation’s new strategic plan on June 2. The 80 grants, which totaled $3.25 million, reflect the Foundation’s mission to build an equitable Greater Washington region in which economically vulnerable people thrive.
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May 26, 2016
Announcing the Julie L. Rogers Sabbatical Program
Today the Meyer Foundation is launching a new sabbatical grants program that was established by our board of directors to honor Julie Rogers, who served as Meyer’s president from 1986 to 2014.
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May 11, 2016
Building Fundraising Capacity Means Changing Organizational Culture
Like many other grantmakers, the Meyer Foundation has historically been leery of putting money behind efforts to help grantees raise more money.
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April 5, 2016
Rajiv Vinnakota Joins Meyer Foundation Board
The board of directors of the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation has elected Rajiv Vinnakota, executive vice president for youth and engagement programs at the Aspen Institute, to a three-year term on the Foundation’s board.
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March 23, 2016
Meyer-Sponsored Training Helps Small Nonprofit Generate Big Headlines
As the communications manager for a small Bethesda nonprofit, Juliana Avery never expected to see her organization advocating for its mission in the pages of The New York Times.
Read MoreFebruary 16, 2016
To Solve Our Region’s Challenges, We Need Everyone at the Table
Motivated by the desire to help those in need, demonstrate good corporate citizenship and generate goodwill, business leaders throughout Greater Washington routinely engage with nonprofit organizations.
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February 1, 2016
How we’re “Putting Racism on the Table”
On January 22, WRAG launched its “Putting Racism on the Table” learning series with a presentation and discussion with Professor John A. Powell, director of the Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society and professor of law and African American Studies & Ethnic Studies at the University of California at Berkeley.
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January 15, 2016
Meyer Foundation Partners with The Bridgespan Group to Launch Leading for Impact – DC Region
The Meyer Foundation announced today that it has partnered with a group of private donors and The Bridgespan Group, one of the nation’s leading nonprofit consulting and advisory firms, to launch Leading for Impact – DC Region, a new program that will provide training, coaching, and consulting support to the leadership teams of 50 organizations over the next five years.
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January 7, 2016
Special Announcement! An Update on the Meyer Staff Team
We’re pleased to announce that Julian A. Haynes and Amy Nakamoto will join our staff as program officers on January 19. As part of the Foundation’s strategic plan, which was announced last month, Julian and Amy will work to expand Meyer’s grantmaking in suburban jurisdictions.
Read MoreDecember 16, 2015
Meyer Foundation Announces Strategic Plan
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke often about what he called “the fierce urgency of now”— the need to seize opportunities for real change, rather than settling for incremental progress. The Washington region is confronting a number of growing challenges—but it also has a rare opportunity to take bold action to address some of its most pressing issues.
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November 18, 2015
Strategic Plan Update
Thank you, once again, to everyone who participated in our online community forum over the summer.
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November 17, 2015
Bo Menkiti Joins Meyer Foundation Board
The board of directors of the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation has elected Bo Menkiti, Founder and CEO of The Menkiti Group and Keller Williams Capital Properties, to a three-year term on the Foundation’s board, beginning in November 2015.
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November 16, 2015
Three Tips for Making the Most of Year-End Giving
As soon as Thanksgiving décor starts making all-too-early appearances in grocery stores, we know the holidays are rushing towards us. In our nonprofit community, this is also the season to review, refresh, and deliver outreach plans for year-end giving.
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October 19, 2015
Savvy Communications for Serious Results
All of us—regardless of profession, sector, or circumstance—have experienced the power of storytelling. And many of us have been compelled to action for causes and organizations because of stories that resonated on an emotional level.
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September 9, 2015
We’re Hiring: Meyer Announces Two Program Officer Positions
The Meyer Foundation, a leading supporter of locally-focused nonprofit organizations serving the Washington, DC region, is currently recruiting two Program Officers to join our team.
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September 4, 2015
Meyer Announces a New Online Community Forum
We are pleased to announce the official launch of the Meyer Foundation’s first-ever online community forum. Over the next two weeks, we invite you to participate in a conversation that will help us refine our strategic plan and ensure that Meyer’s goals and direction align with our broader community’s vision for the future.
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July 15, 2015
Update on the Meyer Foundation Strategic Planning Process
Twelve months ago, I began my leadership of the Meyer Foundation and spent my first several months listening to and learning from many of you about the critical issues facing our community.
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June 3, 2015
Danielle M. Reyes to Leave Meyer Foundation
Danielle M. Reyes is leaving the Meyer Foundation this month after serving as a key member of the Foundation’s program staff since 2002.
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June 2, 2015
Children Fleeing Violence Fund Awards $130,000 to Organizations Serving Children from Central America
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.
Read MoreMay 19, 2015
Meyer Foundation Awards $3.4 Million in Grants
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.
Read MoreMarch 15, 2015
Dr. Charlene M. Dukes Joins Meyer Foundation Board
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.
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February 9, 2015
Michael Harreld Joins Meyer Foundation Board
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.
Read MoreJanuary 28, 2015
In 2015, Can We Move from Incremental Progress to Real Change?
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.
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November 17, 2014
Border crisis now a D.C. crisis
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.
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September 23, 2014
A New Resource to Promote Nonprofit Storytelling
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.
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September 15, 2014
DC Appleseed Illustrates the Power of Funding Advocacy
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.
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September 11, 2014
Celebrating the Transformation of Dance Place
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.
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July 16, 2014
Working Together for Greater Impact
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.
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June 23, 2014
Meyer Staff Says Goodbye to Julie Rogers
Today the Meyer Foundation’s staff had a farewell lunch with our president, Julie Rogers — the last in a series of ceremonial moments to honor Julie as she steps down after 28 years of service.
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June 11, 2014
Developing A Storytelling Culture: 16 Crucial Questions to Ask Yourself
How many nonprofits would consider telling stories to be their job? Probably not many, and with good reason—for there to be stories worth telling, programs need to be run, and services need to be provided.
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May 29, 2014
Meyer and CompassPoint Launch New Program for Early-Tenure Executive Directors
One of the most noteworthy findings from Daring to Lead 2011, the national study of 3,000 nonprofit executives produced by CompassPoint and the Meyer Foundation, was the contrast between the large number of executive directors who described themselves as “very happy” after less than a year on the job (more than half) and the much smaller number who said they were very happy after being an executive director for a few years.
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May 7, 2014
Meyer Foundation Awards $3.2 Million in Grants
At its May 1 meeting, the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation board of directors approved 84 grants totaling more than $3.2 million in the Foundation’s four program areas of Education, Healthy Communities, Economic Security, and a Strong Nonprofit Sector.
Read MoreApril 23, 2014
We Should All Be Better Storytellers
As a grantmaker, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve formed an opinion about an organization after reading their proposal, only to change my mind during a site visit.
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March 20, 2014
Nicky Goren Appointed Meyer Foundation CEO
The board of the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation has appointed Nicky Goren, current president of Washington Area Women’s Foundation, as the Meyer Foundation’s next president and CEO, effective July 1, 2014.
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March 18, 2014
Four Storytelling Sins (and how to avoid these story pitfalls)
During the process of combing through and analyzing more than 195 nonprofit stories this past fall, our research team here at the Center for Social Impact Communication learned a thing or two about what makes certain stories more effective, inspiring or compelling than others.
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March 5, 2014
Six Tips for Effective Site Visits
With nearly 90 funding requests under consideration, Meyer program officers are now fanning out across the region to meet with executive directors and see organizations and programs in action.
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January 14, 2014
Carmen James Lane to Leave Meyer
Carmen James Lane, a key member of the Meyer Foundation’s program staff since 1998, will leave the Foundation in February to join the Greater New Orleans Foundation as vice president for programs.
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December 18, 2013
Meyer Foundation CEO Search Announcement
The Meyer Foundation has begun the search for a CEO to succeed its current president, Julie L. Rogers, who will step down in 2014 after leading the Foundation since 1986.
Read MoreOctober 29, 2013
Meyer Releases 2013 Open Letter to the Community
As you know, the coming year will mark a significant transition for the Meyer Foundation as our board begins the search for the Foundation’s next president.
Read MoreOctober 28, 2013
Meyer Foundation Awards $2.2 Million in Grants
At its October 24 meeting, the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation board of directors approved 67 grants totaling more than $2.2 million in the Foundation’s four program areas of Education, Healthy Communities, Economic Security, and a Strong Nonprofit Sector.
Read MoreOctober 22, 2013
DC Nonprofits Start Charter Schools to Ready Adults for the Workforce
Two years ago, the leaders of Academy of Hope in Edgewood Terrace looked at how they could better prepare their adult students for a changing workforce, not to mention an entirely new GED test that’s coming in January.
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October 8, 2013
Elevation Q&A: Mary Brown, executive director of Life Pieces to Masterpieces
When Life Pieces to Masterpieces (LPTM), an arts-based mentoring program for black boys and young men, opened up two new pilot programs this fall to expand from its flagship campus, enrollment doubled, according to executive director Mary Brown. So did its waiting list.
Read MoreSeptember 10, 2013
DC-Area MBAs Give Back with Compass
The business of business isn’t always business. Hundreds of D.C.’s cut-throat-capitalists-by-day are actually waiting in line to provide pro-bono consulting to local nonprofits.
Read MoreAugust 7, 2013
Statement of Meyer Foundation CEO Julie L. Rogers on the recent sale of the Washington Post
Eugene and Agnes Meyer (at left) founded the Meyer Foundation in 1944, just 11 years after Mr. Meyer bought the Washington Post. Today, the Meyer Foundation is governed by an independent board of civic and community leaders and has no formal relationship with the Graham family or the Washington Post.
Read MoreJuly 18, 2013
Boards Are Not Ready for the Next Generation of Trustees
A rising generation of younger donors and philanthropic leaders could bring new money to nonprofits and fresh energy to their boardrooms—if boards can overcome their current dysfunction enough to engage them.
Read MoreJune 26, 2013
Successful Mergers: Two CEOs Talk Shop
For many years, and especially since the economic downturn reduced their grantmaking budgets, funders have been urging nonprofits to merge.
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June 11, 2013
Julie Rogers Announces Plans to Step Down in 2014
Julie L. Rogers, President & CEO of the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation, announced today that she plans to step down in June 2014 after leading the Foundation for nearly 28 years.
Read MoreJune 11, 2013
Elevation Q&A: Liz Norton, Stone Soup Films
There are countless nonprofits in Washington with amazing stories to tell about their work. Unfortunately, many can’t—or can’t afford to—tell those stories in a way that ordinary donors and volunteers would understand.
Read MoreMay 23, 2013
Meyer Foundation Awards $2.8 Million in Grants
At its May 2 meeting, the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation board of directors approved 76 grants totaling more than $2.8 million in the Foundation’s four program areas of Education, Healthy Communities, Economic Security, and a Strong Nonprofit Sector.
Read MoreMay 3, 2013
Meyer Foundation Board Elects Joshua Bernstein as Chair
Mr. Bernstein joined the Meyer Foundation’s board in 2003. In addition to serving as CEO of Bernstein Management Corporation, a leading real estate management and investment firm in the Washington region, Mr. Bernstein holds numerous leadership positions in business, philanthropy, and the nonprofit sector.
Read MoreSeptember 10, 2012
Meyer Releases 2012 Open Letter to the Community
As we looked out on the faces of so many wonderful executives at the Exponent Award ceremony last March, we were moved once again by their spirit and deep commitment, but were also reminded that some of them are exhausted – something they may not admit to funders or even to themselves.
Read MoreSeptember 6, 2012
Venture Philanthropy Partners Releases New Report on Children and Youth in the Region
Last year, Venture Philanthropy Partners commissioned Child Trends, a nonprofit research center that studies children at all stages of development, to conduct baseline research and benchmarking on the status of children and youth from low-income families living in the Washington metropolitan region.
Read MoreAugust 21, 2012
Meyer Names Janice Thomas as New Vice President for Finance and Operations
Ms. Thomas is currently director of finance and administration at the Consumer Health Foundation in Washington, DC, a position she has held since 2009. Prior to joining Consumer Health, she was chief financial officer at the National Housing Conference and at the Freddie Mac Foundation.
Read MoreJune 19, 2012
Meyer Vice President for Finance and Operations to Retire
Kristen joined the Meyer Foundation in 1999 as director of finance and administration, a position that was created in response to the foundation’s growth and increased complexity. Kristen was promoted to vice president in 2001, and is the first and only person to have held that position.
Read MoreJune 14, 2012
Lidia Soto-Harmon Elected to Meyer Foundation Board
The board of directors of the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation has elected Lidia Soto-Harmon to a three-year term on the Foundation’s board.
Read MoreMay 7, 2012
Meyer Foundation Suspends Cash Flow Loan Program
The Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation is suspending its longstanding Cash Flow Loan Program, and will no longer be accepting applications for new loans effective immediately.
Read MoreNovember 17, 2011
Meyer Announces 2011 Exponent Award Recipients
The Meyer Foundation, a leading funder of nonprofits serving the Washington, DC region, today announced the recipients of its 2011 Exponent Awards, which recognize outstanding nonprofit executive directors.
Read MoreAugust 19, 2011
Carmen James Lane Elected Chair of Youth Transition Funders Group
Carmen James Lane, senior program officer at the Meyer Foundation, has been elected to a one-year term as chair of the steering committee of Youth Transition Funders Group (YTFG), a leading national network of approximately 175 grantmakers whose mission is to help all youth make a successful transition to adulthood by age 25.
Read MoreAugust 8, 2011
Meyer and CompassPoint Release Three Briefs to Supplement Daring to Lead 2011
Today the Meyer Foundation and CompassPoint Nonprofit Services released The Board Paradox, completing a series of three briefs based on a national study of more than 3,000 nonprofit executive directors.
Read MoreJune 27, 2011
Meyer and CompassPoint Release New Daring to Lead Study
Daring to Lead 2011, a new national study of nonprofit executive directors conducted in the aftermath of the deepest economic recession in decades, reports that a significant number of executives plan to leave their jobs within the next five years, citing frustration with their organizations’ shaky finances, under-performing boards of directors, and the difficulty of maintaining healthy work-life balance in their demanding roles.
Read MoreMay 10, 2011
William Dunbar Elected to the Meyer Foundation Board
Mr. Dunbar is the co-founder and a managing director of Core Capital Partners, a venture capital firm that invests in small and mid-sized high-growth technology companies.
Read MoreSeptember 28, 2010
Meyer Foundation Announces 2010 Exponent Award Recipients
The Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation, a private foundation serving the Greater Washington, DC region, announces the recipients of its 2010 Exponent Award. The award celebrates visionary nonprofit leadership in the region and includes a $100,000 cash award for the recipient’s organization.
Read MoreJune 8, 2010
Meyer Celebrates Five Superhero Executive Directors
The superhuman efforts of nonprofit leaders Lindsey Buss, Ana Lopez, Kelly Sweeney McShane, Jonathan Smith, and David Andrew Snider were the focus of the Meyer Foundation’s 2009 Exponent Awards celebration, held on Monday, June 7 at the Woolly Mammoth Theatre in Northwest Washington.
Read MoreMarch 31, 2010
Meyer Announces Free Workshops for Grantees
The Meyer Foundation announces several convenings exclusively offered to its grantees in 2010. The workshops are in content areas that grantees frequently identify as those in which they would like more technical assistance: fundraising, communications, and coaching.
Read MoreMarch 16, 2010
Meyer Annual Report Wins Gold Award
The Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation has been named a gold award winner for excellence in communications by the 2010 Wilmer Shields Rich Awards Program.
Read MoreMarch 15, 2010
Calvert Group CEO Barbara Krumsiek Elected Chair of Meyer Foundation Board
The Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation, a private foundation in Washington, D.C., announced it has elected Barbara J. Krumsiek as chair of its board.
Read MoreOctober 5, 2009
Foundation Honors Nonprofit Execs For Visionary Leadership
The Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation, a private foundation serving the Greater D.C., region, announces the recipients of its 2009 Exponent Award. The award recognizes outstanding nonprofit leadership in the Greater Washington, DC region and includes $100,000 for the recipient’s organization.
Read MoreSeptember 24, 2009
Meyer Foundation and Consumer Health Foundation Form Health Funding Partnership
One key goal of the partnership is streamlining and simplifying application and reporting processes for nonprofits with a single process for both foundations. The partnership allows Meyer to benefit from the deep knowledge and expertise of the Consumer Health Foundation without expanding its staff.
Read MoreSeptember 9, 2009
Report Shows Nonprofits Could Benefit from Outsourcing
The current economic situation has only intensified the ever-present need for executives of small and mid-sized nonprofits to find effective ways to reduce overhead costs.
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July 14, 2009
Meyer’s Director of Programs Receives Capacity Building Award
Meyer Foundation Director of Programs Rick Moyers has received the Grantmaker in Capacity Building Award from the Alliance for Nonprofit Management. Moyers, together with Mary Ann Holohean, founder of the Foundation’s Nonprofit Sector Fund, was honored at the Alliance Annual Conference in July.
Read MoreJune 24, 2009
New Report Finds DC Area’s Nonprofits Lack Funds to Weather Economic Crisis
Most nonprofits don’t have the financial reserves needed to weather the current economic crisis, according to a new report released by the Urban Institute and funded by the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation in Washington, DC.
Read MoreMarch 31, 2009
Meyer Foundation Elects Two New Board Members
The Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation, a private foundation in Washington, DC has elected two new members to its board of directors: James W. Dyke Jr., a partner at McGuire Woods LLP and Kerrie B. Wilson, chief executive officer of Reston Interfaith, Inc.
Read MoreFebruary 2, 2009
Ginger Lew Joins Meyer Foundation Board
The Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation, a private foundation in Washington, DC, announces that it has elected Ginger Lew as a new member of its board.
Read MoreOctober 6, 2008
Five “Best and Brightest” Nonprofit Leaders Receive 2008 Meyer Foundation Exponent Award
The Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation announces the recipients of its 2008 Exponent Award, which celebrates visionary nonprofit leadership and includes a $100,000 cash award for the recipient’s organization.
Read MoreMarch 3, 2008
Young Leaders Concerned With Pay, Work-Life Balance, Report Says “Career seen as personally meaningful and satisfying”
A skilled, committed, and diverse pool of next generation leaders would like to be nonprofit executive directors in the future, according to a new national survey of nearly 6,000 next generation leaders.
Read MoreNovember 8, 2007
Meyer Annual Report Wins Gold MarCom Award
The Meyer Foundation was awarded a Gold Award for its annual report in the 2007 MarCom Awards competition, with honorable mention for writing and design.
Read MoreNovember 7, 2007
Meyer Foundation Elects Barbara Lang to Board
Barbara Lang is president and chief executive officer of the DC Chamber of Commerce. Prior to joining the DC Chamber, Ms. Lang was vice president of corporate services and chief procurement officer for Fannie Mae and served in several management positions at IBM.
Read MoreNovember 7, 2007
Meyer VP honored at 2007 Nonprofit CFO of the Year Awards
Kristen Conte, the Meyer Foundation’s Vice President for Finance and Administration, received The Lifetime Achievement Award at the Nonprofit CFO of the Year Awards Luncheon, hosted by Tate & Tryon and West, Lane & Schlager at the Mayflower Hotel on November 1.
Read MoreSeptember 27, 2007
Meyer Foundation Honors Five Visionary Nonprofit Leaders
The Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation announces the recipients of its 2007 Exponent Award. The leaders represent nonprofit organizations working in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia with budgets ranging from just under $1 million to more than $5 million. Meyer selected the five awardees from among 30 nominees.
Read MoreMay 29, 2007
Meyer Foundation Elects Two New Board Members
The Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation, a private foundation in Washington, DC, announces that it has elected new members Deborah Ratner Salzberg, president of Forest City Washington, Inc., and Jim Sandman, senior partner in Arnold & Porter’s toxic tort and product liability practice, to its Board of Directors.
Read MoreMarch 31, 2007
Meyer Receives Cafritz Community Partnership Award
The Meyer Foundation received the 2007 Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation Community Partnership Award with the Center for Nonprofit Advancement and The Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington.
Read MoreMarch 21, 2007
Meyer Foundation Awarded Gold for Excellence in Communications
The Meyer Foundation has received two gold awards for excellence in communications from the 2007 Wilmer Shields Rich Awards program.
Read MoreMarch 21, 2007
Meyer Foundation Receives 2007 Mayor’s Arts Awards
The Meyer Foundation received an award for Excellence in Service to the Arts at the 22nd Annual Mayor’s Arts Awards held Monday, March 19, 2007, at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Read MoreDecember 27, 2006
Meyer Foundation Board Vice-Chair Barbara Krumsiek Named Chair-Elect of Greater Washington Board of Trade
Meyer Foundation Board Vice Chairperson Barbara J. Krumsiek has been elected chairperson of the Greater Washington Board of Trade.
Read MoreSeptember 29, 2006
Exponent Award Winners Announced
The Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation has selected its first Exponent Award winners.
Read MoreMarch 24, 2006
Daring to Lead
Relentless fundraising pressure, weak boards of directors, low salaries, and lack of management support are causing many executive directors of small to mid-sized nonprofit organizations to leave their jobs.
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