If You Want to Support Education
1. Beacon House
This afterschool program for Northeast DC’s Edgewood neighborhood provides homework help, college prep, and both group and one-on-one tutoring sessions for kids from elementary through high school. The nonprofit also offers athletics such as basketball and football.
$100 donation will buy: Safety equipment for a student athlete.
2. Dream Project
The Virginia group prepares undocumented students for college, pairing high-school seniors with application mentors. College-bound teens can also access an emergency relief fund and other financial assistance.
$500 will buy: Coaching for two college freshmen.
3. Live It Learn It
This organization brings DCPS students at Title I schools on educational excursions to places like Frederick Douglass’s former home and the Library of Congress.
$1,000 will buy: Three bus charters for student field trips.
4. One World Education
Serving 5,000 students a year, the DC writing program teaches students how to cite evidence and engage in critical thinking. After the onset of the pandemic, a new initiative helps pupils catch up academically.
$100 will buy: The One World program for six students.
If You Want to Support Justice and Legal Rights
5. Council for Court Excellence
The organization works to reform the District’s criminal-and-civil-justice system through research on issues that include criminal-record sealing, mental-health care for incarcerated individuals, and the clemency process.
$500 will buy: A community meeting focused on criminal-justice issues.
6. DC Volunteer Lawyers Project
This nonprofit connects domestic-violence survivors with legal support at walk-in clinics and provides resources including social-service referrals. It also trains volunteer attorneys for pro bono domestic-violence cases.
$500 will buy: A victim’s protection-order case against an abuser.
7. Tenants and Workers United
First mobilized in the 1980s amid a scheduled eviction in Alexandria, the group promotes social and racial justice by advocating for living-wage laws, housing rights, and the elimination of county partnerships with ICE.
$500 will buy: “Know Your Rights” materials for a community.
8. Tzedek DC
Working with low-income residents suffering from debt-related legal issues, the organization provides free counsel and representation for DC clients maneuvering exploitative-debt-collection suits.
$100 will buy: Metro cards for clients to attend court hearings.
If You Want to Support Anti-Hunger Programs, Basic Needs, and Housing Security
9. Bridges to Independence
This organization runs Arlington County’s largest emergency family shelter, providing access to necessities like food and diapers. The nonprofit also partners with landlords to assist families with housing placements.
$100 will buy: Afterschool snacks for 20 kids.
10. Crossroads Community Food Network
When the Takoma/Langley Crossroads area opened a seasonal market in 2007, it became the first in Maryland to accept federal nutritional benefits. In addition to running the market, the group teaches households how to integrate fresh produce into their diets through cooking tutorials.
$100 will buy: Four healthy-eating food demos.
11. Mobile Hope Association
The nonprofit provides Loudoun County youth who are homeless or lack a stable home with basic needs, as well as emergency shelter and long-term housing support. Educational programs teach skills for apprenticeships and trade certification.
$500 will buy: Five nights of emergency shelter.
12. Prince William County Community Foundation
Founded in 2018, the anti-hunger organization has worked with local entities to feed families in Prince William County. The Combating Hunger on Wheels initiative brings nutritious meals directly to schools and neighborhoods.
$100 will buy: Eight meals for a family of four.
If You Want to Support Civic Engagement and Democracy
13. DC Justice Lab
To tackle what it sees as longstanding racial inequity in DC’s criminal legal system, the lab engages residents in drafting policies to help reform policing and the judicial process.
$500 will buy: Policy training for Black-led organizations.
14. DCTV
The nonprofit TV station focuses solely on DC news and issues. Washingtonians are empowered to share their own stories in videography classes, with access to production studios, equipment, and editing suites.
$100 will buy: A production team’s gas for a week.
15. District Bridges
With a focus on building relationships with business owners on seven streets around DC, this group has helped those small businesses survive the pandemic with grants programs and workshops on digital marketing.
$1,000 will buy: A technical-assistance business grant.
16. Youth Activism Project
Teens lead campaigns in the online Activation Hub, a space where young activists learn tools for organizing, including public speaking and finding funding. Members can join an existing campaign or create their own project.
$100 will buy: A training session for 100 activists.
If You Want to Support Youth and Families
17. Foster & Adoptive Parent Advocacy Center
FAPAC seeks to improve conditions for kids in the child-welfare system by providing parenting classes for birth parents as well as support groups for foster parents and caregivers.
$500 will buy: A year of parenting classes for birth parents.
18. Generation Hope
Founded by a former teen mom, the nonprofit helps teenage parents and their children: Mothers get mentors and tuition assistance to find success in college, plus financial support to enroll kids in childcare.
$100 will buy: Books to build a home library.
19. Goodprojects
The nonprofit assists Southwest DC families with such programs as the GoodLearning Hub, which provides educational afterschool care, and Goodcamp, where kids can find healthy meals and fun activities during the summer.
$1,000 will buy: 20 days of afterschool care at the GoodLearning Hub.
20. Mamatoto Village
Responding to health disparities for Black mothers and infants, the nonprofit in DC’s Ward 7 provides tools for a safe and positive birth experience, including birthing plans, doula care, and postpartum support.
$500 will buy: Emergency shelter or utility assistance for one client.
For more information or to donate, visit the Catalogue for Philanthropy Greater Washington at cfp-dc.org/doinggood.
This article appears in the December 2022 issue of Washingtonian.
Daniella Byck joined Washingtonian in 2022. She was previously with Outside Magazine and lives in Takoma.
