Space is limited. Tickets to board buses for site visits are free, required, and will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis at the Host Committee desk.

Monday, May 5

2:15pm-5:15pm
In the Shadow of Development – Creating Shared Prosperity

What happens in a lower-income community when residents struggle to take full advantage of new development? Oxon Hill, Maryland is one such community. Home to older, mostly retired and low-income residents, it is the poorest community in Prince George’s County. But big changes and opportunities are on the horizon now that National Harbor, site of The Summit, has opened for business. Community leaders are looking for ways to train current Oxon Hill residents for entry-level to managerial positions. Join us for a tour of the area, followed by a discussion at historic Oxon Hill Manor. Discover ways in which philanthropy can work with community leaders to develop educational and training programs for residents to help them develop their skills and continue their education.   

Session designer: Diane Glover, Program Officer and Grants Manager, Prince Charitable Trusts

2:15pm-5:15pm
Building THE ARC – A Public-Private Partnership Serving the Community

Can a public-private partnership build a multipurpose service center and drive neighborhood revitalization? Tour THE ARC (Town Hall Education, Arts & Recreation Campus) and the surrounding Congress Heights neighborhood to find out. There, nonprofits leaders, developers, and government representatives will discuss the unique dynamics of creating a multipurpose facility that truly serves the community. In 110,000 square feet of state-of-the-art facilities, THE ARC offers dance classes, music instruction, fine arts, academics, and other programs—as well as social services such as medical, dental, and psychiatric and psychological care at substantially reduced cost or no cost. Come away with an understanding of the issues—from community acceptance, to services offered, to raising funds—that must be considered when developing and sustaining an important neighborhood facility.

Session designers: Oramenta Newsome, Director, LISC and Miyesha Perry Chappell, Grants Manager, The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation

2:15pm-5:15pm
Multiple Pathways to Graduation: Confronting the Dropout Crisis

How can we pull struggling students back from the brink of dropping out of high school?  Travel to historic Old Town, Alexandria (VA) to the Alexandria Seaport Foundation to learn about innovative programs and alternative schools that are addressing this critical problem.  Participate in a discussion about the national collaborative program, Multiple Pathways to Graduation, with regional partners and hear from youth who have benefited directly from these nontraditional approaches. Discover, too, how public investment, philanthropy, and policy change can combine to have a powerful impact on the future of our youth. And, find out what role your organization can play in this highly successful, groundbreaking approach to one of the country’s greatest challenges.

To return to the Gaylord, participants may either re-board the bus or take a water taxi courtesy of the Meyer Foundation.

Session designer: Carmen James Lane, Program Officer, The Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation

2:30pm-5:30pm
Collective Leadership: A Tri-State* Approach to Improving Health Outcomes

Explore the concept of collective leadership. Hear how a dozen committed funders from three states—DC*, VA, and MD—are striving to improve regional health outcomes by crossing political, geographic, and professional boundaries. Learn the conditions, practices, and tools that foster and support collective leadership. Discuss case studies and try out the techniques that help generate breakthrough change. Leave the session with an understanding of whether your region can benefit from shifting the way individuals and communities understand and confront complex problems.  This session applies to all funders interested in community change. This session will take place at the Gaylord. Co-sponsored by Grantmakers in Health.

*DC functions like a state. Local funders support self-determination and DC statehood.

Session designers: Margaret O’Bryon, President and CEO, The Consumer Health Foundation and the Health Working Group

Tuesday Morning, May 6

9:45am-1:30pm
U Street:  The Heart and Soul Tour

Walk historic U Street and learn about the area’s history as DC’s “black Broadway.”  Learn, too, about its recent transformation from a disenfranchised and economically depressed community to a leading cultural and economic force and one of DC’s “hipper” neighborhoods. Visit The Women’s Collective, featuring Founder and Executive Director Patricia Nalls to learn about the role of nonprofits in revitalizing the neighborhood, including their collaboration with the Washington AIDS Partnership. Tour the first building in the nation to be designed, financed, built, and owned by the African-American community after Reconstruction, and hear why the Public Welfare Foundation moved into the community.  Listen to young artists perform at Busboys and Poets, a nonprofit bookstore that develops young talent through area arts programs. 

Session designers: Channing Wickham, Executive Director, Washington AIDS Partnership and Silvana Straw, Senior Program Officer, The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region

9:45am-2:45pm
Gateway to Change: Crossing Racial Divides to Build Community

How do citizens cross racial divides to build stronger communities?  Prince George’s County, Maryland, adjacent to Washington, DC, has shifted from a white rural community to one of the most affluent African-American communities in the country.  Abandoned warehouses and open-air drug markets along a shared corridor served as the catalyst for four traditionally separate towns to unite to rebuild their communities. Find out how these transitional communities came together to overcome challenges and create the Gateway Arts and Entertainment District. Tour the four towns and visit new artist housing and studios and a new community arts facility. Then, meet community leaders and partners to discuss their successes, obstacles, and impact.

Session designer: Kathy Freshley, Senior Program Officer, The Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation

10:00am-2:00pm
Along the Anacostia:  An Urban River Renaissance

Board a pontoon boat and explore the Anacostia River and the neighborhoods it traverses to better understand the intersection of economic development, environmental design, and community engagement. See the diversity of the river through possible eagle and osprey sightings, the brand new baseball stadium of the Washington Nationals, the Washington Navy Yard, and Children’s Island, a proposed environmental education center. Learn about the history of the Anacostia River and ongoing efforts to improve water quality and reduce pollution. This is your chance to gain a completely different perspective on Washington—and the impact environmental and economic development can have on new and older urban communities. 

Session designer: Diane Glover, Program Officer and Grants Manager, Prince Charitable Trusts

11:00am-3:30pm
Workforce Development for Diverse Communities

What are the keys to successful workforce development in changing communities?  In one of the most ethnically diverse areas in the country, learn how local leaders have used innovative approaches to adapt to and best serve a broad constituency. After a tour of the Northern Virginia Community College Medical Education Campus, engage in a discussion about workforce development in the childcare and healthcare sectors. Find out how strong partnerships, employer engagement, pipelines for workers, public sector commitment, and other key factors led to the creation of three outstanding programs in Northern Virginia, and how you can apply these same approaches in your community.

Session designer: Marjorie Simms, Chief Operating Officer and Interim President, Washington Area Women’s Foundation

Tuesday Afternoon, May 6

Noon-5:30pm
The Power of Green on the Chesapeake Bay

When it opened in 2001, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s (CBF) headquarters was the greenest building in the world and the winner of the coveted LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum Award. Tour this outstanding example of pioneering green construction, located outside Annapolis, Maryland on the Bay. Hear the story of its innovative design and significant cost savings, and hear why green building legislation is so important. Learn about CBF’s campaigns on development and agriculture that effectively blend collaborative funding strategies, advocacy, and community outreach to halt environmentally destructive practices.  Come away inspired by the impact of green building, green communities, and power of green strategies on the region’s quality of life.  The visit will conclude with a guided tour through Historic Annapolis led by officials familiar with the challenges of keeping a tourist destination a livable and green city.

Session designer: Kristin Pauly, Managing Director, Principal Affiliation Prince Charitable Trusts

1:30pm-6:00pm
Betting On the Arts to Revive Community: The Atlas Story

Myriad obstacles—and risks—can confront a community yearning to revive its social, economic, and cultural life. On Washington’s H Street, still recovering from the 1968 riots 35 years later, those risks were daunting. Yet, through the historic restoration and reinvention of a neighborhood movie theatre as a 60,000 square foot community-based performing arts center, the momentum for reviving the life of the Northeast DC neighborhood is now irreversible. Traverse H Street by bus and see its scars and its promise. Tour the new Atlas Performing Arts Center and participate in a discussion of the transformational power of leadership, partnerships, community commitment, and the revitalizing power of the performing arts. 

Session designers: Jane Lang, Trustee, Sprenger Lane Foundation and Anne Corbett, Executive Director, Cultural Development Corporation

2:30pm-5:30pm
Silver Spring: The World in a Zip code

Silver Spring, Maryland is known as a “world in a zip code” community.  The vibrant revitalization of downtown Silver Spring has resulted in greater economic development opportunities for the community.  Following a bus tour of the area, hear a panel discuss issues such as the impact of this ethnically diverse community on revitalization. Hosted at Discovery Communications Inc.’s headquarters (The Discovery Channel, etc.) in the heart of Silver Spring, the discussion will center around such questions as: What was the impact of an ethnically diverse community on revitalization? How has the community found its voice?  What role did funders and local government play?  Learn about building community in diverse urban settings and how to encourage diverse emerging leaders to have a voice and to influence the revitalization process.

Session designer: Theresa Cameron, Chief Executive Officer, Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County