Dear Colleagues,

As I look back on my first six months with the Foundation, it seems like a good time to share some reflections with you about the Program, and my aspirations for 2025.

In June, our new Community Engagement Program in the Chesapeake region began, the mission of which is to address systemic inequities for communities on Maryland’s Eastern Shore and in Lancaster County, PA. Before I was hired, the Foundation was forming early partnerships with nonprofits targeting youth and workforce development. Adding to our network, I embarked on new conversations with over 100 community leaders, from nonprofit executive directors to health professionals to artists. I learned about extraordinary work being done to address an even broader set of needs, including:

• Food Security
• Community Justice
• Equitable Access to the Arts
• Early Childhood Education
• Preservation of Cultural Heritage of Racial & Ethnic Minorities
• Mental Health Services

This journey of deep listening reaffirmed our decision not to prescribe specific focus areas for the Community Engagement Program at this time. We want to be vigilant and respond to needs as they evolve. It also came as no surprise to hear about the challenges to accessing unrestricted funding, so we are shaping the Program around a general operating support model.

I also see a need for us to be flexible with our geographic boundaries. We initially focused on four counties on the Eastern Shore (Dorchester, Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester) plus Lancaster County, but many organizations in these regions serve populations well beyond their county line. This has led me to think more fluidly about how we define our funding criteria.

Ten organizations have recently been invited to submit proposals under the Community Engagement Program. By June 2025, I anticipate having over 40 grantee partners in the Program. I have also joined community advisory committees and funder collaboratives.

In addition to supporting individual nonprofits through our annual grants cycle, we plan to use our resources in partnership with other community leaders and funders to address larger systemic challenges for vulnerable populations, like access to transportation, legal aid, and employment opportunities throughout the Chesapeake region.

Best Regards,

Kenneth Turner
Program Director, Community Engagement