Prince George’s Community Foundation: 25 years of history & impact

Prince George’s County has a long history of philanthropy. That rich history and culture expanded even further when, in 1998, the Prince George’s Community Foundation – which had for many years functioned as a freestanding organization – merged with the Greater Washington Community Foundation. In the ensuing 25 years, the affiliate (now known as a local office) has deployed more than $65 million to Prince George’s nonprofits that help advance residents’ economic mobility.

Now, as in the past, “our mission is not only compelling but essential – to help, support, and bring people together to ensure the least among us are provided for,” said Artis Hampshire-Cowan, a long-standing Advisory Board member along with community leaders like William Shipp, Kwasi Holman, Rev. Rufus Lusk III, and the late County Executive Wayne K. Curry, among others. A proud Prince Georgian, Hampshire-Cowan is not only a decades-long Advisory Board member but a donor and regional Trustee who has watched The Community Foundation grow into an essential pillar of the community since she first learned of the organization more than 20 years ago.

Soon after the 1998 merger, the board hired Desiree Griffin to lead the affiliate. “Desiree believed deeply in the county’s potential to make a difference, not only locally but regionally,” said Amina Anderson, a longtime staff member and consultant. Griffin created the office’s infrastructure, established its programmatic direction, and built its capacity to grow.

From its earliest days, the local office helped numerous businesses establish and manage their philanthropic investments to create benefits for the local communities they serve. The LEARN Foundation (Landover Educational Athletic Recreational Nonprofit), for instance, was originally created in 1996 as part of a community benefit agreement between Washington football team owner Jack Kent Cooke and Wayne Curry as part of the construction of FedEx Field. As a component fund, LEARN has awarded close to $1 million in scholarships to Prince George’s County students living in the neighborhoods surrounding the stadium and to community organizations that serve them both.

In 2007, generous philanthropists Milt and Carolyn Peterson together with their family created the National Harbor Community Outreach Grant Fund. Housed at The Community Foundation, the $3.5 million fund distributed $350,000 annually to Prince George’s County nonprofit organizations from the Peterson Companies, developer of the National Harbor project. A decade later, MGM National Harbor named The Community Foundation as a beneficiary of its community benefit agreement with Prince George’s County. This agreement enables The Community Foundation to distribute $150,000 in annual grants through the Sharing Prince George’s initiative.  

Also under Griffin’s leadership, in 2008 the Partnership for Prince George’s County was established to build the leadership and capacity of Prince George’s nonprofits. Today, “groups funded in the early days of the Partnership are some of the most established institutions in Prince George’s County – groups such as FAME, First Generation College Bound, Joe’s Movement Emporium, and The Training Source,” said Anderson – further evidence that the strong foundation that was laid 25 years ago helped pave the way for today’s ongoing commitment to building a racially equitable, just, and thriving county where every person prospers.