Philanthropy Fellows Join Crimsonbridge During Winter Break

January 2019

Throughout the year, the Crimsonbridge Foundation invites undergraduate and graduate students, interested in philanthropy and the nonprofit sector, to join it’s team as Philanthropy Fellows.  Philanthropy Fellows have short-term paid engagements with the Foundation, working with staff on projects related to its programs and grantmaking in education, leadership, and capacity building.  This January, the Foundation was pleased to welcome two college students, Anne and Gretchen Hundertmark, for several weeks during their winter break.  Both young women used the opportunity to build on their past experiences volunteering in the nonprofit sector and learn more about philanthropy.

A junior at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, Anne attends the Haub School of Business and is majoring in Leadership, Ethics, and Organizational Sustainability and minoring in English.  She is involved in the Dean’s Leadership Program with the Honors College. In the past, Anne interned at Horton’s Kids, a non-profit that supports children and families in Washington, DC.  In the future she hopes to work at a non-profit organization that focuses on children’s education.

During her time interning at Crimsonbridge, Anne conducted research on college and university student support services for first-generation students. This information will be used to support the College Completion Colleagues Initiative, led by Crimsonbridge and the Scheidel Foundation.  “I had the opportunity to experience and contribute to the foundation’s supportive efforts of its grantees. Everyone working at Crimsonbridge is extremely helpful, and always keeps the needs of students and grantees in mind.”

Gretchen, a first-year student at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, is majoring in Architectural Studies and studying Environmental Sciences. In the past she has volunteered at Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research, Last Chance Cat Rescue, and Poplar Springs Animal Sanctuary.  In the future, Gretchen would like to work as an architect building sustainable, low-cost houses for low income families and in disaster relief areas.

While at Crimsonbridge, Gretchen spent her time updating grantee information, setting up the Foundation’s resource library, creating website content, and creating an online map to display the locations, names, and program information of grantees. “Working at Crimsonbridge, I have been able to continue working in the nonprofit sector, while gaining valuable skills and experience necessary for future careers.” said Gretchen. “It is great to know that the projects I have been working on will benefit both the Crimsonbridge Foundation and organizations that are supported by them.”

Increasing Diversity in the Nonprofit Management Executive Certificate Program at Georgetown University

January 2019

Since 2016, the Crimsonbridge Foundation has partnered with Georgetown University’s Center for Public and Nonprofit Leadership (CPNL) on a shared goal to increase outreach to and participation of diverse nonprofit leaders from the Greater Washington region in the Nonprofit Management Executive Certificate Program. The Foundation actively participates in this combined effort as both a partner and a funder, conducting intentional and direct outreach to organizations and providing program scholarships for senior staff of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds. The results of this strategy have been positive and successful. Over the past three years, the percentage of program participants from diverse backgrounds has increased by 36%.

Danielle M. Reyes, Executive Director of the Crimsonbridge Foundation, states the success and impact of the partnership is a result of more than funding alone: “Our hope is that by working with partners and deploying the foundation’s team, network, and funding resources, we can support the development goals of individual leaders and the building of a more diverse and representative landscape of nonprofit leadership in the D.C. region.”

To learn more about this innovative partnership, we invite you to follow the link below to read the report, “Three-Year Partnership with Crimsonbridge Foundation Leads to More Diversity and New Scholarships in Certificate Program,” written by Georgetown University’s Center for Public and Nonprofit Leadership.