Community Anchors East of the River

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INTRODUCTION

Nonprofit organizations are vital players in promoting the health and well-being of local communities (Grønbjerg and Paarlberg 2001). Not only do many nonprofits serve as physical community anchors by providing places for residents to meet and visual evidence that organizations are willing to invest in local areas (see Walker 2002), but they also supply a host of services and programs, such as child care, job training, arts and cultural activities, and many more (Boris 1999). The importance of nonprofit organizations is particularly evident in the District of Columbia. Indeed, nonprofits are located in every neighborhood in the District, where they help working families to make ends meet, assist low- income families in improving their economic status, and even provide political voice to D.C. residents.

There is substantial research on nonprofit activity in the District and the surrounding metropolitan region. For example, De Vita, Manjarrez, and Twombly (1999) examined nonprofit networks in Columbia Heights, Marshall Heights, and Washington Highlands, as well as the spatial connection between poverty and the location of nonprofit human service organizations (De Vita, Manjarrez, and Twombly 2000). More recently, the Urban Institute undertook a study of local nonprofit resources for children and youth (Twombly 2004a, 2004b; Twombly and Auer 2004), and, with Johns Hopkins University, a study of the economic activity of nonprofits in the region (Twombly and Auer 2005a, 2005b; Salamon and Geller 2005). Taken together, these studies show a large and vibrant nonprofit sector that contains a mix of locally focused and national and international charities.

Despite this array of research, there is no systematic information on the nonprofit activity at the ward level in the District. As a corrective step, the Urban Institute undertook a project to provide the members of the Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers (WG) with a detailed directory and analysis of the nonprofit organizations that are located in Wards 7 and 8—geographic areas of the District that hold particular interest for the WG's East of the River Task Force. This report provides the empirical results of the project and supplies much needed information on where nonprofits are located in the two wards, what they do, and from where they receive their resources. Such information can help to facilitate more effective grantmaking by identifying the full range of possible nonprofit grantees and organizational resources.

Note: This report is available in its entirety in the Portable Document Format (PDF).

The nonpartisan Urban Institute publishes studies, reports, and books on timely topics worthy of public consideration. The views expressed are those of the authors and should not be attributed to the Urban Institute, its trustees, or its funders.

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