The organizations listed below are part of the 2023 Guide to Giving. Return to the guide’s homepage by clicking here.
Achieving Collegiate Excellence and Success (ACES) – Montgomery College Foundation (acesmontgomery.org) is a collaboration among Montgomery County Public Schools, Montgomery College and The Universities at Shady Grove that provides individualized support and interventions that increase college enrollment and completion among students who are traditionally underrepresented in higher education. The program provides academic coaching, interventions and career experiences to about 2,500 students enrolled in the three institutions each year.
HEADQUARTERED: Rockville
SERVES: Montgomery County
BUDGET: $5,011,362 (MCF); $2,955,834 (ACES)
WHAT A DONATION BUYS:
- $250 helps a student purchase textbooks for one semester.
- $1,000 provides a scholarship that keeps a student working toward their degree.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
- One day: Share your own career story as a guest speaker or offer career shadow experiences.
- Ongoing: Take on an intern at your company.
SSL OPPORTUNITIES: Yes
INTERNSHIPS: Yes
The Barker Adoption Foundation (barkeradoptionfoundation.org) serves all members of the adoption circle, providing ethical, child-centered services that fully respect everyone’s needs. Clients are diverse in age, race, religion, sexual orientation, and socio-economic background. Expectant parents with crisis pregnancies access emotional support, housing and food, education about their options, and connections with community resources. (There are no fees and no one is turned away.) Post-adoption training and counseling are available to anyone—not just to Barker clients.
HEADQUARTERED: Bethesda
SERVES: Montgomery County
BUDGET: $2,890,600
WHAT A DONATION BUYS:
- $100 provides an older foster child with an outing with a mentor.
- $250 provides two post-adoption consultations for a birth parent.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
- Ongoing: Research and office support as well as event support
The Black and Brown Coalition for Educational Equity and Excellence (bandbcoalition.org) strives to ensure that all MCPS students, particularly Black and brown, have equitable access to the resources and opportunities they need to thrive. The Coalition elevates the lived experiences of Black and brown students to inform decision-makers and influence policy and practice at the system level.
HEADQUARTERED: Montgomery County
SERVES: Montgomery County
BUDGET: Under $400,000
WHAT A DONATION BUYS:
- $500 supports coaching for parents to speak out for academic supports their children need.
- $1000-plus supports a community forum for collective action by the Black and brown communities demanding needed system changes, and holding decision-makers accountable for results.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
- Support community forums, both virtual and in person, with translation, interpretation or transportation
SSL OPPORTUNITIES? Yes
INTERNSHIPS? Yes
CollegeTracks (collegetracksusa.org) empowers first-generation-to-college students and students from immigrant and low-income households in Montgomery County, helping them bridge systemic opportunity gaps to get to and through postsecondary education and onto a career pathway. They believe that every student deserves a pathway to prosperity, and that education will help build a brighter future for Montgomery County.
HEADQUARTERED: Silver Spring
SERVES: MCPS high school students and alumni
BUDGET: $2,697,651
WHAT A DONATION BUYS:
- $250 helps one high school senior submit the FAFSA (two hours of support).
- $1,500 provides one year of postsecondary admissions and financial advising for a high school senior (99% are accepted into college/postsecondary education).
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
- Weekly: Help students navigate the postsecondary admissions and financial aid processes; build networks.
Community Bridges (communitybridges-md.org) empowers girls from diverse backgrounds in elementary, middle and high schools to become exceptional students, positive leaders, and healthy young women. Each year, the organization supports more than 500 girls at 20 public schools in discovering their unique identity, voice and potential through leadership development, college and career readiness, family support and mentoring.
HEADQUARTERED: Silver Spring
SERVES: Montgomery County
BUDGET: $979,456
WHAT A DONATION BUYS:
- $250 covers the annual activity fees for 10 girls in the program.
- $1,600 sponsors one girl for the year.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
- One day: Become a volunteer for food/supply delivery or support Community Bridges events
- Monthly: Mentor a high school/middle school girl.
SSL Hours? Yes
Internships? Yes
Crittenton Services of Greater Washington (crittentonservices.org) helps over 1,000 teenage girls annually achieve academic success, make healthy choices and chart their own bright futures. Through proven curricula, Crittenton helps teenage girls believe in their ability to succeed—even in the face of significant challenges. The organization’s programs teach teenage girls to value their education, relationships, and speak up for their needs.
HEADQUARTERED: Silver Spring
SERVES: Metro region
BUDGET: $2,905,924
WHAT A DONATION BUYS:
- $250 provides a parent to attend our workshops on supporting their teen daughter academically and emotionally.
- $1,500 underwrites the costs for a Crittenton teen for an entire year.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
- One day: Help with supply drives for students.
- Ongoing: Serve as an executive adviser or board member.
SSL Hours? Yes
Internships? Yes
Generation Hope (generationhope.org) ensures all student parents have the opportunities to succeed and experience economic mobility. The organization does this by engaging education and policy partners to drive systemic change and providing direct support to teen parents in college as well as their children through holistic, two-generation programming.
HEADQUARTERED: Washington, D.C.
SERVES: Metro region
BUDGET: $6,485,297
WHAT A DONATION BUYS:
- $100 provides culturally relevant, age-appropriate children’s books to build a family’s home library.
- $1,000 ensures that eight scholars can participate in career readiness programming
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
- One day: Resume review, career shadowing, childcare volunteer.
- Ongoing: Mentor, tutor scholars.
INTERNSHIPS: Yes
Girls on the Run of Montgomery County (girlsontherunofmoco.org) supports the idea that any girl can be a runner, and all can benefit from the healthy, empowering experience of running—and racing toward a goal. Committed to inspiring pre-teen girls to respect themselves and their bodies, GOTR combines training for a 5K road race with uplifting workouts and team-building exercises at over 100 elementary and middle schools. Some 5,000 girls from diverse backgrounds join annually, 25% of whom are on free- or reduced-price lunch and cannot participate in most after-school activities because of the expense; for these young athletes, the program is offered at low to no cost (running shoes included).
HEADQUARTERED: Rockville
SERVES: Montgomery County
BUDGET: $1,066,390
WHAT A DONATION BUYS:
• $100 provides supplies for one season for one athlete.
• $500 provides 15 pairs of running shoes.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
- Ongoing: Become a team coach.
- One-time: Support the 5k race.
Horizons Greater Washington (horizonsgreaterwashington.org) is a tuition-free academic and enrichment program serving K-8 students in families from underserved communities in Washington, D.C., and Montgomery County. The organization offers an intensive summer program and school year programming that builds critical skills in reading, math, swimming, and social and emotional development to prepare its students for successful school years and transitions. Horizons is a nine-year program that serves nearly 430 students annually at three sites.
HEADQUARTERED: Washington, D.C.
SERVES: Metro region
BUDGET: $1,621,000
WHAT A DONATION BUYS:
- $100 covers the cost of high-quality classroom supplies, art supplies and books for one student.
- $600 provides swim instruction for three students.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
- Weekly: Serve as a guest speaker, classroom volunteer or tutor.
SSL OPPORTUNITIES: Yes
INTERNSHIPS: Yes
Identity (identity-youth.org) works with Latino and other historically underserved youths and their families, benefiting more than 50,000 residents annually at school, in the community and on playing fields. Identity helps youths develop social-emotional skills, improve at school, and get ready for work, and also provides wraparound services such as case management, nonclinical emotional support and counseling.
HEADQUARTERED: Gaithersburg
SERVES: Montgomery County
BUDGET: $12,163,618
WHAT A DONATION BUYS:
- $100 provides a full semester’s transportation for two workforce clients, enabling them to participate in internships or attend career training.
- $500 trains a cohort of community members to co-facilitate nonclinical emotional support groups, helping neighbors and family cope with anxiety, stress and other difficult emotions.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
- Occasional: Help with backpack drive, sports tournaments and other events during school holidays.
SSL OPPORTUNITIES: Yes
Open Door Sports (opendoorsports.org) is aimed at kids with disabilities and from low-income households who are often left out of the play and confidence-building that after-school sports programs provide. At no cost to families, ODS offers weekly adapted sports classes year-round in which each child is paired with a middle school or high school volunteer peer buddy to play soccer, basketball and bocce. Across warm-up activities, skill development drills and scrimmages, players improve their self-esteem while having fun in an inclusive and supportive environment.
HEADQUARTERED: Kensington
SERVES: Montgomery County
BUDGET: $162,500
WHAT A DONATION BUYS:
- $50 pays for T-shirts for six kids with disabilities.
- $125 buys soccer equipment for three months of adapted soccer programs for 224 children.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
Ongoing: Youth peer buddies program; adult volunteers needed for events.
SSL OPPORTUNITIES: Yes
INTERNSHIPS: Yes