How The Charities Are Chosen

Currently, over 100 individuals evaluate applications (submitted online in January and February) for distinction, merit, and impact. Every finalist has been "site visited" by at least one reviewer; some by as many as five. Our accounting firm, RAFFA, PC, reviews the 990 filings, audited financials, and other key financial indicators of all finalists to ensure financial viability and transparency.

Reviewers

The following foundations, nonprofit organizations, corporations, institutions, and individuals participated in the selection process in 2011-12:

AARP Foundation (Maggie Biscarr, Walter D Woods)
ACT for Alexandria (John Porter)
Ann Matikan Enterprises (Ann Matikan)
ASB Capital Management (Shepard Burr)
Baker Tilly/Beers + Cutler (Raina Rose Tagle)
Booz Allen Hamilton (Lynne Filderman, Joseph TN Suarez)
Capital Partners for Education (Khari Brown)
Catalogue for Philanthropy: Greater Washington (Julia Harman Cain, Hannah Lardent, Nancy Swartz)
Center for Public and Nonprofit Leadership (Kathy P Kretman)
CGI Federal (Kathleen Landers)
CityBridge Foundation (Mieka F Wick)
Class Acts Arts (Joan Burns)
Claude and Nancy Keener Charitable Fund (Nancy Keener)
Cleveland Coaching Group (Karen Cleveland)
Community Foundation for the National Capital Region
(Sarah Looney Oldmixon, Silvana Straw)
Consumer Health Foundation (Rachel Wick)
Cultural Development Corporation (Anne Corbett)
DC Government (Pat Henry)
Deloitte (Peter Cutler)
EagleBank (Sydnee Stein)
Fairfax County Government Office of Public Private Partnerships
(Patricia Stevens)
The Fehlig Group (Mary Fehlig)
Foundation Center (Patricia Pasqual)
George Mason University - Nonprofit Management Program (Alan Abramson)
Get Out and Give Back (Jane Hess Collins)
Giving Circle of HOPE (Linda Strup)
Global Fund for Children (Sarah Ireland Modica)
Good Shepherd Housing & Family Services (Shannon Steene)
Healthy Alexandria Giving Circle (Lynn O’Connell)
Homestretch (Christopher Fay)
The Hunt Rice Family Foundation (Laura Hunt)
Individuals (Sylvia Kidder Barry, Laura Choi, Betsy Duff, Kathy DeBoe,
Anne Eigeman, Kenny Emson, Lisa Kays, Erica Pressman, Susan Sanow,
Diane Schwartz, Robert Siciliano, Ann VanDusen,
Jonelle Stachura Wallmeyer)
John Edward Fowler Memorial Foundation (Suzanne Martin)
Jovid Foundation (Bob Wittig)
Jump Start Growth, Inc (Paul Jolly)
Laura Forman Communications LLC (Laura Forman)
Leadership Greater Washington (Tim Kime)
Life’s Work, LLC (Joy Bates Boyle)
Lipman Hearne (Adam Shapiro)
Live It Learn It (Matthew Wheelock)
Local Initiatives Support Corporation (Oramenta Newsome)
Lois & Richard Engand Family Foundation & Jacob &
Charlotte Lehrman Foundation (Julia Baer-Cooper)
Luther I Replogle Foundation (Gwenn Gebhard)
Many Hands (Sydney Bath, Susie Berenson, Leslie Lawley, Noni Lindahl)
Marymount University (Kathleen Zeifang)
Mead Family Foundation (Holli Rivera)
Meyer Foundation (Karen Fitzgerald, Carmen James Lane,
Rick Moyers, Danielle M Reyes)
Microfinance Information Exchange (Christine Pieper)
Montgomery County Office of Community Partnerships (Bruce Adams)
Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation (Karen Kinney, Debbi Lindenberg,
Mary Mulcahy, Tobi Printz-Platnick)
Morrison Nonprofit Transitions (Katherine Morrison)
Naomi and Nehemiah Cohen Foundation (Alison McWilliams)
National Center for Family Philanthropy (Susan Price)
Nonprofit Montgomery, an affiliate of the Nonprofit Roundtable of
Greater Washington (Hope Burness Gleicher)
Northern Virginia Health Foundation (Patricia Mathews)
Open Window Creative Strategies LLC (Amy K Harbison)
Organization Guidance Group (Phyllis M Rumbarger)
Otto-Whalley Family Foundation (Judy Whalley)
Pepco Holdings, Inc. /PEPCO (Pamela D Holman)
Perry Center (Paul McElligot)
Polinger Family Foundation (Margaret Siegel)
PortSmith Creations (Donna Purchase)
Potomac Conservancy (Hedrick Belin)
Prince Charitable Trusts (Kristin Pauly)
RAFFA, PC (Jimena Ryan)
Richard E and Nancy P Marriott Foundation (Nancie Suzuki)
Rosso Writing LLC (Betsy Rosenblatt Rosso)
Safe Shores – The DC Children’s Advocacy Center (Michele Booth Cole)
Sarah’s Circle (James Brigl)
Septima Clark Public Charter School (Ned Mandel)
Share Our Strength (Suzy Twohig)
Small Act Network (Casey Golden, Kate Hays)
Sterling Martin Associates (Virginia Record)
STRIVE DC (Chris Hart-Wright, Michele Crosby)
TD Bank (Donna F Grigsby)
The Theatre Lab School of the Dramatic Arts (Deb Gottesman)
Top Banana Home Delivered Groceries (Jean Guiffre, Phyllis Courlander)
Trawick Foundation (Carol Trawick)
TTR Sotheby’s International Realty (Jennifer Hammond)
Verizon (Pamela Leftrict)
Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless (Patricia Mullahy Fugere,
Laura Russello)
Washington Performing Arts Society (Doug Wheeler)
Washington Grantmakers (Gretchen Greiner-Lott)
A Wider Circle (Pam Feinstein)
Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts (Beth Brummel)

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Financial Review by RAFFA, PC: Tom Raffa along with Zeynep Camlibel,
Maribel De La Cruz, Stacy Lee, Peter Lischick, Abhishek Saini