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The Team

National Board

Lisa Wise

CEO, Chief Flockster

Marla M. Dean, Ed.D

Board President

André Robert Lee

Director • Producer • Keynote Speaker • Teacher

Jonathan McNair

Deputy Chief of Staff to Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie at Council of the District of Columbia

Pavan Khoobchandani

General Counsel & Secretary

Jeff David

President: Align Hospitality

Community Advisors

Harrison Beacher

Managing Partner, Coalition Properties Group, Keller Williams Capital Properties

HARRY CHRISTIAN III

Development Director for the Washington Area Office at United Negro College Fund (UNCF)

NATASHA BONHOMME

CEO : Expecting Health

JOANNA HA YEAN SHIN

Project Manager on the Real Estate Team at Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing

ONYINYECHI AN

Community Advocate

LaToya Fowler

Realtor, Keller Williams Elite

Terinee Bonds

Realtor, Keller Williams

Kayla Baker

Founder and Principal, Ryse Local Ventures

Tatiana Torres

VP of Public Affairs at SKDKnickerbocker

MIRNA (LUPI) QUINTEROS-GRADY

President, CEO : Latin American Youth Center

RAHSAAN BERNARD

President, Building Bridges Across the River

DIEGO MARISCAL

Founder, 2Gether-International

Dr. Julie Lopez

Founder of Viva Partnership

PAOLA MOYA

Founder, CEO : Moya Design Partners

Ruby Taylor

Founder: Legacy! Card Game & Financial Joy School

Frederick Hill

The Hill Group

RONNIE GALVIN

Managing Director : The Community Foundation

Asila Calhoun

Calhoun Coaching & Consulting

KOUBE NGAAJE, M.A.

Executive Director : District Alliance for Safe Housing

Larry Waddell

EVP Digital Marketing at Seer interactive

Torrence S. Traynham

President + Chief Talent Officer: D9 Resume Exchange

Stacie Whisonant

Equitable Financial Innovator

Alicia Sokol

Owner: barre3

VERNÉ DIXON

Senior Director of Business Operations, Shared Support, Inc.

EBONY HARRIS

CEO and Founder, Principals with Principles, LLC

ERICKA TAYLOR

Grassroots Activist / Writer / Critic

Ayesha M. Hudson

Chief Executive Officer of A-Peace, LLC,

Greg Reaves

Founder and co-owner of Mosaic Development

ASMARA SIUM

Co-owner : Creative Grounds DC

Lateefah Durant

Vice President of Innovation at CityWorks DC

Natalie Dallard

Director of the Evidence Based Practice and Innovation Center at Community Behavioral Health

The Team

Dane Denson

Director of Inspections

Grace Langham

President, Flock DC

Kendall Grant

Senior Leasing Specialist

Leslie Case

Executive Director

Steph Toler

Nest CEO

Chelsey Kelly

Vice President, Roost

Lydia La Motta

Director of Engagement

Veronica Vivas

Chief People Officer

Laura van de Geijn

Vice President, Flock

Jason Lewis

Director of Client Success

We are proud to partner with Flock and welcome birdSEED into the Greater Washington Community Foundation family. This program comes at a time when our region, and our nation, is reckoning with its past and searching for solutions to address the history of discriminatory policies that Black and Brown folks have endured in our communities. We look forward to working with our community to grow the seed of this work to a scale that matches the disparities we see and the aspirations we share for a racially equitable and just region.

Tonia Wellons - President + CEO, The Greater Washington Community Foundation

About

Our housing justice program offers down payment grants to qualifying BIPOC first time home buying residents in the DC and Philadelphia areas. Awards range from $5,000 to $15,000 and grants are made multiple times per year until funds are expended.

The application/review process is straight forward and uncomplicated.

Our Board of Advisors reviews applications, interviews finalists and identifies grantees. This is a partnership with the Greater Washington Community Foundation who supports the administrative complexity so we can very simply help people buy homes. *

Applicants must identify as one of the following: American Indian, Indigenous, Alaska Native, Asian, Pacific Islander, Black, African American, Hispanic or Latinix birdSEED has made 29 provisional grants to date. The total grant pool available was $215,000. Additional funds have been raised from supportive community members who shared our vision of simple, no strings financial down payment grants that accelerate the home buying process. If you are positioned to give, please do. Needs are great, resources are limited and your help is essential.

Contact info