DowntownDC Foundation
1275 K Street NW Suite 1000
Washington DC 20005
(202) 638-3232
foundation@downtowndc.org
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About
Us
Our
Mission
We serve and celebrate our vibrant and diverse DowntownDC community by providing homeless services, revitalizing parks, and enhancing public spaces and experiences.
The Foundation is a 501(c)3 organization created to directly address four core areas:
- Franklin Park: The transformation of DowntownDC’s largest green space into a premier urban park, which is operated and managed by the BID
- Homeless Services: Support and services for individuals experiencing homelessness, including those offered at the Downtown Day Services Center
- Public Space Revitalization: Infrastructure improvements to additional parks, plazas and public spaces through art and other means
- Events and Programming: Cultural and social impact programming, building on existing community offerings
Who
We Are
Resources for the DowntownDC community and public space are currently limited to the DowntownDC BID, the DC Government and National Park Service for federal spaces. The DowntownDC Foundation creates a new way for the private sector, individuals and non-profit partners to get involved and join together in support of homeless services, public space revitalization, and cultural and social impact programming.
Our
Vision
Our vision of the DowntownDC community is a vibrant, inclusive neighborhood reflective of a world-class destination. We are driven to activate DowntownDC’s unique spaces and enhance a community that meet the needs of our diverse stakeholders – from those experiencing homelessness to our building owners, residents, DowntownDC workforce, and visitors from around the world. We believe that each of these stakeholders plays a vital role in the future of our DowntownDC community and we respect and celebrate the diversity of their background, experience, and perspective. As such, the DowntownDC Foundation does not solicit funds or accept support from organizations or individuals aligned with racial, gender, or sexual discrimination or intolerance.
History of the DowntownDC BID
The DowntownDC Business Improvement District (BID) was founded in 1997 and is a private non-profit organization that provides capital improvements, resources and research that keep the BID area clean, safe, and economically and environmentally strong and accessible. The BID is a catalyst, facilitator and thought leader in diversifying the economy, promoting public/private partnerships and enhancing the downtown experience for all. This special district, where property owners have agreed to tax themselves to fund services, encompasses a 138-block area of approximately 520 properties from Massachusetts Avenue on the north to Constitution Avenue on the south, and from Louisiana Avenue on the east to 16th Street on the west.
The DowntownDC BID employs Safety/Hospitality and Maintenance ambassadors, also known as SAMs, who keep streets clean, safe and friendly and assist residents, workers and visitors with a variety of needs. Administrative and management staff are experienced and knowledgeable individuals who share a passion and vision for improving the physical, economic and social environment in DowntownDC.
History of the DowntownDC Foundation
The BID formed a Foundation in 2011 to serve as a vehicle for philanthropic initiatives aligned with the BID’s mission, officially called the DowntownDC Business Improvement District Foundation. While the Foundation remained relatively dormant for a few years, a 2017 strategic planning process for the BID uncovered certain priorities that were aligned with a case for philanthropic support:
- The Reinvention of Franklin Park
- Homeless Services, including the opening of a Downtown Day Services Center
- Cultural and Social Impact Programs and Events, and
- Public Space Revitalization
In February 2019, the Downtown Day Services Center opened, federal and District agreements were finalized to renovate Franklin Park, and soon after in October 2019, the DowntownDC Foundation officially launched to the public.
In 2020, the Foundation had planned to focus on its two main program areas of homeless services and Franklin Park, but instead became a crucial player in the BID’s ability to support vulnerable populations during COVID-19, supplying food, winter clothing items and PPE, creating an outdoor weekend services program and providing more basic services for individuals experiencing homelessness.
