Announcing the 134 Critical Local Nonprofits in the Spur Local 2023-24 Class

View this as a PDF.

Spur Local, formerly the Catalogue for Philanthropy, is proud to announce the 134 nonprofits in our 2023 Class, the 21^st class of nonprofit partners in our organization’s history and the 1^st class since we rebranded as Spur Local! From enriching the arts scene to protecting our local environment to supporting families, these 134 organizations are highly trusted as critical nonprofits in the Greater Washington region.

Every year, Spur Local engages a team of 150+ volunteers who live or work here — at local foundations, peer nonprofits, and more — as part of our rigorous application and selection process that includes a program and financial review, as well as a site visit.

“Recognizing and amplifying the impact of organizations like the ones in our new class is at the very heart of Spur Local,” said Matt Gayer, Executive Director of Spur Local. “These small nonprofits are creating local and hyperlocal change on a community-level. The significance of that for our region, and as a model for other regions, cannot be overstated.”

Over the next four years, the 134 organizations listed below will receive free skill- and network-building resources from Spur Local, in addition to being highlighted on Spur Local’s website, social media, blog, and at events. The 89 print nonprofit partners will also be featured in the annual print and digital Catalog, a Spur Local publication.

Join Us in Supporting Local Nonprofits

• Congratulate the 2023 Class by sending them an email, giving them a shoutout on social media, or donating!
• Add your name to our mailing list to receive a complimentary copy of The Catalog when it is released on November 1, 2023.
• Celebrate our new class and brand at Dacha Navy Yard on July 25.
• Officially meet the 2023 Class at Community Changemakers, our annual festival of social impact, on November 8.

PRINT CATALOG

Culture

Performing, Literary & Visual Arts

Atlas Performing Arts Center

CapitalBop

Capitol Movement, Inc.

Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts and Culture, Inc.

Humanities DC

Studio Acting Conservatory

Synetic Theater

Tephra Institute of Contemporary Art

The Actors’ Center

Thomas Circle Singers

Visionaries of the Creative Arts (VOCA)

Youth & Community Arts

American Youth Philharmonic Orchestras

Art Works Studio School, Inc

CapoeiraDC

Children’s Chorus of Washington

DC Arts and Humanities Education Collaborative

InterAct Story Theatre

Sitar Arts Center

Words Beats and Life

Education

Mentorship & College Access

BEST Kids

College Bound, Inc

Future Link, Inc.

Institute for East African Councils on Higher Education (IEA Councils)

ScholarCHIPS, Inc.

Adult Literacy & Learning

Literacy Council of Frederick County, Inc.

English Empowerment Center (formerly Literacy Council of Northern Virginia)

Youth Education & Enrichment

All Ages Read Together

City Gate

District of Columbia Students Construction Trades Foundation

Edu-Futuro

EmpowerEd

Higher Achievement

Kid Power, Inc

LearnServe International

Main Street Child Development Center

PAVE Inc.

Read Early And Daily

The Ellington Fund

The Latino Student Fund

Touching Heart

Urban Adventure Squad

Women Empowered To Achieve The impossible (WETATi)

Human Services

Basic Needs, Food & Housing

Arlington Thrive

Breadcoin Foundation Ltd

Dreaming Out Loud, Inc.

Hope and a Home

Hope Multiplied

Housing Options & Planning Enterprises, Inc.

Children, Youth & Families

Fihankra Akoma Ntoaso (FAN)

Heartly House, Inc.

Homeless Children’s Playtime Project

Open Door Sports

Rainbow Families

Second Story

Wanda Alston Foundation

Community & Civic Engagement

Collective Action for Safe Spaces

DC Peace Team

Empower DC

Harriet’s Wildest Dreams

President Lincoln’s Cottage

Progressive Maryland

Serve Your City/Ward 6 Mutual Aid

Voices for a Second Chance

Girls & Women

Community Bridges, Inc.

DC Abortion Fund

Friends of Guest House

Reset180

Health, Wellness & Senior Services

American Muslim Senior Society

Joseph’s House

NAMI Montgomery County

Recovery Cafe DC

Silver Spring Village, Inc.

Immigrant & Refugee Services

Immigration & Refugee Outreach Center

REACT DC

Legal Services & Justice Programs

Community Legal Services of Prince George’s County, Inc.

DC Appleseed Center for Law and Justice

Free Minds Book Club & Writing Workshop

Piedmont Dispute Resolution Center

Life Skills, Training & Employment

BroadFutures

Crossroads Jobs

The Training Source, Inc.

Veterans & Military Families

Dog Tag Bakery Inc.

Nature

Environment & Animal Services

Anacostia Watershed Society

Chesapeake Natives

City Wildlife, Inc.

ECO City Farms

Friends of Anacostia Park

Montgomery Countryside Alliance

Rock Creek Conservancy

WEB RE-FEATURED NONPROFITS

Culture

Performing, Literary & Visual Arts

Creative Cauldron

Encore Stage & Studio

The Dance Institute of Washington, Inc.

Youth & Community Arts

Action Youth Media (formerly Gandhi Youth Media Brigade)

The MusicianShip

Traveling Players Ensemble

Education

Mentorship & College Access

First Generation College Bound

Youth Education & Enrichment

Little Lights Urban Ministries

Reading Partners

Human Services

Basic Needs, Food & Housing

ALIVE!

Fellowship Square Foundation

Housing Unlimited Inc.

Kids In Need Distributors Inc

Lorton Community Action Center

Children, Youth & Families

Arlington Pediatric Center

Fairfax Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA)

Family & Youth Initiative

Girls on the Run NOVA

Teens Run DC

Tracy’s Kids

Community & Civic Engagement

Compass Pro Bono – Greater Washington

D.C. Policy Center

The DC Center for the LGBT Community (DBA Metro DC Community Center, Inc.)

Volunteer Fairfax

Health, Wellness & Senior Services

Capitol Hill Village

CaringMatters, Inc.

Prevention of Blindness Society of Metropolitan Washington

Smith Center for Healing and the Arts

Stroke Comeback Center

Legal Services & Justice Programs

Court Watch Montgomery, Inc.

Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project

Veterans & Military Families

Hero Dogs, Inc.

Operation Second Chance

Our Military Kids

Nature

Environment & Animal Services

City Dogs Rescue

Dumbarton Oaks Park Conservancy

GROWTH PARTNERS OVER $4 MILLION BUDGETS

Academy of Hope Adult Public Charter School

AppleTree Institute for Education Innovation

Bright Beginnings, Inc.

Building Bridges Across the River

District Alliance for Safe Housing (DASH)

Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School

Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Washington, DC

The Washington School for Girls

The Women’s Center

Driving Greater Civic Engagement — Catalogue for Philanthropy Rebrands as Spur Local

Washington, DC — The Catalogue for Philanthropy is thrilled to announce that it is rebranding as Spur Local, beginning a new chapter in the organization’s 20-year history of supporting critical nonprofits that work to strengthen the Greater Washington region.

Since 2003, Spur Local has connected thousands of DC residents with the hundreds of small, community-based nonprofits in their neighborhoods that have limited capacity to share their stories more widely. Through The Catalog, Spur Local’s annual print and digital publication, these nonprofits reach new supporters across the region who want a streamlined, purposeful way to engage.

Beyond raising their visibility, Spur Local has also become the region’s largest capacity builder for small nonprofits, training 20,000+ nonprofit participants since 2020. Spur Local provides resources tailored for small teams and budgets that amplify their strengths, open doorways to additional support, and sustain their long-term work in values-aligned ways.

Spur Local’s new brand reflects the evolution of the organization and its commitment to equity, collaboration, resiliency, empowerment, and community. Over the past two decades, Spur Local has seen grassroots organizations nimbly addressing the needs of local communities by working with them to make a real difference.

“At Spur Local, we look at systemic change as an ecosystem in which everyone plays an important role,” said Matt Gayer, Executive Director of Spur Local. “In our region alone, there are multiple grassroots movements advancing change. Spur Local’s role is to facilitate the critical connections that strengthen this ongoing work and empower all community members to act as the change agents they are.”

“We at Spur Local believe in the power of hyperlocal efforts and are excited to move forward with this passion and advocacy reflected in our new brand.”

About Spur Local

As the Greater Washington region’s only locally-focused guide to giving, Spur Local believes in the power of small nonprofits to spark big change together. Since 2003, Spur Local has raised more than $57 million from 10,000+ supporters for its network of 400+ critical local nonprofits, who are selected every year in a community-driven process led by 170+ local volunteers. Through its capacity building programs, Spur Local has trained 20,000+ nonprofit professionals, strengthening their skills as individuals and their relationships as organizations.