ACG National Capital
Over the last two years, the annual ACG Golf Event has been raising money for an outside charity organization called Capital for Children. The mission of Capital for Children is one that we can all get behind, and the organization’s many philanthropic activities have made a real difference for young people in the National Capital region.
We recently had the opportunity to catch up with Dean D’Angelo, one of the founders and current president of Capital for Children, where he took the time to give us an update about the organization, its mission, and how far they have come since we spoke one year ago.
Here is what Dean had to say:
CGCS: What makes Capital for Children’s approach unique among other charities in the DC-Metro area?
Dean D’Angelo: Capital for Children’s approach is unique because of the way we select and then invest in youth development programs. Our selection process includes a rigorous due diligence review of an organization’s finances and management team. In addition to our financial investment in a nonprofit, we also traditionally take a board seat so we can lend our expertise and network to the organization. We think this board role is beneficial for both parties – it not only allows the nonprofit to leverage the board members’ knowledge and the Capital for Children network, it allows Capital for Children to really understand the issues its investments are facing and look for ways we can utilize our resources in ways that cut across all our investment partners.
CGCS: When we last spoke, you were partnering with Beacon House, Horton’s Kids, Higher Achievement and the Sitar Arts Center. How has activity been in the last year? Have you partnered with any additional associations since then?
Dean D’Angelo: Since last year, we have added three additional nonprofits to our portfolio. We are now also investing in Brainfood, DC Scores and Live It Learn It. These are all great organizations that are using different models to provide academic and leadership training for DC youth.
Brainfood uses food as a tool to build life skills and promotes healthy living in a fun and safe environment. DC Scores builds teams through after-school programs for low-income DC youth by instilling self-expression, physical fitness and a sense of community. Live It Learn It provides rigorous and engaging opportunities for D.C. public school students to experience firsthand the treasures of the nation’s capital. By leveraging the city’s incredible resources as instructional tools, Live It Learn It helps ignite student curiosity and potential.
CGCS: Plenty of time and money have been invested in these organizations. How have they benefited from that support and leadership?
Dean D’Angelo: Over the last several years, the Washington DC area has experienced a contraction in philanthropic funding. The Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Foundations have wound down and individual giving has dropped by almost 10 percent across the region since 2006. Capital for Children’s investments have provided a consistent source of funding during this period of contraction.
In addition, the roles Capital for Children members play as board members in our portfolio investments are often very important for these organizations. The business experience, from finance and accounting, to strategic planning and human resources, as well as the personal network, these are all contributions that serve to directly benefit our investments. We also are currently exploring ways to further leverage the Capital for Children network beyond the individual board members so that we can further bring the expertise of our network to benefit the needs of our investments.
CGCS: How has teaming up with ACG benefited your goals at Capital for Children?
Dean D’Angelo: Our partnership with ACG has really benefited our goals at Capital for Children in several ways. First, your generous contributions from your annual golf tournament help us bring additional resources to our investment partners. This is a great example of two like-minded organizations benefiting from each other’s common interests. Using our due diligence process to make a donation on your part goes directly to the youth development organizations in DC that are already screened and doing great work.
Second, it provides an opportunity for Capital for Children to expand its audience to ACG members. We are working to build our brand throughout the investment and philanthropic communities in the metropolitan DC area. ACG is the perfect partner for us to do that. Your membership is made up of many folks who we hope would like to learn more about Capital for Children and its philanthropic goals.
To learn more about Capital for Children, click HERE