The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation is deeply committed to improving the quality of life for all Washington, DC metropolitan area residents. The Foundation responds to community needs and opportunities in the areas of Arts and Humanities, Community Services, Education, the Environment and Health. As a private, independent foundation focused exclusively on the DC region, the Foundation is proud to have supported thousands of organizations since its founding in 1948.
The Foundation is the legacy of Morris Cafritz, an outstanding civic leader known for his generosity to the community. Morris Cafritz established the Foundation in 1948. His wife, Gwendolyn, known for her commitment to women’s rights and civil liberties, was President of the Foundation from 1964 to 1988. Calvin Cafritz, their eldest son, became Board Chairman in 1989 and in 1993, he was elected President and CEO of the Foundation. He served in these roles until 2022, when Jane Lipton Cafritz, his wife, was elected Board Chair and President and CEO.
Since 1970, when electronic record keeping was initiated, awards totaling more than $641 million have been granted. In the last 10 years, $232 million has been awarded to more than 787 organizations in the areas of Arts and Humanities, Community Services, Education, the Environment and Health. The Foundation is committed to improving the quality of life for residents of the Washington, DC area. For more information, please visit www.cafritzfoundation.org.
Individual Winners
Jessica Bress
Strategic Projects Advisor to the Chief of Police
Metropolitan Police Department
Anwar Mahmood
ADA Architect
DC Office of Disability Rights
Dr. Kofi Onumah
Pharmacist
DC Health
Phillip S. Walker
Chief of Recreation for All
Department of Parks and Recreation
Gashaw Woldehanna
Cluster Controller, Government Operations Cluster
Office of the Chief Financial Officer
Team Winners
Team Name: Peer Case Management Institute (PCMI) Team
Department of Human Services
Lindsay Curtin
Policy Analyst, Strategic Planning and Data Division
Rachel Pierre
Interim Director
Miati Taliaferro
Program Analyst, Strategic Planning and Data
Team Name: Low Titer O Whole Blood Program Team
Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department, Office of the Chief Technology Officer
Ryan Elborne
Deputy Fire Chief of EMS
Gabriel Gan
EMS Quality Improvement Analyst
Jeffrey Lenard
Firefighter
Holly O'Byrne
Paramedic/Lieutenant and Whole Blood Coordinator
Dr. David Vitberg
Medical Director
Timothy Hutchinson
Public Safety GIS Analyst
Individual Finalists
Latoya Allen
Supervisory Customer Service Specialist
Child and Family Services Agency
Dr. Perette Arrington
Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Department of Behavioral Health-School Behavioral Health Program
Tamirat Azene
Financial Systems and Accounting Manager
Office of the Chief Financial Officer/Office of Financial Operations and Systems
Tenika Brown
Human Capital Administrator
Department of Public Works
Kandis Catalan
Community Engagement Specialist
Office of City Administrator - Office of Gun Violence Prevention
Latita Faulk-Grant
District Center Site Manager of Southeast Tennis and Learning Center
Department of Parks and Recreation
Wanda Gattison
Metropolitan Police Department Special Assistant
Metropolitan Police Department
Bridget Holliday
Library Technician
DC Public Library
Ty'on Jones
Curbside Services Manager
District Department of Transportation
Jason Juffras
Senior Analyst
Office of the District of Columbia Auditor
Alan Karnofsky
Chief of Staff
Department of General Services
Team Finalists
PSH3 Monitoring and Contracts Team
Department of Human Services, Family Services Administration
Team Members:
Abi Akodu
LaToya Bass
Kara Carmichael
Tawana Holland
LaPortia Jackson
Melanie Newkirk
Eric Ndichu
Tanner Smith
Kim Tenhor
Victor Tommy
The Oasis Incentive Program
Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (DYRS), New Beginnings Youth Development Center
Team Members:
Candice Autry
John Mein
Jeremiah Mungo
Rena Myles
Romita Sillitti
Multimodal Project Delivery Division
District Department of Transportation
Team Members:
Britnee Adams
Noah Bell
Emma Blondin
Lareon Brent
Othman Chebli
Shawn Daniel
Tarifa Faunteroy
William Handsfield
Kendrick Miles
Bethany Turner
Cedar Hill Regional Medical Center GW Health - P3 Project Team
Department of Healthcare Finance
Team Members:
Mitchell Collin
Ranada Cooper
Larissa Etwaroo Bako
Jacob Hambrick
Osei O. Headley
Renee M. Holmes
Lee-Ann Pinkard
Jeff Reiss
Benjamin Stutz
Joseph Tetzloff
The Aston Non-Congregate Facility and Program
Department of Human Services
Team Members:
LoToya N. Bass
Lisa Franklin
Stacia Novella Frederick
Dwayne Gentry
Carmen Hernandez
Christian Howard
Mori Langshaw Sr
Anthony D. Newman
William Stewart
Sakina B. Thompson
Co-Response Team (COR)
Metropolitan Police Department
Team Members:
Akintayo Akintunde
Tiffany Cunningham
Maxwell Davidson
Jonathan Dorrough
Kenya Gaston
Mervin Garber
Brittney George
Melanie Minges
John Muniz
Kevin Smith
Office of Out of School Time Grants and Youth Outcomes Team
Office of the Deputy Mayor for Education
Team Members:
Kevin Cataldo
D’Andre Garrison
Shontia Lowe
Shanna Samson
Marcus Shaw
Mark Weinberger
Reading Clinic Team
DC Public Schools
Team Members:
Dr. Helen Behr
MeQuel Bolden
Erin Dunn
Abigail Klein
Dr. Jasmine Rogers
Claire Sontag
Tiffani Turner
