Anna Hargrave has been named the new executive director of the Community Foundation in Montgomery County.
Hargrave takes the helm after serving as the deputy director of the organization since 2010. She replaces C. Marie Taylor, who in August became the CEO of Leadership Montgomery.
“I’m profoundly honored,” Hargrave said. “It’s a unique opportunity and privilege to be able to work with both donors who want to give back and really tremendous organizations who are doing such good work throughout the community.”
The Community Foundation in Montgomery County houses charitable giving funds established by people and organizations, and raises money for nonprofit groups helping people in need in the county. The organization is part of The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region.
Hargrave, 34, has worked at the foundation for nine years, beginning in 2006 as a donor services associate. The Silver Spring resident says in that time the organization has grown in terms of the number of donors and the funds they’ve created or donated to. “We are here to make it so easy and effortless so [donors] can focus on the joyful part of giving,” Hargrave said.
She said her role as director will focus on making sure donors have the tools they need to give to the causes they care about and also to shine a light on the local nonprofits that may not get the attention of more mainstream groups.
“I think a lot of people think of philanthropy as what you do when you retire, when you’ve made it, quote, unquote, but talking to the donors you can tell they gain so much satisfaction from giving,” Hargrave said. “It enriches their lives to invest in the community and the Community Foundation is really the place where everyone can become a philanthropist. You don’t have to be Bill Gates or Warren Buffet.”
“It is always rewarding to promote from within,” Tom Murphy, chairman of the Montgomery County advisory board for the Community Foundation, said in a statement. “Anna has been a key member of the foundation’s team and will continue to advance the Community Foundation in Montgomery County to a bigger and better place.”
Hargrave said she’d like to focus on bringing in more youth voices and highlighting education issues. She pointed to statistics that show while Montgomery County is often considered wealthy, there’s also a significant population of public school students, about 33 percent, who receive free and reduced-price meals—an indicator of poverty.
“We’re looking at making our community more inclusive for kids on the margins,” Hargrave said. “Studies show our community needs to wrap our arms around them in a different way than in the past.”
Editor’s note: Bethesda Beat editor and publisher Steve Hull serves on the advisory board of the Community Foundation in Montgomery County.
