Eight Black female leaders of nonprofits in the District’s Wards 7 and 8 are recipients of the second cohort of the Chief Executive Leadership Ascend Program (CLEAP), a collaboration of JPMorgan Chase bank, the Center for Nonprofit Advancement (CNA) and the health and wellness-oriented Jane Bancroft Robinson Foundation and will each receive $25,000 for their participation in the program.
CLEAP, who had the first cohort in 2023, is designed to address longstanding funding disparities in the nonprofit ecosystem, which has impacted nonprofits led by people of color and by extension, the communities they serve. Wanda Lockridge, the founder and chairwoman of the William O. Lockridge Community Foundation based in Ward 8, is one of the eight recipients.
“With the $25,000, we are looking to hire a part-time engagement person,” Lockridge told The Informer. “We want to get more people engaged in what we are doing.”
Lockridge is the chief of staff to D.C. Council member Trayon White (D-Ward 8) and has served as the chair of the D.C. Democratic State Committee. Despite her busy schedule at the council and working with the foundation, Lockridge said she will attend the educational workshops that are mandated by the 12-month program and led by the CNA.
“People find ways to do what they want to do,” she said. “When I am not working 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on my job, I am reading and writing to build the foundation.”
Joining Lockridge are Tia E. Bell of the T.R.I.G.G.E.R Project, Ryane B. Nickens of the TraRon Center, Yasmine Arrington-Brooks of ScholarChips Inc., Glory Edim of the Well-Read Black Girl Inc., Ramona Barber of the Fresh Wind Community Development Corporation, Nakeisha Neal Jones of Black Women Thriving East of the River and Nakeda Gilbert of Shining Starz Inc.
Shae Harris, the JPMorgan Chase Mid-Atlantic Marketing manager of Corporate Responsibility, praised the program saying: “we are energized by the growth of the organizations who joined the program last year and the local impact they are making.”
Harris emphasized the impact of the partnership.
“Through our collaboration with the center, we’re able to lift up these women leaders who truly are the engines powering community-driven change in Wards 7 and 8,” she said.
Glen O’Gilvie, CEO of the center, said his organization is proud to participate in the program.
“Our groundbreaking partnership with JPMorgan Chase produced valuable evaluation data, positive outcomes and attracted an investment from the Jane Bancroft Robinson Foundation,” O’Gilvie, 50, said. “We are excited by all that we will accomplish with our second cohort.”