28 Days of Black Nonprofit Leaders: Terri Lee Freeman

February 26, 2010 | 28 Days of Black Nonprofit Leaders, African Americans, Philanthropy

Terri Freeman

Terri Lee Freeman is the President of The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region in Washington, DC.

From the Venture Philanthropy Partners website:

Terri Lee Freeman was appointed president of The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region (The Community Foundation) in July 1996. As president, Freeman is responsible for providing thought leadership and furthering the mission of The Community Foundation to facilitate individual, family, and organizational giving at all levels to improve the quality of life in the metropolitan Washington region. Since joining The Community Foundation, Freeman has led its growth from $52 million to more than $200 million in assets. The Community Foundation is the largest funder of local nonprofit organizations in the metropolitan Washington region. She has been at the forefront of regional philanthropy in Washington, housing two affiliate community foundations – Montgomery County Community Foundation and Prince George’s Community Foundation. Under her leadership the foundation has been instrumental in focusing attention and grant dollars on bridging differences between race, class, ethnicity, gender, and age, managing the only funding collaborative in the region focused on immigrant and inter-group issues. Additionally, The Community Foundation has spearheaded a youth philanthropy initiative in Washington, DC and Montgomery County, Maryland. Immediately following September 11th, The Community Foundation established the Survivors’ Fund as an LLC, the largest devoted to the needs of the victims and families of the attack on the Pentagon, with more than $16 million in contributions recorded.

Prior to joining The Community Foundation, she was the founding executive director of the Freddie Mac Foundation, one of the five largest corporate foundations in the metropolitan Washington region. Washingtonian magazine recently identified Freeman as one of the 100 Most Powerful Women in Washington. A graduate of the 1996 class of Leadership Washington, Freeman serves on the board of directors of The Charity Lobbying in the Public Interest and Venture Philanthropy Partners; and is a member of the planning committee of the Potomac Conference; co-chair of the Potomac Conference’s Task Force on Regional Emergency Preparedness; and a member of the Strategy Group for New Ventures in Philanthropy. Additionally, she has served on the advisory board of the Washington, DC office of the Children’s Defense Fund and the board of directors of the National Association of Child Advocates. She is a past chair of the Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers as well as past chair of the board of directors of the Association of Black Foundation Executives. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in journalism/communication arts from the University of Dayton and received a master’s degree in organizational communication management from Howard University. She is married to the Reverend Bowyer Freeman and has three daughters.