Mission and Values:
Washington Grantmakers is a membership organization serving philanthropies living, working, and/or investing in the Washington, D.C. region. It helps identify, support, and advance effective leadership in the philanthropic sector; acts as an advocate for the collective philanthropic community; and is committed to identifying innovative forms of philanthropy, promoting new models and approaches to community needs, and sharing best practices among its members.

Purpose of Site:
The Washington Grantmakers' Web site provides information and resources to area grantmakers and grantseekers, as well as an overview of the region's general philanthropic landscape. Also, members of the organization can use the site to find other groups with similar interests and create working groupsand funding collaborativesto advance their collective goals.

Home Page:
The home page sports a sleek design with the Washington Grantmakers logo on the left side of the page and a semicircle on the right, where the categories of the Web site are neatly arranged. The site's main sections include: About Washington Grantmakers, Get Connected, Give Effectively, Best Practices in Philanthropy, News & Reports, Programs & Training, Grantmaker Resources, Grantseeker Resources, Member Services, and Employment Opportunities. In the center of the page is a link called Response to September 11that leads to information on the D.C. area's philanthropic response to the terrorist attacks.

Background:
The members of Washington Grantmakers include independent foundations, community foundations, operating foundations, charitable trusts, corporate foundations, and corporate giving programs. Leaders from this diverse membership base guide the organization by serving on its board of directors. Washington Grantmakers also has a staff of six full-time professionals with expertise in grants and contract management, technology development, database management, communications, program development, and nonprofit management.

Washington Grantmakers has increasingly used its Web site to provide resources to grantmakers and nonprofits in the D.C. area. Visitors to the site can download common grant application formsthat are accepted by a number of grantmakers in the area. The organization also provides information that helps nonprofits complete proposalsand grantmakers evaluateprograms that have utilized their funding. In addition, the site has a job bankof available nonprofit-sector positions in the area.

Outstanding Feature:
Washington Grantmakers has responded quickly and efficiently to the terrorist attacks of September 11 and has acted as a clearinghouse of what philanthropy in the D.C. region is doing. In October, it issued the "The Washington Region's Philanthropic Response to September 11th" report, which includes information from 140 area grantmakers and is available on the organization's Web site. The report provides examples of grantmakers' activities in the aftermath of the tragedy and discusses the impact on the region's nonprofit sector. It also announced that a broad coalition of funders and nonprofits would join together in the coming months to execute a public education and action campaign to increase giving and volunteering in the region after September 11.

In addition to the report, the Washington Grantmakers' site provides a list of fundsthat have been set up in the D.C. region to respond to September 11. The list, which can be downloaded from the Web site, includes the name of the fund, its supporting organization, who the fund will benefit, and the appropriate contact information.

Honorable Mention:
The Washington Grantmakers' Web site offers public and private discussion groupsto help grantmakers share their experiences. Its private online discussions are password protected and for members only. Other resources worth exploring on the site include the Give Effectivelysection, which explains the tax benefits of different approaches to charitable giving and helps those new to philanthropy set up funds. Recommended reading sections for grantmakers, grantseekers, and those interested in general philanthropy are also found throughout the site.