Our Purpose

Established in 1998, The Schimel Lode is a component fund of the Community Foundation for the National Capital Region. As of 2009, we offer an annual, $10,000-20,000 seed grant to encourage innovation and collaboration for the public good in the Washington, DC area. In addition to the grant, our Board members may provide free consultations to assist with related implementation, evaluation and promotion.

The grant is available, but not limited to:

individuals
social entrepreneurs
groups
nonprofits
partnerships, collaborations and alliances

Focus and Examples

The Schimel Lode believes in the power of ideas and processes that make a positive difference by helping people thrive. We are especially interested in collaborative and interdisciplinary ways to build on innate strengths of individuals in groups, organizations and communities; the purpose is to promote human development and self-sufficiency. We know most viable ideas are shaped, even enhanced, by attention to practical limits and obtainable resources. In contrast, our focus is supporting fresh and catalytic, even risky and audacious, approaches that could promise concrete benefits.

These examples are offered to spark your ideas, not dictate them.

Create innovative ways to promote progress of clients and other stakeholders for whom social programs or supports generally fail or are not available.
Improve quality of services without using additional resources.
Limit damage to or enhance environment or social fabric through local development, production and marketing of product or service.
Bring into being or strengthen an alliance or collaboration that helps nonprofits or groups decrease dependence on outside resources and serve common goals.
Design with clients holistic ways to prepare for graduation from formal assistance, using and eventually enhancing community-based resources (e.g. individuals, programs, projects, social networks, technology).
Involve clients and other stakeholders in managing and assessing delivery of services as a means to improve individual development, processes or programs.
Use information and insight from two or more fields to promote clients’ strengths and self-reliance (e.g. culture and neuroscience, music and health).
Create and implement grassroots leadership development initiatives that support self-sufficiency while encouraging a variety of participants to build community.
Appreciate and use natural, messy, often nonlinear ways individuals or communities learn and grow.
Transfer personal and professional skills and insight from service providers and community supporters to people who face similar challenges.
Encourage trust building and productive action by government, foundations, nonprofits, corporations and/or other organizations through collaborating to serve a public good.

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