HISTORY OF COMMONWEAL FOUNDATION

In 1968, a Washington, DC area businessman founded the Commonweal Foundation to serve the community in which he had lived and thrived since 1937.
First known as The College Fund, Commonweal’s original purpose was to provide loans to financially needy students for college tuition. In the 1980s, the Foundation acquired its new name and a new focus: the support of secondary education. In 1988, Commonweal became one of the first local sponsors of the nationally acclaimed "I Have A Dream" program, promising college scholarships to nearly seventy elementary school students upon their completion of high school.
Today, the Commonweal Foundation continues to provide educational and social support to financially needy students in the form of widely expanded services, including grants, scholarships, and learning assistance programs. 

BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Stewart Bainum
Chairman

Bruce Bainum

Roberta Bainum

Scott Renschler

Garland P. Moore

Christine A. Shreve

OFFICERS
Phyllis M. Rumbarger, MA
Executive Director

Christopher Sharkey
Vice President & Chief Financial Officer