Story on Marguerite Casey Foundation Was an ‘Unfortunate’ Attack on a Female Leader of Color

To the Editor:

I am writing on behalf of the Board of Directors of Marguerite Casey Foundation to express our grave concerns about the article the Chronicle of Philanthropy published June 27 on the foundation and its president and CEO, Luz Vega-Marquis.

Over the past 17 years, Luz Vega-Marquis and MCF’s staff have built a groundbreaking approach to grant making that is needed now more than ever in philanthropy. The Chronicle’s story recognizes the importance of that model. Marguerite Casey Foundation’s board has confidence in Luz Vega-Marquis’s leadership and in the trust and transparency created among the foundation’s board, CEO, and staff.

The story fails to recognize that the scope and power of MCF’s grant-making model, which is based on long-term general operating support, have required a healthy internal culture. The foundation’s staff has played an integral role in the execution of this model. Seventeen years ago, the premise of nurturing a movement led by low-income families was considered radical. Today, we know how needed this model is in the world of philanthropy.

The foundation’s staff and board are testaments to our mission of racial equity: People of color make up 82 percent of the board and 60 percent of foundation staff. And 86 percent of our grants go to organizations led by people of color. The families who are at the heart of this movement come from broad and diverse backgrounds and represent all our communities.

Luz Vega-Marquis was the first Latina leader of a national foundation. As a society, we must stand by the strong women-of-color leaders who are changing a field that clearly needs change. The article is an unfortunate attack on one of those leaders in a deeply flawed and unbalanced piece.

The foundation is no different from any other organization in that there has been both positive and negative feedback from employees. This is typical at any dynamic organization. Together, though, the MCF board, Luz Vega-Marquis, and the staff have striven to create a strong and powerful organization fueled by an innovative and positive workplace that delivers results.

The board is pleased with the level of honest feedback and exchange with staff members. Our CEO encourages this kind of honest communication. As the foundation has grown, its human-resources function has matured, creating a healthy and productive work environment. By the end of 2018, the foundation had invested over $450 million in low-income communities, families, and leadership development, addressing some of the nation’s most important social-justice issues.

Luz Vega-Marquis and the staff have led this work. It is her strong leadership that has positioned the foundation to build on its success in the years to come. The board stands firmly behind her, her legacy, and most important her work to create a pioneering model to support families.

Philanthropy needs more of this work. Philanthropy needs more leaders like Luz Vega-Marquis.

Freeman A. Hrabowski, III
Chair
Marguerite Casey Foundation Board

Hrabowski is also president of the University of Maryland’s Baltimore County campus.