Fort Meade Alliance Foundation
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
As the nation’s center for information, intelligence, and cyber operations, Fort George G. Meade is acutely aware that mission readiness is only possible with a team of people who can endure the rigors of a demanding profession. As the largest employer in the state of Maryland and the second largest workforce of any Army installation in the United States, the success of continued operations is not only paramount to national security but also to the well-being of families and communities on the Fort and in the state. The Fort Meade Alliance (FMA) and its Foundation (FMAF) continually work to enhance the community services available to help ensure the resiliency and longevity of warfighters supporting the critical missions of Fort Meade. With more than 49,000 jobs in Maryland’s cybersecurity industry unfilled, the FMA further supports Fort Meade’s critical missions through efforts to widen the pipeline of future workers necessary to protect our national freedom.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Education and Resiliency Center and Kuhn Hall
A key priority for the Fort Meade Alliance and the Fort Meade Alliance Foundation was the creation of Fort Meade Education and Resiliency Center at Kuhn Hall, which officially opened on November 17, 2022. As part of the U.S. Army’s Resiliency Initiative, the center offers programs and services addressing five areas of resiliency (physical, emotional, social, family, and spiritual) in support of active-duty service members, local retirees, DoD employees, contractors, reserve soldiers, and dependents.
McCreedy Scholarship
The Kenneth O. McCreedy Scholarship, the first initiative of the FMA Foundation, was developed to assist Meade High School students who plan to pursue higher education in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) or linguistics. The scholarship recognizes outstanding, well-rounded graduating seniors for their past achievements and aids them in accomplishing their career goals.The Fort Meade Alliance is a leader in educational development and addressing the skills gaps and workforce needs or regional employers.
Education and Workforce Programs
There is a critical need for skilled workers in the Fort Meade region in the areas of defense, homeland security and technology as a result of growth from BRAC and cyber-security initiatives. However, there is a real concern that current Maryland students are not interested in these fields, nor are they aware of the job opportunities in their own backyard.
The Education and Workforce programs provide students with hands-on STEM learning opportunities. These experiential learning initiatives are often the impetus that ignites students' love, not only of STEM but also of learning and empowers them to be critical thinkers. Specific programs include Tech Mania, Project SCOPE (Security Clearance Overview and Preparation Education), STEMOVATION, Career Chats, Teacher Externships, and Meade High School Cyber Lab—all of which provide valuable immersion opportunities for students and connect them to business leaders who share with students tangible and transferable knowledge.
Where we work
External reviews
Photos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of donations made by board members
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Students, Military personnel, Veterans
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
In 2020, 9 out of 10 board members donated to the Fort Meade Alliance Foundation. In 2021 and 2022, we have had 100% of board members make a donation or pledge to the FMAF.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
The Fort Meade Alliance (FMA) and its Foundation (FMAF) strive to support a thriving Fort Meade region. The region’s nearly 60,000 military and DoD personnel face unique challenges in supporting our national security while working for and with the more than 115 government Agencies and organizations inside Fort Meade. Whether it is being deployed into a dangerous environment halfway across the world or dealing with the immense stress of their missions here at home, our national defense depends on the health and well-being of these individuals. We are committed to enhancing the entire installation, the lives of military personnel and their families, civilians, and the broader Fort Meade Community.
The FMA supports Fort Meade and the surrounding community through four initiatives:
• Military & Family – improving the quality of life for the post’s military personnel and their families.
• Education & Workforce – helping build a skilled workforce by offering access to STEM curricula and activities, promoting business engagement in cultivating skills required by employers through internship and project-based learning opportunities, as well as helping members of the workforce navigate the security clearance process.
• Meade Business Connect – helping member companies and organizations learn about contracting opportunities, develop best business practices, make strategic connections, and foster new leaders.
• Transportation – partnering with government to improve the roads on and around the post.
The FMAF provides fundraising and resources to the FMA for the Military & Family, Education & Workforce, and Transportation initiatives.
Specific goals over the next 2-5 years include the following:
Military & Family:
• Start construction on Kuhn Hall’s Education and Resiliency Center
• Finalize plans/resources for the kiosk services (located both in Kuhn Hall and across the installation)
Education & Workforce:
• Student Programs – Serve 75% more students at TechMania (from 200 to at least 350)
• Project SCOPE Speaker Outreach – Expand the program by doubling the number of high school presentations (from 4 presentations to 8) and by adding speaking events geared towards college students, members of the workforce, transitioning military and veterans.
• STEM Core College – Serve 200% more college students (from 18 students to 54)
• Meade Cyber Range – Create a new program that provides the opportunity for Cybersecurity/Information Technology Certifications at Mead High School
Transportation:
• Complete exploration of options to benefit Baltimore Washington Parkway (MD Route 295) by transferring ownership from the National Park Service to the state of Maryland
• Determine next steps for distributing findings and advocating for committee approved solutions
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
The Fort Meade Alliance Foundation (FMAF), the fundraising arm of the Fort Meade Alliance (FMA), helps fund three initiatives of the FMA:
Military & Family – The FMA and FMAF have invested in providing civilians, service members, and their families with access to education and resiliency resources. We are proud to have recently raised $5.3 million to renovate Kuhn Hall on Fort Meade to become the new Education and Resiliency Center – a gateway to educational opportunities and existing resources for over 160,000 service members, veterans, civilians, and families. The new center connects Fort Meade community members to wellness programs, mental health services, education & transition services, substance abuse counseling, legal assistance, and navigator services. The renovated space includes a reception area, teaching kitchen, conference room, guidance counseling, learning spaces, and shared university offices. The FMA continues to develop new tools for this center, including information kiosks in which users can discreetly find information for various resiliency services, ranging from counseling and substance abuse groups to cancer support groups and childbirth education classes to consumer credit counseling.
Education & Workforce Development – The FMA hosts a variety of education initiatives related to STEM programming, in addition to participating in several allied programs by providing guidance, identifying mentors and club leaders, staffing advisory boards, and facilitating connections between educators, students, and transitioning military and industry leaders. Programs include Tech Mania, Project SCOPE (Security Clearance Overview and Preparation Education), STEMOVATION, Career Chats, Teacher Externships, STEM Core College, and Meade High School Cyber Lab—all of which provide valuable immersion opportunities for students and connect them to business leaders who share with students tangible and transferable knowledge.
Transportation – Efforts to improve regional transportation include the FMA’s support in securing a $10 million, federal TIGER grant to widen Route 175 next to Fort Meade, as well as assistance provided to federal elected officials to secure MILCON funds to improve roads on post. The FMA is currently exploring options related to the Baltimore Washington Parkway (MD Route 295) which is far from the daily capacity for which it was intended.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
The Fort Meade Alliance Foundation (FMAF) is governed by a 12-member board of directors and through its philanthropic efforts, supports the Fort Meade Alliance, which is governed separately by a 25-member board of directors. With 250 member companies and individuals who represent more than 100,000 employees in the region, the FMA has a long track record of providing services and support to the installation and agencies such as US Cyber Command, the National Security Agency, the Defense Information Systems Agency, and more.
The FMA and FMAF have established partnerships with community organizations to provide health and wellness programs at the Education and Resiliency Center; local community colleges, Title I and AAA schools with large concentrations of students from low-income families to provide exposure to STEM activities, careers, and the security clearance process; as well as federal, state and local government offices, agencies and elected officials to advocate for the needs of the installation and the civilian and military personnel employed there.
For 20 years, the Fort Meade Alliance (FMA) and its Foundation (FMAF) have helped make Fort Meade and the region stronger by:
• Ensuring that the Fort Meade Education and Resiliency Center offers programs and services addressing five areas of resiliency (physical, emotional, social, family, and spiritual) in support of active-duty service members, local retirees, DoD employees, contractors, reserve soldiers, and dependents.
• Connecting Fort Meade transitioning and retiring military and spouses with regional employers to find gainful employment in civilian careers.
• Preparing tomorrow’s workforce through hands-on STEM learning programs such as Project SCOPE (Security Clearance Overview & Preparation Education), Tech Mania, STEMOVATION, Career Chats, Teacher Externships, and Meade High School Cyber Lab.
• Reaching more than 5,000 students through its Education and Workforce programs.
• Creating a wider pool of skilled employees in the fields of applied sciences.
• Creating a “Growing the Military Child” brochure as a resource for educators.
• Establishing the Kenneth O. McCreedy Scholarship for students who successfully complete the Meade High Homeland Security Certificate program.
• Expanding working relationships with schools in our region to increase participation in and quality of our student programs through internships, project-based learning opportunities, externships, and apprenticeships.
• Work with government agencies to access federal funds and grants for the region’s transportation needs.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Military & Family:
In 2011, the FMA Foundation embarked on a significant partnership with the U.S. Army and the Fort George G. Meade Garrison to establish access to resources for service personnel, their families and civilians. This included the $5.3 million renovation of Kuhn Hall on the installation and its conversion into the Education and Resiliency Center (the capital was raised by the Fort Meade Alliance Foundation). The center officially opened on November 17, 2022 and now delivers programs and services addressing five areas of resiliency (physical, emotional, social, family, and spiritual). Army Community Services personnel are also on-hand to help these men and women connect to their desired resiliency supports. In addition, Military Family Life Counselors and triage staff are on-site so that servicemen and families can efficiently receive counseling services, in many instances, anonymously to avoid the stigma often associated with getting help.
Seven touch-screen kiosks have been installed (with five to be installed later) in strategic locations around the garrison. These kiosks connect to a digital hub of centralized resources known as the Fort Meade Resiliency Services Portal (www.ftmeaderesiliency.org) so that users can easily and confidentially access information about the programs offered at the Education and Resiliency Center and in the local area.
Education & Workforce:
The Fort Meade Alliance has also expanded its Education and Workforce programs which include Tech Mania, Project SCOPE (Security Clearance Overview and Preparation Education), STEMOVATION, Career Chats, Teacher Externships, and Meade High School Cyber Lab—all of which provide valuable immersion opportunities for students and connect them to business leaders who share with students tangible and transferable knowledge.
Tech Mania, for example, is the “show and tell” of community innovation. In 2022, more than 800 students were exposed to STEM-based careers via Tech Mania’s showcase of technology that is designed, built, and utilized here in the Fort Meade surrounding area. That fall, organizations such as BigBear.ai, Leidos, Lockheed Martin, National Security Agency, National Security Agency with Learning Undefeated, and The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company served as mentors to these students.
Project Scope significantly surpassed its goal of doubling the number of high school presentations (from 4 presentations to 8); instead, it provided 32 presentations in 2022 with events geared towards college students, members of the workforce, and transitioning military.
In 2022, 2,000 students participated in one of FMA’s Education and Workforce programs. This is a significant increase over the 400+ annual average of students reached in years past. Next year, we anticipate serving a minimum of 2,500 students.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Fort Meade Alliance Foundation
Board of directorsas of 05/24/2023
Deon Viergutz
Lockheed Martin
Term: 2022 - 2024
Jay Baldwin
Atlantic Union Bank
Ed Rothstein
ERA Advisory
Elizabeth Rendon-Sherman
LG TEK
Steve Tiller
Whiteford Taylor Preston
Doreen Harwood
DE Harwood, LLC
Linda Greene
Community Volunteer
Frankie Velez
Peraton
Mike Cataldo
Kennedy Krieger Institute
Sean Battle
Formerly of BigBear.ai
Joe Pacileo
IronNet, Inc.
Tim Ward
KatzAbosch
Deon Viergutz
Lockheed Martin
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? No -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? No -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? No -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? No -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
No data
Gender identity
No data
Transgender Identity
No data
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data