https://www.groundworkpartners.co/home daily 1.0 2025-12-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ed8581a2cf8322413a961e8/1593660281944-7F0UJBASM22NKW6CHAHG/75589165-4561-4245-8FE5-0B20E729D418.jpeg Groundwork Partners Home - Program Design & Management Program Design & Management Create programs that focus on learning, connection, and collective action. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ed8581a2cf8322413a961e8/1593667799299-CMIDK79LE8P7U2U1P1WC/people-parading-street-2306782.jpg Groundwork Partners Home - Grant Making Initiative Inception & Execution Grant Fund Design & Management Launch and manage funds that build on your strengths and uplift community expertise. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ed8581a2cf8322413a961e8/1593667542352-N8GLRAU99ETRN32JIRYQ/person-holding-game-piece Groundwork Partners Home - Strategy & Planning Strategy & Planning Discover, align on, and implement creative and inclusive solutions for impact. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ed8581a2cf8322413a961e8/1593834626854-7BO6UAF1EUUY0N27BVQ1/woman-falling-in-line-holding-each-other-1206059.jpg Groundwork Partners Home Facilitation Create strategic clarity, alignment, and buy-in among your board, staff, and partners. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ed8581a2cf8322413a961e8/1593834564122-QR5QI7C7GGWGUPFCW40Z/people-discuss-about-graphs-and-rates-3184292.jpg Groundwork Partners Home Resource Development Set your fundraising goals and build a sustainable in-house development team. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ed8581a2cf8322413a961e8/1593881630440-247R5BEHGX00695FRMT2/woman-draw-a-light-bulb-in-white-board-3758105.jpg Groundwork Partners Home Learning & Innovation Share and learn with partners on how to strengthen your work and achieve shared goals. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ed8581a2cf8322413a961e8/1594806580724-5HKLKER5U7FOZGBU2CFZ/IMG_8754.jpg Groundwork Partners Home - Our Team Groundwork Partners is led by Lauren Marra, an experienced philanthropic advisor, social impact strategist, connector, and facilitator with deep experience working with foundations, nonprofits, and purpose-driven companies. She frequently collaborates with other practitioners who bring augmented capacity, complementary skill sets, and different lived experiences. https://www.groundworkpartners.co/work daily 0.75 2020-07-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ed8581a2cf8322413a961e8/1594792700774-5U7MXA2JCRA54G1BT1FK/Annotation+2020-07-08+172808.png Our Work Groundwork helps steward resources, strengthen donor relationships, and run events to support the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth’s $2.5M efforts to end extreme sentencing, change dehumanizing narratives, and create opportunities for formerly incarcerated youth to thrive as adults and lead in communities. Learn more about the CFSY's first 10 years! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ed8581a2cf8322413a961e8/1594790715551-4X92KIH9ZRVFDAA3XVWE/JFF.jpg Our Work Groundwork facilitated the creation of a theory of change, a reimagined network design, and a sustainable business plan for JFF’s premier post-secondary policymaker and practitioner network. Check out the highlights reel from JFF’s recent Horizon’s conference! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ed8581a2cf8322413a961e8/1594790152872-CI95Z3UA9GT981OE1CJR/image-asset.jpeg Our Work Groundwork led a process to develop the Horizon Foundation’s strategic plan focused on advancing health equity in Howard County, Maryland through research, board and staff workshops, and ongoing community engagement. It continues to support board and community engagement as the foundation lives into its mission and racial equity journey. What’s next for the Foundation? Click here! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ed8581a2cf8322413a961e8/1594789771381-XMRVISFQ722UBHS3V2F7/Ms+Foundation.jpg Our Work Groundwork helped the Ms. Foundation for Women design, launch, and manage the first round of grantmaking for the Activist Collaboration Fund. The ACF aims to strengthen collaboration in and across social justice movements for women and girls of color, trans WGOC, and indigenous WGOC. Its grantmaking and learning agenda are based on trust-based philanthropy principles. Read more about the ACF’s 2020 grantees here! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ed8581a2cf8322413a961e8/1594795636392-EC0WRQDZBZO3FMU3VD9C/JMM-AARP-WorkForYourself-91.JPG Our Work Groundwork is working with the AARP Foundation to tell the story of Work For Yourself@50+ and its participants. WFY@50+ is a one-of-a-kind national program that helps aspiring and established older entrepreneurs determine if small business ownership is right for them and get connected to the knowledge and networks. Stay tuned for report release! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ed8581a2cf8322413a961e8/1594794498205-KKTLMEEY8A0JCDN9H0HO/woman-discussing-in-front-of-other-women-3810762.jpg Our Work Groundwork is helping forge a new funder affinity network of institutional, family, corporate, and community foundations, and government agencies who share a deep interest in cultivating entrepreneurship in the United States and creating supportive, inclusive, and equitably resourced entrepreneurial ecosystems. Stay tuned for more news on the organization’s launch! https://www.groundworkpartners.co/services daily 0.75 2021-09-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ed8581a2cf8322413a961e8/1630549586944-TD2ZN27EE4AOZQLPW1AP/virtual+meeting+1.jpg Services https://www.groundworkpartners.co/ourstory daily 0.75 2020-07-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ed8581a2cf8322413a961e8/1593883001596-RQIGJWRIO79M44E0UAA8/climate-sign-outside-blur-2990644.jpg Our Story https://www.groundworkpartners.co/contactus daily 0.75 2020-11-14 https://www.groundworkpartners.co/team daily 0.75 2024-11-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ed8581a2cf8322413a961e8/1594776625534-XNFSMY6XYP8F57G1N1AL/Lauren_headshot Team - Lauren Marra Founder & Chief Executive Officer Lauren is a seasoned facilitator, systems thinker, social impact strategist, connector, and people leader with a passion for helping leaders and teams generate transformative ideas and turn them into action. Equally experienced in working with community organizers, purpose-driven executives, and creative teams, Lauren brings more than 15 years of experience in strategic planning, facilitation, and program design and management. She established Groundwork Partners in 2019 to provide support to organizations committed to racial, gender, reproductive, and economic justice. Prior to founding Groundwork, Lauren led the strategy and learning practice at Community Wealth Partners and oversaw Arabella Advisors philanthropic advisory practice through a period of historic growth in revenue, personnel, and impact. During her tenure, Lauren advised the Ms. Foundation for Women, Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan DC, Echoing Green, the Horizon Foundation of Howard County, Jobs for the Future, The Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the AARP Foundation, and others on new strategies, programs, projects, and collaborations. Previously, Lauren led federal advocacy campaigns, designed policy solutions, and developed cross-sector partnerships around issues impacting women, youth, and people of color. She held policy roles at the Economic Policy Institute, Center for Law and Social Policy, Pew Charitable Trusts, and the U.S. Department of Labor. Lauren began her career as a Jesuit Volunteer and case manager at Chrysalis, where she provided people experiencing poverty the resources, support, and trust needed to find and sustain employment. Lauren holds a BS in economics from Boston College and a Master’s in Public Policy from Georgetown University, where she was a Nielson Philanthropy Fellow at the Center for Public and Nonprofit Leadership. Lauren is an avid traveler, learner, and connector who enjoys urban hiking, Monday crossword puzzles, and strategy board games. She is the mother of two vivacious and loving girls, Harper and Maeve, and partner of civil rights advocate, Joe. Contact: lauren.marra@groundworkpartners.co